To build a successful freelance business, there are a million different ways to bake the cake, but only a handful of crucial ingredients.

One of the obvious key ingredients: clients.

Clients are a bit like eggs. (And in many ways not like eggs).

Main point is, you need a steady supply of them. You can’t always rely on the ones you have, sometimes they go bad, etc.

So, if you’re running low on eggs, you need to figure out why.

Because without them, you’re not going to be munching cake any time soon.

Let me give you the shortcut answer.

Here are 5 reasons you’re not getting clients:

• You’re not doing enough outreach

• Your outreach messages focus on the wrong thing

• Your portfolio website is not professional

• Your offer is confusing

• You’re too comfortable

Bold statements? Sure. Oversimplified? Nope. Offended? Good.

I could try fluff things up a bit, but after chatting with over 1,000 freelancers, these are the main reasons I see time and again preventing you from getting clients and living life on your own terms.

Let’s take a quick look at each one:

1. You’re Not Doing Enough Outreach

You sent 50 emails + 100 DMs and you gave up saying, “outreach doesn’t work.”

It doesn’t matter how persuasive you are or what brilliant email template you use.

Outreach is a numbers game.

Your efforts have to be statistically significant if you want to see real results.

Stick to 1-2 methods of outreach and keep it up for 6 months before you judge whether it’s working.

Let’s talk again when you’ve sent 500+ emails.

2.Your Outreach Messages Focus on the Wrong Thing

Your outreach is going to fail if you focus on yourself, instead of focusing on the outcome and benefits for the client.

Most freelancers (in fact, most businesses) make this mistake in their marketing.

Their websites read like a resume instead of a value offering.

People don’t care about that award you got in 2008…

They only care about how you can solve their problems.

Not this:

❌ “I make affordable websites.”

But this:

✅ “I noticed 3 key improvements you could make to your website to generate more sales. Here’s a quick loom video with my suggestions.”

3. Your Portfolio Website is Not Professional

If your portfolio is a bragging wall of your skills and test projects, see point #2.

I repeat: clients only care about how you can solve their problems.

To convince them of that, you need to show them how you’ve solved other client’s problems.

Make sure your portfolio focuses on results. It should feature your best case studies of how you solved X problem and achieved X for X client.

What you’ve done (testimonials/case studies) should do the selling for you.

4. Your Offer is Confusing

If you’re confused about what you offer, your clients will be confused.

People don’t like feeling confused.

Here’s the main confusion point I see:

You think you’re offering clients websites and marketing.

But what you’re really offering should be the end result: better sales, more time to focus on what they want, more peace of mind, more [fill in the blank].

Don’t offer commodities your clients can shop for anywhere…

Offer clear outcomes that solve their pain points.

5. You’re Too Comfortable

It’s easy to stay in your comfort zone when your parents are paying the bills or your job gets you by.

And that’s ok…

…if you want to do hobby freelancing and focus on creating your portfolio website for 6 months.

Comfort breeds complacency.

Discomfort will push you out that cushy nest.

What’s the best way to put some healthy pressure on yourself?

Get clients.

I show you how here.

Takeaways

• Get out of your own way.

• Do statistically significant outreach

• Refocus your outreach messages

• Turn your portfolio into case studies

• Fix your offer

• Get out the comfort zone.

  
  

It’s time to bake that cake!

Have a good one, and chat to you next week!