Convince me not to go freelance
Out of context: Reply #35
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- gramme0
marcostill asks: "Where are you finding work? cold calling? and are you working with your own clients or agency overflow?"
The client I mentioned above came to me via word of mouth. They're a non-profit news & publishing organization. Their headquarters is in another part of the country, but their publisher lives here in St. Louis and goes to my church. He's an excellent writer and collaborated with me on the style guide for my church, so we got to know each other pretty well before he ever hired me. I've actually gotten a couple other clients in similar ways. Additionally, I took out an ad in their publication (never done that before) since they offered me the space for free. I got a bunch of calls and emails, and one legit project from that ad alone. Might do that again if things slow down for me.
Beyond that, it's about finding who your friends know, and who those people know, and then getting in touch with those prospects (preferably via direct, qualified referral or at least a legit segway, e.g. "I was speaking with our mutual friend X, and he referred me to you...").
I tried cold calling for a couple weeks back in the spring, and it proved to be 100% useless. The only cold-calling I do is to find out (a) who the marketing contact is at various companies, and (b) whether they outsource work or not. Armed with this information, I then send that person a studio brochure with a letter crafted specifically for them. So far I've only sent out a handful of these packets, no idea yet if it's working or if I just wasted a bunch of money on my books.
Most of my work to date has been through direct client relationships, although I've just recently started to pick up some agency overflow around town. I maintain autonomy by positioning myself as a one-man studio, rather than a freelancer. I have no interest in working on-site at some agency for days or weeks on end.
One little thing that I think helps is to write a credit for yourself on both printed and web projects—but only if the finished product is something you're proud of. Put it somewhere that's legible and likely to be found, without being too intrusive or encroaching on your clients brand. This will help generate recognition for you.