“Find your niche. That is the path to success.” That remains one of the main mantras that most industry freelancers have when you ask them about how to be sustainable as a freelancer.
The aim is usually to pick an industry or type of project that you can specialise in, practice giving tremendous value to those specific clients, become an expert, and reap the rewards of focused work at high rates. But that sometimes also means that you have to pigeonhole yourself into narrow niches, which won’t work for some freelancers.
Today, we’re looking at a simpler niche you can focus on; finding the right clients, instead of the right jobs. Basically, this article will explore how to find clients suited for you, no matter what their industry, product, or service is. What matters is how much they value your experience, how prepared and easy they are to work with, and how invested you can get into the success of their business.
There are two types of clients available in the market; the cost-clients and the value-clients. Knowing which you prefer to work with is key to a long term success as a freelancer.
1. Cost-clients
Cost-clients care first and foremost about price. They always want quality and speed too, but how much it costs will be the ultimate deciding factor for who they want to hire for their project.
Cost-clients ask right up front what your rate is, because that concern is more important than figuring out if you’re actually the best fit for the task. They don’t care how much doing the job well will actually cost, because they’ve already decided how much they are willing to spend, and this spend can have little or no connection to how much work the job requires or how much the result is worth.
Sometimes, they will even propose how much they can spend right away, for example; “This shouldn’t take long, so I’ll pay RM500.”If you cannot do the job within their randomly surmised budget, they’ll move on to someone else who promises they can.
You may have come across cost-clients a lot during your freelancer journey. Usually, they will mention that they’re tight on budget, but will promise you more jobs in the future, or “exposure” in exchange for a better price or discount. Still, it should be noted that some clients are genuinely on a tight budget to match, and they may have no choice but to settle for the cheapest option.
The clients to really avoid are the ones who do have money, but still act like cost-clients. Then you know for sure they don’t put much value in your work.
These are the kinds of clients that see you as hired help that only does the work, rather than a valued business partner offering to help them grow. You may wish to avoid those clients unless you like them enough to do them a favour.
2. Value-clients
Value-clients fall under the other side of the spectrum. They want the best outcome for their project. Finding the right person for the job, one who will deliver the best results, is paramount rather than finding the cheapest fit. They probably want speed and low-cost too, but they won’t want to sacrifice too much quality for it.
Value-clients prioritise finding the person with the right skills and experience for the job. Price becomes a mandatory formality after the real discussions have taken place. They’ll ask you how much time and money the job will take to get done well, because they know you know more about that than they do.
Value clients are generally successful businesses who have cashflow enough to invest in good design and work. Value-clients look to form long-term strategic business partners with everyone they work with, because they know finding and keeping the right people are the keys to business success. They also generally recognise the value in making an investment into design and quality work.
Value-clients want good value, it’s in their name. They’re smart enough not to overpay, because they can recognise the difference between someone who outputs below-par work and a genuine professional who can offer them valuable insights and experience.
Attracting the right kind of clients
Here’s a fun exercise to try. Think through all of your current and recent past clients. How many of them would you describe more like cost-clients, and how many are value-clients? How has the proportion of them changed over your career?
What your answer is will definitely help you reflect on your past clients. You must have had a few cringe-worthy moments where you thought: “Yep, some of my clients are definitely cost-clients! No wonder they are so frustrating to work with.” Or some satisfying realisations: “Yes! value-clients sound like just the type of businesses I love working with the most.”
The distinction is obvious to see when you know how to frame it. The bigger question is, how do you get more value-clients? Here are some helpful questions to ask yourself:
1. Where do you look for clients?
The answer will say a lot about which type of clients will be available to you. Ignore the dangerous advice that you can hit it rich on cheap marketplaces. Your ideal clients don't live there. Value-clients live in the real world. They run thriving businesses based around teams of expert people. They find their freelance talent through a trusted network of colleagues and advisors. Trust is the key word here.
Remember, value-clients care first and foremost about getting the best result, and if a project is that important to them they want to be confident they’re getting the right person for the job. So they rely heavily on personal recommendations from their connections. Exceeding your client’s expectations — which creates strong word-of-mouth referrals — is key to building this trust and landing value-client jobs.
Hint: You can always consider Rtist for matching you with the right kind of clients!
2. How much do you charge?
Your rate is a powerful tool for attracting one kind or the other. This may seem counter-intuitive, but the simple act of raising your freelance prices may be the quickest thing you can do to attract better clients.
Value-clients know that you get what you pay for. They see a cheap price and they will assume you provide a lower quality service. They see an expensive fee and they are more likely to believe you must deliver better value for your time. Of course you need to be able to justify higher rates with more experience and ever-improving skills.
A large percentage of freelancers have undervalued themselves and their services. It’s easy to get complacent and forget to always reconsider your rates as you build more experience. A good practice is to review your rates every year (or even 6 months) to give yourself a moment to reflect on it and see if you can justify a rate increase.
3. How do you market your service?
Discussing your unique offering in the right terms is like a bright light to a moth. Use the right language and you’ll be irresistible to potential value-clients. So many creatives use the same meaningless buzzwords to describe what they do. How often have you heard intros like this:
“We use innovative design-thinking to create meaningful brand stories.” or “I craft empathetic user experiences with clean, minimal design.”
If you remove all the buzzwords and adjectives, you’re left with an extremely bland, generic statement. You’re telling them nothing interesting or different about what you do. You’re not helping them learn why working with you is any better than working with another freelancer or larger agency. What really makes you special that makes it worth the client’s time and money to choose you?
Instead, learn to talk about your services and processes in a language your clients will understand. Talk in business terms. Talk about the improved experience your work will create for their customers, or how you’ll help make their jobs easier or more profitable. Talk about your work process and set expectations for how easy and professional your relationship will be.
Redefine your freelance service offering as a complementary process that delivers your ideal clients the most value. Find your niche. Then find another. And another. Always position yourself as a specialist for each client. You don’t have to pivot your entire freelance skills to that niche, but rather work within a larger scope.
Conclusion
When you start working exclusively for value-clients, freelancing won’t actually be such a hassle. Gone are the days when you dread dealing with unreasonable client demands, at all hours of the day. No more haggling over a few extra ringgits just so you can finish mediocre work rather than rushed crap you’re ashamed to put your name to.
Your client’s no longer feel like your boss, because you’re their partner.
Your concerns focus on how you can deliver the best result for your client-partner. How you can maximise the value they get from your time, experience, and effort. The bigger picture of how choosing the right clients and projects can start shaping the direction of your freelance business. Client selection becomes an important form of business development.
All you have to do is start recognising the difference between cost and value-client, and learning how to connect with the better ones.
If you’re still not sure where to start your freelancing journey, why not check out Rtist? We have one of the biggest creative talent communities in Malaysia that matches you with your clients.
