The best way to grow freelance writing to get $5k+ months
TL;DR: I planted a seed (aka gave my business card to an ideal client) two years ago, and they finally came through to subscribe to my most expensive package!! I had just about given up on following up with them, too…
Here’s how I landed my ideal freelance client
So TWO YEARS AGO, I went to Appalachian Trail Days in Damascus, Virginia with my bestie Monica where I also met one of our Pop Club Members, Sarah, in person for the first time (you’ve seen her on my camping trips on Insta, I’m sure)!
That day, I handed out 30 business cards to vendors (gear companies mostly) and took down the contact info for about 15 of those people. I followed up with everyone that I could five times each (once per quarter for a little over a year).
Two of those leads turned into clients in the year after that initial point of contact at Trail Days. Town Shirt Co. and Six Moon Designs. I made a case study out of my project for Town Shirt Co.
The thing is, I never got feedback from Six Moons on their final deliverable, and I sincerely thought they didn't like working with me or something. Turns out they're just very busy because....
Apparently the CEO of Six Moons is on the board of another company that I had given a business card to at Trail Days. I’d followed up with them five times, but they replied they didn't have work for me every time.
Well, that CEO recommended me to this other company with exuberant enthusiasm (their words) and told them they "had to work with Rachel." Um, so I guess they liked me?!
I did a discovery call with this other company this week (I don’t want to name them until they sign their contract), and they ended up picking my most expensive and robust package (a monthly multiservice retainer at $2500 a month)!!
If you take anything from this story, I hope it's this:
When you’re networking you are planting seeds. Sometimes it takes years for those to bloom. But when they do, they often create a little network of roots among each other that will sustain your business. You never know how someone else is feeling (especially clients and leads). You never know where your next opportunity is going to come from. All you can do is plant seeds.
I hope this gives you some motivation to keep networking!! It's worth it! (and you’ll get other clients in less than 2 years…)
How did I get this client to pick my multiservice retainer?
With two strategic placements.
I shared a case study of a similar company with similar goals before our discovery call.
I included an “upsell” option in my pricing guide (and linked that case study again).
They said they just wanted to start with email marketing because they didn’t think they had the budget for all of their needs.
Rather than explaining to them that they could make it all happen with me, I sent them pricing for what they requested and I also included an extra page that featured my multiservice retainer. This shows them that they can afford to tackle everything they want to with me in an approachable way.