Landing big clients everyone's business success goal, no matter what industry you're in. Getting paid your worth makes your work more fulfilling, so you can enjoy every day on the job.
However, landing big-time clients is about a lot more than just mastery at your craft -- you have to also be able to market yourself and understand what these big clients are looking for.
So what practical steps can you take to land your dream clients? We've got you covered. Hit the jackpot with quality clients by following these words of advice.
Everyone's end game with finding clients is different, but there are some common rules you should follow. You can set a strong foundation when you make these tips your bread and butter:
When you're trying to attract big clients, putting yourself out there has to become second nature. Show your face at as many networking functions as possible. They all can provide value and widen your net of potential clients.
Consider your field and research relevant events that you can begin marking on your calendar. For example, if you're a freelance writer, you might attend events at libraries in your area or writing conferences and seminars.
These events give you the opportunity to learn quality information that will help you professionally while also exchanging information with people you can build relationships with.
Always have your business cards at the ready and a project that you're working on that you can talk about. Just as importantly, actively listen during conversations so you can learn all about the person that you're speaking to.
Listening intently when networking can clue you in on a person's goals, needs, and motivations. The better you get to know these things, the more effectively you will be able to sell them your services.
Don't get shortsighted with your networking. Even if someone can't do anything for you directly right now, they can refer you to their friends.
If you think you're ready to step up to big-time clients, you must be able to sell yourself like it. High-level clients are busy and typically can only give you limited minutes of their time.
You need to learn how to sell yourself within a brief period of time so that a person that speaks with you comes away completely understanding who you are and what you offer.
Get to the guts of why you're in this industry and use that information to build a pitch you can offer in an elevator or as a keynote speaker.
You're more likely to land big clients when you learn to connect with them. When people come away from your pitch feeling like they know your story and who you are, you're more likely to close bigger deals.
Getting to the bottom of your "why" really means getting to know yourself. You can accomplish that through regular disciplines and building a healthy life. Explore self-development so you feel more comfortable in your skin and a free communicator in both your professional life and your personal life.
Let yourself live life. Build a thriving social life and always explore new activities. Learning to carry engaging social conversations will help you build a comfort level.
Work on your verbal skills. Practicing breathing exercises can help you breathe deeper, which calms your body and allows your mind to be at ease. Keep practicing and don't be hard on yourself. Before you know it, you can give someone your pitch at the drop of a hat.
If your goal is business success, you'll earn more money than you could have dreamed when you learn to focus on the needs of others first.
Too many entrepreneurs get caught up only in the bottom line and end up shortchanging their customers. But if you're always oriented on delivering your best work and filling needs, people will naturally pay good money for your quality services.
Take a qualitative approach to your work and the quantitative is bound to follow.
If you're trying to grow your leads, you should always start with your established network. When your circle knows that you're in need of a particular kind of client, you stand a better chance to make that connection with a personal referral.
Nine times out of ten, your circle will be glad to help you. Don't feel too presumptuous to come out and ask for favors -- particularly from business relationships you have nurtured for a long time.
Building brand equity gives you more power over your career and the types of clients you can attract. Right now, you'll get your best return on investment (ROI) by building a strong social media presence.
Social media is where everyone congregates and that's where you can build a strong following by just being who you are. By learning the quirks and nuances of different social media outlets, you can start to tell your story and set yourself apart.
Once you grow a following, you'll catch the attention of bigger clients. What's more, you can build a small business by monetizing your following.
Presentation is everything, so make sure that you are consistent in how you put yourself out on social media. Above all, post regularly and engage with the people who choose to follow your content.
Always post professional quality photos across all your outlets. You can invest in a quality camera and some editing software so you can really experiment with well done social media campaigns.
When you publish a blog, you're essentially building a small business that markets itself.
It also allows you to attract an audience with some well-written content. The majority of web users read blogs regularly. If you build a blog that provides value you can enhance your credibility and attract the big clients that will take your career to the next level.
