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How to prospect as a freelancer?
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Summary
Key Takeaways:
- Presenting your offer: polish your profile and add value to your services.
- Defining your ideal client: identify ideal prospects and qualify them to maximize your chances.
- Active prospecting methods: directly contact your prospects in a personalized way to land your first assignments.
- Passive prospecting methods: publish content to showcase your expertise.
- Wage portage: rely on an umbrella company to feel less alone with prospecting.
You are starting as a freelancer and don't know how to go about it? In a very competitive market, getting your first clients is the crux of the matter as an independent. That's why Weepo gives you the main methods to find freelance gigs. From presenting your offer to the wage portage solution and through prospecting emails, succeed in your freelance outreach and land your first clients.
Defining and Presenting Your Offer
Create a Website
To increase your chances in freelance prospecting, create a website to present your services in a clear and impactful way. On your homepage or services page, highlight your unique value proposition rather than just talking about yourself. Add client testimonials, showcase your best projects, and highlight the results achieved.
📌Concrete Example:
If you are a freelance web developer, you can feature an existing site along with numbers showing increased visibility for your client.
Optimizing Your LinkedIn Profile
If creating a website seems too expensive or daunting, you can use your LinkedIn profile as long as it is optimized. Items to include are:
- A professional profile photo;
- A results-oriented portfolio;
- A selection of your best achievements;
- A compelling tagline to capture attention within 5 seconds...
📌Concrete Tagline Example:
If you are an SEO consultant, you could consider a tagline like: "I propel your website to the top of Google" or "I bring you out of the web’s depths for better visibility."
Define Your Ideal Client
Targeting Your Prospects
Once your offer is well defined and refined, it's time to target your prospects. Identify companies/individuals with a real need for your product or service. Take the time to analyze their business and their challenges. Don’t forget to study your prospects' solvency by looking at their business sector, company size, and average budget.
Qualify Your Prospects
Beyond your selection criteria, be sure to qualify your prospects and filter them intelligently before accepting a meeting. This protects your energy, your time, and helps you avoid being ghosted or dealing with merely curious prospects. In your initial exchanges, always ask these 4 screening questions upfront:
| Screening Axis | Question to Ask the Prospect | What the Freelancer Gains |
|---|---|---|
| Need (why) | Can you describe your current situation and what led you to consider this project? | Validate the existence of a real need and avoid uncommitted prospects. |
| Urgency (when) | How much of a priority is this for you right now, and what is your expected timeline? | Identify an active project and better prioritize your actions. |
| Budget (how much) | Have you already defined a budget range for this type of project? | Ensure financial feasibility from the start. |
| Decision (who) | Who are the people involved in the final approval of this project? | Speak to the right decision maker and anticipate the decision process. |
Choose Active Prospecting Methods
A prospecting email shows that you've taken the time to understand your prospect's needs. It remains the main channel for finding clients as a freelancer. To maximize response rate, personalize your email and avoid automated or generic mailings.
After sending your initial email, set up a smart follow-up sequence and be sure to properly close after three follow-ups to maintain your credibility.
Interactive Exchanges
Like traditional emails, you may want to build a personal relationship before any business exchange. On LinkedIn, for example, identify your target prospects and start with small interactions to get to know each other. Don’t sell your service immediately. Discuss your respective activities, or even invite your prospect to one of your events... In this way, you build a human connection, making your prospect more likely to listen to your offer when the time comes.
Choose Passive Prospecting Methods
Inbound Marketing
Inbound marketing lets you attract your target audience through content that addresses their challenges. This can be:
- Blog articles;
- Video tutorials;
- Newsletters;
- Posts on social networks...
This content demonstrates your expertise and reassures your prospects before they buy. For this strategy to work, you need to publish regularly and with relevance.
Guest Blogging
Guest blogging involves writing an article for a blog in your field in exchange for a link to your site. You boost both your visibility and capture the audience of the blog in question, opening the door to new prospects.
💡Good to know: always favor blogs with high authority and in the same niche as yours.
Consider Wage Portage
If prospecting seems difficult, consider using wage portage to benefit from the support of an umbrella company in your search for assignments. This way, you'll feel less isolated than as a sole proprietor.
💡Good to know: if you're interested, join Weepo and benefit from a responsive team available at every step of your project.
Freelance Prospecting: Key Takeaways
You now know the different methods of freelance prospecting. Here’s what you need to remember:
- Polish your offer: add value to your website or optimize your LinkedIn profile.
- Define your ideal client: identify prospects with a real need, check their solvency, and qualify them before any meeting.
- Prospect actively: send personalized emails and plan interactive exchanges to build a human connection.
- Leverage inbound marketing: create high-value content for your website or social networks.
- Choose wage portage: benefit from the experience of an umbrella company to help you find your first gigs.
As a bonus, take a look at our guide starting a solo business.
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Responsable Marketing & Communication chez Weepo, je suis passionnée par l'animation du réseau et l'accompagnement de nos consultants. J'organise des événements parisiens et accompagne nos équipes régionales pour créer des moments d'échange enrichissants dans l'écosystème du portage salarial.
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