7 Tips For Marketing Your Freelance Business Offline
I walked into Wholefoods this past week with a list of things to buy. I walked out of the store with more than my groceries. I had three new business cards in my pocket. Each with hastily-scrawled notes on the back. I grinned as I packed my groceries into the car and headed home.
I had just generated three great leads. The first one I found in front of the Kombucha display. She’s helping her sister develop an online presence for her retail store. The third was behind me in a surprisingly slow checkout lane. We both expressed our satisfaction with the wait as it gave us time to connect. We’re meeting for lunch next week to discuss a social media strategy for his restaurant.
How was I able to do that? The mechanics of my behavior can be broken down into some basic principles you can use to promote your freelance business. Of course, you’ll have to infuse them with our own spicy blend of personality and expertise. I’ll try to keep the tips brief and answer any specific questions in the comments.
1. Be Friendly
I was able to connect with professionals in a grocery store because I stepped out of my comfort zone and started conversations with strangers. A few reminders as you bump up your friendliness quotient:
- Remember that most people prefer not to initiate conversations. If they’re not in a bad mood they’ll appreciate your effort and respond pleasantly. If they’ve had a bad day, they’ll probably shrug you off. Don’t take it personally. They might have loved you 4 hours earlier.
- Focus on trying to understand this new person, not sell to them. Yes, the end game is about finding new clients but having that as your only focus will cloud your judgement and make you seem, well, creepy.
- If you’re not at all naturally outgoing, that’s okay. You can still be pleasant and do your best to respond with more than one-word answers when someone else initiates a conversation with you!
2. Present Your Value
For most adults, the question, “what do you do for work?” comes up pretty early in a conversation. You’ll be tempted to respond with a short answer. “I’m a copywriter” or “I’m a graphic designer.” Don’t sell yourself short by passing up an opportunity to present your value to a potential client.
Instead of saying, “I’m a copywriter” you could respond by saying, “I help small businesses increase sales online.” Instead of saying, “I’m a graphic designer” you could say, “I help people remember their favorite brands more easily.”
Those are just rough taglines. The point is for you to move toward presenting your value in an attractive way. Doing so will help continue the conversation as your lead clarifies what you do and, hopefully, what you can do for them.
3. Have A Business Card
Internet natives hate business cards because they feel stodgy and backward. You, savvy freelancer, will not fall into the trap of thinking you’re above traditional communication techniques. You need business cards and you need to carry a few of them with you wherever you go. Feel free to call your business cards something else. Call them, contact forms, calling cards (super old skool!), engagement reminders, or whatever you like.
If you’re serious about promoting your business, you’ll make your contact information available in a simple format that is easily shared. For now, that happens with the lowly business card.
4. ABN
If we’re all separated by just six steps then it follows that every person you come in contact with is only a conversation or two away from somebody who needs to hire you. I’m not saying you should try to talk to everybody, but it sure would be interesting if you did!
Remember:
Always.
Be.
Networking.
5. Be Helpful
Take advantage of every opportunity you have to help others. That woman with a broken-down car on the side of the highway might be a small business owner who, after fixing her car, will need your help developing an online presence for her business. That neighbor struggling to carry a new couch inside his house alone might have a buddy looking for a web developer.
I should note that being helpful just because you’re trying to generate leads will never end well. Doing anything for the wrong reason leads to early burnout and a calloused soul.
6. Be A Resource
Present yourself as a resource. “I’m a member of a few different small business networks and I’d be happy to introduce you” is more attractive than the typical, “If you’re not buying, I’m not interested in you” conversation.
I highly recommend building a personal list of resources you can share with people you meet. I’m constantly adding to a list of online resources that I can share with new contacts. Having a list at the ready makes easy work of compiling a few links for a new contact. In many cases, being the conduit for the resources is just as valuable as being the resource yourself. You don’t have to be made of gold. Just know where to find it.
7. Follow Up
If you can get some sort of contact information, do so. Most people are comfortable with giving a phone number or email address after less than a minute of conversation. If you’re short on time and have made it through introductions and your value proposition, go ahead and ask for contact info.
Important: Once you get home, follow through on whatever promises you made during your conversation.
A simple trick is to write down whatever you promised your contact right next to the contact information so you don’t forget it. I like to make notes on the backs of business cards.
