# A freelancer’s guide to managing multiple clients

- URL: https://rachelandreago.com/freelancers-guide-to-managing-multiple-clients/
- Author: Rachel Andrea Go
- Published: May 24, 2021
- Categories: Management, Remote Work

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The beauty of being a freelancer is being able to work on multiple projects with multiple clients. The challenge of being a freelancer is, you guessed it, managing multiple projects and multiple clients.

Many freelancers start out hungry for clients, then risk taking on too many later in their careers when their work is more in demand. But having a wide range of clients is a good thing when you know how to find the right clients to work with. This freelance guide to multiple clients will cover the benefits and pitfalls of working with different companies, tools and tips to manage multiple projects, and strategies to help you grow.

## Why should you have multiple clients?

It can be appealing to work with just one client at a time—and for some freelancers, that approach is perfectly fine. However, there are some major personal and financial benefits to expanding your clientele. Consider these perks as you consider the pros and cons of taking on more clients.

### 1) Work on different types of projects to expand your skills

If you’re anything like me, you probably get bored of having just one repetitive job. The wide variety of projects helps to ensure I’m continuously learning, and has often served as my foray into new projects that expanded my skillset. Rather than working on one project for one company, I’m exposed to a variety of different tasks, teams, and perspectives.

In my experience, even if you’re hired for the same job title, your role will look different from client to client.

For example, let’s say you’re hired as a marketing consultant for a startup and a medium-sized business. At the startup, you may be laying the groundwork: branding strategy, [buyer persona creation](https://rachelandreago.com/write-better-sales-funnels/), and website updates. At the medium-sized business, you might be focusing on more analysis and refinement: new market research, an SEO audit, and A/B testing your landing pages.

Having multiple clients allows for this type of diversity in your day-to-day work.

### 2) Context switch to boost productivity

Related to the point above, different clients and projects also mean different levels of strategy, mental gymnastics, and speed at which you can complete a task.

In school, I used to take breaks from big projects by switching to smaller, more manageable projects. This helped me avoid getting burnt out in one subject, while also knocking out another item on my homework list and feeling productive and accomplished.

I do the same thing when working with multiple clients. Context-switching between clients can stimulate great new ideas and provide a respite from intense projects when I’m feeling mentally drained. Sometimes it’s nice to take a break from an intense, high-strategy project to get a quick dopamine rush by writing an article on an industry I know like the back of my hand, and checking it off my to-do list.

### 3) Earn more money

To state the obvious, more clients means more opportunity to earn. Each client has their own unique needs and budget, and you’re more likely to keep your pipeline filled when you’ve got multiple accounts reaching out for help.

I’ve freelanced most of my career, but there was one point I focused heavily on one client, so most of my income came from them. When I switched back to “balanced” freelancing after this phase, I doubled my income within the next two months.

This is also a great way to prevent over-reliance on one client. As you’re probably all too aware, a [freelancer’s income](https://rachelandreago.com/how-to-set-your-freelance-rates/) can fluctuate drastically from month to month. However, if you have multiple streams of income—especially ones that are tied to long-term contacts—you can better protect yourself from sudden dips in revenue.

### 4) Build a diverse and robust portfolio

Great work speaks for itself—and one of the fastest ways to build up your portfolio is by working on multiple projects. Whether this means taking on an array of short-term projects or a few key accounts, you get ample opportunity to add more achievements under your belt.

Remember to showcase client logos, quotes, and success metrics (with permission). These are all valuable proof points that show prospects how you’ve made an impact in the past. That way, you can spend less time convincing potential clients of your credibility, and more time exploring whether or not there’s a good fit.

### 5) Expand your network

Some of my favorite clients have come through [referrals](https://wanderful-world.com/2021/01/21/freelance-clients-through-referrals/). A referral comes on the heels of a great client experience, so it serves a few different purposes. You know you’re on the right track with that client, and your new potential lead already has some confidence in your capabilities since you came recommended.

