by Daniel Nkado
When we hear someone mention they are a freelancer, we often conjure glamorous images of working from home, freedom from all the stress of a 9-to-5 job and the joy of doing work that is fun, engaging and meaningful.
But, as many entrepreneurs can attest, running a freelance business is pretty hard.
From the stress of hustling 24/7 for new gigs, surviving inconsistent work and cash flow and juggling multiple clients, the work of a freelancer is anything but glamorous.
One of the hardest things about freelancing is the stress of finding clients.
Understandably, finding clients as a freelancer is a critical and important part of running the business.
Without clients, work and income dries up pretty quickly, leading to frustration in all forms.
Finding clients as a freelancer is usually not a quick solution. Every freelancer must learn the art of patience, otherwise one could easily become discouraged.
When it comes to landing a gig, marketing plays an important role. You need to make yourself known in places where you are likely to find potential clients.
You could meet clients both online and offline and you need to have a marketing strategy for both.
Vlady Kovbas, a community manager at TreeHouse Society advises:
“When meeting a potential client in person, maintain a casual and friendly tone. A potential client is more likely to hire you if you can connect with him or her personally, so avoid being too formal.”
This is 2017, and some etiquette you learned in business school might have become obsolete.
From a record number of experiences, getting personal with potential clients usually works.
Even if the person is not interested in working with you at the moment, getting personal with them and following up increases the chances of them working with you in the future.
