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So when it comes to prospecting for new clients, what works? What doesn’t?

I think the hardest thing a freelancer has to do is market themselves. I’m the first to say that its still the most challenging part of my job-and I’ve been in this business a long time.

One of the cardinal rules for every freelancer is this: Always Be Marketing. Now, what is the best way to do that?

I’m not a not a cold-caller; never was. In fact, I truly believe there’s a special place in heaven for the successful cold-callers among us.

Since my expertise is in direct response, I like to attract clients using another effective, old-fashioned contact method: snail mail.

Why not email?

For one thing, it’s way too easy for your prospect to hit that ‘delete’ button. Spam filters are becoming more and more of a problem. Plus, many people are afraid to download attachments if they don’t know who an email is from.

In my experience, prospective clients still enjoy receiving a personalized letter that includes materials you printed out and mailed especially for them.

What should your prospecting package include?

>> A hard-hitting, benefit-oriented sales letter. Of course, you want to sell your expertise, but you also want to sell your accomplishments: what you can do for them. Your sales letter should be no longer than 2 pages, set in readable type (such as 12 point times new roman.)

>> A biography. Rather than a resume, I like to include a 1-page biography. Here’s where I tell prospects about my professional experience, my accomplishments, and my clients. I include a bit of personal information, too. Don’t forget to include your contact information and your website address.

>> Client testimonials. Client testimonials offer you credibility. You don’t have testimonials yet? Well, don’t worry. If you work at a company that gives yearly performance reviews, you can incorporate those into your bio sheet.

>> A business card. Yes, people really do staple business cards into their rolodex! I’ve had prospects contact me six months, even over a year later to give me a potential assignment-mostly because they kept my business card.

One other benefit of doing a "snail mail" campaign: Clients have ready-to-use, printed information about you for their files, which they'll keep for several months, if not years. So your chances of a response increase dramatically.

Should you include samples?

I do not include samples with my prospecting efforts. Instead, I lead prospective clients to the sample page on my website, as well as offer to send them a customized CD that showcases more of my work.

Leading prospects to my website also helps me measure results: thanks to the tracking software on my site, I can see where visitors come from. Once I determine that a prospect visited my site I can follow up a week or two later.

Lack of a website should never stop you from prospecting for clients. 

Don't have a website? Don’t worry.One of my other favorite, tried-and-true methods is the reply postcard. I enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard that the prospect can fill out, requesting a customized CD. I ask for all information including an email address. About 10 days after I send out the CD, I follow up with the prospect via email.

It’s time to make things happen!

When it comes to prospecting, there are many schools of thought. Today, I told you about the top success technique that works for me and for many of the other six-figure writers I know. If you have a method you would like to share…or a prospecting technique you would like to know more about…please email me at 3chix@3chix.com