Jake Poinier has no idea I’m posting about his annual Freelance Forecast. But since I’m sharing the words of others this week, I couldn’t let Jake out of the mix. He’s been doing something every year that holds great value to freelancers – he’s taking the pulse of both writers and clients.
I participated in this year’s survey. It was a great mix of questions, and Jake managed to whittle down our own responses alongside those of clients to reveal quite a picture. We writers are charging less than I imagined (really? Only six percent of us charge$91-100 an hour?), and clients were telling exactly how to work with them. If you’ve not seen it, check it out here.
Some surprises from the survey:
95 percent of clients find us through word-of-mouth. Suggests to me we should be working on increasing our networks and contacts.
Clients value most talent/quality of work and reliability. It’s not enough that you can write – you need to deliver.
Clients biggest wish-list item in a freelancer: communication. Time to work on those client relationship skills.
Clients hate most poor quality and missed deadlines. If you’re unable to make that deadline, let them know immediately. And don’t hurry it and hand in sloppy work. You’ll never be hired again.
The first point really stuck out to me. Word-of-mouth marketing isn’t tough. It just isn’t a focal point for many of us. So how do we increase our chances of getting a good referral?
Build a referral network. Start by pairing with writers and designers. Don’t think you have to choose writers whose specialties lie beyond yours. I’ve gotten plenty of referral work from writers in the same field who didn’t have time to take on one more thing.
Ask for recommendations. Ask your current clients to write your next sales letter. Just ask for a written letter stating why they love your work. Then send it out.
List your clients on your website (with their permission, of course). I once had a client hire me because he saw that I’d worked with one of his colleagues.
Befriend your PR person. It’s a great way to get more contacts and even pick up work from the PR firm.
How have you increased referrals?
How much of your work is referral work?
More of my work has come from referrals than any other method. But those referrals didn't come out of thin air. You can't get referrals until you've primed the pump and reached out using another method first. You have to connect with people someway first before they can refer you. Early in my career, that was at local networking events. When I wanted to move beyond local rates and local jobs, that method for me was direct mail and, to a lesser extent, networking by online discussion boards and once or twice, a national conference.
So last year, someone I'd known online for several years and later met in person at a conference referred a client to me. I did some work for said client in 2010, and for 2011 negotiated a contract that comprises 95% of my year's work and income. While most freelancers would deem this too risky, it enabled me to double my income over 2010's already robust earnings and gain valuable experience I wouldn't get anywhere else.
Yep, I love referrals. 🙂
Love Jake's survey! What a great service he does.
On the heels of yesterday's post, the value of recommendations on LinkedIn has been proven time and time again as new clients tell me the recommendations had an impact. I've had others who saw my connection to someone they knew.
I also have received leads from the testimonials on my site. My favorite though is what I call breeding new clients.
I received notification from my best client that she was leaving the company. I mean, she is a DREAM client.
Because we had such a good relationship, when she landed at her new company, she contacted me and hired me for multiple projects. Before she left her old company, she made sure I worked with colleagues of hers and as a result, I was able to retain them as a client and in fact, received more work.
Who says relationships don't matter?
The majority of my work, especially the big assignments, has come through referrals. I grow my referral work by partnering with fellow-writers ( various fields) and keeping in touch with former colleagues with whom I clicked when we worked together.
Thanks for the link, Lori. I've never seen it before, but I just skimmed it and it looks fascinating. I'll go back and read it more carefully later.
Two things:
1. Funny you mention hourly rate. I make a great living and a great per-word rate on nearly assignment, but I have never been able to get my clients to agree to a reasonable hourly rate. $90-$100? Unthinkable among my clients. Dunno why, but they're hourly-rate conscious.
2. Health care costs. Agree with the respondents that this is a horrible part of our job. I have health care coverage, but to keep the premiums reasonable, I've always had a $5,000 deductible. And guess what? I just found out I have breast cancer. Looks totally treatable at this point, but I'll have a $5,000 deductible now, and I'll probably have another kick in in January. So my savings will take a huge hit at the same time my workload will be diminished by the side effects of chemo.How exciting is that?! Grrr!
I wish we had a viable, reasonable option. At least now thanks to Obamacare, my insurer can't dump me.
Again, thanks for the link. Can't wait to read it in depth.
Oops, I meant nearly "every" assignment. Sheesh!
Gabriella, I am glad to hear it appears you caught your breast cancer early. I am walking in my 8th 3-Day, 60 Mile Walk for breast cancer in November. I'll wear your name on the Walk with good thoughts and prayers for your good health.
