The Weekly Freelance Challenge does exactly what it says on the tin. Each week, I’ll set a challenge that I will take part in, and it’s open for anyone to join in. One week it might be about improving productivity or finding new clients, and the next week it might be about how to lead a healthier freelance lifestyle. Feel free to join in and leave a comment with your progress, leave a comment on my Facebook page or use the Twitter hashtag #TWFCUK (a football team have nabbed TWFC!).
Last week’s challenge
Last week’s challenge was all about updating your Twitter bio. I gave mine a bit of a rewording, and threw in a few more keywords. How did you get on? Did your bio need an updating?
This week’s challenge
This week is another simple one, but one that you might feel a little shy about: asking for recommendations. A great recommendation (or even better, several great recommendations) could be just the trigger for a potential client to get in contact if you display them on your website. I’ve got them in my packages section if you want to see some examples. It’s a scary thing to ask for, but most people are more than happy to provide one. I’ve had the odd bit of business through this when I’ve used the LinkedIn method too, so it’s worth doing.
There are two ways to do this:
- Email your previous and current clients directly asking for a recommendation. One way to do this is to add it as a note on the end of your invoice. Something like “I hope you’re happy with the work I’ve done for you. If you are and have a minute, I’d really appreciate a short recommendation for my website”
- Do it through LinkedIn. This is the easier method if you’re shy, as you can just send a request through their website as a standard business procedure. The other benefit of this method is that it will be displayed on your page, which will add more oomph to your profile. I like oomph.