A couple days ago, a reader named Daniyal wrote:
“Please talk about looking for clients and becoming better at marketing your own self as well.”
I shared a good resource for marketing your own self in my email from two days ago.
And as for finding clients… I might be the worst person to ask about that.
I never had a good system for getting clients once I got off the freelancing platforms. What’s more, I never cared much.
Because I have zero debts in my life…. I have zero dependents tugging on my shirtsleeves and asking for an allowance… plus I can survive for a long time without food.
In other words, even when I had zero clients, and no money coming in, I didn’t panic and I didn’t change much about what I was doing.
With that preamble, there is one thing I can recommend for getting clients. But let me warn you. It’s rather woo-woo, at least the way I look at it.
Let me set it up:
A few days ago, I wrote to Chris Thompson. Chris is the CEO of Mike Mandel Hypnosis. If you don’t know them, you might want to. They put out tons of interesting stuff that can be relevant for marketers and copywriters.
I’ve been following Mike and Chris for a few years. But recently, I realized their email game is weak. So I wrote to Chris to ask if they want my help with emails. And as I was getting ready to click “Send,” I froze and thought:
“What the hell am I doing? What will I do if they say yes?”
Because I’ve got all the client work I want as far as my 20/20 eyes can see. Besides, I have this newsletter and the books and future mystery projects I am working on for you.
But still I sent the email to Chris.
And that’s my client-attraction advice.
Be respectful of your opportunities. Because the more opportunities you take, the more you get.
And vice versa. The fewer you take — whether because you’re booked up, tired, or simply unmotivated — the fewer opportunities you will get in the future.
This doesn’t mean you have to accept all the work that’s offered to you. It doesn’t mean working 36 hours a day… or working for wages you find unacceptable… or working on projects you find repulsive.
But the way I see it, there is some secret spider web, which connects clients. Once you start jumping up and down on one corner of that web, no matter how remote, it gets the attention of the other spiders, I mean clients, in other places. And if you keep jumping up and down, they will seek you out. Sooner or later.
(By the way, if you’re a guy, something similar happens with women in your life. At least in my experience.)
I told you it’s woo-woo. And maybe woo-woo is not your thing. In that case, perhaps you could use a more materialistic interpretation of what I’m saying:
The fact is, you never know. Opportunities that don’t seem promising for whatever reason might turn out to be so.
Or they might lead to other opportunities indirectly… which wouldn’t happen without you putting in that initial interest and effort.
Or perhaps… each interaction with clients in your market, even if it goes absolutely nowhere… gives you an extra bit of confidence and preparation for when a new opportunity comes along.
My point is to take all the stuff you are dismissing now for whatever reason — because it looks unpromising… or beneath you… or because you’re simply too busy at the moment — and treat it with respect and attention and care.
Do this consistently, for a few weeks or (in my case) a few years. And whether you believe in woo-woo stuff or not, I bet you will be surprised and pleased at the result.
Here’s something that won’t please you:
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