a single source, nothing corroborates it

Pitch the people who sell to your buyer

Agencies chasing new business need overflow specialists, and freelancers with adjacent skills need someone to hand work to, so both are easier to reach than the end client and both refer repeatedly. Framing the note as a possible collaboration and asking about their process lands as an offer instead of a favour.

The method

1. 01

   Cold email the intermediaries who already sell to your end buyer, such as agencies pitching new business who routinely need overflow specialists, rather than the end clients themselves.

2. 02

   Run the same cold outreach at freelancers with skills that complement yours, sourced from LinkedIn, Behance, WorkingNotWorking, Twitter and Instagram, so you each have someone to refer work to.

3. 03

   When emailing a peer freelancer, frame the subject line and the message as a possible collaboration and ask about their process, pricing and availability, which reads as an offer rather than a request.

What it returned

• Maguire started with no contacts and won two agency clients from cold email, one of which stayed with her for six years and the other still in touch years later.

• Maguire's opener says she is regularly looking for developers to recommend to her own clients.

Sources

• How to Get Clients Through Cold Outreach (Templates & Tools Included!) - Double Your FreelancingAnnie Maguire · doubleyourfreelancing.com · Who should I reach out to? · 2022-05-02