Freelancing

How I Get Long-term Clients as a Freelancer

Long-term Clients as a Freelancer

A long-term client means a customer who sticks with you for a long period. I have been working with a client as a freelance writer for two years, and the other client took a break after two years, and still in contact to work in the future. I have a couple of more clients who have known me for three years, and we work on and off.

So, what’s the recipe for getting long-term clients as a freelancer?

I’m going to share how I did it. I don’t say it’s the best strategy in the world, but I’m delighted with the outcome.

Note: It may not work for you. Feel free to learn more techniques and listen to the experts. I share things that I experienced or learned along the way.

Let’s cut to the chase.

There are three things I have been doing that have landed me regularly, long-term clients:

1. Giving more than taking

When it comes to delivering the value or helping out the client or giving your best shot, I don’t hold myself back if I could do the best thing for a client. Sometimes it indeed costs me a few extra hours or I delay my personal projects – the point is that I try to give more than I take. It doesn’t always mean I spend extra time on the project, but rather it could be talking to your client on Skype to understand the project or provide the updates. It always results in a better finished-product and a healthy relationship with the client.

On the other hand, I do everything in my power to make my work as efficient as possible that it differentiates me from others.

Jared Morris once said in his podcast, “If you’re replaceable, you’ll be replaced.”

So I try to be irreplaceable.

Similarly, Robin Sharma considered the over-delivering ritual as one of the success predictors.

2.  Doing something you love

One of my clients is very surprised to see that I have been consistently writing content for them and my content is helping them grow their business. The same client once asked me out of curiosity that how I keep doing this. I told him that I love what I do, which is why I keep doing it without a problem.

When you follow your passion, or you’re using your skill, you rarely get headaches at work. If I were designing logos for clients, I would have given up a long time ago, because graphics designing isn’t my thing.

So if you want long-term clients, you better start doing what you love to do instead of what others are telling to do.

3. Avoiding reaching out to new clients

I don’t advise this to newbie freelancers. The reason for this is that you might be in your initial stage or you haven’t built the authority yet, and it might get difficult for you to land freelance clients if you don’t seek out for the projects. If you’re a beginner, you must apply for freelance projects and work with better clients on a long-term basis.

What I mean by “avoiding reaching out to new clients” is that I don’t go with the strategies that everyone else takes. I’d rather try to be innovative even if I fail than to be standing in line with everyone else. I write my blog, build connections on social media, and help out people. Not only does it make me stand out from the crowd, but I also get to focus on my clients to serve them better. So this is pretty much what I do that pops the opportunities for me.

Conclusion

It’s totally fine if clients don’t stick with you for a long-haul.

Don’t panic.

If you’re passionate about what you do as a freelancer, you’ll get to the point where clients would acknowledge what you’re doing.

The only thing you need to understand and what matters in this situation is that you should stay in the process of doing, because when you keep doing it, not only do you improve, but you also build a portfolio over time.

I struggled for three years to reach the point where I stopped looking out for new clients because I wasn’t ready to take up new clients due to the workload.

I’d conclude this blog post by saying that all this would not have been possible if I had given up in the first three years.

What else would you add to this blog post?

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10 Comments

  1. A very delightful and a positive blog post to start a day..It was helpful and encouraging specially for newbies like me.
    Enjoyed reading it.

    1. Hello Sidra,

      Thank you so much for stopping by. I’m glad you liked it.

      One of the lessons I learned in blogging is that you must deliver value to your readers. It does help. So I try to provide value every time I write something on my blog.

      Thanks

  2. Hi Hassaan,

    I think I may write with some authority on this topic as I have had one of my clients for almost FORTY years! (As a computer programmer, not a blogger – but still freelance.) Another, I have had for almost 16 years.

    Whether other freelancers will like it or not, the reason I have kept my clients so long, in my opinion, is that when they say “Jump”, I say “How High?”. It’s not actually as one-sided as it might seem, because if there’s a reason I can’t do something absolutely immediately they are very receptive to waiting because they know I will do it as soon as I possibly can.

    Joy Healey – Blogging After Dark

    1. Hello Joy,

      Thank you so much for stopping by.

      I loved the analogy and approach of “Jump” and “How high” because it’s DOERS mindset. The reason I wrote this blog post was the frustration that I used to see on beginners’ faces. I wanted to share that it’s not a piece of cake, you got to earn it.

      Above all, one of the biggest reasons I was able to write this blog post with confidence is perhaps I remained in the process (of doing it). I never gave up. So I wanted to share with those newbie freelancers that they must be ready to go all in and be prepared to give their time, sweat, and comfort to succeed.

      Thanks, Joy, for your comment. It’s a pleasure.

  3. Hi Hassaan,

    Having passion for serving clients resonates with me. Loving these insights.

    Just enjoying my niche, helping my clients and not even thinking about money is the key for me. I have fun helping folks. I just serve, focusing on how I can best benefit my customers, and give little thought to the dough. Some become long term clients and other folks fade in and out, as seems to be the case for many freelancers.

    I also offer freelancing through various channels so I can meet client needs in a few different areas. Diversification rocks, and also helps me be even more detached from particular clients so I can serve them without getting heavily attached to them.

    Great points bro.

    Ryan

    1. Hi Ryan,

      Thank you so much for stopping by.

      I learned this “money” and “byproduct” philosophy from an American vlogger Roman Atwood. I have been following this, and it has done wonders for me. I know you also believe in it because I have seen you emphasizing on this in the live streams.

      It’s a mindset shift that changes everything around you.

      Thanks for sharing your point of view. Loved it.

  4. Hi Hassaan,

    It’s great to read your post. I was busy with my projects, that’s the reason I was inactive a bit, specially reading & commenting was completely off.

    But Anyways, Thanks for the interesting & informative read. Keep up the good work and enjoy the holidays.

    A Very Happy New Year Hassaan! Cheers

    ~ Donna

    1. Hi Donna,

      I’m glad you’re back. Thank you so much for stopping by.
      It’s alright. In fact, I’m happy that you were busy. I love the hustle, effort, and work.

      Happy new year!

      Hassaan

  5. Hi Hassaan! This is a great piece! It actually makes sense that when you overdeliver, the client tends to stick around longer. For them, they are getting more value than what they are paying for and that is great for them. And since you love what you do, it’s just more fun for you as well. Everyone is enjoying the work which makes it a win-win situation for all. It’s great reading success stories such as this. Loved it! Good luck, man!

    1. Hi Stefan,

      Thanks so much.

      Exactly, overdelivering does make a difference.

      Moreover, I’m big on following the passion and doing what you love. The reason is when you do what you love; you don’t get tired, in fact, you enjoy the process.

      Thanks, man, for stopping by and leaving your comment.

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