Most freelancers are reactive — they wait for new leads to come to them.
The problem is that getting leads reactively depends on luck. Will you get a new client when you need them? Or will you instead need to start looking for a job?
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Back when I was jumpstarting my fledging agency, I used to attend a lot of events. Between what I could find on Meetup.com and the events hosted by the Chamber of Commerce and our local technology council, I spent at least a night a week chatting (and usually drinking) with local business owners.
Most nights I’d come home and the first thing my wife would ask was, “So… did you get any clients tonight?”
“Maybe,” I’d say as I deposited that night’s loot of business cards into my sock drawer. “These things take time.”
These events almost always yielded no fruit. I’d show up, make small talk, do my best to maintain eye contact, and would swap business cards with whoever I was talking to. And then I’d repeat the ritual again with whoever was next.
When I attended my first Chamber of Commerce meeting, I really felt like I was a fish out of water. I came in shorts… and a t-shirt. I didn’t have any business cards, nor did I have any idea what I was doing.
And everyone was in suits. Talk about embarassing!
But I eventually figured out how to “play the game” and make the most of these events. If you’ve never been to a networking mixer, or have but with little results to show, I’m going to outline how I’ve leveraged these events while growing my consultancy.
This is a guest post by Josiah Choy from KickoffLabs. KickoffLabs provides landing page and email marketing solutions.
The hardest part for many freelancers and consultants is generating new business. Most freelancers would rather focus on perfecting their craft than to go out and get new leads. Unfortunately, how good you are doesn’t matter if no one’s heard about you. After all, you only get paid if you make the sale. Take for example, the New York Times bestsellers list – a list of books that sell the best. If it were a list for the best writers, it might be called the best-writer list.
If you’re a freelancer, here are 5 techniques to connect with your customers to generate more business.
Last week, I hosted a training seminar to teach local businesses how to improve the number of leads & sales driven by their Web sites. I charged the 5 attendees $250 each, for an effective hourly rate of $312.50, and I delivered outstanding value to them.
Best of all, this something I believe any freelancer or consultant could do.
But first, let’s back up and talk about why you might want to consider hosting a seminar.
