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How would you like it if you had no control over your daily decisions? You want Vector cereal but you get Shreddies, you want a hot shower but the water comes out cold, and you want to watch playoff hockey but you’re stuck with Dancing with the Stars instead. It would be a pain!

So why do you let other people control who you work with?

As freelance writers, we tend to sit around and wait our clients to find us. Much like allowing somebody else to choose what you eat in the morning, this practice is completely backwards!

Instead of taking on whatever work you’re presented with you need to identify your ideal client profile and actively seek prospects that fit that description.

If you really enjoy writing for alternative health websites, the best way to ensure more work in that field is to market yourself to alternative health companies. If you aren’t able to choose your clients, then you’ll likely be presented with a wide range of work – much of it that you don’t particularly enjoy.

Doing too much of the wrong work makes you feel like you’re in the wrong job, even when you’re not! And there’s nothing that leads to a faster burnout in our industry. You need to find out how to stop the madness and start on your way to true freedom…

Seven Steps for Choosing Your Own Clients So You Can Enjoy Your Work More Than Ever Before…Each and Every Day

1. Choose a Niche You Enjoy: What kind of work do you enjoy the most? Copywriting? Web writing? Fiction writing? Get even more specific…Copywriting for alternative health companies? Web writing for technology sites? Fiction writing for children’s literature? There are obviously hundreds of options out there which is why you need to choose one (or two…or maybe even a few if you really want).By specializing in a certain area you’ll be able to market yourself as an expert in that field, ensuring you more work that you enjoy.
2. Define Your Ideal Clients: Who do you wish you could write for? What article are you begging to publish? What blog do you wish you could guest post on? Is there a local company you wished would contact you?Define exactly what you want to write and who you want to write for. Be specific. If necessary, ask yourself: “What 5 companies would be my ideal clients?”
3. Study Your Field: So you know what you want to do, but if you’re not already an expert in that area then you need to study it diligently.Find blogs that relate to your niche and read the archives, follow the links that push you in ever direction until you find the answers you’re looking for, and go to a bookstore and pick up some resources.Do everything you can to understand your clients, your clients’ target market, and the writing style that is required.
4. Craft Your Image: So now you know what to do, but if you contacted any of these prospects you wouldn’t be perceived as a specialist just yet. Do something about it.Put together a website that is focussed on your writing within that niche. Build it with your ideal clients and audience in mind.
5. Develop Thick Skin: One thing most writers understand within a couple months is that letdowns are a part of the business.Not everybody will want your services and not everybody will be pleased with your work. It’s part of the business. You can only do your best. The only way to consistently succeed and keep a positive mindset is to ignore the negatives and focus on the positives…like the fact you get to work in your pajamas.
6. Market Your Services Directly: While there are many ways to market your writing, the best way to hand select the exact clients you want to work with is to market directly to them. The most important thing is to be creative.Your dream clients are likely the dream clients of many other writers out there, and because of that they’ve probably been pitched in a hundred ways before. Find a way to stand out. I’d recommend staying away from emailing them…email is too easy!Send them a direct-mail package with a gimmick that catches their attention and a sales letter that speaks directly to them (first name and everything). Explain the benefits of your services and why you are the solution. But the most important part…give them a reason to follow up! A strong offer and call to action is the only way to get a response. But even if they don’t respond, it will certainly warm up an opening phone call.
7. Follow Up Time and Time Again: You don’t want to be pesky as a service provider, nor do you want to come across as desperate for work. Both will make you look unprofessional and unworthy of a project. Nonetheless, you do want to build a relationship.While your services should always be a part of your back and forth communication with a prospect, your personality is what needs to shine through.

By defining the work you enjoy doing and choosing clients that you want to work with, you’ll build a much more sustainable career and provide yourself with more opportunity for advancing your income. You’re worth more than a few measly pages for a deadbeat client that won’t even pay the invoice for months on end…capture your dreams!

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