Hidden money in freelance
Often, beginning freelancers, having completed the project, successfully received payment and noted this matter , then receive a lot of money. Outwardly, they are doing everything right: they continue to actively view projects and leave applications. Work with new customers. The thing is, there is money ... but there could have been more with less effort.
If you do not know about this “hidden” source, then other performers will inevitably bypass you. And you will be surprised how it is that they go on vacation so often, although you work on the same exchange? (“Hidden” in quotation marks, because everything is really simple, and this is one of the pitfalls. People often neglect what lies on the surface and do not use these opportunities, even if they know about them.)
I am talking about re-orders from old customers. Because getting an order from a person who has already worked with you before is much easier than from someone unknown. Even from the point of view of psychology, if we bought something somewhere, or ordered some services and liked it, then we are more likely to then go to the same place and order there. Because we liked it there, we know what they’ll do well there , but we don’t know about other places. It may be that it’s good in another place, it may be even better, but I don’t want to check it, but I want to go and use the proven and guaranteed option. Customers are the same people and they have the same psychology.
From time to time, remind the customer about yourself. Remind yourself that you exist and ask if they have orders. Thus, you will keep this contact up to date. Do not lose it, but make sure that the customer keeps in mind that you are, and if he has any kind of work, so that he immediately turns to you.
To do this, you need to maintain a customer base. Anyone with whom you have worked one way or another needs to be written down either in a notebook, or to make a table for yourself in Google Docs, or in Evernote to make a notebook. Write down contacts, phone numbers, in short name and for what reason you collaborated. Thus, it will be very easy for you to remind yourself of yourself simply by taking a list of contacts, then ringing these people, writing an email.
You can remind yourself without any reason, you can set up a schedule so that every 2-3 months this database of customers calls up, updates, crosses out non-working contacts. Somewhere, a person may say that he is no longer doing this (for the first time you can put a note, for the second time already exclude from your database). Somewhere people will remember you, and if you call them regularly, they will not forget about you.
In addition to scheduled reminders, you can also remind yourself about the holidays. For example, to congratulate customers on this or that holiday (Happy New Year, accounting company on the Day of the accountant). If you know the birthday of your customer, then congratulations. Here you are not selling your services or looking for work, but simply showed attention to the person.
It makes sense to make some special conditions for repeated orders. And you inform about it when you have completed work on this order. Tell us: “if you still have some kind of such work, or work from the _____ area (and list the areas in which you specialize), then you personally will have a discount or bonus.”
Think about what specials. conditions you can offer for your customers. Will it be a discount, or some additional condition that is not difficult for you to make, but for a person it will be pleasant. For example, a site and contextual advertising. If you are a specialist in setting up the context and can do a simple advertising campaign in a couple of hours, or you have some things automated (an invitation to a VKontakte group, for example), you can provide these services as a bonus to the person who orders you. Think about what you can do for your customers and offer them this as a bonus if they contact you again.
If you find these tips helpful, you can find even more in my blog and book .
If you do not know about this “hidden” source, then other performers will inevitably bypass you. And you will be surprised how it is that they go on vacation so often, although you work on the same exchange? (“Hidden” in quotation marks, because everything is really simple, and this is one of the pitfalls. People often neglect what lies on the surface and do not use these opportunities, even if they know about them.)
What kind of source?
I am talking about re-orders from old customers. Because getting an order from a person who has already worked with you before is much easier than from someone unknown. Even from the point of view of psychology, if we bought something somewhere, or ordered some services and liked it, then we are more likely to then go to the same place and order there. Because we liked it there, we know what they’ll do well there , but we don’t know about other places. It may be that it’s good in another place, it may be even better, but I don’t want to check it, but I want to go and use the proven and guaranteed option. Customers are the same people and they have the same psychology.
Remind about yourself
From time to time, remind the customer about yourself. Remind yourself that you exist and ask if they have orders. Thus, you will keep this contact up to date. Do not lose it, but make sure that the customer keeps in mind that you are, and if he has any kind of work, so that he immediately turns to you.
To do this, you need to maintain a customer base. Anyone with whom you have worked one way or another needs to be written down either in a notebook, or to make a table for yourself in Google Docs, or in Evernote to make a notebook. Write down contacts, phone numbers, in short name and for what reason you collaborated. Thus, it will be very easy for you to remind yourself of yourself simply by taking a list of contacts, then ringing these people, writing an email.
When and how?
You can remind yourself without any reason, you can set up a schedule so that every 2-3 months this database of customers calls up, updates, crosses out non-working contacts. Somewhere, a person may say that he is no longer doing this (for the first time you can put a note, for the second time already exclude from your database). Somewhere people will remember you, and if you call them regularly, they will not forget about you.
In addition to scheduled reminders, you can also remind yourself about the holidays. For example, to congratulate customers on this or that holiday (Happy New Year, accounting company on the Day of the accountant). If you know the birthday of your customer, then congratulations. Here you are not selling your services or looking for work, but simply showed attention to the person.
Add bonuses
It makes sense to make some special conditions for repeated orders. And you inform about it when you have completed work on this order. Tell us: “if you still have some kind of such work, or work from the _____ area (and list the areas in which you specialize), then you personally will have a discount or bonus.”
Think about what specials. conditions you can offer for your customers. Will it be a discount, or some additional condition that is not difficult for you to make, but for a person it will be pleasant. For example, a site and contextual advertising. If you are a specialist in setting up the context and can do a simple advertising campaign in a couple of hours, or you have some things automated (an invitation to a VKontakte group, for example), you can provide these services as a bonus to the person who orders you. Think about what you can do for your customers and offer them this as a bonus if they contact you again.
If you find these tips helpful, you can find even more in my blog and book .