Looming stock market crashes. Government bailouts. Rate cuts. Recessions. Depressions. These are all words gladly being thrown around by the mainstream media of late. And we all know the mainstream press loves nothing more than selling us doom by the truck load.
Photo by I’m no economist, but it seems only natural that markets should correct themselves (level off and perhaps retract) after consecutive years of positive domestic and global growth. In any case, the situation is what it is. So what’s a freelancer to do amidst leaner and tougher economic times? The answer is: Be even more valuable to your clients.
If you’ve been freelancing for any length of time, you’ll know that your cash flow probably looks like a volatile stock chart; spiking up and down, up and down. The nature of our game is one day we’re so busy we can barely keep up, the next it’s so quiet we can hear the wind whistling through the trees.
Working on retainer is one way to smooth out cash flow volatility, yet during a recession, it’s even more important to focus on providing added value to your client base and help keep your income stream healthy.
This isn’t about being some flakey networker that spams clients with fluff, it’s about doing your best to provide your clients with some real benefit from knowing you. The more genuinely valuable you are to your client base, the better off you’ll be.
Now, I know customer service is something many freelancers aren’t fond of, but listen; when it comes to your clients, you want to be at the forefront of their minds, always. Lets take a look at some techniques that allow you to quickly and easily stay on their radar … and add value where possible.
Ping your clients
The no-brainer way is with a quick e-mail ping.
“Hello Dave, Checking in to see how everything is going and whether I can help you with anything?”
Article of interest
While you are cruising the web, take note if you spot something that might be of value to a client.
“Hello Dave, I came across this article on potential new regulations that could affect your entire industry and thought it might be of interest to you.”
Add a link to the article. The more relevant the it is, the better.
Refer and introduce
Check your client base and see who might benefit who then make some quick introductions.
“Hello Dave, I’d thought I would take a moment to introduce you a client of mine, John Citizen. John runs Crazy Potato Studios and has a great team of SEO experts that I think would be of benefit to you. John, Dave works over at Better Buggy Whips Inc. and can service all your buggy whip needs. I’ll let you guys connect and take it from here.”
Naturally it’s preferable to connect two people whose offerings compliment each other but one beneficial “introducee” will do.
Error check client websites and update
Take a moment to scan client web sites for errors. A good technique here is bug hunting for breaks in that ultimate nightmare of all professional web developers; Internet Explorer. Cruise around your client’s websites and spot breaks and errors then notify them about it.
“Hey Dave, I was doing some quality control on your site today and found that X was breaking on page Y in Internet Explorer 7 on Windows XP. Give me a shout if you want me to fix it for you.”
Offer a little free time
Ping select clients with a “Limited Time Offer” of free time (your time, that is). For example:
“Hello Dave, A quick note to let you know that as a valued client of mine, I am extending 2 hours of my time to you for free to use as you wish. There are some conditions for this free time which are as follows: You can use this free time towards any of my services. This offer of free time expires exactly two weeks from today. My recommendation is to use that time taking care of X but again, you are free to use this time any way you wish.”
This generates a ton of goodwill and you’ll find that more often than not your client will end up spending more than the hour or two you give away for free.
Wrappin’ it up
Ok so now you’ve got a few techniques you can roll out when the urge arises. Remember, be of value to your clients and you’ll always stay busy and well paid. If you have some techniques you use during slow times, let’s hear ‘em!
More...
- Working on retainer
- Client satisfaction & farts in the wind
- Freelancing, LinkedIn & Trust
- Free Hosting For WordPress Blog
- Provide killer customer service
About the author
Danno started freelancing in 1996. He is the co-founder and (ex) President of Graphics.net, owner of FeedIcons.com, EliteFreelancing.com, FastCharacters.com and SteelAndSnow.com. He digs wind, waves, guitars and circles. Follow Danno on Twitter.
October 7th, 2008
Danno,
I’m so glad that you touched on this subject. It is something I am extremely aware of just starting out in my freelancing endeavor. It is a very real, and very scary realization in today’s world. Great posts and some great ideas. Thanks!
