{"id":3982,"date":"2020-03-31T15:43:22","date_gmt":"2020-03-31T20:43:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/blog\/how-to-find-new-clients\/"},"modified":"2020-03-31T15:43:22","modified_gmt":"2020-03-31T20:43:22","slug":"how-to-find-new-clients","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/blog\/how-to-find-new-clients\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Get 10 New Freelance Clients in 30 Days (or Less)"},"content":{"rendered":"

This guest post was written by Preston Lee founder of Millo. To learn more about Millo, visit their website<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was recently on a coaching call with a freelancer who seemed to have everything together. Her business was humming along, she had regular work, and her clients loved her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was a bit shocked at her response when I asked her, \u201cWhat is the biggest challenge you face in business right now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She responded that she was great at closing a deal if it came to her, but had absolutely no idea how to generate new client leads outside of word-of-mouth marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my experience coaching freelancers for over a decade, I shouldn\u2019t have been all too surprised. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting new clients is, far and away, the number one problem freelancers face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it\u2019s not just freelancers. Businesses of all sizes struggle with steady, consistent, predictable client leads\u2014enough that some business owners lay awake at night worrying that the \u201dfamine\u201d monster of the feast-famine cycle<\/a> is lurking in the shadows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"a<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, I\u2019ve met dozens of freelancers who seem to have it figured out. They bring in new clients every month on autopilot<\/a> and never wonder where their next project is coming from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, I\u2019d like to share what I\u2019ve learned in working closely with the second kind of business owner mentioned above. The ones that have more than enough work and even turn away projects they\u2019re not excited about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These pros can easily add 10+ new clients to their repertoire every month if they choose to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if not, they know next month there will be another 10+ knocking on their door looking to hire them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imagine what 10 new clients in 30 days might do to your business. No more barely scraping by, no more eating macaroni and cheese three nights a week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, I\u2019ll share what I\u2019ve learned so far in this in-depth guide!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Know your Numbers <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Finding new clients is largely a numbers game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before I can dive in and teach you the rules of this game (that you may not even know exists), you have to know your current numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To get started, answer the following questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A. ______ How many client pitches do you make every month? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This number should be the total number of clients you attempt to close a deal with in a given month. At this stage, it doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re reaching out to them or they\u2019re coming to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

B: ______ How many new clients do you close each month? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This number is also simple: how many new clients do you sign on every month. If the number is less than 1, then do the math to figure out the decimal. For example, if you sign a new client every 3 months, the monthly answer would be .33.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

C: ______ What\u2019s your current close rate?
<\/strong>The answer to this question is found by dividing B\/A<\/strong> from the answers above. For example, if you make 20 pitches every month (A) and you get 2 new client each month (B) then your current close rate is 0.05 (2\/40) or 5%<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

n: ______ What\u2019s the average number of pitches it takes to land one client?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To determine the answer, use the numbers above to fill in the following formula with the answers above: C x n = 1.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continuing with my example above, the formula would look like this: 5% x n = 1. In other words (stick with me here) how many total pitches do you have to make in order to get 1 new client? <\/strong>In my example, the answer is 20. 5% x 20 = 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These numbers will be critical in making fast progress toward building a solid client base. We\u2019re going to use them in the next section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you know your current numbers, it becomes incredibly easy to see a path forward to getting more freelance clients<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The secret lies in understanding something called the \u201cLaw of Averages\u201d and I\u2019ll explain how powerful this knowledge will be in the next section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Harness the \u201cLaw of Averages\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cLaw of Averages\u201d supposes that all future events are likely to balance any deviation from the presumed average of previous events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s heavy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what it means in plain english:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your current close rate is 5% (from the example above) and you cold-call 8 potential new clients this month who all decline to hire you, then certainly the 9th and 10th try will result in success, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not necessarily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scientists say it\u2019s a Fraud<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I have to be completely honest with you: To statisticians and scientists, the \u201cLaw of Averages\u201d doesn\u2019t actually exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But to freelancers (or anyone in sales) it can be completely life-changing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Statisticians argue the \u201cLaw of Averages\u201d is a false hope. They call it the \u201cGambler\u2019s Law\u201d because a gambler believes that nine losing pulls on a slot machine will result in a winning 10th pull.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the Same When you Flip a Coin<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Just because you flip a coin five times and get all \u201cheads,\u201d doesn\u2019t mean your 6th flip is any more likely to result in \u201ctails\u201d than the other five. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The coin doesn\u2019t care what the other flips were and each new flip has a 50% chance of landing \u201ctails\u201d up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there\u2019s one crucial factor that pulling a slot machine lever and flipping a coin don\u2019t account for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Improvement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s where the \u201cLaw of Averages\u201d works in a freelancer\u2019s favor\u2014in ways it\u2019s hard for scientists to understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"a<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How the \u201cLaw of Averages\u201d Works in Your Favor<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The formula for the Law of Averages is 1\/n where n<\/em> represents the number of attempts it takes to succeed at something\u2014in your case, closing a new client.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If n = 20, as with my example in section 1, then it takes 20 attempts before you successfully get hired by a new client.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, if you don\u2019t improve in salesmanship, audience targeting, or deal closing, you can plan on getting about one new client for every 20 pitches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now the fun can begin (thanks for hanging in there).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On your first month of pitching new clients, your number might look something like this (again from my examples above):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pitches<\/td>Close Rate<\/td>New Clients<\/td><\/tr>
20<\/td>5%<\/td>1 (20 x .05)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To leverage the power of the Law of Averages, you have to factor in that element that flipping coins and pulling slot machine levers doesn\u2019t employ: talent and improvement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the next section, I\u2019ll show you how small, simple improvements can make a huge impact toward your goal of getting 10+ clients in 30 days or less.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Remember: Small Changes = BIG Results<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Getting 10 new clients in 30 days will require you to think a little bigger, yes. But all it takes is a little bit of adjusting to see some quick, major results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s take the baseline example from above and start playing with the numbers a bit to illustrate what I mean here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once again, here\u2019s our baseline performance. This is what you\u2019re already achieving with your current effort and talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pitches<\/td>Close Rate<\/td>New Clients<\/td><\/tr>
20<\/td>5%<\/td>1 (20 x .05)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There are two easy ways to increase the output in this equation (New Clients): either increase the number of pitches or increase the close rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what the math would look like if you improve your close rate from 5% to 10%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pitches<\/td>Close Rate<\/td>New Clients<\/td><\/tr>
20<\/td>10%<\/strong><\/td>2<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The math is simple: Get better at closing, and you\u2019ll get more clients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A no-brainer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alternately, you could increase the number of pitches you make in a month to increase new client acquisition. It would look like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pitches<\/td>Close Rate<\/td>New Clients<\/td><\/tr>
100<\/strong><\/td>5%<\/td>5<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"a<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The math is pretty simple here too: increase your pitches, and you\u2019ll increase your number of new clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, the real power is found when you increase both at the same time. If you not only scale up your outreach, but also increase your conversion rate, suddenly reaching the goal of 10 new clients in 30 days doesn\u2019t seem so impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pitches<\/td>Close Rate<\/td>New Clients<\/td><\/tr>
100<\/td>10%<\/td>10<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That leaves us with two goals then\u2014which I will spend the remainder of this article providing tactical, actionable advice on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n