Freelance Question: Do you go to clients?

[JHalton]

I was wondering for the freelance/self employed people out there. Do you go and see clients to pick jobs up? Even if they are far far away in another galaxy? How do you incorporate this into the everyday running of your business? And for those who work at home, do they sometimes call on you? lol (tidy up)

 

I am interested as me and my bro have been toying with the idea of going solo for about 2 years now. Just building up a picture in my head.

 

J

[Iain Denby]

I work from home. I only call in and see clients if they are local. A face to face meeting initially is a good thing, but not essential. Most of my clients now, I've never met, only spoke to them over the phone.

 

No need for clients to visit me. I send series of drafts through email.

[Jeff Mottle]

Yeah I'd agree, it's not neccesary for you to meet the clients unless it's a really big job and the budget can afford the trip to see them and the job site. I've personally worked on a lot of projects where I never meet the client.

[Ernest Burden III]

With the ease of communicatin of the Internet, face-to-face meeting is not usually necessary. It IS a good business practice, however, if you can do it. People are more comfortable working with a real person, and meeting you cements that connection. But you are right, it costs time that is not billable.

 

Many years ago I was hired to render a skyscraper in Milwaukee (city in US). The developer paid for me to fly there, paid for a fantastic hotel and car rental, all so he could stand next to me and point to a hole in the ground and say "that's where the building is going to be". I had to resist saying "Amazing! Right where the site plan shows it!" It was silly, but he just wanted to know who he was hiring, and the trip was on his dime. The time was on mine. I did photo the context, but he could have done that and FedExed me the pictures for a lot less money.

 

It used to be that I had to trundle about with a portfolio to show potential clients--or FedEx prints to them if out-of-town. It was a big time drain. Now people just look at my website and make their decisions. Sometimes I will go to their office to discuss the project, but that is my choice.

 

Another thing to consider--when you are working for a larger firm, it is ADVISABLE to go there from time to time because others in the office will become used to seeing you and then they are more likely to call you when they need their project rendered. I sometimes will have an architect come up to me while I'm meeting with someone else and say "when you're finished here would you come over to my desk? I have a project I want to talk to you about".

[Iain Denby]

Another thing to consider--when you are working for a larger firm, it is ADVISABLE to go there from time to time because others in the office will become used to seeing you and then they are more likely to call you when they need their project rendered. I sometimes will have an architect come up to me while I'm meeting with someone else and say "when you're finished here would you come over to my desk? I have a project I want to talk to you about".

Very good advice. I do the same, and the same thing happens to me too!