By working with more people in your target industry, you can gradually grow your network and increase your odds of being referred to other clients. Keep in mind that to earn a glowing referral, you’ll need to exceed client expectations. This means that you shouldn’t overextend yourself while trying to work with multiple clients. Be realistic with your time and always aim to under-promise but over-deliver.

### 6) Discover people you love working with

As a secondary benefit of growing your client base, you may meet other contractors (and employees) who deliver phenomenal work. This was a pleasant surprise from working with so many different companies. I’ve worked with amazing designers, developers, editors, data analysts, SEO consultants, and more thanks to my clients.

As your client list grows and you receive more work than you can handle, you can loop in another freelancer to help you out. Or, if a project requires additional skills, you can recommend another freelancer who compliments your skill set—delivering even more value and end-to-end work for your clients.

Tip: If you are looking for a great freelancer, reach out to me for a recommendation, because I’m sure I’ve worked with someone who can help!

## Six challenges of managing multiple clients

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the common pitfalls of juggling multiple clients, some of which are more obvious than others. Keep your eyes peeled for the different issues that can sneak up on you.

### 1) Scope creep

It’s a freelancer’s dream to be able to perfectly predict project timelines and scope 100% of the time. But the reality is, projects can often get stuck at the review stage or wind up requiring more time than you planned for. This is relatively easy to handle when you’ve only got one main client. When you have multiple clients, urgent requests, and high-priority projects on your plate, it gets hard to mitigate scope creep before it happens.

There have been a few cases where long-term clients have slowly expanded services and moved to larger retainers over time. Since we had good rapport, we stuck with the initial contract and went from there (after all, who has the time for more paperwork when there’s the next project to start?).

If this happens to you, be sure to keep an eye on your bandwidth as the work comes in, not as it’s written down in a contract.

### 2) Time management

Deadlines can pile up quickly when you’re a freelancer, and it’s entirely on you to be able to manage them and set the right expectations. Deliver late or shoddy rushed work and you risk tarnishing your reputation and losing valuable business.

For those who like to follow processes rather than build them, prioritizing deadlines can be particularly challenging because you have to stay flexible while being protective of your time.

Tip: Find a Trello board template for content projects in my [resources section](https://rachelandreago.com/resources/content-templates/). If you’re in charge of an editorial calendar and guest post exchange program with multiple moving pieces, this should help you keep everything on track and on deadline.

> [Boost your content with these free templates](https://rachelandreago.com/resources/content-templates/)

### 3) Managing up

Working with different clients means knowing how to manage up so that your job makes your clients’ businesses better, and their jobs easier. This could mean sending in a review request via three different channels to make sure it gets seen, setting up weekly 1-1 video check-ins with five different stakeholders just to keep a project on track, or justifying why someone whose metrics are unrelated to your projects should invest their time to unblock your work.

Managing up is a challenge, because you need to know what makes someone tick, and use that to get them to take action and push the project further. For many of my clients, I work directly with co-founders and business owners. These are the people who are heavily invested in the business’ success. Though they’re time-poor, they’re also easy to motivate by proving how a project can grow the business (or profits).

For other clients, I’ve worked with marketing directors and general managers. Getting buy-in, especially from someone other than your person-of-contact who hired you, can sometimes be tricky. How do you get a data analyst to create a report that you need to track your success, when none of their metrics involve your department at all?

Everyone has different motivators, and it can be exhausting to juggle multiple clients with multiple team dynamics, and have that uphill battle to manage up just to get reviews and approvals.

### 4) Tackling every problem

Picture this: One of your favorite clients is facing a problem you find fascinating. It’s not your main role at the company, but it *could* be related, and would definitely be a good learning experience. So, you take on the problem.

Then, the same thing happens with a different client, and a different problem.

If you choose your clients well, all of them will be a pleasure to work with, and all of them will have interesting problems to solve. You won’t be able to solve all of them.

