How to find clients TODAY (4 tips + templates)

Most people don't know where to find their next freelance contract or how to approach them.

This can make the idea of going and finding new work frustrating or even exhausting... like you're just throwing spaghetti against the wall to see if it sticks.

But it doesn't really have to be this way. There are real practical ways to go find clients that you can implement quickly. Here are 5 great ways you can go find your next client contract today:

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1. Start by emailing your past clients and leads

There's nothing that will lead to work faster than emailing your past clients and seeing if they need help.

Why? Because you've already worked with them and built a relationship. They trust you already. And... businesses constantly need help... so chances are, they do need your help!

All it takes is reaching out. Click reply on the most recent email thread you have and bump it to the top of their inbox.

Not sure what to say? Try this template:

“Hi [Client Name],

Happy Wednesday. How’s everything at [Business]? Anything I can do to help?”

Sound too simple to work?

All the client's I've talked to love it when a freelancer or agency keep in touch with them. In fact, the number one gripe client's have about working with contractors is getting left in the lurch.

Regularly touching base with the clients and relationships you've already built a strong connection with, will not only lead to more work – it will ensure great client satisfaction.

And I know what you're thinking: what if I don't have any clients? Let's explore that next.

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2. Join a Slack group with an active #jobs channel

Nowadays when someone needs a referral for something like a web design or development project, they often turn to Slack.

Slack communities are free to use and often get job and project opportunities posted to them you won't find anywhere else.

In fact, hundreds of Slack communities have built-in channels for this exact reason. Some of my personal favorites are:

• ​Rand's Leadership Slack​
• ​Design Gigs for Good​
• ​MegaMaker Club​
• ​Partner League​
• ​Online Geniuses​

To name a few. There's also huge directories of free Slack groups online like this one.

If you cater to clients in a specific industry, you can even look for (or create) a Slack group for that niche.

Just remember, do not be overly promotional.

The point of a Slack group is to build authentic relationships with people and provide value and expertise.

When the right opportunity comes along, go for it, for sure – but don't only join to spam the place. Please.

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3. Follow up with OLD job postings over email

If you've ever posted a job online you know that the first few days you're going to be overloaded with emails.

That's because most people want to be the first person to reply to a job post.

But wanna know the nasty truth? Very few companies hire that quickly. In fact, making a hiring decision can often takes months.

So when you see a job post that is 30+ days old, don’t be too quick to discard it.

Sometimes, the company is still very much hiring. And if you reach out you'll have a big advantage because they won't be overloaded with applicants.

Not sure what to say? Here’s a quick template:

“Hi [Client Name],

I saw you were looking for a remote UI designer to redesign your app about a month ago. Are you still the right person to talk to about this?”

One of my earliest customers made thousands of dollars this way. He'd wait about 30 days to email the client job referrals I sent him.

As a result, he dominated.

But he no longer freelances, so the strategy is all yours. :)

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4. Send someone you respect a referral today

As you go about implementing ideas 1-3, you'll naturally come across projects and jobs that aren't right for you ... but perfect for someone you know.

Share with them!

This is one of the best ways to not only get more referrals in return, but to turn your mindset away from scarcity and toward abundance.

When you do something awesome for someone else without them asking, they tend to do it right back.

That's not a reason alone to be helpful for others – but it is a nice perk. The truth is most people don't do outbound lead generation like the stuff we've gone over today because they're too busy.

Your email may be just the thing they need today to start growing their business.

These 4 tips might seem simple, but doing them consistently over months is really hard.

Want to know the best way to apply all of this day in and day out?

The best way to get started is to sign up for my Referral Newsletter.​

You'll save 5-10 hours (per week!) getting high-paying leads delivered directly to your inbox.

The newsletter is perfect for those freelancers and agency owners who:

• Believe sitting and waiting for work or posting on social media isn’t how they want to spend their time anymore.
• Are done trying random flavor of the week advice and strategies, and are ready to instead of EXECUTE on the fundamentals they know will work.
• Focused on the LONG-term — and understand there will always be ups-and-downs, but HUGE gains are a result of taking the right small steps today.

You've tried the “conventional advice” like creating a portfolio, trolling Upwork, posting on dribbble, and none of it worked.

You know you need more opportunities, and now is the time to make the decision to get better clients.

For the next day or so you can sign up for Folyo's Referral Newsletter for 50% off your first month.

And say YES to receiving a done-for-you list of quality client leads you can reach out to immediately to fortify your business with steady income.

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And if you're still on the fence, remember you have a full 30-days to see if it's right for you.

That’s enough time to get 30+ exclusive high-value client leads, email them, land a project – and then decide.

If you don’t LOVE it, I insist you get 100% of your money back. I’ll even eat the credit-card processing fees.

But hurry! This offer ends on in the next day or so. And once it ends, it's not coming back.

Ready to level up your business? It starts with a single action today.

More on this tomorrow,
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P.S. Try the methods above and let me know how it goes! Just hit REPLY to this email and share your experience with me! Would love to hear from you.