Generating leads for your freelance business isn’t easy but it doesn’t need to be like pulling teeth. Get out there, have confidence in your ability to provide good things to the world, and meet some people. The rest will become easier with practice.
Have a question? Hit me up in the comments and I’ll answer as many as I can. Thanks for your time!
Wondering about that second lead? That one was a vegan chef with an amazing sense of humor. I’m following up with her for non-business-related reasons. 
Get more from Seth Simonds at his blog or hit him up for a follow on Twitter.
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Great article, Seth!
Entertaining, informative and practical. Great lead in with your own story and then the actual steps/tips you used.
You made it sound simple, easy and doable.
Thanks!!
Sandy
Great article. I just wanted to thank FS for the work they’ve been putting into proliferating this VERY useful information.
I’m wondering if there is any info out there that helps one understand their worth. I’m tackling design in both the virtual and physical world (more specifically computing hardware) and am finding it difficult figuring out what is underselling me and what is underselling the customer.
That was a great reading.
I might try starting conversations more often.
yeah, good read. Chuckled at “ABN” – but it is very true!
Awesome tips. I’ve been handing out business cards a lot lately and while a lot don’t get you anywhere, the few that do are well worth it. As you said also, making new contacts is always good. My hope is to be “that guy” people refer their friends when they need a web developer.
Often you don’t need to hand out the business card. If it’s somebody in your community, chances are you’ll run into them again. Pushing a business card too early can have poor results. The balance between chat and sell is different for each of us. I hope you find a perfect balance soon!
Love to think it’s so easy. But some nice remarks.
Thx for sharing
Hi Seth,
Very inspiring blog post and benefits lots for me. I am a freelance web designer and photographer. I am wondering what are the best way or first step for me to approach my potential clients? (I am an open minded person with chatty personality).
Thank you.
Regards,
Andy.
Like you’re hoping to meet somebody cool. That’s all. =)
Great post!
I still find that a well designed business card, along with always having one available, remains a very powerful and effective tool. It may be considered ‘lowly’, but its effectiveness remains!
Great article! Perfect timing! I just moved to another state at the beginning of the year and it’s been a challenge to even consume the idea of where to look for new business.
Thanks for the tips!
Hi Seth!
This is a great list, and I like it because it’s one of the few lists that I’m already doing a few of the things on!
Regarding #6: What kind of resources do you suggest to people? I have no reference for this one.
Thanks,
Adam
And remember to read “Minds For Rent.” You can find it here: http://www.advertisingfreelance.com It’s the best book for creatives looking to freelance out there.
Thanks for these great tips. I’m starting a couple of different web ventures and it’s always important to remember the simplicity of good business. Be personable.
Seth, great article and I would have never thought to try and market myself in a grocery store (or similar situations as I’m not too often in a grocery store).
I’ll definitely be thinking of these possibilities for the future.
One of the things that worked really well for us was doing unconventional stuff. Business cards are great but a gimmick like “a client survival kit” worked much better. We developed one, it was a small book with just few tips how to stay sane when working with a development studio and used to hand them over instead of a business card. Brought us plenty of business.
Another thing that worked really well was bringing lotto tickets with our URL and phone number to a meeting instead of a business card. We didn’t have any major winners though so no great story here. But it used to make a WOW! impression.
Anyway, we tried hundreds of ideas like that. The key is to be professional but also stand out from the crowd.
I agree though that such practices might work well in some industries but might also backfire in others.
Great points here Seth, its amazing what a little polite conversation will do.
I recently helped a lady who had dropped a box of loads of pieces paper, which took ages to collect up as the wind sent them all over the carpark. It turns out it was her “Inspiration Scrapbook” for her new boutique dress shop.
A few minutes running around like an idiot chasing paper got me a full ‘branding’, ‘website design project’ and Social Media Marketing job’ . . .
. . . now that what I call a fair ROI ?
Great tips Seth. Being somewhat of an introvert especially in public, it was a good reminder about opening my mouth. If nothing else than to just be friendly. The worst that can happen is they shrug you off, and the best is you will possibly get a good lead.
Thanks again for the great suggestions.
I’d like to know, what’s the first thing you said to those people in the grocery store? I’d imagine most people wouldn’t want to talk to strangers…
It was different for each one. Most people don’t like starting conversations with strangers. That’s very different from not wanting to talk to strangers.