But you’ll want to.

### 5) Different setups and styles to adapt to

Everyone has different communication preferences, styles of working, and levels of organization. Every company has different internal processes, brand guidelines, and business objectives. Those are a lot of variables to mix and match.

For every client you work with, you’ll need to learn and adapt to a different set of rules and norms. That can be a little difficult, because you need to remember each client’s expectations so that they don’t have to keep correcting your work or process.

### 6) Saying no

It’s easy to overcommit when you’ve built good rapport and want to go above and beyond for your clients. However, this can quickly lead to burnout. You’ll have to learn how to balance your desire to help your clients with your physical limits, and practice turning clients down if you’re spread too thin.

## How to pick the right clients to work with

On top of deciding how many clients to take on, you’ll need to decide who is the right fit for you. The below steps can help you whittle down your list of options and position yourself for success.

### 1) Specialize in a skillset or role

If you’re a marketing generalist, you’ll find yourself being asked to do everything from hosting events, to writing blogs, to running SQL queries. To avoid this, start honing in on what you want to specialize in. For example, do you want to present yourself as a [product marketer](https://rachelandreago.com/product-marketing-vs-growth-marketing/), or [content marketer](https://rachelandreago.com/startup-content-marketing/)? If content marketer, do you focus on strategy, execution, or both? Do you manage implementation, or are you strictly a consultant?

Commit to what you’re good at, and grow from there.

### 2) Specialize in an industry

Zeroing in on a particular industry can help you to work within your strengths and build your reputation as an industry expert, which is a huge selling point for a freelancer. This allows you to charge more for your time and expertise, plus build a more focused network.

By focusing on one industry, you avoid having to write a press release for a B2B SaaS company one minute, then write for a theme park the next. That mental switch can be draining!

> [How to build specialized writing profiles to stand out in different niches](https://rachelandreago.com/specialized-writing-profiles-for-different-niches/)

### 3) Set your financial goals

How many hours do you want to work in a week, and how much do you want to be making by the end of the year? Take into consideration taxes, health insurance, and other costs that’ll cut into your expected salary. By knowing this target number, you can more accurately predict how many clients you need to take on and at what rate—and also which companies can afford you and which cannot.

### 4) Have a target client in mind

Similar to developing an ICP in marketing, you’ll want to define who benefits the most from your services and what traits characterize a high-quality partner. Use what you’ve learned from past engagements to identify traits like team size, location, motivations, and behaviors of an ideal partner.

> [What to look for in a remote employer](https://rachelandreago.com/key-remote-employer-qualities/)

### 5) Set up a discovery call

Despite your best efforts, it’s impossible to anticipate everything about your client before you start working with them. It’s wise to set up a discovery call before signing an official contract, and I suggest requiring an initial trial period for ongoing contracts.

This is one of the best ways to gauge a prospect’s work style, personality, and expectations. Just like in a job interview, you can get a better picture of the person you’ll be working with and make a more informed decision about whether they’re a good fit.

### 6) Keep an eye out for red flags

Throughout all of your pre-contracting discussions (and after), keep your eyes peeled for common red (and yellow) flags. These could include a client asking for too many free “test” tasks, demanding discounts, or expressing doubt in your capabilities. Your clients should value your time and expertise, rather than view you as someone who’s dispensable and ready to take orders whenever they want. Any contract should feel like a true partnership.

## Tools for managing multiple clients

If you jumped into your freelancer career with nothing but a skill, a laptop, and an appetite to work for yourself, good on you. But, if you want your freelancer career to span different clients and projects without stress, late nights, and missed deadlines, the following tools are a worthwhile investment (and many of them are free).

