Sometimes life hands you lessons that, thankfully, you don’t have to learn firsthand.<\/p>\n

It was December 28, 2001 or 2002. I was at my desk at the magazine. I’d just finished an article that quoted heavily this firebrand company that had opened its doors a few years prior and had risen to household-name status (well, within the insurance world, that is). (I remember the date because it’s the birthday of someone in my family.)<\/p>\n

I saw an email come in from that company, which I assumed was regarding their quotes.<\/p>\n

It was from their marketing head. And the news nearly knocked me over.<\/p>\n

The company was closing its doors effective December 31.<\/p>\n

Huh?<\/p>\n

So how could a company that had done such an excellent job marketing and building their brand be shuttering so quickly? Because they’d made a fatal mistake: the lion’s share of their client business was with exactly one company. And that company had decided not to renew their contract.<\/p>\n

There went 38 percent of their business. And there went their ability to pay their bills and make payroll.<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

This is relevant to you, freelance writer. Who hasn’t had two or three clients in the beginning and made a similar, equally fatal mistake of thinking:<\/p>\n

I’m set!<\/h4>\n

And what happened next?<\/p>\n

One or two of those clients disappeared within a few months. For me, it was two — one, then a week later, the other. And the client that was left didn’t make up much of my monthly income.<\/p>\n

Lesson learned. Believe me.<\/p>\n

Since then (probably 2004), I’ve never let myself go below having three clients. And not one of them makes up the bulk of my expected earnings.<\/p>\n

Not. One.<\/p>\n

Here’s how I’ve avoided putting all my freelance eggs in the same basket:<\/p>\n

Market.<\/h3>\n

Okay, I’d slacked off active marketing for a few years as I was running a little experiment to see how long I could go without marketing. Two years. But that’s after over a decade of making lasting connections. It was nice to not write LOIs, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t tweeting and sharing on forums. Marketing isn’t all about direct contact.<\/p>\n

Keep count.<\/h3>\n

Ask Paula or Joy. I was complaining this spring that I had three clients and I needed at least one more. Three makes me nervous. Three means I could be down to one (or worse) without warning. Having been through that, I’m not eager to repeat. For me, four to six clients is an ideal number. That may not be clients who give me work each month, but if three of them do and the other few give me assignments every other month, I’m good with that. What your number may be is totally your call. Just avoid three. That’s…. yea. Just avoid it.<\/p>\n

Check the invoices regularly.<\/h3>\n

Right now, I know which clients are paying what percentage of my monthly earnings. I try not to have one client making up more than 30 percent of what I’m earning on a monthly basis.<\/p>\n

And if you have just three clients, you now understand the risk you’re taking. Could you lose 33 percent of your earnings right now? How about 66 percent?<\/p>\n

Nurture.<\/h3>\n

There are people I’ve worked with years ago who will get an occasional email from me. If I see someone I know on LinkedIn, I’ll check in. I’ll banter with clients I’m working with. I’ll treat them all like friendly colleagues. There are people I know will never hire me. I’ll still stop and say hello if I see them at a trade show. Or I’ll wish them a happy work anniversary. Or comment on their posts. It doesn’t take endless sales pitches to nurture a relationship — this isn’t the place for sales pitches.\u00a0It takes being attentive. <\/span><\/p>\n

Thank a connection.<\/h3>\n

When someone connects with me on social media, I thank them. Not with those awful auto-response messages, but with a “Thanks for connecting. When you get a chance, I’d welcome a conversation to hear more about what you do.”<\/p>\n

Notice that didn’t ask for much. That’s on purpose. Some people go full-scale stalker when they’re followed on LinkedIn or Twitter. The “I noticed you looking at my profile — are you looking for a writer?” is just weird, but so is asking for the sale on the first meeting. It’s like getting engaged on the first date. Just get to know them through conversation. They either say yes or they don’t respond. Pushing isn’t going to help, either. Be known for being interested in what they do, not interested in what they can do for you<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Share something.<\/h3>\n

I’ve shared connections, contacts, referrals, or just something I thought would interest someone. I’ve shared free advice. I’ve counseled contacts who weren’t going to be able to afford me. It’s about helping someone with no expectations of reciprocation. A contact I’d helped out earlier in the year was given general “Here’s what I can do for you” info, but then I offered them the “above my pay grade” suggestions on how to make the most of their first trade show. Will they ever hire me? I highly doubt it — they were very focused on per-piece pricing, which suggests I wasn’t within their budget. Will they refer me? I hope so, particularly since I stay in touch. If not, I’ve made one more acquaintance. It’s all good.<\/p>\n

Writers, what’s the least number of clients you’ve had at one time?<\/strong><\/em>
\nHave you ever had the bottom fall out of your client base?<\/strong><\/em>
\nHow did you handle it? What did you change to keep it from happening again?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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