In my case, I find something of common interest and go from there. The first intro was Kombucha, the second was almonds, the third was a frustratingly slow line. Find something you have in common and run with it. Doesn’t have to be anything stupendous or brilliant. Just talking. =)
And the great thing about Seth’s example was that this occurred at Whole Foods. I’d say most people who shop there do so because of a much stronger than normal loyalty to the store and many of the products there. Expressing interest in something that a fellow shopper is holding or looking at with curiosity is a good opportunity to add your input.
To that I’d add that there are social cues that should be pretty obvious that would suggest that they’d be interested in more conversation if provided or that they’d rather you go away. Not going away is where you risk becoming creepy.
@Seth I couldn’t agree more with #3 – have a business card. Early in my career I was one of those folks who would simply rely on my web presence to direct would-be customers. I quickly found that not only was I losing valuable potential clients but, to many, not having a business card can come off as unprofessional or unprepared (especially when you are at a trade show or some other event where the entire point is to network).
I don’t leave the house without them now!:)
Great post!
Interesting…was just in a conversation w/someone about business cards and how no one ever seems to have them any more, but they still seem useful to me. There’s something a lot more ewww about zapping your contact info into someone’s smartphone when you’ve just met, vs exchanging cards.
Thanks for the ideas I hadn’t thought of here, and the reminders/nudges about the ones I had.
Fantastic article, Seth! Half the battle for the small business person/freelancer is to be open to meeting new people and forming those connections that may bear fruit now or down the road. You’ve shown that it doesn’t have to be scary or stuffy. Great job.
Excellent article, it’s funny how easy generating leads can be, and how hard people think it really is.
Just want to confirm what you’re saying here. Over time I’ve found clients after church, in grocery lines and I think one from the lines at the DMV.
Business cards are an almost must, but this kind of thing can be done without them just be being willing to listen to others.
Great tips! I think #7 is the most important. I made the mistake early on of NOT following up. Or, maybe I would only follow up once. If they didn’t call back, I was discouraged and usually gave up. I don’t do that any more, and find that following up 3 – 4 times usually lands the job. Thanks again!
Nice tips. Where I am, just saying “I work online” generates interest. And I always have to explain what I do and how I do what I do. But I realized that I wasn’t taking advantage of the opportunity, thanks to your article.
I like the ABN tip the most. =)
Right on. I have generated so many leads like this. Just being a nice guy and starting conversations with people. The best place – waiting on your car to get fixed.
I love the tip to go from saying I am a graphic designer to introducing what I do by saying “I help small businesses grow through better design”…
–
Thanks and Regards
Noel for Nopun.com
a graphic design studio
I have a very limited clientele*, so the grocery store wouldn’t be an optimal place for me to be in “prospect ready” mode. However, the flipside is that it’s a great place to filter out those who wouldn’t fit my ideal client profile.
*I do website development for universities.
Great article. You could also always try dressing up as a panda bear at SXSW, like we did
http://bit.ly/8Zgtyu
Love the idea of really thinking about “what you provide”. Too often people put in their title, but it’s much better to put in how you service others.
Awesome tips! It’s cool how just being nice and striking up a conversation with a stranger like in a grocery line can lead you to a great opportunity. I’ve had this happen to me a few times when I am out and about running errands. I love it when this happens!
This may be a dumb question, but what are good methods to market online?
Great article! I think it’s not that hard to start a conversation with stranger, but how can you ask for their business card in such a short time of conversation? Just simply ask them “what do u do?
Great article. However my favorite line was, “Doing anything for the wrong reason leads to early burnout and a calloused soul.” — You got so dark and metaphysical all of a sudden compared to the rest of the article. It was funny to me.
Great article and good advice. I’d add… referral arraignments with key people and this is old school but always be nice to secretaries and assistants, they’re the gatekeepers to the decision makers. Remember their names.
This is such good advice. Another tip I would add, especially to those that don’t feel comfortable being a “salesperson”, is to just focus on being friendly. Don’t talk to the person behind in you line because you are trying to generate a lead, talk to them because you just want to be friendly. If you just make small talk for the sake of small talk, the lead generating opportunities will come naturally.
This is a great set of tips. Having a business card is essential because people will take you more seriously.
Sheth ,am freelance marketing agent with amedia station .what are the possible marketing strategies should i use to gain asold acustomer base. Thanks