### [Google Calendar](https://www.google.com/calendar?utm_source=rachelandreago)

Google Calendar is a free time management tool that’s great for scheduling appointments and remembering birthdays. It’s also an excellent client management tool when using the following Google Calendar hacks:

- Block out and identify client work by creating an event and color-coding it according to the client (*Create event > More options)*. This is great for quickly identifying client deadlines and planning your week according to different types of work.
- Use the event repeat function to schedule regular catch-up calls and emails with each client (*Create event > More options > Repeats)*. This ensures you don’t go too long without checking in and risk losing out.
- Automatically email yourself a daily agenda (*Setting for my calendars > Event notifications > Daily agenda*) so you can see who you’re working with at the beginning of each day.

Other tools available: [Outlook](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/outlook/email-and-calendar-software-microsoft-outlook?utm_source=rachelandreago) and [iCloud Calendar](https://www.icloud.com/calendar?utm_source=rachelandreago)

### [G-Suite](https://gsuite.google.com/?utm_source=rachelandreago)

G-Suite’s tools are ideal for sharing and collaborating on client work, without the toing-and-froing of emails or the headache of version control. However, it can easily get messy when working with different clients, making it difficult to manage and risky that you’ll share the wrong document with the wrong client.

Avoid this by:

- Creating an individual file for each client and giving the appropriate person the necessary access and permissions.
- Creating sub-files relevant to the different client projects you have or the month they’re due.
- Adopting a file naming convention that makes files easy to identify and locate (for example: [Client name] – [Document type] – [Document name] – [Date] (Version).
- Color coding your client files to make super sure you’re working in the right file.

Other tools available: [Dropbox](https://www.dropbox.com/?utm_source=rachelandreago) and [Office 365](https://www.office.com/?utm_source=rachelandreago)

### [Trello](https://trello.com/rachelgo/recommend)

If you find managing multiple clients with multiple deadlines tricky in calendar apps, try a project management tool such as Trello.

Trello enables you to create different boards, lists, and cards so you can visually manage and plan multiple clients and projects. For example, you could have a board per client where you organize individual projects or a generic client board where you organize individual clients – whatever makes it easier to see where your work is coming from, when it’s due, and when to do it.

Tip: Trello also has some fancy AI features and automation rules that can streamline your work, giving you more time to manage your clients.

Other tools available: [Asana](https://asana.com/?utm_source=rachelandreago) and [Notion](https://www.notion.so/?utm_source=rachelandreago)

### [Harvest](https://www.getharvest.com/?utm_source=rachelandreago)

Whether you charge by the hour or the project, knowing exactly how much time projects take is crucial for ensuring you’re paid enough.

Harvest is a time tracking app that keeps track of the time spent working on different client projects – making it easier for you to invoice clients, monitor your productivity, and analyze who you spend the most time working for.

Other tools available: [FreshBooks](https://www.freshbooks.com/?utm_source=rachelandreago) and [Timely](https://memory.ai/timely?utm_source=rachelandreago)

## Techniques for managing multiple clients

Now you’re armed with the tools, let’s look at the techniques for better managing multiple clients.

### 1) Create a client quick-reference sheet

Different clients have different preferences, styles, and requirements. Save yourself the struggle of trying to remember them all by creating a quick-reference client sheet during the onboarding process.

This can contain mind setting information such as the mission statement, practical information such as payment processes, reusable information such as boilerplates, or good-to-know information such as preferred spellings. Create it and then refer to it as necessary to get your brain into gear.

### 2) Set expectations

Your clients may pay your bills but that doesn’t mean you can’t set some ground rules. Use your onboarding process to outline and agree to service levels, covering:

- Regularity of work
- Turnaround times
- Payment amount and process
- Review process/workflow

This is crucial for planning your workload, charging accordingly, and managing your client list. Sure, there will be times a client needs something urgently or a piece of ad-hoc work pops up, but an SLA allows you to properly plan your diary and ascertain whether you can take on that extra piece of work.

### 3) Diarize everything

When you’re managing multiple clients, it’s easy for certain tasks to fall aside. Social media posts, blogging, that four-day week, eating…just make sure it isn’t your diary.

