My So-Called Freelance Life - Michelle Goodman [26]
So how do potential clients find players for their freelance dream team? Overwhelmingly, by referral—and not just from their 9-to-5 comrades. Often, clients look to their freelancers for referrals.
Let me share with you a little scene that plays out in my inbox on an almost weekly basis:
Hi, Michelle. It’s your Favorite Deep-Pocketed Client here. Say, I know you’re busy writing that book, but would you happen to have a freelance friend who does what you do and is available? I need to fill this slot in the next 48 hours. Let me know if you know anyone.
Or:
Hi, Michelle. It’s your freelance BFF here. My editor at TwentyMillionCirculation magazine needs someone to write an article on recovering Republicans who love too much and I don’t have the time this month. Sounds like a fun story, and the pay is good. Let me know if you want an email introduction. I already gave her your contact info.
Call it nepotism, favoritism, or the good old freelancer’s club. I just call it smart. Harried clients who needed the work done yesterday don’t have time to roll the dice by placing an ad on a site like Sologig.com and slogging through all those resumes. They know nobody knows more freelancers than we freelancers, so they ask us. Look what Kate Henne of Fargo, North Dakota, a freelance communications guru who spent fifteen years working as a marketing manager for major corporations, has to say on the matter:
“Most of the freelancers I’ve worked with have come by word of mouth. Sure, I want to see resumes/portfolios or just examples of work, but networking with reputable pros is invaluable. If you’re a writer, get to know designers, web producers, project managers, et cetera, so you can recommend great resources when your client needs them. You’ll develop a great network, and clients will know they can count on you to help keep projects running smoothly.”
Forget the don’t-fraternize-with-the-competition mentality. If a client like Kate calls me up and I’m short on time, skills, or interest in the job, there’s no reason I wouldn’t recommend a trusted indie pal who fits the gig description and is looking to fill a hole in her schedule. Hell, earlier this year a client sent me two thousand bucks, unsolicited, for suggesting two freelancers for long-term contracts he was desperate to fill. If that’s not incentive to share and share alike, I don’t know what is.
I’ve Got Friends in Freelance Places
How do you catapult yourself into this inner sanctum where all the referral magic happens? By befriending other solo workers. As soon as humanly possible. Don’t wait till you’re more experienced or outgoing or confident. You need the work now—not to mention the camaraderie of other indie workers—so start shaking hands today. Don’t believe the myth that there’s some Secret Referral Society that only admits freelancing veterans. When a rookie I admire is trying to break in, I’m happy to recommend her to a client for a gig I can’t do. So find out where the other freelancers in your neck of the woods congregate—online and in person—and don’t walk there. Run.
Since online schmoozing doesn’t require a tin of Altoids or much courage, start there: Search for local chapters of professional associations that feature free email discussion lists—for example, Digital Eve, Professional Women of Color Network, and Graphic Artists Guild. Or subscribe to one of the countless lists on Yahoo! Groups. Hands down, these lists are among the best ways to find freelance gigs in your own back yard. To me, discussion lists are the virtual equivalent of attending a dinner party with several hundred of your most supportive freelance friends.
If you haven’t already done so, create a signature for all your outgoing email messages. That way, when you post to these discussion lists people