One of the biggest factors that separate successful freelancers from the ones who struggle is proactivity.
Want a cheat code for freelancing?
Be proactive.
Letās take a closer look at the definition of proactive.
proĀ·acĀ·tiveĀ Ā (prÅ-Äkā²tÄv)
adj.
ActingĀ inĀ advanceĀ toĀ dealĀ withĀ anĀ expectedĀ difficulty;Ā anticipatory.
In other words, offense is the best defense. Now that we have the definition out of the way, letās take a look at some ways you can be more proactive today:
1) When pitching, add your availability to the email and include specific dates and times.
Better yet, prepare with your availability with
Calendly. Youād be surprised at how many freelancers donāt do this. They just end the email with ālooking forward to connectingā or āSend over a few times that work bestā.
Youāre the one pitching and trying to stir up some work. Make it as easy as possible for the client to get in touch with you.
2) Want more work? Send current or past clients a short note letting asking them for introductions to other clients. Word of mouth is one of the best ways to grow your client base fast.
Word of caution: This only works if youāve done excellent work and/or have a good relationship with the clients youāre asking referrals from.
Hereās an example of an email I sent to a former client of mine: