If you’re doin’ the freelancer hustle…

And looking for your next gig…

You might find yourself scrounging around on a prospective client’s website. Gleaning what you can about them and what they do. Looking for potential opportunities you could pitch them about.

Maybe a white paper or two wouldn’t go amiss.

Or their latest-post-is-from-december-2021 blog needs whipping into shape.

Or when you sign up for their email, all you ever get is a crusty welcome message,. Replete with typos and looking like it could have emerged out of the 1990s internet ark.

Great when you can spot those opportunities. AND make the most of them.

It’s hard work though. Time consuming. And can tend towards the soul-destroying end of the spectrum.

(Gee, I’m doing a great job of selling this freelance writing lark, aren’t I?)

But… there’s an easier way.

Perhaps even hiding in plain sight. (Dang those blurred vision side-effects from hustle-itis!)

What I’m talking about is…

The best clients for pitching your ideas to are… your existing clients!

Shocked? Probably not. It’s not that earth-shattering.

Just sometimes forgotten. Or the full potential of it isn’t seen.

And if you’re like, “Chris, you’re talking about pitching to my existing clients. But I’ve not even landed my first one yet!”…

A couple of things for you…

Tuck this idea away for when you’ve got clients. And keep on taking your strides toward client number one.
If you’re transitioning from being an employee to being a freelancer… think about your previous employer as the “existing clients” I’m talking about here. They’re not all that different in terms of you having a prior relationship, and knowing their business well. Food for thought, eh?

The answer why the best clients to pitch are your own freelance clients… is the same answer for any business…

The best people to sell to… and the easiest people to sell to… are the people who have bought from you before.

Customers. Clients. Whatever you call them…

They (hopefully!) already know, like and trust you.

They like what you’re doing. They’re continuing to pay you month after month. Or project after project.

You’re likely the natural choice for any additional work.

And with the trust factor, they know you’re looking out for them…

That you’re suggesting these changes, not because you’re trying to bleed them dry. But you genuinely want to help them tap into greater opportunities for their business.

One of the best things about pitching to your existing clients… is that you know them so well already.

This is sizzling-grill HOT pitching

You know their business. You know their market well. You know what their audience needs.

So your strategic suggestions are likely to be more on target for bringing in great results.

This still depends on how confident and skilled you are. But you’ve by far and away got the advantage over someone else who rocks up and starts cold pitching your client.

Now’s a good time to break out of thinking you’re limited to working with your clients in just the area you originally contracted to help them with.

Not so.

It’s that first contract that opens the door to a relationship. And a potentially ongoing mutually beneficial one.

When doing this sort of hot pitching to existing clients…

My approach lately is to put a little bit of structure around the pitch.

So I’m not sorta rocking up to them and going, “Hey, give me some more money because I want to do cool stuff for you.”

But actually presenting a bit of detail about it. Just in a slideshow that starts off with where we’re at now. Laying out the opportunity and the advantages that it can bring. And then what it’s going to take for them to get there.

If you can show that doing this is highly likely to create better revenue outcomes for the business, then you’re practically into no-brainer-decision territory.

Your client won’t know all the possible things they could be doing in their business…

And may be quite oblivious to the opportunities you can see.

When you’re working with them like this… dealing with ideas… and looking at higher level opportunities…

You become a trusted advisor and strategist. You become a trusted part of their business.

Being a strategist creates a more secure environment for you.

Because you’re not just another person who can do the grunt work. And they won’t find another you, for bargain-basement prices on Upwork.

So, it dawned on me a few days back…

I’ve been working with this one particular client for over a year now. I’m mainly doing some emails.

But there’s so much more scope for helping their business grow. Both with additional email marketing things. And going beyond that to their website and other content.

So I’ve just put together a pitch slideshow using Google Slides. And am about to make a video presentation to explain what I’m proposing. Without the pressures of presenting it live to them.

I’m just going to ask them to look through it. Ask if there’s any questions. Get on a call if needed. Then just ask which option they’d like to go ahead with.

Remembering here… I’ve been working with them a while. We’ve been on calls. We talk weekly on Discord.

There’s a relationship already.

I’m not claiming this is the best way to go about this. You can tell me if you have better ideas. But it’s the way I’m doing it for now.

So, yeah, just a few thoughts there. Pitch to your heart’s content if you want.

But consider your existing clients first.

They’ll be the easiest pitches you’ll make.

See ya!

P.S. Here’s my pitch for today

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