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How To Grow Your Freelance Business Organically
These Are 3 Ways To Grow Your Freelance Business...
Keep reading down below where I break down these three organic and tangible ways on how you can GROW a real freelance business that has monthly recurring cash-flow.
- Get More Clients Through Your Pipeline
- Practice Upskilling
- Secure Long-Term Clients
1.) Get More Clients Through Your Pipeline
The first way to grow your freelance business is by focusing on filling your pipeline with multiple clients. You do this by getting people into your sales cycle. For example, if you are freelancing, you will need different clients to be able to provide your services too. Whether you have a recurring client and you need to get another additional client, or if you already have a couple of clients and you are ready to start earning more money, then you need to start getting more clients into your pipeline that are paying you. You can fill your pipeline up through:
- Qualified Clients
- Referrals
- Networking
- Expanding Your Reach
There's a lot of different ways you can fill your pipeline. First, you can start by going on freelancing websites like Upwork and Fiverr. These platforms are a great platform where you can get
qualified clients
who are posting thousands of jobs a day
and are looking for freelancers like you to help them. Take advantage of these free freelance platforms because it is a sure way to get more clients into your pipeline and turn it into a monthly recurring revenue.
Then, I recommend filling your pipeline up by
looking at how you can gain more
referrals.
This is the most effective way to fill your pipeline up. In fact:
“92% of buyers trust referrals from people they know”
You would be surprised how many of your previous clients have
referrals
for you if you just ask. You can also look at any previous clients you have had and reach out to them. Referrals are an on-going thing, even if you ask for a referral a year ago from a client, it’s always good to follow up with your database and past connections that you built solid relationships with and see if there is an opportunity awaiting you to provide your services!
This is also why I recommend
networking
to fill your pipeline because attending networking events online, or in-person is an effective way to fill your pipeline up because you’re building relationships with potential clients and get to know them and their problems you could solve for them. When people can put a face to a brand, it builds a stronger level of trust which is key to driving more clients through your pipeline that turn into customers. Go online and look at networking events virtually or in-person near you to get in on these lucrative opportunities and future connections.
You can also look into
expanding your reach
by providing your services to your friends and family by using social media or word of mouth. These connections are one of the most important and supportive connections that you will have. Family and friends are important to growing your freelance business, especially when first starting. Start to expand your reach and offer your services to any friends or family who may be interested. They offer support, guidance, finances, and advice which a small business owner needs to grow their business.
In Bank of America's Small Business Owner Report, they found that over (35%) said that friends and family help them the most with running their business. This survey also states that over (53%) of the small business owners rely on family to serve important business roles, and an additional of (38%) of the entrepreneurs surveyed have received a financial gift or a helpful loan from family and/or friends at some point to help fund their business.
You should be focusing on making a relationship with everyone you meet
before selling them
your services anyway. Focus on first making a trustworthy connection and then sell them down the line. You can even offer special discounts and get testimonials from your friends and family when you are starting out. You can also let them know you will give them the highest level of customer service, just as you do with every one of your customers! By letting them know you give EVERYONE your best service encourages future referrals from your friends and family to people they may know who might benefit from your services.
This all ties back into that opportunity to network, get referrals, and have potential long-term recurring clients with friends or family by already having that established relationship and trust. That is some of the ways which you can grow your freelance business.
2.) Practice Upskilling
The second way to grow your freelance business is by focusing on upskilling. Upskilling is the process of learning an additional skill or service you can provide that compliments your initial skill. By combining multiple services that compliment each other, you are more valuable to clients. Therefore, you can get paid more.
Think of the marketer who continues to learn how to use new digital tools or the engineer who masters a new coding language. Upskilling gives you the ability to always continue:
- Expanding Your Knowledge
- Expanding Your Skillset
- Increasing Your Rates
- Increasing Your Value
This gives you the advantage to help your clients even more and become an asset to them. Look at different ways you can start to expand your knowledge, and
expand your value
with whatever freelance service you provide.
Ultimately, the more you focus on upskilling (advancing your skillset), the more value you have the ability to provide.
3.) Secure Long-Term Clients
The third way to grow your freelance business is by focusing on securing and maintaining long-term clients. Long-term clients are clients that stay with you for multiple months, if not multiple years.
Long-term clients
give have a much higher earning potential compared to constantly performing one-time gigs/projects. By becoming a part of a companies digital freelance team, you open the door ways to building a successful online business. When you have long-term clients you are able to charge them monthly which provides a predictable source of recurring revenue for you.
On the other hand, if you focus your time on one-time gigs and short-term projects, you put yourself at a disadvantage. Not only do you have to constantly deal with on-boarding clients, but you never get to tap into the gold mine of recurring monthly revenue!
Usually, the most challenging part is that initial period when you get the client, you do the on-boarding, you're getting to know them, and getting to know their business. It's vital to show your client you care about your work and the value you are going to provide. It needs to be your goal from the start to turn each client opportunity into a long-term project that pays consistently.
"Just having satisfied customers isn’t good enough anymore. If you really want a booming business, you have to create raving fans."
- Ken Blanchard & Mollie Beck
As you follow these steps for delivering a top-level customer experience, you will grow a firm base of loyal clients who will buy from you time and time again. Focus on fostering and maintaining these long-term relationships and you will see your online income and freelance business soar.
In Conclusion
Filling your pipeline up, learning how to upskill to provide more value, and building long-term relationships with clients are the three most tactical ways to ensure you get consistent monthly income so you can grow your freelance business organically.
Thank you for spending time improving your future. I am excited for you and I look forward to your future freelance success!
- Paul Mendes,
Founder of Profitable Freelancer
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