Want More Clients? Just Ask!
One of the ways that many freelancers get new clients is simply by asking.
And one of the ways to do that is to email companies and offer your services. To do this, an effectively written letter—similar to a cover letter you’d use to get a job—is all that you need.
Here are some tips to creating an effective solicitation letter that can yield to freelance projects.
Start with a personal greeting.
Sometimes you may not be able to get the name of a contact on a website. Try to get this by searching through LinkedIn, using the “advanced search” feature. This will enable you to search by position. Some titles you may want to search for include “Human Resources Manager,” “Art Director” or “Communications Manager.” If it’s a small studio, you can likely contact the President or CEO, but if you’re shooting for a larger company, they may have a human resources department that you may want to go through. Other companies have marketing managers that handle all of the outsourcing. Once you get a first name, you can start with “Hi Name” or “Dear Name” and go from there.
Sometimes if I can’t get a solid contact, I include a sentence in the opening or closing paragraph asking that if they are not the right contact, if they can forward the email on to the correct person in charge of contracting.
Devise a catchy lead.
When writing a cover letter, candidates are bound to use leads that state they are submitting their resume with reference to the name of a specific position. But here you can be a little more creative. Some types of leads you may want to draw upon include things like,
Are your marketing materials really working for you? If not, hiring a copywriter can make all the difference.
Get the most out of your website with the right tools and applications that increase sales.
Does your website look and feel like a winner?
From there, you would go into introducing yourself, including your first name and your position. Let the recipient know right off the bat who you are and what you can do for them. Also, let them know what you’re interested in by noting something like, “I wanted to make myself available to you should a freelance project arise.”
Summarize your credentials.
This email doesn’t have to be long, but it does need to state a little bit about what you do. Here is a sample paragraph from one of the emails that I use.
Currently, I am a copywriter, editor and proofreader living in New Jersey. I work with clients across the globe to deliver interesting, accurate content that meets deadlines. I am proficient in all major writing styles and have experience writing everything from website content and brochures to press releases and email newsletters.
Be sure to include the types of work you do.
You can also name-drop the names of your customers by saying something like, “My clients include…” One of the things I always do is state that I can work from my home office, and then I note that my office has high-speed Internet, phone and fax. In my line of work, it’s important for me to be able to communicate with clients when they are available, so I also note that I keep regular business hours.
Note any attachments.
In my case, I let the recipient know that my resume is attached if they are interested. This just goes the extra mile to show that you have a resume prepared just like any professional. See? You don’t need a resume just to get a full-time job. It can aid you in looking professional. When the recipient opens it and sees a stellar resume, you’ve just made sure you look even better. (Note: Work on your resume and make sure it is outstanding!) Sometimes going Old-School with resumes and hand-written notes can attract hesistant clients.
I also reference my website and include a link where they can learn more about my credentials and see clips of my work. They may click and see your website and be really impressed and instantly contact you or at least remember you when that project comes up that you would be perfect for. Any visual that can help you stand out more works. But don’t use a bulky email signature—something simple with all of your contact information works.
Include a strong call to action.
Now it’s time to let the recipient know how they can contact you. I always make it a point to let them know that even if they do not have projects available at the moment, I can be reached in the future and invite them to keep my contact information on file. Make your closing paragraph a few sentences and be sure to thank the recipient for his or her time.
It’s not rocket science, but by having an email to send out to contacts, you can probably keep your business visible–and you never know when the recipient may need your services. It’s important to stay memorable. And in the best case possible, you will get an immediate response from someone who has been looking for you all along and wants to hire you right away!
This is good advice… but you need to be careful about sending emails so that your address isn’t marked as SPAM and blacklisted. Make sure to follow good email marketing practices for a campaign like this.
Great Tips.
You explained everything in a proper manner.
I agree. It is VERY important to be professional and look out for the little details when sending a solicitation letter.
We sometimes undermine the importance of a solicitation letter. Some don’t even feel comfortable sending one.
It’s true, sometimes all it takes is to Just Ask!
Your tips are great. Any client will be impressed with a letter like that!
Cheers
Nabeel
I’m writing my letter now! Thanks for the tips and motivation.
+j
great advise, i always struggle with finding new clients, seems like i always get referrals from existing clients and i never know how to “cold call” new clients.
Hi Michael. I think it can help to treat your “cold call” as a “fact-finding call”. In other words, rather than come from a salesman stand point, you could approach it as someone who is doing some research to see if there are ways that you might be able to work with various businesses. That way, a client will feel less pressured, and less annoyed, and you can focus on building relationships that will potentially benefit both parties in the future.
Hope this helps.