In particular, diarizing client catch-up calls, invoicing, and your work makes both yours and your client’s life a lot easier. It also means you don’t miss deadlines for different projects or, importantly, getting paid.

Tip: Don’t be afraid to dedicate certain days to certain clients. This is particularly useful if your work differs substantially between clients, because it allows you to get and stay in the right frame of mind.

### 4) Be realistic

You only have so many hours in the day – be realistic with them.

If you’re struggling to manage clients ask yourself whether you’ve taken on too many. If you have, it’s time to either begin outsourcing work yourself, take on your own staff, or stop taking on additional work and clients.

### 5) Be human

And, the best tip: be human. Working as a freelancer allows you to work as a person rather than behind a corporate name. Use this to help manage your clients.

Create a personal connection with your clients, where you communicate with them openly and they do the same with you. If you’re having difficulties meeting a deadline or you need to shuffle a few tasks around, tell them – and if they have an urgent piece of work or need to move a deadline, be open to it.

Oh, and don’t forget that humans need a break too. Use these tips to earn, schedule, and go on that holiday or weekend away you’ve been dreaming of – don’t forget to send a postcard!

## How to use client referrals to fill your project pipeline

Referrals are to freelancing what subscriptions are to eCommerce: the holy grail. Referred clients trust you more, their projects have a running start, and they’re the quickest way to expand your network.

### Why client referrals are so important

Referrals are the gold standard for freelancers. When someone refers you to a potential client, you enjoy the benefits of trust by association, can close deals more quickly, generate additional referrals, and more.

#### 1) Trust by association

Trust is essential for any collaborative project, but it’s difficult to build from scratch. When you gain a new client through a referral, they also extend a bit of their trust in the person who vouched for you.

Recommendations make trust transferable, and because you gain trust by association, you don’t have to spend as much time and energy winning over the client.

Your new client has faith in the judgment of the person who referred you, so they already believe you’re skilled and capable.

All that’s left for you to do is prove their trust is well-placed by delivering high-quality work.

#### 2) Faster project cycles

Referred clients are also more likely to be a good fit for you and your services. You don’t need to vet referred clients in the same way as a random lead to ensure you offer the right solution; they come pre-approved.

With trust already established in both parties, you can hit the ground running and dive right into the project. There’s little to no time wasted selling yourself, convincing the client, researching whether the client has a bad history with freelancers, or dancing around the project.

All of this results in faster project cycles. The more efficient your vetting and collaboration process is, the faster you’ll close deals, and the more time you can devote to work.

Think of it as a flywheel effect where you establish a base level of trust at the onset, give and gather honest feedback, and improve your skills for clients across the board.

#### 3) The referral flywheel effect

Let’s go back to the idea of a flywheel. The concept here is you build a process or “machine” that takes some effort to get going initially, but becomes faster with less effort once it’s up and running.

That’s what it’s like with referrals. In 2021, 90% of the clients I worked with (most of whom were long-term contracts — some since 2014) came referred. A previous manager connected us, an old coworker at a new job reached out, or I had worked with them before on behalf of another client.

The more referrals I received, the better I was able to close deals and work with new clients. As I worked with more clients, I expanded my network, collaborated with new teams (internally and externally), and developed my skills. All of this began with a spark in the form of a referral.

#### 4) Keep your project pipeline full

Since referrals inadvertently create more referrals, it means more work coming your way. Momentum builds as you establish your reputation over time. A bank of satisfied clients will refer you to others and generate more work. This has the potential to reduce your marketing overheads; the work will come to you as you passively generate more leads.

Increasing your client list through referrals also means your clients are inter-connected, creating opportunities for more collaborative work and creating a higher chance that your name will come up in casual conversation among colleagues and friends.

I’ve connected multiple eCommerce companies’ marketing teams to collaborate (e.g., speak on each others’ podcasts, do a guest post exchange, speak on webinars), even without myself or my clients being in the picture. It’s helped others build their networks, and as a nice side effect, many of those connections come back and ask to work together again.