If we could figure out the health care crisis, imagine how much sweeter life would be. I have a high deductible, too, but not quite that high. After spending 30+ years in the health care/insurance industry, it is a real adjustment picking up the whole cost yourself.
What a lovely surprise–thanks, LW! I appreciate the kind words about Freelance Forecast.
And, if I can be so bold…I'd really love if every freelancer who takes it would be willing to encourage a few clients to take the client survey in December. I know people are hesitant to make clients do "extra work," but the client version is quite a bit shorter and the insights it provides are arguably more valuable to our businesses than what other FLers have to say.
Think of it in terms of the old Ben Franklin saying, that if you want someone to like you more, ask them to do a favor for you! I even send it to clients I've dumped or who I sent estimates that got rejected.
Finally, for anyone who is wary that I'd want to poach their client names, I am 100% committed to their anonymity…and I've got all the clients I can handle anyway 🙂
And, since I selfishly blah-blahed without answering your questions: about 95% of my work is referrals.
I don't actively cultivate them (other than trying to do a good job), aside from your bullet point about "Build a referral network." I'd guess 30-50% of my new business annually comes from longtime relationships with graphic designers. I rarely get work from other writers, though I pass along assignments myself when I have overflow.
Loving referrals too, Eileen. 🙂
You're right – it takes work. You have to build the network organically, and you have to work toward maintaining the network connections.
Cathy, that's a great story! I'm so glad she "took" you with her. Relationships DO matter – more than anything else. If they like you, they'll return. Well, if you do the job correctly, too. 🙂
Damaria, I had much of my work last year via referrals. I know what you mean!
Good lord, Gabriella! That's bad news, but worse is that deductible! How are people supposed to pay for basic care? Sorry you're going through that. 🙁
As for the per-hour rate, as long as you're earning at the level you want, I don't think it's an issue. Also, client comfort zones are different. I charge at that rate A) because I have to in order to survive and B) because my current clients are comfortable with it. I had plenty of clients at a lower rate, but there were plenty of hassles over the price at that level, too.
Cathy, exactly. Glad she caught it early. As for health care costs, it's such a triangular issue. First you have costs, which seem insanely high. Then you realize that doctors pay exhorbitant rates for malpractice – even the doctors who are working hard at doing their jobs right. Then you see how much time and money is involved in getting just one prescription drug to market – pharmaceuticals will pay millions or billions for one drug a year. Why? Because the patent for a new drug is 17 years, but the FDA approval process is 10 years. The companies have to charge more in order to recoup. Lately, they're losing money hand over fist.
I'm preaching to the choir. You know all this. 🙂 I'm just frustrated that we can't find a simple way to make it affordable for everyone. My son is without healthcare insurance and my daughter is about to be. They're employed, but their employers don't offer it. She's part-time, he's full-time.
Sucks like hell.
You're welcome, Jake. I've been meaning to post on it for a while now. I finally remembered. 🙂
I'll do what I can to encourage my clients to respond in December to the next survey. I have a few who would be happy to, I'd bet.
Right now, I'd guess about 60 percent of my work is referral. The rest is my pounding the pavement. Much different from last year, where I'd guess about 95 percent, as well. Times they are a-changin'….
Speaking of referrals, Gabriella, if you need any extra support navigating through your new journey, I can put you in touch with my sister, a 12-year BC survivor who volunteers for the Y-Me support line, taking calls from the newly diagnosed, answering their questions and easing their fears.
They do match calls now and then, and along with calls from other "triple-negative" wowmen, BRCA-positive women, and women diagnosed at a young age, she also takes a lot of calls from self-employed people who have an entirely different set insurance issues. (Hers was terminated after she was diagnosed, but she still got top notch treatment….an is still paying some of it off.)
Oh – and Jake, great idea for a survey.
I only get maybe 25% of my work from referrals, but that's almost 100% of the editing side of my business.
I skimmed through it and plan to go back soon to really dig into it, but I found it pretty interesting.
I like that Jake puts some of the results in graphs. A visual look can make a huge impact, sometimes.
The talent/quality, being a huge value to the clients, really stuck out to me. It's not a new concept, but it's nice to see quality is valued and NOT quantity.
So true, Wendy. Clients deserve work that reflects skill and attention to detail.
Not going to find that in a content mill!
Thanks for the very kind comments, everybody. And Cathy, I'm honored you'd walk in my name!
This is a great community, Lori!
They is lovely peeps, as is you. 🙂
(Grammar cops – that was intentional.)