If you ask any job-finding guru about landing your next job, they'll probably tell you the key is in who you know.

Believe it or not, the same goes for success in freelance.

In episode 8 of The Jump Moment, Sara Ullah shares the key to her success as a freelance graphic designer.

It's who she knew.

I really appreciated Sara's take on this because of how much she's modeled this throughout her career. When she worked on my team at High Desert Church, she was a key piece of transforming the reputation of the creative team. Sara is AMAZING at relationships.

When you first make the jump to freelance, there's a tendency to think that all the relationships you've made over the years are now null and void. After all, you left that world behind, right?

Well, sort of.

Interestingly enough, those relationships can actually be one of the most fruitful places to look for work. And not just for new freelancers. This works for those of us who have been building our business for a while, too.

The reason is simple: people work with people they trust.

Rather than jumping straight into the "try to build trust" game (which takes a lot of time), your best investment of time in the early days of your business is to borrow trust from others that know you.

The best first step for landing clients

The longer you're in business, the more you'll experiment with different types of outreach. You'll find some things that work well, and some that don't. You'll also find some approaches you love, and some you really, really don't enjoy. That's all great!

While the longterm goal is to find an approach that yields results AND is enjoyable, everyone needs to start somewhere.

I suggest starting with who you knew.

Inner circle

The first group I'd suggest reaching out to is your inner circle. These are the people you are closest to in life. But don't over think it. This doesn't need to be "would I invite them to my wedding" close. This is "if I saw them in the store, would I flag them down and say hi" close. People who know you by name and have a desire to see you succeed in life.

These are people that know your character and can recommend you with confidence.

Influential working relationships

The second group I'd suggest reaching out to are people you've worked closely with in the past. They've seen your work, they know if you're reliable or not, and they've seen you get results.

These are people that know the quality of your work and can recommend you as someone who knows how to get a project done.

Professional acquaintances

This third group often gets overlooked but is actually quite influential. This is the group that we knew in a professional context, but didn't work meaningfully with them directly. These people know the reputation you had when you worked together and would feel comfortable recommending you with that qualifier.

Professional acquaintances know the type of problems you solve and have a general pulse on how well you did your job. And, most importantly, they can point you in the direction of new opportunities.

I have my list, now what?

Once you've gone through the contacts on your phone, scrolled through your LinkedIn connections, and dug deep into your Facebook friends list, it's time to start reaching out.

The approach I've had the most success with is a short and simple formula.

Greeting,

[personal connect]
+
[professional request]
+
[the specific problem you solve]

Name

Here's what it looks like:

A few notes:

• Keep it short. Too many words will obscure the message.
• Keep it direct. A lack of clarity erodes confidence.
• Elevate a single, specific problem (even if you are capable of doing more). In my example, Josh was someone who knew branding well and worked with me on a branding project. Branding was the right type of project to ask him about. Match the specific problem and the person you are emailing.
• You don't have to email. DM, text, etc. all work.
• Don't assume everyone will respond. They won't.
• Don't expect your phone to start ringing once you hit send. I landed a fantastic client with this approach, but it took a month or two before they were able to get everything lined up to be able to move forward.
• Repeat this! Don't do this one time and never again. Use this approach with past clients, too. I suggest every 6-12 months.

Start by sending this to me. I get requests for work that is outside my scope from time to time, so having a list of freelancers is really helpful.

If I can help you in any way, just reply!

Matt