by Jodee Redmond
Are you wondering what it is? No, it’s not “Why won’t anyone hire me?”, although sometimes we have all thought that. The question you need to be asking more often is a variation of :
Who do you know?
You want to get people you know to start referring you to other people they know. We all hear about networking and how important it is to be developing relationships with other people. Most people would feel more comfortable dealing with someone they “know,” even if it is only in the virtual world.
So how do you start building these relationships? You start by telling everyone you know about what you do, and add to your usual 30-second elevator speech where you talk about your work the phrase, “…and if you know of anyone who might be interested in my services, I would be pleased to talk to them.” Then hand them your business card.
It doesn’t sound needy or desperate. Instead, it indicates that you are friendly, approachable, and very professional. (Which you are.)
When you finish a project for a client, always ask if there is anything else you can do for them. If they don’t have anything else for you (and you are interested in working with them again), tell them that you would be happy to do so in the future. Then you can go on to plant the referral seed by saying that if your client knows of anyone else who needs similar work done, you would be interested in speaking to them.
If freelancers talk about clients among themselves, then I’m willing to bet that people in a position to hire freelancers talk to each other too. You may not get anything back right away because networking takes time, but if you keep on casting your net out, eventually you will get something back.
This approach can also work when you have made the short list for a job but weren’t hired. If you get an e-mail letting you know that you didn’t get the job, thank the employer for having considered you and let them know that you would like to be considered for future opportunities. Just because you weren’t a good fit for one gig doesn’t mean there isn’t something else coming down the pipe from that client.
Then you ask them, “Who else do you know that I should be talking to?” They might know of someone else who is looking for someone right now, and don’t forget, they have already reviewed your resume and samples. Chances are that if they refer you to someone else, you would be a good fit for the job. The worst thing that will happen is that they don’t know anyone, and in that case you haven’t lost anything.
Don’t be afraid to ask a question. You may be very surprised at the response you get and where it might lead you.
Loved reading this, Jodee. To take what you say a bit further, I think it also works well to mention what you do, what your background is, etc, with fellow freelancers. For example, I know your legal assistant background and you know mine, which has translated into out exchanging job leads a few times. I also know Phil from this blog does PR work and journalism and have thrown his name to various clients of mine — because I’m no PR writing journalist.
I’ve also met James and Harry via this blog and have recommended their blog design services to countless folks after using them myself. I’ve also hired and subcontracted to a few others I’ve met through this blog and other blogs.
Whenever someone tells me details, I always store that info away for any future opportunities. However, the details are crucial. Hundreds of people say “I’m a freelance writer” or “I’m a blogger” — that doesn’t really tell me much, and I’ll confess that those aren’t folks who stick in my mind like the folks who have a niche or specific background do.
Thank you Jodee, for these great suggestions and reminders.
@ Amy Derby: You’re absolutely right; you do need to tell people what kind of writing you do or what your niche is. I owe you a Dilly bar!
*snatches dilly bar and runs, giggling*
Perhaps you and I should also add “insomniac, compulsive email checker” to our pitches. LOL
@ Amy Derby: I’m not sure that would be considered a plus, LOL!
Thanks for the tip, Jodee! I’m slowly trying to network my way up the ladder!
I used to think this was kind of silly advice. What were the odds that anyone I knew, outside of a work situation, could possibly be useful for getting work? It just seemed so unlikely. OK, yeah, I got my first writing gig because a friend recommended me… But that was a friend who was in the newspaper business. That’s totally different!
Well, I just got my best paying assignment ever because my next door neighbor knows a magazine editor. This really happened because of a conversation over my back fence.
I may be a slow learner but… I am definitely having a lot more business cards printed up!
Jodee — You could be right about that. LOL
Wombat — Congrats. That’s awesome! I think I have Slow Learner Syndrome (SLS)
too. In the beginning I felt like I’d come off as a pompous jerk interjecting what I do into conversations with friends, neighbors, etc. Then I figured out how to do it by letting it come up naturally, and I got a few decent clients out of it. From there, I’ve been a bit more big-mouthed about it. Now it’s like a game to try to figure out how to bring up what I do in conversation with just about anyone, whether I know them or not — folks I talk to on the train, the new cafe owner, anyone. 
@ Amy: I carry a bunch of pens in my purse now because I tend to lose them a lot. Now, anytime someone needs a pen, I produce one and when they comment about the fact that I’m prepared, I tell them that I’m a writer and go on from there to tell them a bit about what I do. That’s one way to open things up and it doesn’t look like I’ve been sitting around scheming about how to bring it up in conversation without looking too obvious.