Attracting Dream Clients

Can you subcontract your way to a profitable freelance living?

Here's a common misconception; by subcontracting you limit your earning potential as your price is limited by what the client can pay at the top of the chain, with your rate the one that's squeezed to accommodate. What if I…

What do clients really (really) want?

If women are from Venus and men are from Mars, where the hell did 'The client' come from? From strange silences to broken promises; mis-steps to breakdowns it can be a minefield. In this post I wanted to open up…

Ditching bad apple clients for good and using positioning to your advantage

My field is web design. Specifically I’ve grown a $1.5m web agency from a laptop and a shared desk in a co-working space. Does this mean I haven’t had my fair share of bad apple clients? Do we at the…

How to amaze your clients, be remarkable and ensure a flood of referrals

The subject line was ominous “Your vehicle health check”. It certainly wasn’t expected; I’d only dropped the car off a few hours ago for it’s '1 year old' service. Moving into the email was more of the same alien-yet-intriguing territory.…

Understanding what makes a client reject (or not reply to) your proposal

There are far too many reasons a client won't buy your service. It's vital to understand that for every reason a client should buy, there are probably 10 reasons they'll find to convince themselves they should not. Indeed, in the…

Increase your likelihood of winning the gig by decreasing your pool of clients

How many competitors do you really have? According to Google 492,000 people also consider themselves a “freelance web designer” . Or if you’re a “freelance copywriter” you’re just one of a sea of 492,000 others. It turns out freelancer anonymity…

Freelancers need to understand copywriting too - With D Bnonn Tennant

I have a hunch, which is slowly being confirmed. That as freelancers we do what we can to build a website for our services which looks pretty and which we think might deliver us leads for our service, without changing…

How do you describe your service? Words matter – with Robert Williams

One of the key points I underscore in the book is the importance of words for freelancers. The way you describe your service to prospective clients on your site, proposals and emails is an often overlooked catalyst for winning more…

How to build a lead pipeline for your freelance business

Prospecting for new clients has to be the hardest part of building a business. When you’re building a freelance business, it often comes down to you to do the lead generation. So if you don’t consider yourself a natural salesperson,…

5 reasons you're not converting website visits into client enquiries

The chances are you’re doing a pretty good job at getting visitors to your site but if you can’t push them over the edge (to give you their brief) , or they won't stick around then this post is for…

How to win a $50k client project without ever meeting face to face

What really separates a sole freelancer from a brand or lofty agency? Is there really that much difference, especially online? This is a question I'm often asked. An agency (or freelancer with the backing of a team) is justified and…

Are you taking yourself seriously enough? 5 things to remember when working for free

I was compelled to put this post together by great comment I received today on a prior post . "Great article, Liam. Particularly the example letter. I noticed that you (knowingly?) used specific language there when referring to you free…

The truth about hourly rates

When it comes to freelancer pricing I tend to remain largely passive. In my opinion you either take pride in your work, or you don't. You either understand your work has value, or you don't. The simple fact is, if…

Focus on the problem you're solving, not the service you're providing

Brennan Dunn was my guest on this Q&A session. Brennan is the author of the hugely successful 'How to Double Your Freelancing Rate' Book. So in this 18 minute all-action session I wanted to dig into the methodology behind that…

Do the portfolio hustle. Capture attention, muscle out competitors and get better clients

Your portfolio is everything. How are you supposed to win any clients without proving what you can do? Your portfolio will determine the perception your potential customers have of you. It can be the make or break factor with regard…

Always be providing value - with Tom Ewer

Unfortunately we had a big audio fail on this call - but the show must go on, so here are the notes from the Q&A call Tom Ewer is a professional blogger who's built a service in and around freelance…

Nice freelancers finish last. How to dominate with a clear conscience

This is an excerpt from the "Nice Freelancers Finish Last" Playbook. You can download the book in its entirety for free, by clicking here . If you're a freelancer, chances are you're used to being 'nice'. After all, niceties &…

Know precisely who your audience is and find their influencers

My guest on this insightful Q&A session was Dan Norris . Dan heads up WPCurve , Inform.ly and several other product focused businesses following on from his time as a freelance web designer . He has some great things to…

Defining your dream client

Desire & converting attention into paying clients

Nurturing long-term clients who will buy again and again