Tips on Getting Repeat Business

Every time you get a new client, you want to prove that you can do the job and you obviously want their repeat business.

Here are a few tips to help you getting repeat business from clients.

1. Be committed

Being committed doesn’t mean that you have to leave everything else and cater to the needs of one client and forget about the others. It means showing the client that, although your work has been appreciated by them and you delivered on time and everything is to their liking, you would like to offer a little more. Not necessarily go out of your way, but do what you agreed on in the first place, in order to get repeat business from that client.

2. How long does it take to get a reply?

One of the main reason freelancers lose business is because of the late response. Don’t limit yourself to checking your email once a day. But if you do, make sure your client knows.

So, if you are freelancing full-time, you should be able to dedicate some time every day to reply to emails and return phone calls.

3. Provide quality, not just quantity

Sure they wanted one website designed, but you went ahead and gave them 3 just to show that “Hey! I can do more!” But do you realise the client ONLY NEEDED ONE? So provide quality rather than quantity.

If you spent 5 hours creating 3 sites that were not required, guess what? You just wasted 5 hours and probably a client, as well. Stick to what’s in the contract. It’s in the contract for a reason. The extra work you did just to prove you can do more won’t make you more money.

4. There is always room for improvement

So you’re good at what you do but that doesn’t mean you are the best there is. There is always someone that can do better than you. So thrive to make yourself better. Sharpen your skills every day. That’s what makes you money.

5. Follow up

One of the most important, and often overlooked, way of getting repeat business is to simply follow up with previous clients.

If you provide service to a client, get paid and then forget about them, you surely won’t get business from that client again. Take a minute to send an email, a postcard or give a call to a previous client. Tell them you really enjoyed working for them and that you’re always available. Build a relationship with your clients. Get to know them. This way they’ll be more likely to send business your way.

We all like attention, clients are no different. So a quick email or phone call can go a long way.