9 things to do when client work is slow

Hey real quick – big news! Last week I released the trailer for my new podcast, Creative Elements. Every week, I'll be talking to your favorite creators, including Seth Godin, James Clear, and Vanessa Van Edwards, about how they've made a living from the things that they make. I'd love for you to check it out here.

–

This has been a tough week for everyone – employees, freelancers, and business owners alike.

And we don’t know when things will return back to the "normal" of a few weeks ago.

So it’s safe to say that life has handed us some lemons. So let's talk about a few ways you can try to make lemonade when things are tough and work is slow.

1. Reach out to your advocates

There is a lot of talk about social distancing. Physical distancing is incredibly important right now in order to #FlattenTheCurve, but we need to continue social connection while maintaining physical distance.

This is a great time to reconnect with friends, family, coworkers, and other advocates. Reach out – have a conversation over the phone or schedule a video call.

Be empathetic. Talk to them about their situation – see if there’s any way that you can help.

If they ask you how you’re doing, be upfront with them. Let them know how the situation has impacted you, and what would make things easier on you. Is it finding a client who needs help with ___? Is it pure emotional support? Social connection? Accountability?

Do your part to help others, and others will likely do what they can to help you too. But only if they know HOW they can help.

2. Reach out to your former and existing clients

With all the bad news you’re seeing, you might assume that business is coming to a standstill and everyone is putting their money into a vault so no one can touch it.

But that’s not the case. Business is continuing for a LOT of people (albeit virtually) and they will still have very real needs. And those needs may actually be even more difficult for them to fill in house.

If you offer services virtually, you may be at an advantage. It’s worth reaching out to and checking in with your existing, former, and potential clients to see if they could use a hand.

3. Make specific offers

Since you’re going to be reaching out to potential clients, you should prepare a specific offer that you can make proactively.

Making an offer means coming to the table with a defined outcome, scope, price, and so on. It’s the difference between asking, “Do you have any copywriting needs?” and saying, “I am going to work with a limited number of clients this month to write some case studies. Are you interested in that?”

Offers help a client visualize exactly what the outcome of working with you will look like. It lays everything out for them, and all they need to do is say “yes” to get started. (read more)

4. Revisit your budget

Ideally, you can continue to sign new clients and life will go on. But, it’s also a good idea to revisit your budget and see what you may be able to cut out for the foreseeable future.

If you don’t already have a budget in place, now is the time to get a handle on one! Figure out exactly what you are spending money on every month, and how much you’re spending. That will help you to identify the line items you can cut back on or cut out entirely.

Saving $100 a month is just as effective as an additional $1200 client project over the next year.

5. Get your own house in order

Have you ever heard the phrase, “The cobbler’s kids have no shoes?”

A lot of us do incredible, beautiful work – for others. But when it comes to our own company or brand, we fall short.

If you’re a brand designer, maybe this is the time to work on your own brand.

If you’re a copywriter, maybe this is the time to look over your own copy.

If you’re a website developer, maybe this is the time to look at your own website.

I’ve made a ton of updates to my personal website and the Freelancing School website – updates I’ve been intending to do for months!

6. Learn a new skill

This may be the best opportunity you’ve had in a while to develop a new skill. What have you been meaning to learn, but “just haven’t had the time?”

Maybe it’s a new development language. Maybe it’s how to build in Squarespace, Wordpress, or Webflow. Maybe it’s learning Spanish, or how to be a better leader.

For LinkedIn Premium users, are a ton of courses available here on LinkedIn Learning. YouTube has a ton of free content, and most courses are pretty affordable.

In light of COVID-19, I’ve cut the price for all Freelancing School courses in half.

If you’re looking to dive deeper on how to better market or sell your client services (including a deeper dive on budgets, offers, and more) I’d love for you to join.

Click here to check out Freelancing School

7. Start that side project

Speaking of not having enough time, this is a great time to get started on that creative or side project that you’ve been putting off.

Have you been wanting to start a blog, email list, podcast, book, album, or anything else? This is the perfect time.

With all the cancellations in my schedule, I’ve gotten a ton of writing, podcasting, and website improvements done. What can you accomplish?

8. Be the client you want to see in the world

We’re all hoping that our clients and potential clients keep us in mind and treat us well. Don’t forget that you may also be someone’s client – and so it’s on you to honor that hope as well.

If others are depending on you, be the client that YOU aspire to work with. We all need to do our part.

And if you’ve been considering investing in or supporting another creator for a while now, this is a great time to do so. Even a simple act of support goes a long way (thanks, Matt!)

9. Keep an eye open for assistance

We don’t know how long this crisis will last, and there are many moving parts. New opportunities are popping up constantly. Some of them are government-sponsored (changes to unemployment), some of them are community and volunteer driven, and some of them are driven by private companies.

ConvertKit announced a Creator Fund, which has reached nearly $150K as of this writing. If you’re a creative seeking assistance, they are offering up to $500 for as many individuals as they can help on an as-needed basis.

Click here to apply for the Creator Fund

I'd like to keep an eye open for you too.

If you are looking for referrals, fill out this short questionnaire and I'll keep you in mind for the people who look to me for help finding freelancers to help.

Conclusion

We didn’t ask for these lemons, but here they are. And we have a choice: we can complain about our lemons and do nothing, or we can try to make lemonade.

It won’t be easy, and I don’t expect you to be happy about it. But the only way through is forward, so let’s keep going!

Comment below:

1. What will you do to make lemonade?
2. How can we support you?

–

Jay Clouse is the creator of Freelancing School, which provides the training and community to help people make a living freelancing. He is also the founder of Unreal Collective, a community for founders, freelancers, and creators that runs a 12-week accelerator program.

You can connect with Jay on Twitter @jayclouse or sign up for his Sunday newsletter for creatives at jayclouse.com.