Your freelance career may seem frustrating sometimes. Because there is no consistency in getting jobs. There is no guarantee to get new clients every month until you hit a certain level.
This is why most people give up freelancing at a certain period and after trying hard without any outcome.
On the opposite side, there are freelancers who are overloaded with jobs. And their priority is to increase productivity. So they can deliver more projects quickly.
Are you really worthy of getting hired?
If you compare these two scenarios and think about your current position, some of you may think yourself less worthy.
But in reality, you are better than many other freelancers who are earning a lot of money. The reason could be you’re out of luck at this moment or you’re not easy to access. That means clients are not finding you. Also, the reason could be something else along those lines.
Either way, you have to accept the challenge and overcome the barriers. Along the way, I will explain the possible reasons for not having clients and what you can do to fix the issue & get clients for your freelance business.
Are you less qualified than other freelancers in your niche?
This is the first thing that we easily underestimate ourselves when we do not have enough freelance jobs. And if you also think this way, I would say that you’re unable to see your potential yourself. Because this is totally a wrong assumption about yourself. Let me explain why…
Here is a piece of short background information about me that is required to explain this context. Aside from freelancing, I also had been hiring lots of freelance writers for my client websites.
So I have the opportunity to see the potential of different levels of freelancers. Also, I have the opportunity to see how poor quality writers are selling their services aggressively.
So you’re getting all the field data that is practical & genuine. Let’s move on.
Are those top freelancers also provide high-quality service?
As you already know there are different rankings on the freelance marketplaces like Upwork, Freelancer.com, Fiverr, etc.
Most of the time I was looking to hire top-rated and higher-level freelancers. And even I assigned a couple of jobs to them without checking their history, work samples, and past feedback.
Honestly speaking, most of the time I receive below-average writings, and some of them are totally garbage.
So I have to hire other people to rewrite those things and even start from the ground up. But I never asked for refunds nor did I ask for revisions (mostly). If I did not like anyone then I do not hire them again in the future. Also, I have never left any negative feedback publicly.
What did I learn as a hiring manager?
Now come to the point. From this practical experience of hiring many different freelancers, I saw that there are many newbies are serving more great services than many top-rated freelancers.
Another thing I saw is that clients are habituated to hiring those freelancers who already have lots of jobs on their hands. And most clients are afraid or hesitate to hire those freelancers who do not have enough reputations or feedback or sufficient orders.
From these facts, you came to know that your work quality or skill is not the reason for not getting freelance work. The reason is something different than you think. And you have not even touched on it yet to resolve the issue.
So don’t underestimate yourself when it comes to getting jobs.
What else you can do to get freelance jobs?
I am sure that you came across many advice online. Such as 25 ways to get freelance jobs, update your profile, reach out to the local businesses, friends & families, and the list goes on. In my personal opinion, most of them are bullshit and clickbait.
Most importantly, they do not have practical experience going from zero to mastery. However, they got a lot of traffic to their articles. Their purpose has been served but yours isn’t yet. And that’s why you’re on this page.
Anyways, let’s see how you can improve the chance to get freelance jobs.
Is there any blueprint for getting freelance clients?
Luckily, there is no blueprint for getting clients to everyone’s freelance business. The method that worked for me, may not work for you. And vice versa.
But you have to keep trying until you see the conversion. You don’t know until you try a method. And if you see a trick working well for you, keep repeating the process.
Whatever you do, do not just sit there and expect jobs.
If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.
Martin Luther King Jr. American Baptist minister and activist in the civil rights movement
Remind yourself when you get clients and take action accordingly
If you came across a good time in the past, then try to remember what you did at that specific time, what are the proposals that you sent at that time, how you reached out to the prospects, etc.
Anytime I got a new client, I look back to the proposal that I sent to the client. And save the proposal that worked for me and inspired the prospect to write me back.
And I reuse similar patterns in future proposals and I include those key factors that force the prospects to write back.
You can try this method when you do not have enough freelance work.
Think if you need to decrease the rate at this moment
It’s a little bit better to earn something instead of nothing. So if you have no orders at this moment, try to offer your service at a lower price/rate than regular.
In freelancing, you can always downgrade and upgrade your price. This is one of the big advantages of freelancing.
So try lower the price when you do not have jobs or less work. And upgrade your price when you’re overloaded.
Improve your personal website and portfolio
Having a personal website and a portfolio page is a great opportunity to land new customers and showcase your past work samples.
I had been working on a couple of freelancing platforms. The orders & earnings were never consistent on freelancing websites. Sometimes it was $1,500 to $2,000 per month and sometimes $300 & even zero.
But I kept improving on my portfolio and website (currently you’re visiting) during the idle time and when I had no jobs on freelancing platforms.
This is how I grew my personal website, portfolio & blog. And after a certain period, I never had to look back on those freelancing platforms. It has given me the opportunity to land jobs from my personal website. And you can do the same.
Moreover, the freelance marketplace charges 20% commissions and you get the rest of the money after 14 days. So if you work via your personal website, then you will get the whole money immediately after completing the job.
Keep in mind that the freelancing platforms are designed to make profits for themselves, and not for yourself individually. So anyone can be your substitute on the freelancing sites. And anyone who knows how to apply bad tricks can dominate your clients.
Cold calling
If you’re controversial like me, then cold calling is not for you. But you can definitely hire someone else who will do the job for you.
But if you’re on a limited budget then you can manage one or two of your friends or family members.
So your job will be to find the right people and their phone numbers. And your friend’s job will be calling them and offering the service in a professional manner.
If the prospect agrees, then arrange a meeting between you & prospect and discuss the detail. Because your friend may not be able to answer all their questions. And he/she may don’t know the cost & what involves.
If you get clients using this strategy, don’t forget to compensate your friend for it.
Conclusion
Getting freelance work on a regular basis can be hard and you have to overcome the situation in order to reach your goal. Every successful freelancer who has been doing business for a long time has the same story as you. So don’t be afraid, frustrated, or give up. If you like the field that you’re working on, you’ll succeed. All you have to do is keep trying until you find success.
