Freelancing can be tough on your fingernails. Just when it feels like everything’s going smoothly, a big project ends and you’re back to not knowing where the next job’s coming from. It can be pretty nerve-wracking, so here’s how to prepare for the lean times and maintain something resembling sanity.
Show some love
You’ll probably find that about 80% of your work comes from 20% of your customer base. Commitment is key – the last thing you want is to find out your client has been seeing someone else right under your nose. Nurture your freelancing relationships by communicating on LinkedIn, and maintain that face-to-face rapport by being hilarious and charming at industry events. Other contractors will be emailing them all the time, so be proactive about staying in touch and making them offers for work.
Lock them in
Not in any kind of naughty way, obviously! We’re talking about a retainer agreement – aka the freelancing holy grail. This is essentially a contract between you and your client that means they’ll come to you when they need a certain type of work. But it does mean that you’re expected to be on-hand at very short notice as and when they want that work done, so it’s probably not a good idea to pursue this with too many clients. If you can secure one or two, it’s a great safety-net during the lean times.
Get your name out there
Use sites like YunoJuno and Guru to connect with companies looking to hire and get promoting. Social media is invaluable, and so is networking within your local business community. Think ‘Jerry Maguire’ and they’ll be showing you the money!
Review or refer
To roll out an old cliché, in this freelancing business, you live and die by your reputation. So it’s important to make sure yours is good – and looks it. Word of mouth is a powerful way to find new clients, so ask your existing ones to review you and post their testimonials on Google+ and local directories such Freeindex. You can add them to your site too, in case your visitors need a little push in the right direction.
Contribute to the community
What do you do when you can’t take a job? Refer it to someone you trust. Networking within the freelancing community will make this more likely to happen to you, so don’t just focus on your client-facing reputation. Contribute to discussions on industry topics, write blogs on relevant issues and continue your charm offensive to pick up these invaluable (and delicious) job crumbs.
Minimise your admin chores
All of the above is only possible if you have the time to do it, so finding ways to carve out that time becomes essential. Rather than wasting time gathering your receipts, try an app like Receipt Bank, and plug it into an online accountancy dashboard like My Accountant Friend – all the important but dull stuff dealt with in a friendly, modern and efficient way, and without you having to understand what tax codes go where. Freelancing heaven!