#### 5) Pick your challenges

The more clients you have in your pipeline, the more choice you have to work with brands you truly respect and admire. You can also choose your challenges, as some clients will bring more interesting problems to solve.

If you want to develop your product marketing skills, you can begin taking on clients that need help with that. If you’re most interested in growth marketing, you can fashion a project around conversion optimization for a client’s website.

A full pipeline and list of referrals lets you find the most interesting challenges to tackle with the brands you’re most eager to work with.

With all of these factors working together, you can turn down (or refer elsewhere) clients and projects that aren’t a good fit.

#### 6) Raise your rates

Finally, referrals help freelancers raise their rates. The more highly recommended you come, the more you can justify charging, because you have third-party confirmation that you deliver excellent work.

**Tip**: Ask for client testimonials and sprinkle them into your project proposals. I have a testimonial bank with a running list of my public and private recommendations (with permission to share). When I send out a new proposal, I look through the companies that recommended me to find who’s in the same industry, who the potential new client might recognize, and which ones refer to the type of work the proposal covers.

### How to earn more client referrals

Referrals are the way to go, but how do you get them? Gaining work through referrals is a long game that takes patience and a variety of methods. Follow the tips below to help you establish your reputation and encourage new work to come to you.

#### 1) Schedule check-ins

Hold annual or quarterly check-ins with clients to check in and see how you’re doing. For project-based clients, consider requesting reviews and testimonials following the completion of a project.

This is a good opportunity to ask what they like and don’t like about working with you. This opens the door for more referral opportunities and keeps you at the front of the client’s mind.

If you get a positive review, let the client know you’re open to more work, and ask if they know anyone who’s a good fit to collaborate.

If it’s a lukewarm response, fix the pain points and then let them know how you addressed it. This inspires confidence and opens up the channel for a referral the next time you chat.

**Tip**: If you’re not sure how to ask for a referral during your check-in, say you’ve enjoyed working with them and ask if they have any contacts who might also benefit from your services. Make it easy for them by providing a place to send referrals, like your email, website, or LinkedIn page.

#### 2) Under-promise, over-deliver

Let your work speak for you, and leave a lasting impression on everyone you work with.

Make a commitment to consistently deliver a high standard of work. Treat every project and client with care and professionalism. Deliver projects on time and communicate effectively. This includes agreeing to project expectations up front and communicating throughout it, as well as a smooth and clear handover to wrap it up.

And if things don’t go according to plan? Most people are generous and understanding if something goes awry; stay calm, pinpoint the problem, come up with a few possible solutions, and tell the client what you’re going to do to fix it. Effective communication is a key difference between an in-demand professional and an unreliable freelancer who’s unlikely to be invited back or referred to others.

Once you’ve established a pattern of reliability, make a strong impression by going the extra mile without being asked. Small suggestions can make a big improvement for the client with little impact on your time. If you see a way to improve on the original project brief and over-deliver, call it out and execute.

**Tip**: Don’t push for a referral out of the blue. A good rule of thumb is to deliver value before asking for a favor. Appropriate times to ask for referrals would be at the end of a project, when a repeat client comes back for more work, or following praise or positive feedback from a satisfied client.

#### 3) Nurture your relationships

This point covers your referrers, the potential clients they send you to, and your current clients.

Update and thank your referrer whether or not you close the deal. You can send a small gift or card thanking them for the referral and briefing them on how it went. Even a quick email with a few heartfelt words showing you appreciate the gesture will be well received (and hopefully remembered for next time).

Build your relationship with potential clients and check in with them. This will keep you at the front of a client’s mind if a work opportunity comes up (either internally or for another referral).

If you haven’t heard from a client in a while, drop them a note to ask how business is going – and be sure to add relevant praise if you can (i.e., “I really enjoyed yesterday’s post,” or, “Your new product launch looks great!”).