Thomas
Thanks Thomas, this is something I struggle with constantly. I know I can take on more work and once the initial contact has been made I have no problems with figuring out ways that I can help them grow their business, it is just that initial “Hello my is michael and i would like to help…”. I do not have an ounce of salesmen in me so hopefully this new mind-set/approach of “fact finding” will open some doors… otherwise i just need to hire a sales guy haha!
Even if the approach doesn’t work all of the time, it at least helps to make you feel less sleazy about contacting potential clients.
Thanks for the tips Kristen, I havn’t thought abut this type of self-marketing before
Anyway, does any of you guys use flyers or brochures sent by post to clients? Would it be worth effort?
Nice tips. I’m about to put together a bit of an email campaign for this type of thing, so they will come in very handy. Thanks!
Great post! I’ve been doing this recently trying different techniques and approaches and some of the replies I have gotten from “cold-emailing” is stating that you could offer a free consultation/evaluation on their current website.
Great advice. Some additional advice I would give is not to sound canned… as in just like every other person. When you’re presenting to new clients or asking for new clients, leave some room for originality.
Agreed. People can tell when you’re sending them a bulk email blast that is going out to hundreds of people. This automatically marks the contact as spam in their minds, and it’s hard to shake that, no matter how good the offer is that you’re making.
Thomas
Thanks for the post, Kristen. The part that I think most people tend to overlook is the Call to Action. It’s amazing how much of an effect including this simple thing can have in inspiring a potential client to respond, check out your portfolio, or bookmark your site.
I completely agree with the concept of asking, or making offers, and that’s something that I try to impart to my readers as well. It’s so easy for freelancers to sit around and wait for clients to contact them out of the blue.
Thanks for getting this message out there.
Thomas
Good post I agree with most of the subjects. One thing to be careful of though but this is more geared towards recruiters is coming up with a catchy lead. More than often a catchy lead that is over kill can be a turn off as well.
@Adam – I agree!!
This was a great article. I would love to see an example or two or three of real letters. I was actually in the middle of writing this type of letter today, and just happened to pop over here.
I think that well designed letterhead makes a big difference as well. Use a color laser printer and a high high quality white paper to really have the professional feel. It’s amazing how the physical presentation of a great letter can do wonders.
I just re-designed my letterhead… can’t wait to get them from the printer!
pic: http://snipr.com/x95fw-ity
Cheers,
Ben
Love the new look, Ben! I won’t show you mine (it pales in comparison).
Good article. On the flip side, “cold calling” has been one of my least effective methods of acquiring clients. And if there’s one thing I am confident about it is that my letters are professional, tactful and inviting. They’re never pushy, cocky or rude. II’ll use their general contact form/email if I have to, but a lot of times I seek out info and directly e-mail their art directors, HR managers, or marketing people. And my approach is coincidentally very similar to what is discussed here.
Still, “cold calling” for me is just not effective. Most businesses just see this as presumptuous or being spammy. All the way back to when I was in high school in the 90′s, I always email a company whenever they have a horribly outdated or poorly made website. I’m talking people who really need new ones! I’d say 8 out of 10 times I never hear back. And about half of the people who never reply end up with a new website a couple years later that looks almost as bad as the previous one.
I 100% agree with you here. I detest cold calling and find it never works for me (perhaps because I come across as being uncomfortable with it). I find that *writing* an email or letter works for me. After all, I AM a writer!
Truly splendid advice for cold emailing or simply checking back in with clients or leads.
I’ve found that addressing specific items about a business that might need help works well.
Email subject headings like the ones you mentioned tend to get deleted by me unless the person has obviously spent time looking at my existing materials, site etc. In other words, if I smell a formula, I get suspicious.
I prefer to see things like ‘I was attracted to your business because blah blah blah..’ instead of ‘ Does your website look and feel like a winner?’
Thanks Kristen for another great article. I agree with adding specifics about the business whenever possible, but like it or not, cold calls and emails are an essential part of winning new business. While my personal preference is to get referrals whenever possible, it can be limiting if you have a small network. Knock on doors as often as you can, prove you can add value and opportunities will result.
This is definitely something many of us could learn from. I certainly need to get better at it. I guess what holds me back is that it does remind me of cold calls and spam – both of which I detest – and I don’t want to become one of “those people”. On the other hand, with proper research, a personal touch on each mail and not being too pushy, I can see this working very well.
One note on e-mail attachments. Since viruses often disguise themselves as Word documents or PDF files, I would be very hesitant to include either of those in an initial e-mail. Instead, I would provide a link to an online version of my resume/referral-list/whatever or simply wait to include it in a follow-up mail.
Thanks, guys…always happy to help! And use myself as the guinea pig!
Nice way to get new clients. Need to note about spam though. A lot of unsolicited email just gets dumped. Perhaps it would be better to send a physical letter?
thank you so much for sharing! I have been looking for new ways to find work and this is just what I needed.
Excellent article, really helped me out with the initial ‘cold calling’ side of things.