Step 4: Where Do You Find Work/Clients?

There are many sources for finding clients, in the beginning the best sources are job boards, just be prepared to be overlooked more often than not in the beginning. Some of the most frequently used job boards are Guru, Elancer, oDesk, Bullhorn, Smarterwork, eWork, FreeAgent, and Sologig. By focusing on your strengths and only applying for projects that match your skill set you are more likely to find clients that will contact you again and again whrn they have new projects.  

Advertising is helpful in finding clients as well. The best solution to this problem is to look for low-cost advertising that you can run every week without breaking your budget. Instead of buying a few large display ads, for example, consider running a regular small ad in the classifieds section. If you do this, consistency is more important than ad size. Many prospects will see your ad each week when they read the publication, but have no immediate need for your services. If a requirement does suddenly arise, they will expect to see your ad in the same place they saw it last week. If it’s gone, one of your competitors gets the job. If you can keep costs to a reasonable level, this can be a great way of generating entirely fresh prospects on a regular basis. By committing to a long contract, say six or twelve months, you can bargain for a heavily-discounted rate. But before you do this, run some test ads to ensure that the publication delivers the audience it promises.  

Networking is another useful way to promote your services. You can do this by joining professional organizations and groups related to your industry. Remember, however, to choose ones where you are likely to meet good quality prospects. Similarly, attending the right seminars and events can raise your profile in your sector. However, you don’t need to ‘work the room,’ like a sales rep, trying to impress everyone you meet. Just make the effort to make a useful contribution, and to share your expertise. 

For those of you who don't want to invest the time of searching for your own clients, you can choose to work for a Virtual Assistant Firm, like va4hire or internetGIRLfriday.com, who goes out and finds the business and subs it out to freelance VA's who have been accepted into the firm.