Oct 03, 2024
- Lead Generation
- Lead Generation, Systems
Articles about Lead Generation for freelancers
I write about Lead Generation for solopreneurs
Lead generation seems to be the no 1 pain point for freelancers.
- Without steady leads you’ll be forever stuck on the feast and famine rollercoaster;
- You’ll spend as much of your time chasing the work as actually doing the work,
- Stressed out never knowing where the next paycheck is coming from,
and taking on all sorts of bad-fit clients out of desperation.
My dream for you is to have a steady supply of surplus leads,
so you can charge leveraged pricing,
and cherry pick the best clients to work with.
So I’m sharing everything I know on lead generation for freelancers here.
There is no “one-size-fits-all”.
Different methods of lead generation work, or don’t work, for different niches and businesses.
Every guru online has their preferred method.
What works for me might not work for you.
FAQs from solopreneurs about Lead Generation
I’m going to set myself up as a freelance designer, but not sure how I get clients?
If I absolutley HAD to get clients in the door,
If I were to start freelancing from scratch, here’s what I’d do first to get clients in the door:
- First, I’d read my guide on starting freelancing from scratch 🤣
- Then I’d create an offer around skills I already have,
- brand my profile and messaging around a powerful offer, here’s my guide to building an offer
- have a stab at creating a valuable lead magnet that leads into the next problem you solve.
- Start publish content with a social media strategy funnelling traffic into the lead magnet (such as a free audit)
- Reach out in DMs and get the leads into sales calls
- Then refine and optimize your system as you learn.
- — from Claire
- Freelance product designer
- Read full Q&A
Should I position as a creative consultant or freelancer?
“Quick question for you… Freelance to me is doing the physical work because of your skills. Consulting to me is advising and using your knowledge to streamline the client’s approach. – Nathan”
If you’re not sure which to focus on here’s a different way to look at it:
There’s not much difference between the two.
- A freelancer is a solo business owner offering Done For You services based on knowledge.
- A creative consultant is a solopreneur offering Done With You knowledge services.
the distinction between consulting and freelancing to me would basically be what you’re selling.
If you want to make it successfully as either a consultant or a freelancer you have to expand your mindset to think as the CEO of a small business.
Accept that doing “the job” isn’t enough.
You also have to take on all the other roles in a business.
Sales, Lead Gen, Customer Comms, Finances etc.
Unless you work for a company,
you still need to
- find your own customers
- promote your work
- submit your tax returns
- etc
So same difference really!
If you want to focus on selling your knowledge,
you should still aim to package your insights and knowledge into a result you can sell,
as opposed to just selling “consulting”.
No-one wants a consultant, or a consultation.
they want the results, the fix, the benefit of the consultation.
Personally I do both design work and consulting but I don’t sell services.
Instead I sell a package which contains multiple services, and a bit of consulting too.
The package is basically my offer: to help entrepreneurs launch a successful business.
When packaged this way I can charge more than other freelancers who sell those things individually
You can change the packaging of your offer depending on who you speak to btw.
Some of your potential clients wills struggle with finding their target market. others with brand etc.
So tailor how you talk about your package, depending on the problem your lead is having.
yes, you can help them with other stuff.
But focus on the biggest problem their having and talk about the solution to that, and how their life will look after the solution is implemented
If you’re struggling to position yourself and figure out what to sell and how to sell it,
Here’s a step by step offer worksheet that you can go through step by step to tease these answers out.
- — from Nathan Shellard
- Graphic & web designer
- Read full Q&A
How do I pick my niche?
People get stuck a lot on niche.
Another way to think of niche is a problem your ideal customer is having, your package or set of services are the solution.
It doesn’t mean you won’t do anything else, but pick something your going to promote to and aim your messaging and content at.
You’ll need to position yourself as the authority who helps those people,
so the narrower you can make it the easier it’s going to be to sell to them.
Research and find out what those customers struggle with the most,
this will inform the services you focus on.
This will take time and you may need to work with them first before you know this.
Doesn’t hurt to ask them, in person or on social though.
The best way to go about this is gather data on social media. what are your customers struggling with the most.
what do they complain or talk about the most?
These issues are what you’ll want to solve with your offer….
Remember,
- Niche is just a focus for your marketing. Think of it as your target customer, you can still help and work with people outside your niche.
- You don’t have to have just one niche.
- You have to try stuff to figure out your niche, it takes time and trial and error
- Niche isn’t forever you can change it later.
Try this to hone your offer and niche
Instead of listing the services you offer,
list the problems your customers have.
Then link those to the results that your customers
Example for brick & mortar stores wanting a logo.
(Shop is empty on weekdays => I want more customers)
(There’s someone doing it cheaper !=> I want less competition / stand out from competition)
Example your high ticket package could be
“everything you need to stand out on the high street and pack your shop full”
free consultation, shooting plan to prep your place in advance, staging, half day photography and video session, branded asset package, social media package PLUS follow up consultation so you know how to use the materials”
👆 Instead of a list of services, this is a result,
What you want to do is package your services and abilities into tiers.
