Landing your first freelance clients is a significant milestone, but turning these one-time engagements into ongoing relationships is the key to building a thriving freelance business. The question is, how do you make your first-time clients come back for more? By implementing the right strategies, you can encourage repeat business and even generate referrals. Here are five effective ways to ensure your first-time freelance clients become long-term partners.
Key Takeaways
Send over a comprehensive proposal to outline the project’s scope and set clear expectations.
Invest in a professional website to make a strong first impression and showcase your portfolio.
Encourage satisfied clients to provide referrals, which can help you acquire new clients more easily.
Ask for testimonials after completing a project to build credibility and attract future clients.
Upsell additional services to existing clients to provide more value and increase your revenue.
1. Send Over A Comprehensive Proposal
One useful tool that is often overlooked by new freelancers is the detailed work plan. Simply put, a work proposal outlines the scope of work the client requires and the freelancer’s plan to complete that job. A practical proposal should be no more than 1–2 pages and should demonstrate the following:
Who you are, your background, and what you can contribute to the project.
A clear understanding of the client, the client’s needs, and the details of the project.
An honest estimate of how long the project will take, what work will be required, and how much the project will ultimately cost.
How you plan to complete the project; what steps you will take to ensure on-time completion.
A sloppy, vague, or impersonal proposal can hurt your chances of establishing ongoing relationships with your clients. Writing a comprehensive proposal, which requires careful attention to detail, can take several hours—so don’t rush it. Therefore, your suggestion will be so much more persuasive and credible when:
You show a clear understanding of your audience.
Your document is completely free of grammatical and spelling errors.
2. Invest In Your Website
Your website is your digital storefront, and it’s often the first impression potential clients will have of you. Make it count! Here are some key areas to focus on:
Work That SEO Magic
There’s little point having a beautiful, up-to-date website if no one ever sees it! Research shows that 95% of people don’t venture past the first page of search results, and half the clicks on that page go to the first three results. How do you get your site to that coveted first page? By using search engine optimisation (SEO), that’s how!
Reflect Your Personal Brand
Getting people to find your website is only half the battle. Equally important is making sure it sells them on your value once they get there. Your website needs to include case studies that give potential clients insight into how you think and work, and grow confidence through your experience and professionalism. Make sure content is written well, and balance visual eye-candy with insightful observations and descriptions of your process.
Back Up Your Personal Brand
If your colleagues or satisfied clients do recommend you to one of their contacts, the first thing that new contact will do is google you and check you out. Make sure you are easy to find when they do their due-diligence.
Your website is not just a portfolio; it’s a reflection of your professional identity. Make it engaging, informative, and easy to navigate.
3. Referrals
Referrals are the holy grail of freelance client acquisition. They eliminate competition and bring clients pre-loaded with trust. But they don’t happen automatically. I follow a process to help turn my satisfied clients into referral machines.
Establish a Great Reputation
First things first, you need to establish a great reputation. This means delivering high-quality work consistently and being reliable. When clients see that you’re dependable, they’re more likely to refer you to others.
Be Ultra-Professional and Build Trust
Professionalism goes a long way. Always communicate clearly and meet deadlines. Building trust is crucial, and it’s something that can set you apart as an email marketing freelance expert in Europe.
Overdeliver
One way to make sure clients remember you is to overdeliver. Go the extra mile to provide more value than they expected. This leaves a lasting impression and makes them more likely to refer you.
Build Ongoing, Long-Term Relationships
Don’t just finish a project and disappear. Keep in touch with your clients and build long-term relationships. This ongoing connection makes it easier for them to think of you when someone asks for a recommendation.
Your Website Must Back Up Your Personal Brand
Your website should reflect your personal brand and the quality of your work. Make sure it’s professional and showcases your best projects. This helps validate your value to potential referral clients.
Reciprocate Referrals
If you want a colleague or client to recommend you, one great way to encourage this is to recommend them! If you come across any of your own connections or other clients who could benefit from a relationship, help them make that connection with a personal introduction or referral. This is another way of showing your clients that you’re thinking of them, and that gentle reminder will encourage them to do the same for you.
Say Thanks for Referrals
Always say thanks when someone refers you. A simple thank you note or a small gift can go a long way in showing your appreciation. It also encourages them to keep referring you in the future.
Now you’ve built a mighty referral engine. All of these steps done together make it very easy for your colleagues and clients to refer you, without being asked or bribed to do so. And equally important, easy for those referrals to validate your value and feel confident using your services.
4. Ask For A Testimonial
If you didn’t already know, reviews and testimonials are incredibly powerful marketing tools. In fact, they can determine whether a client decides to go with you or another freelancer — and you don’t want to miss that opportunity, do you?
One of the easiest and quickest ways to show your expertise to future clients is to share testimonials from other clients on your site or in your marketing pack. When you sign off your first freelance project, remember to reach out and ask for a testimonial that you can use to secure your next client. You don’t have to write a plead-y email, just something simple like:
Hey Client, I really enjoyed working on this project with you and hope you did too. It’d be great if you could write a couple of sentences about your experience working with me so I can let future clients know what to expect. Thanks! Your Name
If you want to take things a step further, build your testimonials into project profiles or case studies to share on your website and social media. They can be a great way to showcase your services and the problems you solve for your clients.
5. Upsell
Understand Their Needs
To successfully upsell, you need to understand what your client truly needs. This means asking the right questions and spending more time listening than talking. Focusing on your customers and delivering a quality service that goes above and beyond will earn you loyal clients who come back time and time again.
Offer Additional Services
Think about what extra services you can offer that solve a problem for the client or make their lives easier. For example, if you designed a website for them, maybe you can offer ongoing maintenance or SEO services. Adding a new skill or service increases the benefits you can offer and makes your business more valuable to potential clients.
Build Relationships
Building lasting, profitable relationships with your clients should be your end goal. Treat every customer like your most important client and more than just a faceless email address that receives work orders and sends invoices. All B2B relationships will have a better chance of thriving when three conditions are met:
Trust
Communication
Value
If you can, try and upsell. For most freelancers, recurring work is the dream. Having a regular amount of monthly work means you can predict your income and manage your finances much easier than working sporadically. But, for some freelancers, this isn’t possible. In these instances, it’s worth looking at other ways you can potentially provide value to the client to continue your working relationship together.
Conclusion
So there you have it! By implementing these strategies, you can turn those first-time freelance clients into long-term partners. Remember, it’s all about delivering value, maintaining clear communication, and building trust. Don’t be afraid to go the extra mile and show your clients that you’re invested in their success. With a little effort and dedication, you’ll not only keep your clients coming back for more but also turn them into your biggest advocates. Happy freelancing!
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I turn one-time freelance clients into repeat clients?
Implementing strategies like sending comprehensive proposals, investing in your website, asking for testimonials, and upselling can help turn one-time clients into repeat clients.
Why is a comprehensive proposal important for freelancers?
A comprehensive proposal sets clear expectations, outlines the scope of work, and demonstrates professionalism, which can help build trust with first-time clients.
How can investing in my website help attract more freelance clients?
A professional website serves as your online portfolio, showcasing your skills and previous work. It helps make a great first impression and can attract more clients.
What are some effective ways to get referrals from clients?
Establish a great reputation, be ultra-professional, overdeliver, build long-term relationships, and always thank clients for their referrals.
How should I ask for a testimonial from a client?
You can send a simple email thanking them for the opportunity to work together and request a few sentences about their experience working with you.
What is upselling and how can it benefit my freelance business?
Upselling involves offering additional services or products to your existing clients. It can increase your revenue and provide more value to your clients, encouraging them to return.
