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Great weekend. I managed to act as much like a slug as possible yesterday. I earned it. We had the meditation group over on Saturday, and we spent the day cleaning and preparing. Then we shuttled most of them off to the Firebird Festival, which is apparently getting great press. Parking was impossible. We managed a spot five or six blocks up from the main street, but it was a fluke. And this year we weren’t able to get very close, though as the bird burned, we could feel the heat. Everyone could.
This morning I’m off to a client meeting in New Jersey, then back for a call with another client on some projects. Busy day.
Back to our business planning. Now that you’ve planned your income and expenses, let’s figure out where you’re getting all that money you intend to make. For this, we need to make a
Client List
This is not a post on where to find clients. Those have been written to death, and frankly, clients are everywhere. You just have to reach out to them and convince them you’re their writer.
So, with whom would you like to work? Yes, it’s that simple. Locate clients whose business models you admire, whose products appeal, or whose personalities draw you in. You can specialize if you want – or not. Who your client will be is your decision. So let’s start by looking at what’s already worked.
Current best clients. Know those clients who have become favorites, who pay your rate on time and without hassle? You want to dissect every element of that client’s business practice. Those elements that make that client great are going to have to be part of your new clients’ reperatoire.
Past clients. List them all, including the ones you wouldn’t work with again. List beside each one the traits that made each one easy (or tough) to work with. Figure out if there are other projects you can sell to the good ones. Forget you know the bad ones, but do understand what your motivation was in choosing to work with them, and what you can do to change the bad outcome in the future (which may include not working with those types of clients).
The attraction. What made these clients hire you? What did you have that they wanted? What did you say that convinced them? How can you apply that to new clients?
Future clients. Look at those current relationships from another perspective – what industry are they in? Also, consider what projects you do with these clients – how can you sell those same skills to a different group of clients? Do you like working with corporate clients, small businesses, or individuals? Are you more of a magazine writer or a fiction writer? Build a picture of your ideal client by answering those questions and incorporating that info into your current favorites.
Your mad skilz. Here’s where you’re going to get the most bang for your freelance buck. List your current skills. Now look at what you can offer other clients and start thinking of who needs one or more of these skills. If you write press releases, for example, you can “sell” those skills to any number of new clients. What industries need the most releases? Where are you going to find them? I could give you a list of places to look, but depending on what industry or area you’re targeting, that answer will vary.
Finding the right client can be chance, or it can be planned so that you’re targeting people who are willing to pay your rates and treat you with respect.
What does your ideal client look like?
Tomorrow: Marketing Approach
5 responses to “Your Online Business Planning Session: Part Three”
My ideal client has a sense of humor, ad appreciates a writer's worth. The client is communicative and open to new ideas, likes to brainstorm, and pays on time.
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My ideal client provides clear and detailed briefs of what they want for a project, with reasonable deadlines, pays well and on time. He/she also communicates when there are issues that could potentially affect the work – organisational changes, when people related to the project move, changes in policy etc. He/she knows what they want ( and what they hope to achieve) and knows how to communicate that to me. The client is clear about their internal processes – I'm happy to fit in with however they do things, as long as that information has been communicated to me. Most importantly, my ideal client views me as a professional who offers a resource/skill that he/she needs, not an extra pair of hands doing the work because he/she doesn't have the time to get to do it.
Devon just defined what should be everyone's ideal client. No matter the industry, a sense of humor is important. Why? When problems arise, it's easier to deal with someone who can find humor in the situation than with someone who gets angry or frustrated when things don't go perfectly.
Ever notice how perfectionists are never happy? That's because perfectionism is in and of itself an imperfection. And perfectionists seldom find the humor in that conundrum.
One other thing I like in clients is when they approach me with ideas they know I'll do well on.
Sense of humor – exactly, Devon. I like clients who don't take themselves too seriously.
Damaria, great point. They have to know what they want before we can satisfy them.
Perfectionism is the enemy of creativity if you ask me, Paula. I like to get things as right as possible, but I've seen so many great ideas die at the hands of a committee.