Enlist Your Family and Friends
Last week we published 101 Ideas to Get More Freelance Work and Generate New Client Leads, and promised that we’d cover every single tip in detail. So without further ado, here is our first tip for how to get more leads:
Enlist your family and friends to spread the word about your services…
Most people will contact their friends and family when they first dive into freelancing, but it’s easy to forget what an incredible resource they can be. It is rare to come across a client who will be dying to talk about your skill and talent to those they know, and yet most of us have a ready-made team that will talk you up despite themselves. I’m talking about your family and friends.
Now I’m not suggesting that you do the hard sell on your Great-Aunt Moira, but instead simply make it easy for your family and friends to spread the word about you (even if they’re not really sure what it is you do). I found when I started freelancing that supportive friends and family offered to mention me to anyone who might be interested. What held them back was not knowing how to describe what I did or it being a bit of an effort on their part. So I did a bit of work that made it easy for them to promote me.
I’ll remind you again that I don’t think you should harass everyone in your address book and expect them to find you leads (or worse, give you work). Instead, help those friends and family who have expressed enthusiasm and support of your freelancing career. For these lovely individuals, you can consider doing the following to make it easy for them to support you:
- Create a warm and professional email and send it out. Your email should list what you do, your contact details and look great. I found a celebratory announcement rather than a hard sell worked best, and you’ll feel comfortable sending it to a broader range of people in this case. Then, if your sister-in-law knows someone who might be interested in your services, all she need do is press that forward button.
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Make a stack of business cards and give them to any close friend or relative that want to spread the word. Don’t give them one – give them fifty. The worst case scenario is you may find your grandma has given all of hers out at her bridge club meeting (“look what Terry can do on the computer – he’s a real catch you know”). But you really can’t lose because you never know where those cards will end up or who might just happen to need your services. Of course the best case scenario is that your best friend just happens to be talking to someone in a big company who needs your service. And the great news is that you’ve just made it mighty easy for her to give them your contact info.
- If they do find you a lead – be really grateful. Buy them flowers, take them out to dinner or just gush a little if you’re broke. They went out on a limb for you and they deserve a little praise and attention in return. Not only will they be more likely to try to find you work again in future, but it’s a good excuse to thank the people that truly support you.
Watch out for the next installment of our New Leads series: Emailing to Source New Leads.
No. A hundred times no. My cardinal rule is NEVER take a lead from your family. Remember the 12 types of client? A lead from your family will ALWAYS be the everything-is-urgent client. Why? Because they’re special, and you’re a small-time operation, or how else can they contact you through your family? And not only that, they have more than one channel of contact through to you. When I started freelancing I was living with my parents and I learnt that lesson the hard way by my Mum shouting to get me out of the shower – I hadn’t answered my mobile phone through which all work is supposed to flow, so they’d called the house instead, a number no client is ever supposed to have.
If I ever delivered late (and I did because the job ran into other engagements because this client assumed he could take as long as he liked, the job was on a fixed rate, and hey, I couldn’t be doing anything else, could I) there would be a hurry-up letter reminding me of my obligations, but addressed to my Dad. I couldn’t have a family dinner any more without one of my parents chasing up on the client’s behalf. And then, of course, when all was said and done not only did they expect free support because I was just around the corner, but they took FOREVER to pay.
That was one particular nightmare of a client, admittedly, but I’ve had others through family and friends and every single one exhibited at least a couple of those traits. Eventually I cut it flat, started finding reasons why I wasn’t the guy for those jobs, and started working for appreciative clients – many garnered through friends in the industry – who pay on time and listen to what I have to say.
Nowadays I get new clients through churn from my existing clients – as people move on they know I’m reliable, I’m pleasant to deal with and I deliver. So my new clients come primed ready to deal with me on that basis.
In short, taking leads from family cheapens the service you provide, because instead of being hired for your skills you’re hired because you’re the easy option, you’re Jim’s kid, or you’re cheap.
I’ve come to learn (the hard way) that working with friends, family and friends of either can be a huge hassle. So much so, that I now refuse to mix my personal relationships with business.
Recently, I’ve even gone so far as to turn down a project simply because it was referred by a close friend. If the lead comes from outside of my site/blog or clients, there’s a very good chance I won’t even consider it.
However, I can see the benefit of going through friends and family to get the ball rolling. When you’re just started out, it’s probably your best avenue to find new work.
It every instance where a client has been referred by a friend or family member, they’ve expected reduced rates, tried to go above and beyond the project scope and were shocked when I told them the extra work would involve extra charges, and expected me to work around the clock, 7 days a week.
This might be just the push-out I was needing…
It’ s all about family.
Yes, the close ones are the ones that will help you reach far.
I’ve found doing work for family or personal friend referrals tend to want work done cheaply as they usually want family friend discounts etc. but expect big results which usually costs you more time and lowers your income from constant changes or tweaks.
Business related friends (e.g friends that you work closely with or are of a similar freelance basis) tend to provide more results that are of better expectations.
I work closely with a few development friends who we all used to freelance to one particular company a few years back – they then decided to start their own programming/software development studio as I decided started my own small design studio with a friend.
We source work back and forth to each other constantly nowadays and doing so pick up new clients from each of our own contacts from when we were all freelancing.
I will agree with James, ‘No. A hundred times no’ Do that only if you want some very cross family members and friends who no longer are friends and at times it will be you who will break the friendships because your friends did not live upto your expectations of providing business…..
oh you can volunteer to do up some design jobs for them – a wedding invitation, namecards a blog site etc. so not only you generate some publicity you also get on the good books of your family and friends!
I would say it depends of the family member or friend. If you friend or family member can’t check their email because they don’t know what it is then they are probably not going to give you quality leads.
My dad has sent me quite a few projects over the years, but he knows and understands the entertainment/production industry.
My rule of thumb for this is, “If they were someone you would want to know if you didn’t then use them.”
Perhaps a little balance is needed here. Not everyone your friends or family come into contact with are going to be their friends or family. Perhaps someone close to you makes a casual acquaintance who has a need that you can fill–why would you want to be so cut and dried to turn that opportunity down? Besides, I am sure we all know which family members or friends NOT to give our business cards to!
Nah I would have to disagree with the top comments about not mixing business with family and friends etc. It may be the case for them but that does not mean at all that it is the case for everyone and I think its worth the trouble and hassle of trying for yourself….
If you are a walk over, you will get walked over whether its family/ friends and or a client you have nothing to do with….
Most of my business so far has been directed by family, friends and church collegues and although I have pitched work with others, most of my ongoing work has also been with friends etc.
Most freelancers need a head start in the field and friends, family etc are the best for that because they actually care about your business were a client does not…