Written by: Hasan M.Mudafer
As a freelancer, you have the opportunity to work with anyone you like from anywhere you want. That's awesome, right?
However, not all clients appreciate your work or align with your ideals. While you are grateful for having clients, something may not feel right and you might get stressed working with clients you don't get along with.
We at Job Studio designed this guide for you to find the clients that suit you best and match your expectations. Let's get going!
Stay Away from Work that Doesn't Fit your Values
Be careful about accepting every work offer. You should always look for work that matches your values and aligns with your professional goals. Here are some red flags to consider when communicating with potential clients:
Be picky when it comes to requests and avoid doing something that isn't in line with your message as it can negatively impact your brand trust and integrity.
For example, You are a social media manager and a client requests to engage in unethical practices, such as buying followers or using bots to inflate engagement metrics.
Constantly disregarding or undervaluing your time is a big red flag. Your time as a freelancer is your most important asset, therefore avoid working with clients that don't value your time.
For example, Last minute cancelling and rescheduling, constantly responding late and expecting you to be constantly available outside of agreed-upon working hours.
It is important to research a potential client before agreeing to work with them. You can do this by a simple Google search of their name or checking freelancing websites and LinkedIn. If you find poor feedback, negative reviews, or complaints from other freelancers, it is wise to approach the client with caution and consider the potential risks involved.
Register an account at JobStudio and check out our jobs section, where you can find your client’s details, job expectations and location before making a decision.
Identifying Your Ideal Client
If you are targeting everyone, you are targeting no one.
While providing your services to as many clients as possible is great the truth is, you are distracting yourself. Instead, look at the clients you have right now and think about what is in common between them, this could be their location, age or sex, education level, etc...
This is your target audience (try to think of them as one ideal customer in your head) and you should focus your efforts on serving those clients in the best way possible.
Now you might think, what do I get out of making an ideal customer, and what happens if I don't? Having an ideal customer is VERY important for your marketing, but more details on that later in the article.
Pricing Strategy
How you price your services has a huge impact on your freelance business. You must charge what you are worth and at the same time stay relevant in a competitive market, so it can be quite tricky. A good pricing strategy should::
Having a hard time pricing your services? Read our article on pricing strategy here.
Reach your Clients Before they Reach you
Marketing marketing marketing. If you want to attract the right customers and secure more deals, you have to increase your promotions and marketing. The first step in marketing is finding your ideal client and you do that by making a persona, see this picture below which explains all the important elements of a client persona
Once you have identified your ideal client it is time to ask, how do I reach them?
The answer is:
Identify your Niche
We have talked a lot about the freelancer's side but what if we switch to the client's side?
To target a specific group of clients (the ideal ones) you need to have a specific skill set in your field. A client that pays well and offers a top-notch experience expects a freelancer who is skilful and specialized in a certain area of their field.
Examples of niches can be:
Identifying your niche and ideal client are not separate activities, each one is dependent on the other.
Conclusion
The search for the ideal client is a never-ending, evolving process. But with a strategic approach, you can significantly increase your chances of finding clients who align with your values, appreciate your work, and contribute to your growth as a freelancer. Remember to stay true to your values and put the effort into marketing as it will pay off later.
Job Studio wishes you all the luck on your journey and has a range of clients looking forward to working with you on the Jobs section.