by Rachel Smith
08 July 2015
I’ve been freelancing about four months now and have had one large project and several small ones, but no repeat business from any of the clients. The clients are busy and I didn’t get much feedback, so I just moved on and started seeking new business – I didn’t want to bug them. Is that wrong? KJ
Very wrong! Bugging – or the more professional term, ‘following up’ – is the key to repeat business when you’re a freelancer and working with multiple clients. You’re mostly going to get more work from referrals and from clients you’ve worked with before so you have got to get in their face on a regular basis. Of course, I don’t mean doing this aggressively or making a pest out of yourself. But building those relationships – which takes time – and being on their radar at least once a month is absolutely essential when you work for yourself and want to be the go-to person on a client’s speed dial. Here are some strategies for mastering the follow-up.
1. Always drum up new business… when you finish a project for a client. By this I mean, letting the client know you enjoyed working on the project (if you did, and want repeat work!) and that you’re available on X date if they’re looking to outsource again soon. If not, let them know you’re keen to stay in touch and will give them a buzz in a month or so to see how the land lies. Same goes for editors – I know it’s hard sometimes, but you should always try to file a story with a pitch of new ideas at the same time to keep the work rolling.
2. Send Christmas cards. Some may find this wanky, but I think it’s nice to pop a Xmas card in the post to a client or editor whose commissions have helped pay your rent that year. A message wishing them a relaxing festive season, thanking them for the work they’ve passed your way that year and letting them know you’re looking forward to working with them again in the New Year is just good business. And, it may well mean you’re the one they call when January hits, their office is on a skeleton staff and something needs an urgent re-write.
3. Pick up the phone. When I first started freelancing I was terrified to call clients or cold-call for fear of being annoying, but how will anyone know you’re there and available? I had similar trepidations coming off maternity leave recently. I’d never had so long away from my desk and as I put feelers out to my editors and clients, I was aware that other freelancers may well have stepped in during my absence and made themselves indispensable. Nerve-wracking? You bet. I was pleasantly surprised to be immediately offered work – and it was a good reminder to me about always staying on the radar.
4. Add reminders on your calendar. It’s one of the best ways to keep track of your follow-ups and ensure you’re on a roll in letting clients know that you’re available. Or, use a service like Follow Up Then, which enables you to set reminders, be reminded when someone hasn’t emailed you and set follow-up reminders for a week, a month, three months etc into the future simply by adding a specific email to your bcc field.
5. Send a newsletter to clients. You might favour the personal touch (especially if clients have become friends over the years), but if you’re say, a copywriter or designer I reckon a newsletter can be a great way to give a heap of clients a head’s up on various things, such as the fact that you’ve just started providing SEO or social media services, or have branched out into designing Facebook banners. Or, if like me you do websites for clients, it could be a way to let them know their WordPress upgrades are coming up (or they should think about some maintenance and plugin updates as well). You could also use your newsletter to let clients know you’re available for work, when you’ll be on holiday, to show off a couple of great projects you’ve completed or to offer them a tidbit of news you’ve come across that would be of interest to their business. Even if a client has nothing for you at that moment, they might forward your newsletter on to a colleague who does – and bingo! New work.
6. When you get a new project… and it’s a complicated brief, I’d consider going to meet the client for a coffee to discuss it. I have several steady clients – some I’ve worked with for over a decade – and I still go and meet them a few times a year and often at the start of a big project. It’s a good chance to catch up and cement the relationship while also talking shop.
Do you have any follow-up tips? Or are you a fan of the client newsletter? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
Great tips here Rachel. I’m definitely thinking of sending some Christmas cards and little gifts this year to my clients and editors. I just sent off an email to a client who I write for but haven’t heard from in a while. One of the other things I do as well is have a look at a contact’s website, if they’re in anyway remotely attached to writing, I will send them a LOI with my portfolio.