How do I land my first freelance client?

I had already given up freelancing once thinking it was not my cup of tea. And I was on the verge of giving up trying the second time.

That’s when I landed my very first client.

It conveniently happened to me at the right moment. And if you want to make it happen for yourself, read on.

Today, I will distill the three most important focus points that will help you land your first client.

1. Credibility

2. Communication

3. Delivery

CCD, if you will.

I am sure you watch movies. Have you noticed trailers where they mention that a movie is from the makers of two other movies that were big hits?

Take this for example.

I wouldn’t have cared to even watch the trailer had it not mentioned, “From the Producers of “Love Actually”.” Love Actually is one of my favorites. And I trust the producers to make more movies like that.

That’s credibility in action.

This is also a proof that the professional world values people with experience. But that leaves us novices with a challenge. The challenge of building credibility and establishing trust without a strong portfolio.

I am sure you have heard the term, Building in Public. Don’t worry if you have not, that’s why you are reading this.

It is a concept born on Twitter where founders share what they are building and how they are building it. It brings interest even before they have something tangible for their audience. Mastermind, right?

My dear coding freshman, you can apply this to make yourself credible.

No, you don’t need to build a company in public. The Udemy course that you are following or the Youtube tutorial you are watching - post whatever comes out of it in public. Always push to GitHub and make your repos public. Always make your work accessible.

Clients need to believe that you are capable of doing their work. And before they believe in you, you need to be comfortable sharing your work and have confidence in your own abilities. That’s the first step. They need to see something to make them take a chance at you.

Create your portfolio website and publish your CV in there. It doesn’t matter if you have done nothing. It shows that you can at least build and publish a website. Sometimes that’s all they need to know.

Now let’s believe that your GitHub profile and the website you created helped you get an interview. Now you have a make-or-break situation.

You need to communicate well.

You might think this meeting is about you. It’s a common mistake beginner freelancers make. It’s not. It’s about them.

Yes, you need to talk a little about yourself and tell them why you are a good fit for their project. Be clear. Be concise. And that is enough about you.

Make it more about them. Ask them about their project. How they came to think about it. Their vision. Their approach. Take lead. Always ask questions. It shows that you are interested in the project and not there only for the money. Clients love a little empathy.

Don’t just ask for the sake of asking though. Listen. Listen actively. Politely add your thoughts and suggestions when you have something to offer. But first, be a good listener.

If you are mistakenly thinking that having the right skillset trumps communication skills. Read this excerpt from Storyworthy, a book written by a best-seller writer.

(You can just focus on the highlighted part.)

It’s now time for the final nail in the coffin and land your first client.

You already have something credible to show your client. You communicated well in your first meeting. Now you are given a week to work and find out if you can deliver.

The hard skill you own will finally come into play. (Notice how this is the final step and not the first?)

Now make sure you deliver enough value. But how do we do that?

Let me introduce you to the Value Equation by Alex Hormozi, the founder of Acquisition.

value = (dream outcome * perceived likelihood of achievement)/(time delay * effort & sacrifice)

If you take a look at this, there are two ways to can increase the value delivered to your client. Simple maths - you can either increase the numerator or decrease the denominator.

You have already shown promise (dream outcome) and credibility (likelihood of achievement) with your Github profile and the website you created.

It’s time to decrease time delay and effort.

However, never over promise in the name of decreasing time delay. If you are not 100% sure about the complexity of the project. Always overestimate the time required.

Wait, but that increases the time delay. Doesn’t it?

That’s where effective communication plays an important role. When you share updates with the client on a regular basis, you take away the perception that you are slow. You are always making progress and it will not feel like you are taking a lot of time. Each update you share is a valuable asset to your client.

You should also share all the obstacles you face in the process. That way they know you are putting enough effort to realize the dream outcome.

And that’s it, deliver your project.

Congratulations! You successfully landed your first client and delivered your first milestone. If you checked all three boxes, I am sure the client will hire you and turn your way again when they have something relevant in the future. This should set you up for your journey as a freelancer.

All the best.

Final thing before you go. If you want to master each step I mentioned. Here are some pointers to get you started today.

1. Use Hugo to set up your website. It's one of the fastest and easiest frameworks out there.
2. Read the book How to Win Friends & Influence People. It's a first step towards being a people person.
3. Watch this to better understand the value equation from Hormozi himself.

Until next time, happy coding!