Blogging allows you to familiarize yourself with your industry by exploring a variety of topics. This gives readers a sneak preview of how you think as a professional and what you're able to accomplish.
People will get hooked on your blog content and spread it around to others. The next thing you know, this little content site has essentially turned into a commercial for your brand. Do some keyword research and write compelling content so that you can build a following large enough to demand whatever rate you'd like.
Hire a graphic designer to build a dynamic website that you can proudly make the home base of your brand. Optimize your site as much as possible and market your blog to generate serious traffic.
Never wait for anyone to do for you what you can do for yourself. It's better to pick up the phone and call someone cold than to sit still and wait for clients to come pouring in. Going on offense will require some patience and perseverance, but mastering cold calls, e-mails, and direct messages will definitely pay off.
Learn to start conversations through direct messages (DMs) so that you're continuously adding new contacts.
A direct message is a tool that too many people overlook due to the perceived awkwardness or discomfort. Sending someone a DM can sometimes put you in the position to overthink things before hitting send.
Rather than spamming people's DM boxes trying to sell to them, approach it like any other normal conversation and get to know them better. Keep in touch and allow this relationship to blossom over time.
Once they have a need for your services or know someone who does, you've just invested in a powerful favor.
We live in the gig economy, so there's never a shortage of leads. Hit some job market sites and begin applying to freelance gigs that catch your eye.
A big client might have a short-term need that you can fill pretty easily. After delivering a few of these projects and knocking your client's socks off, you might approach them about doing business on a larger scale and for the long term.
Quality advertising is worth its weight in gold. This is the best way to quickly grow your visibility and get in front of big-time clients.
Look into advertising services across social media platforms and other avenues. Facebook ads are effective and can help you grow the reach of people that know about you.
When you set aside a bit of money to invest in quality social media ads, you're more likely to get a return on your investment. Running through trial and error with these ads will allow you to better target customers and turn clicks into conversions.
Like any company, you stand to gain a lot by investing in your search engine. Excellent search engine optimization (SEO) gets your links out to the web and ranks you highly for keyword search results.
Understanding how to market to Google algorithms is always an evolving situation. Work with a search engine optimization professional that can help you keep your goals with your campaign.
Put contracts together at the beginning of the process. This way you can hash out business and then get to work. The contract will detail the rate, estimated time of completion, and other details that outline your working relationship.
Different clients have different needs, so consult with them one-on-one early to lay the groundwork for an agreement.
Since each client's needs are different, don't force yourself to address all of them the same way. For example, clients may have different communication preferences.
With some clients, you may e-mail, call, and text frequently, while others might run regularly scheduled virtual meetings. Other clients may prefer to meet in person once per month and break down tasks to be completed.
Learn the style of your client and allow yourself to be flexible when working with them.
The golden rule to remember is that most of your new business will come from referrals. As such, you should always strive to overdeliver to your clients. When your clients always feel like they're getting even better service than they paid for, they'll always be happy to pass the word along to their networks.
You should also incentivize your clients to tell their associates about you. Perhaps offer them a referral discount the next time they take advantage of your service.
Make sure that your mission is always to make your clients the best at what they do. When you have high aspirations for the way your work impacts your client, it'll allow you to keep evolving the relationship.
For instance, you might start out writing press releases for a company. Once they see the results, they might want you to take over more parts of their public relations (PR) services.
Finally, it's up to you to piece together each aspect of working with clients so that you can keep doing what you do best. For instance, you'll need to handle billing and invoices, contracts, and other aspects.
Consider finding a certified public accountant (CPA), lawyers, and other professionals so that you can keep track of it all.
When you put these business success tips to use, it'll help you attract the clients you've dreamed of. These clients pay better and offer you exciting work that you can sink your teeth into.
Use these points as a foundation as you keep growing your company.
At Hectic, we're happy to set you up with a customizable dashboard, discovery forms, and other tools that'll help you work with your clients. Reach out to us to learn more about the business products that will take you to the next level.
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