- Low ticket (cheap or free as a leadmagnet)
- Info products work best for your free offer, can be something like a PDF guide, an audit or a consultation.
“How to get more boots in the door – Free marketing workshop “
- Info products work best for your free offer, can be something like a PDF guide, an audit or a consultation.
- Mid ticket (one to many, scalable or retainer income
- this will be your courses, DIY guides, group workshops etc.
(how to plan, storyboard and record and publish a marketing video for your business using NOTHING but your mobile phone!”)
- this will be your courses, DIY guides, group workshops etc.
- High ticket (bespoke, high price)
- This will combine elements from previous packages. think beyond just doing photo and video to the result.
Add anything the customer needs for a good result.
THIS is how you will charge x2 as much
- This will combine elements from previous packages. think beyond just doing photo and video to the result.
- Don’t get too tied up with the number 3, this is just a rough guide of best practice.
Every business is different.
There’s also no immediate right answer.
You’ll be tweaking and experimenting with the messaging, the package, the pricing etc for ages to get it right.
As a rule of thumb for packaging your services.
Your “core offer” is the big problem you solve for your ideal audience:
remember to focus on the result, that’s what they are really paying for:
Standing out from competition, charging more etc, increase sales etc.
- — from Niklas
- Brand Designer
- Read full Q&A
How do I get leads as a new freelancer?
There’s loooads of ways everyone has a diffferent way.
I myself spend a lot on SEO which helps get organic traffic to my website.
If you’re going the SEO route pick a specific town to focus on to start with.
As a newbie, referrals will still be your no 1. I’ve written a whole artcile with a video walkthrough of how to get 6 figures of referral leads on autopilot.
Basically, you ask! More regularly than you think. Follow t he previous link for my system for this, plus scripts you can use.
Do a really good job, at the end be sure to ask for a Google Review and specifically ask if there’s anyone they know who they could refer you to that you could also help.
You can also reach out to agencies that get leads and offer to do a whitelabel service
Agencies are always looking for good web designers who are reliable and can manage a project and work autonomously.
The honest answer is it takes a long time to build up a network of people who know you as the better solution.
or build a social profile on Linkedin or Insta. On linkedin you can do a boolean search to look for specific job roles or interests
This takes a lot of time.
engage for real with other business owners
talk and get to know them and their problems first, don’t start with the sell.
then review their website and offer to do a free audit as an “in”
point out how you’d improve it for free
they may ask you to implement.
Some people set up automated cold email campaigns which work surprisingly well.
Remember it’s much easier to get business off of existing clients.
reach out to previous clients and upsell them on something else like SEO or blog writing
- — from Rachel
- Accessibility web expert
- Read full Q&A
How do I get consistent work as a freelancer?
There’s loooads of ways of getting new work.
If you scroll through Instagram you’ll be bombarded by new ways to find work.
Everyone has a different way, and each swears it’s the only way.
I myself spend a lot on SEO which helps get organic traffic to my website.
If you’re going the SEO route pick a specific town to focus on to start with.
As a newbie, referrals will still be your no 1.
Do a really good job, at the end be sure to ask for a Google Review and specifically ask if there’s anyone they know who they could refer you to that you could also help.
You can also reach out to agencies that get leads and offer to do a whitelabel service
Agencies are always looking for good web designers who are reliable and can manage a project and work autonomously.
The honest answer is it takes a long time to build up a network of people who know you as the better solution.
Build a social profile on Linkedin or Instagram. On LinkedIn you can do a boolean search to look for specific job roles or interests.
This takes a lot of time.
engage for real with other business owners
talk and get to know them and their problems first, don’t start with the sell.
then review their website and offer to do a free audit as an “in”
point out how you’d improve it for free,
they may ask you to implement.
Some people set up automated cold email campaigns which work surprisingly well.
Remember it’s much easier to get business off of existing clients.
Reach out to previous clients and upsell them on something else like SEO or blog writing.
- — from Unknown
- Read full Q&A
How do I network effectively?
You could join a group like Chamber of Commerce or BNI.
But vet these groups carefully before joining.
Make sure they are actually passing leads.
Far too many “networking groups” are just coffee clubs for people playing CEO who have too much time on their hands. 😂
To network effectively you have to seek out the movers and shakers.
The best strategy is not to seek customers;
Instead seek people who know many of your ideal clients.
These are known as superconnectors.
Write, refine and practice a 20 second, 60 second and 5 minute pitch for your business value offer.
Don’t get caught off guard if someone asks on the fly.
Every social event is a networking event.
You never know where you’ll meet your next client.
Never sell to one person at networking. ever. people can smell desperation.
Ask about their business. listen. If they have a problem that you can solve offer specific advice on how you would solve their problems.
Don’t worry about “giving it away for free”. The more you can give away, the more likely they are to want you to do it for them.
Remember networking is a place to find clients, yes, but it’s mostly a place to find partners.
partners will allow you to expand your offering, solve bigger problems and feed each other leads.
Social media is networking. People forget this. don’t just post.
Speak to people get to know them, chat like you would in real life.
- — from unkown
- Read full Q&A
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