After speaking to hundreds of freelancers and buyers, weโve pinpointed four tips on how to win clients over.
๐ง๐ถ๐ฝ ๐ญ: ๐๐น๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ณ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ผ
Whether youโre a graphic designer, illustrator, or a photographer, creating and constantly working on your portfolio is a sure way to get a potential clients attention. Showcase your killer work to demonstrate your signature style and establish a standard of quality for your work.
Be proud of your achievements and highlight it. Most artists incorporate publications, awards, or features in their profiles, yet forget to mention them in their pitch for a project. Pinpointing credibility in your work pushes the client to favour your work over others, as they know youโll deliver quality.
๐ง๐ถ๐ฝ ๐ฎ: ๐ก๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ผ๐๐
The word โnetworkingโ tends to conjure up images of long and boring corporate events that don’t amount to anything. And while this is sometimes the case, networking is a lot more than simply handing your business card/portfolio out and hoping for the best.
Networking can help you explore and find new projects, find potential collaborators and grow as a creative professional. Especially in big cities such as London, itโs beneficial to have a wide circle of connections to find recommendations for different projects.
Referrals for projects is a common practice within freelancer communities! This tends to happen most when freelancers are limited in time or canโt take up any other projects, and so they refer others they know that can achieve the clients expectations. If you go out of your way to network and make great connections, you have a chance of being referred by your fellow freelancer. This is the key takeaway; that the freelancing community does not need to be strictly competitive, it is, more often than not, compassionate and friendly, so act on it!
๐ง๐ถ๐ฝ ๐ฏ: ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐
โ๐๐โฆ ๐โ๐ ๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ง ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ ๐๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐๐ข.โ
โ๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ข๐จ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฎ ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐จ๐ค๐ฃ.โ
โ๐๐๐โ๐ก๐ก ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐๐๐๐ก๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ฃโ๐ฉ ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ก๐ฎ, ๐๐จ ๐๐ฉ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐?โ
Freelancers tend to forget that they are entrepreneurs and that freelancing is their business. Yes, youโre running a business as a sole individual, and in that business, you have the obligation to succeed! To keep your business intact and moving, youโll sometimes need to get far out of your comfort zone and frequently reach out to past connections. Donโt be afraid to ask whether they need any work done for them or if they know of anyone that would. This may bring many opportunities and while it may not be the most comfortable approach, it does work and generally people are happy to help or refer you to others.
Even if they donโt have an answer for you immediately, when they come across someone or a time when they need – letโs say, a graphic designer, youโll be the first one to jump to their mind.
Another great way to keep your clients in contact is by reaching out to them with updates. For instance, youโre working with Nike for their new project as a Graphic Designer – this sort of update is interesting and you will be remembered for your noteable career progressions. As vague as that might sound, it works pretty well in the business world to establish a stronger footing in your field.
๐ง๐ถ๐ฝ ๐ฐ: ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ด๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด
This is probably the most important tip of all; how you get them to come back.
Communication skills are a good trait to have for any person, but theyโre essential for any freelancer who wants to maximise their effectiveness in the field. You can have amazing talent as a graphic designer, but if youโre not effective at communicating with clients, the design process can be frustrating for everyone involved.
It could be that you already are a great communicator, but as freelancers and entrepreneurs we are constantly improving our techniques and our approaches to work.
It starts with listening to the clients needs and wants. Having a clear understanding of the clients business, situation, and expectations, will help you with in setting the scope of work. On Wishu, whether you are applying for a wish or just responding to an enquiry, your first message will matter, a lot. Reading the project requirements will help you structure that proposal message and make you look really professional.
Asking the right questions and using the right language is incredibly important. To understand the project clearly youโll need to ask the right questions and make sure you and the client are on the same page before embarking onto the project. Please donโt use jargon or terms the client wonโt understand! Making an effort to use language and wording that will be clear is key.
Follow these four tips means youโll have happy clients, and happy reviews. Happy hunting!