Finally, leverage the reciprocity effect. Don’t limit social media to self-promotion. Comment and share others’ posts to put you front of mind and inspire reciprocity. We all want to give back to people who’ve done something nice for us, and that can start as small as leaving a positive comment on someone’s post.

#### 4) Build a specialized portfolio

An online portfolio gives referrers an easy way to reference your work. They can mention, “I know a contractor who can do X, here’s their website,” and allow your site to speak for you.

Make sure your online presence accurately and positively reflects your work. Potential new clients will check you out before getting in touch. If they already have a positive impression from a referral, your online presence can reaffirm that perception and close the deal.

If you’re just starting out, focus on creating a simple, professional website describing your services and featuring a few case studies. For example, you could have a section of your website dedicated to successful past projects and testimonials from happy clients.

#### 5) Don’t limit yourself to business referrals

Referrals don’t always come from business – sometimes they come from other freelancers. I’ve often sent overflow work to other freelancers when I didn’t have the capacity to take it on myself.

In turn, if a colleague or fellow freelancer in your network is too busy to take on a project, or the project falls outside their area of expertise, they may recommend you.

Freelancing can be a lonely business, but don’t fall prey to the misconception that freelancers are in competition with each other. [Freelance communities](https://resources.owllabs.com/blog/remote-work-slack-communities?utm_source=rachelandreago) often step in to replace the stereotypical “watercooler chat” of traditional businesses. They’re a place for building relationships, celebrating each other’s successes, socializing, and helping each other through the unique challenges freelancing presents (like being your own boss, accountant, and IT whiz at the same time).

Expand your network and look into [collaborative projects](https://rachelandreago.com/content-outsourcing/) and exchanges with freelancers in other disciplines. For example, if you’re a website designer, you could keep an eye out for a writer to assist with content, ensuring you can offer a quality, full-service delivery for your next client.

Where to find other freelancers? Good places to network include events, workshops, seminars, online groups, conferences, and shared co-working spaces.

#### 6) Provide rewards for successful referrals

Everyone loves a bargain. Consider offering incentives, like a discount or freebie for every successful referral.

For example, you might say, “I just closed a deal with X company. As a thanks for referring them, I’m comping your next article. Please feel free to send more referrals my way if you think they’d be a good fit!”

This will enhance your reputation for going above and beyond by delivering added value as well as high-quality work.

#### 7) Offer loyalty rates

The longer you work with a client, the more familiar you become with their voice, tone, style, and process. Continuing relationships helps to surface hidden knowledge effortlessly. No asking, “Where can I find this?” or “Does this make sense to publish?” Instead, you know the answers to those questions intuitively.

This helps you produce better work more efficiently. It’s also a good reason to offer special rates to loyal clients, and earn a few referrals in the process.

Implement a loyalty program where older clients can access your original rates if they refer you to at least two other contracts you close. You give your best clients a nice reward for working with you, while filling your pipeline with more referrals and revenue at the same time.

This comes in handy when it’s time to raise rates and you have clients you like who can’t afford the boost.

### 3-Point business development checklist to grow your referrals

Here’s a quick three-point checklist you can use with every client to help you grow your referrals and fill your pipeline:

1. Ask for permission to include any work done in your portfolio
2. Ask for a review of your work on LinkedIn or your own website
3. Request a referral to at least one other business they think could benefit from your services

As the world becomes increasingly digital, human connections matter and stay with us. Delivering high-quality work paired with thoughtful touches will make a lasting impression on your clients, and ensure your name is the first that comes to mind when they want to introduce a new lead.

## Wrapping up the freelancer guide to multiple clients

When working with multiple clients, the dream of a four-day week can quickly spill beyond the weekend and into your vacation time. But it doesn’t have to be that way. By observing several simple techniques and watching out for common pitfalls, you can reap the benefits of a diversified workload.

*Published: Oct 12, 2020*
*Updated: May 24, 2021*