Independents/freelancers: how do you find new business?
I struggle with this myself. And after speaking to dozens of independents, they either rely on word of mouth from previous contracts or have the one long term contract and hope it doesn’t end.
But that’s not actionable for acquiring new business, it’s kinda like waiting for the rain to fall.
Then there is the crowd that sells LinkedIn masterclasses where posting everyday just the right AI generated words will generate infinite inbound messages and business opportunities, they promise.
I don’t believe in the LinkedIn miracle, I think these courses are a scam.
But I don’t have an alternative either and need to acquire new business to remain financially sustainable.
I do custom software engineering (custom line of business applications) on my own, and devops + infra with a couple of friends (we each have a specialty and we split the work based on our strengths)
So, independent tilderinos, how do you find new business and keep your business afloat?
Word of mouth for me too… My wife is also a freelancer (ghostwriter) and she did an honest effort to source leads through LinkedIn but got nothing out of it. For her it turned out happy and thus returning customers and word of mouth were also the way to go.
For me it’s a bit different. I have my own uncommissioned project where I publish a new long form video interview every month (and have been doing so for the last ten years) which gives me immense exposure and generates leads for my freelance work. If I remember the buzzwords from my old days in the advertising world correctly that would be called a kind of content marketing, maybe? But I think the only reason it works so well is because to me it isn’t content marketing but an ongoing art project.
I like the way you frame it as waiting for the rain to fall. That honestly feels like a large part of my strategy (or not strategy but my fate) as well. The more actionable part is just really connecting with people. That takes time but it also is a lot of fun. Whenever I feel like it, I email some past contacts and ask them out for a coffee. Or if I discover someone who is doing really interesting things, I invite them over for coffee. Sourcing work is not the target of those coffees. Although I will mention the kind of work they can ask me for at the end of our coffee, if it was fun. But just getting to know these people and understand there work is where it all starts from for me.
In any case: I wish you all the best. And I applaud you for being critical about the LinkedIn mirage that is presented to you as being the solution. :)
It absolutely feels like rain. You can’t influence it, you don’t have all that much visibility into whether it’s coming, and lots of people fighting to teach you all kinds of dances that really work to call the rain for a price.
Had a chat with a sales person recently that work at my current company and who is doing a great job. I mentioned that I can't do sales; I don't like calling people at all and I don't think I'd enjoy it. Anyway, she told me her "process" was to call 5 people she knows and then call 5 people she don't. So she is basically cold 5 calling potential leads (after a bit of research) each day. To me that sounds exhausting. I mean even of I'd just call 5 friends that I know and like I'd be exhausted. But, I guess that doing this consistently teaches you what works and what doesn't after a while. I also guess that the pace she has isn't strictly necessary, maybe it would be enough to do 5 and 5 over the course of a week.
Anyway, I am clearly not a sales person so take it with a big pinch of salt!
No way :) it's dependent on the business, of course, but generally for a salesperson in a position where you're cold calling, you'd want to see upwards of 20 calls/day, with something more like 50 being typical. She may have meant that she has 5 actual conversations with cold leads a day, which is indeed a good pace -- but it's about right, not something she could slack off from.
I have been incredibly fortunate to have found nearly all of my clients via word-of-mouth, and twice by someone chasing me out of a building. I am forever thankful for this good fortune, as I am not good at promoting myself, which seems like a critical flaw for a self-employed person. I have found that sporadically contacting past clients has resulted in renewed business or referrals, but you already know that all of this is unhelpful to someone who is just starting out.
Occasionally, when I am unable to accommodate a client, they will ask if I know anyone else who can help them. Perhaps you can network with other independents in your line of work and ask them to throw a lead or two your way when they are overloaded.
Have you considered targeted ads? On Facebook, I see many ads for my services. Some of them have an impressive number of views, but I don't know the conversion rate.
In any case, it may take a while for you to build up a sufficient client base to support yourself without an alternative source of income or some savings. I hope it works out for you!
I don’t know that my customers are on Facebook, I also feel not super keen to give zuck any money. And even more importantly, I wouldn’t know how to advertise in a way that’s impactful. Do you know anything about it?
Two ways
Go to where your clients are: Find conventions where they present, sell etc, and go up to their booths. Listen to their problems and try to offer solutions through conversation. Ultimately it’s just trying to show you have confidence in your topic. I haven’t become a millionaire this way, but it’s done better than cold calling. One thing to note is that a lot of these events are not cheap and designed to keep freelancers out. So having an llc and appear like you are a business will get you more ear time. Just be mindful and respectful.
Networking: This will be the more exhausting one. You need to go to as many events as you can. Ideally one a week. These should be events related to your industry and outside. The goal of this is to grow your “word of mouth” reach since people are more likely to recommend a person they know, than one they don’t. This is also a thing that should not stop. I know many people that stop networking the moment they have a full time job, or steady freelance work. Then when it dries out or are fired, they are back in the same cycle.
100% word of mouth.