How to find your first clients

A new challenge

You are ready, you have make up your mind, you have your new home office and you will start freelancing.

Now…….you have to find clients.

Finding your first clients seems overwhelming, but you can make a plan that simplifies this task. After finding the first ones, it will become easier.

One aspect that concerns us all is the current slowdown in major economies in the world and how to overcome it. This situation presents a challenge to accept that we can open new windows of opportunity for diversification and strengthening of our business. Find new customers and new market niches.

We want to share different techniques to find new clients and generate a plan.

1 Prepare your portfolio

Select examples with different concepts such as: Business Cards, Ads, and Web Pages. If you don’t have a large portfolio yet I suggest doing free jobs to friends and acquaintances, or even create jobs for nonexistent customers by way of example.

If you select works used in school, just pick those with a professional value.

You have to present your portfolio in the most attractive way:

• Web page
• In your laptop visiting a client
• Intercative CD

2 Select your target

Which is your target? Start by creating a database where you see an opportunity to design: small businesses, restaurants, schools for children, dental offices, pediatricians, hair salons, etc.

You can do this database selecting businesses in your local area, trough guides or yellow pages.

These small businesses will give you the strength you need to throw yourself into a medium sized company.

3 Cold calls and visits.

As designers this is a part that disgusts us all but very important. With the database you created in the previous section generate a list and do a scan to know what customers will give you the opportunity to make your first jobs as a freelance, visiting or calling to offer your services.

4 Quality

Remember that your name is important for future recommendations.

The client is happy with his design because it sells or attracts people to his establishment. This is a customer who will recommend you.

5 Time

Do not start another job until the end of which you are making and make the changes that are needed by your customer to leave satisfied, remember that you put a few parameters need reasonable changes.

 

Tags: Find Clients, happy clients

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7 Comments to How to find your first clients

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Tweets that mention How to find your first design clients | Designer Freelance -- Topsy.com on November 4th, 2010
2. 

   Great post.
Eduardo Parra on November 5th, 2010
3. 

   very informative, hopefully Im on the right path! Good advice
Danielle Comstock on November 5th, 2010

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How to find your first clients | Speckyboy Design Magazine on November 5th, 2010
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san diego photography on November 12th, 2010

6. [...] View Post Related content: Dealing With Big Name Clients [...]
How to find your first clients | 43 pixels on December 3rd, 2010
7. 

   Great set of advice. Thanks. Bookmarked this for future reference.
Swopper on December 17th, 2010