If you’re like most freelancers, many of your best clients come from referrals, word of mouth, and your network. But this is a recipe for feast-and-famine months. Your network is finite. If something unexpected happens — like a client has to reduce your hours or end a contract early — you could have a dip in income without a warm pipeline of high-quality leads.

If you’ve never done proactive marketing and lead generation before, you’re not alone. Freelancers and consultants often come to me after three, five, even ten successful years in business because their referrals dry up and they realize they never built a proactive marketing strategy.

Believe me, I’ve heard it all. “I just want to do the work; I hate marketing and selling myself. I don’t want anyone to think I’m spammy.” I have bad news for you: The only thing you need to have a business is sales.

If you don’t have a reliable, repeatable way to attract, nurture, and convert high-quality cold leads, your business isn’t going to be sustainable. This is the difference between being able to say “no” to a red flag client versus taking on work you don’t love because you have to pay the bills.

So let’s fix that! And if you’re in New York, make sure to come to my in-person workshop at Freelancer’s Union on October 8th: The Freelancer’s Guide to a Consistent Pipeline of Premium B2B Leads.

Here are three simple shifts you can implement today to stop relying on referrals and start attracting high-quality leads:

1. Build a compelling, outcome-driven offer for premium buyers.
   
   If you’re frustrated with the quality of your clients, you need to look at where and how you’re calling them in. Remember: You’re the boss, and you get to decide what you’re available for.
   
   If you want premium clients? They want the best. Premium clients look for freelancers who can solve their exact problem, have a proven track record of helping people like them, make them feel seen and understood, and will get them high-quality results — quickly. They expect a premium price point.
   
   If you’re not demonstrating that you solve a premium problem for a premium buyer and confidently communicating the return on the investment, you’re not going to attract premium clients.
   
   One of my clients went from earning $50k per year to $50k per quarter simply by changing his offer and positioning it for a premium buyer at a premium price point.
2. Develop messaging that calls in higher-quality, more aligned clients.
   
   Most of the time, what you think is a visibility problem is actually a messaging problem. It’s not that you need to get in front of more prospects or better prospects, it’s that you need to do a better job showing your ideal client that you understand them specifically and are the best choice to solve their specific problem in the best and most efficient way.
   
   If your messaging isn’t powerful enough to attract cold leads, you need better messaging.
   
   Some common mistakes you might be making:
   
   1. Speaking to “everyone” instead of your ideal client.
   
   2. Not being specific enough about who you help, how you help them, what you do, why you do it, and what differentiates you.
   
   3. Focusing on yourself, not them (less “it includes this;” more “here are the results you’ll get”).
   
   4. Not saying what you really think; instead, demonstrate you're an industry leader and share your unique perspective and values.
   
   One of my copywriting clients went from $5k/month to $12k/month simply by refining her messaging so her target audience was hyperspecific, the impact of her work was clear, and her values and perspective (for example, taking a stand against AI), were front and center.
3. Be proactive about getting visible and generating leads.
   
   Once you have a compelling premium offer and premium positioning, now it’s time for a legitimate marketing strategy! There is no one way to do marketing or generate leads. You don’t have to dance on TikTok or learn Pinterest if you hate it. 
   
   You need a marketing strategy that’s a match for your services, where your target audience is, and where you feel comfortable, and what works for your lifestyle. Freelancers often think that if they try the latest new shiny marketing tactic —  podcasts, YouTube, Instagram Reels —  it will bring them clients. It’s not about where you are. If you have the right offer, messaging, and strategy, you’ll attract high-quality cold leads on any platform.

Effective marketing is just sharing the right message, at the right time, in the right place. I’ve had clients go from zero to 10k followers, get $16k retainer clients from a comment on LinkedIn, and land their first $30k contract from the marketing strategies we’ve developed. Get over your fear of being cringe and put yourself out there!

And if you’re in New York, make sure to come to my in-person workshop at Freelancer’s Union on October 8th: The Freelancer’s Guide to a Consistent Pipeline of Premium B2B Leads. Sign up today!