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Is this Client Worth Pursuing?

Donna Doyle

Do a Google search for clients in your niche, and you’ll be rewarded with literally hundreds of thousands of websites.

Of course, your search for future clients and customers should be as targeted as possible. But are they all clients worth pursuing?

Answer: probably not.

But if you know the right techniques - and target your list correctly - you could find the right prospects to target and in a relatively short amount of time.

Here are a few tips to help you figure it out:

Do they produce their own products? Click on some websites, and you'll quickly see that some of them sell literally hundreds of products. Before you get excited about all the possible opportunities that lie ahead, take a good look at the products they offer. Does the company manufacture them? Or they are marketing someone else's products? In that case, you've probably reached someone's affiliate site. Chances are the webmaster does the marketing himself and doesn't need your services.

Does the website contain a mailing address? A telephone number? A customer service department? Call me paranoid, but when I see a site where you hit the "contact us" page and the only information they provide is an email form, I always get my rankles up. If they're a legitimate business, they'll have a mailing address and a phone number. Otherwise, who are they hiding from (in a lot of cases, it's either an angry public...or the government!)

Are they too big? If a website greets you with fancy graphics and lots of bells and whistles ... if its a product site that's an offshoot of a big company ... that's a sure sign the company probably uses an advertising agency. Chasing after clients like these probably aren't worth your time and postage.

And if you do run across a big company that you know for a fact hires freelancers (congratulations! They're out there!) you may not want to approach them j-u-s-t yet. Not unless you have a bigger portfolio and more experience under your belt. When you prove to them you're just as good -- or better -- than their heavy hitters, they'll give you the consideration you deserve. Trust me!

Are they too small? Now, I'm the first one to believe small- and medium-sized companies can provide some of your best opportunities for freelance work. They also tend to be loyal clients, too. In fact, Beth, Victoria and I much prefer working with smaller companies.

If you come upon a website that interests you and it seems to be from a small company, take a closer look. Does the company say they've been in business a long time? Do they have testimonials, or list a track record? Do they have a customer service policy? Do they sell to retail stores only (in which case, don't bother) or largely over the internet?

If you can't answer "yes" to these questions, this is probably a one-person operation that probably won't have the money to hire you.

See you next month!

The 3 Chix

Victoria, Beth and Donna