5 Ways to Maximize Every Client Opportunity

There’s a lot of talk in freelance-writing circles about attracting new clients and landing good projects. And for good reason. We need more or better clients to grow our business.

But there isn’t enough talk about getting the most out of every client. To land a client, you spend a lot of time talking to prospects, vetting them, converting them into paying clients, hammering out contract details, onboarding them, and working with them.

When the project ends… you have a choice…

You can scramble to find your next client… or you can see if you can continue your relationship with the existing client you’ve already landed, whose product and audience you know, and who knows your work.

It’s also important to remember, you can benefit from every existing client in more ways than just by getting paid for your work.

That’s what this article is about — maximizing every client relationship, so you proactively set up your business for growth and success and never leave money on the table.

5 Ways to Make the Most of Every Client Opportunity

—1—
Do your best job on the project.

This is the obvious prerequisite for a thriving client relationship. If the client is dissatisfied with your work, there won’t be a relationship to maintain.

Doing your best on a project means giving it your 100% effort and then some. You can always get better at your craft. So, view every project as an opportunity to perform 2% better than the last time.

How can you conduct a subject matter expert (SME) interview to better find unique stories and insights? How can you frame sentences to make your writing easier and more enjoyable to read?

Intentionally improving your skills on each project is a highly underrated way of making the most of a project. Because, not only are you improving at your work, you’re also impressing your clients. And trust me, they notice when you put in that extra effort.

So then, when they need another piece written, they’ll think of you. Or, when someone they know is looking for a writer, they’ll refer you. Which brings us to…

—2—
Ask for a referral.

Once you know you’ve excelled at a project, and the client is happy, don’t hesitate to ask for a referral. This is not just a routine request, but a powerful tool that can expand your network and bring in more business. Aim to ask clients for a referral either after completing a project or after a month of working together, whichever is earlier.

Here’s the language I use, but feel free to tweak it to make it more yours:

“Hi <name>, I’m enjoying (or have enjoyed) working with you on this project. I have some space in my schedule to take on more work. Would you be open to referring me to companies/people in your network who might need similar services? If/when any names pop up in your mind while thinking about this, I’d love an introduction over email or LinkedIn. I highly appreciate you considering this.”

—3—
Ask for a testimonial and/or
permission to create a case study.

Once you know your client is happy with your work, ask them to write you a testimonial in the form of a LinkedIn recommendation. I’m a fan of LinkedIn recommendations, because they’re publicly visible on your profile, and you can’t make them up.

But don’t just stop there. Consider if your project deserves to be made into a case study. Larger projects, like a website content revamp, can easily make a powerful case study. Look at my website content revamp case study here for inspiration.

Projects where the results of your work are measurable, such as landing pages and conversion copy, also make for great case studies.

Here’s how I ask for a testimonial:

Here’s how I make the ask for a case study:

—4—
Create content from each client experience.

One of the most effective ways to leverage client relationships is to create content based on your experiences with each project. This not only showcases your expertise and the quality of your work, but also provides valuable insights for potential clients.

Your client experiences are a treasure trove of content ideas. Everything that happens between taking that first discovery call with a prospect and getting a testimonial after finishing the project is material for LinkedIn posts.

Here are some post ideas you can use:

1. How did your discovery call with the client go? What were the client’s priorities and non-negotiables for the project? How did you meet those?
2. What challenges did you go through in completing the project? Was there something previously unknown to you that you learned on the job?
3. What did you enjoy the most about working on this project and why?
4. What did you enjoy the most about working with this client and why?
5. How did you set up and structure your backend processes to lead this project to success?
6. How did you stick to timelines and keep the project on schedule?
7. What was the consistent feedback you received from the client throughout the project’s duration?
8. What did you learn from this engagement that you’ll apply to all your future projects?

—5—
Keep in touch with your clients.

We’re all wired to prioritize finding new clients and projects. But it can be highly lucrative to touch base with previous clients at regular intervals.

Here are a few ways to keep in touch with past clients:

1. Let past clients know when you’re rolling out a new service.
2. Let past clients know when you have an unexpected gap in your schedule (also a good time to ask for a referral).
3. Tell past clients about current projects and upgrades you’ve made to your processes.
4. Upsell clients on bigger projects. For example, if they hired you for thought-leadership writing for an executive, sell them on a book ghostwriting project.

Maximizing every client opportunity is an underrated part of running a freelance business, but extremely crucial to juice every opportunity for its maximum potential. What one small action can you take today to make the most of your current/past clients and projects?