Blake
October 14th, 2008
Ha, this is something short and sweet. Marketer are often focusing in expanding market externally but forget about doing sales internally.
Thanks, I enjoy reading your blog a lot.
October 16th, 2008
Right on. Happy to hear you guys are liking it. Cheers.
November 7th, 2008
Another great article Danno. I like how you're constantly reminding me that providing great customer support is as important as designing great work. Keep it up!
June 13th, 2009
what do you guys think about offshore freelancing. free laptop computers
June 13th, 2009
hiring you guys in the USA is costlier now than hiring philippino guys. How to find a cheaper us freelancer?
June 13th, 2009
my comments are not sticking!!
June 14th, 2009
It's easier to keep a customer than to look for a new one. better support indeed.
June 15th, 2009
great truth dermapril. It's even cheaper
July 16th, 2009
Yes I agree we should maintain a good relationship to the client especially during recession days..A good customer service is a plus.
July 16th, 2009
Yes I agree we should maintain a good relationship to the client especially during recession days..A good customer service is a plus.
resveratrol biolabs ultra
July 16th, 2009
Yes I agree we should maintain a good relationship to the client especially during recession days..A good customer service is a plus.
August 13th, 2009
Yes I agree, A good customer service is a plus.
August 14th, 2009
I agree too, very interesting arcticle!
August 23rd, 2009
This is a nice article, thanks for this cool infoprm ations. You have done a great job.
August 29th, 2009
very interesting, thanks
September 1st, 2009
Freelancing is becoming really difficult here in germany because of the economic recession of the last months. I hope this crisis will end soon…
September 16th, 2009
Hi there, interesting article, but i think the worst period of the economic recession is ending soon. So let's hope the best.
September 18th, 2009
Another year ist almost over. Recession minimal period is reached. Hope it will soon go better with the economic situation and then hope the crisis is over :-)
September 28th, 2009
Great article, very interesting. Keep it up.
Regards
Tisha
October 3rd, 2009
Its good to see
November 2nd, 2009
thank you
nice Adwokats
November 9th, 2009
I agree, thanks for the nice article.
November 13th, 2009
Very interesting article, great job. Thanks for sharing :)
November 13th, 2009
Thx for this info…mayby its really hard
November 13th, 2009
yaeeh good information….but its hard for the people
November 13th, 2009
great stuff.
November 18th, 2009
you pointed it…freelancing in this reccession is hard work…we will see what time will tell in future
December 9th, 2009
What a scary thing :S…but thanks for the article.
December 11th, 2009
thank you for the great tips
the wedding rings are very nice
December 11th, 2009
Thanks, I enjoy reading your blog a lot.
December 18th, 2009
Ein Kompliment für diese tolle Seite.
Eigentlich bin ich durch Zufall darauf gestoßen und dachte mir,
einen netten Eintrag und viele Grüße zu hinterlassen.
_____ \!!!///____
______( ô ô )_____
___ooO-(_)-Ooo___
Vielleicht schauen sie mal auf meiner Homepage vorbei!
January 21st, 2010
Great stuff. The best you can do during recessing is trying to keep your current customers as long as you can.
January 28th, 2010
Great article. Thanks for sharing.
February 17th, 2010
Greatest ;)
February 17th, 2010
Yeah great ;)
February 17th, 2010
Becoming a Freelancer ;)
March 9th, 2010
Moin moin! Wirklich schöne Seite die ihr da habt.Bin schon ein paar mal auf eurer Seite gewesen und jetzt hab ich mir gedacht, ich schreib euch mal was nettes ins Gästebuch. Also echt toll was ihr hier gemacht habt. Macht weiter so. Ich würde ich mich über einen Gegenbesuch auf meiner Webseite "Urlaub auf Sylt oder an der Ostsee" sehr freuen.
April 29th, 2010
Who was the Freelancer?
May 1st, 2010
Freelancing was a problem for years ;)
May 3rd, 2010
It's hard, but good worker will find a job even in the recession. Maybe in our hotel im Bayerischen Wald.
September 15th, 2010
Thanks for sharing this great article.
November 18th, 2010
than you.
November 24th, 2010
i also agree! Greetz and best wishes