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This way, as a freelancer, you make a good impression on new clients

The ingredients for a successful career start with attracting good clients who provide you with freelance assignments. In this blog we take a closer look at attracting and retaining the right clients. With these useful tips we want to show you how to make a good impression with your client.

Bringing in a new client is not as difficult as you think. There are certain needs that the client would like to see fulfilled. It may happen that you need to provide something additional and that is exactly when these tips come in handy.

1. Stay accessible to your client It seems so easy - answering messages from clients within a few hours, instead of within one day or week - but it makes quite a difference in the way potential clients see you as a freelancer. Quick contact makes it much easier for the customer to share information with you. In addition, the client will feel much more comfortable working with you.

NB! Of course, you don't want to be constantly interrupted by messages from your clients. This will not benefit your productivity. Therefore, make sure you take a few moments of the day to answer your emails / phone calls.

2. Negotiate the scope of the assignment, not the budget “Huh?! So you're saying that if you keep your price high, it will be attractive to future clients?”

You read that correctly! Lowering your hourly rate will in most cases make you appear desperate and insecure. Self-confidence (of course we do not mean arrogance) is the key to attracting new clients. The more confidence you have in yourself, the more attractive you become to clients (even if they say the opposite). Negotiating the budget is a good idea, but make sure that you only reduce your hourly rate if the size of the freelance assignment also decreases. If you reduce the budget without shrinking the size of the project, you are actually saying that you are not really worth what was originally asked for. And that's not a good sign.

3. Showcase work you're proud of Think about it, when was the last time you made a big expense? A new laptop, car or perhaps a washing machine. Do you remember how you came to the right decision? There is a good chance that you have weighed the advantages and disadvantages against each other.

Clients actually work the same way when choosing the right freelancer. But how do you give your future client confidence? One of the best ways is to showcase your best work. Which assignments were successful for you? What are you proud of? Combine this in a potfolio. The more information you show, the better the result will be.

4. Use visually attractive elements This is quite obvious, but it is still worth taking this overview into account: the use of visually attractive elements when dealing with clients. Not only do you appear very freelancer, but you also make sure you stand out. What kind of visual elements do we mean? Here are some examples: - A hard copy portfolio - Business stationery / business cards - Freelancer website 5. Keep it personal Show your personal side to future clients. Don't forget to show that you enjoy your work. Show interest in your client and ask about the situation. By listening carefully to the client, asking questions and then coming up with solutions or ideas, you show that you understand them. If you act like this, they will also understand you and hopefully a sustainable freelance collaboration will emerge.

By: Ilse van der Meulen Ilse works as a Community Manager at ProLinker.

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