By Cyan Ta’eed, Co-founder of Envato
Referred clients are the best clients. In my experience, the guy that found me online is no match to the one who heard about me from a colleague or friend. Looking to grow your freelance business? Here are five ways to impress your clients so they spread the word!
Make it fun
My father, a corporate photographer, once told me a big part of his job was making his client visits glamorous and fun by injecting some much needed excitement into their workday. Dress with panache, arrive with enthusiasm… and wherever possible, bring great coffee! Personality and a fun experience will keep clients coming back because they enjoy working with you.
Maintain communication, even when you’ve fudged the deadline
No matter how organized you are, at some point you’re going to take on more than you can handle (especially if business is going well). That is when you may start finding your deadlines hard to meet. When this happens many freelancers bury themselves in their work, hoping if they put their heads down and quit sleeping they might just make it. The problem with this strategy is that if you still miss your deadline, you’re giving your client the triple whammy of an AWOL freelancer, missing their deadline, AND giving them no warning. Instead, keep them abreast of timing issues as soon as they emerge, and work with your client to deliver the essentials on time.
Don’t be a yes-man (or woman!)
As a freelancer you need to listen to what the client thinks they want, and work out what they actually need. Sometimes a client has a very good idea of their requirements, but other times they have ideas that YOU know will kill the project. This is time to ignore “the client is always right” ringing in your ears. Consider yourself not just a freelancer providing a service, but a professional consultant as well. If you know the outcome of a brief will be disaster, it’s your responsibility to help your client to realize this.
Showing them something similar to what they want that’s already out there can help support your argument and help the client realize it’s inappropriate. If they insist on their original idea, you can then decide whether or not you want to take the project, but at least you’ve warned them!
Solve problems
Your goal is to be the first person your clients think to call when they need a solution to a creative problem. If you gain a reputation with your client as a “problem solver”, they will do their best to keep working with you. You can become a problem solver by broadening your skillset to related fields. For example, if you’re a graphic designer then learn about web design, or if you’re a photographer learn about shooting video. You can also expand your offerings by forging relationships with other freelancers in related fields who are professional and good at what they do. By establishing a network of creative professionals you can help to solve your clients’ problems for them.
Always make your client look good
Sometimes you might work for a solo businessperson, but often you’ll be freelancing for a small or medium-sized business, where the person who manages the project has his or her own boss to please. In these cases, your primary concern should be making them look good. This doesn’t just mean delivering solid work, it means meeting deadlines, being a pleasure to work with and solving their problems.
It also never hurts to make the boss look great. A photographer I know is now the preferred photographer for a large company because he happened to book a shoot with the CEO and retouched 60 pounds off him. The CEO loved the shot, and instructed his creative department to book him for all their corporate photography.
Cyan Ta’eed is co-founder of Envato, which she helped build at night while freelancing as a designer during the day. Envato is now one of the world’s most thriving digital marketplaces and creative educational blog networks, with more than 25 million visits daily. Cyan oversees management of more than 200 employees around the world on more than 30 Envato sub-brands, including ThemeForest and the Tuts+ and Tuts+ Premium networks. Cyan is happy to go to work every day with her husband and Envato CEO, Collis Ta’eed. They live in Melbourne with their young son, John.
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