Self Employed: How To Find Anchor Clients

Author: Anderson Geoffrey

For many people, generating new leads or finding new clients can be tedious, time-consuming, and may lead to inconsistent income. So it makes sense to seek anchor clients instead of one-off clients. But how can you land these valuable anchor clients?

Let’s dive in.

What are Anchor Clients?

In the freelance world, we have two major types of clients: 

• One-off clients
• Anchor clients.

One-off clients are clients that offer one-time projects. Your relationship with One-off Clients usually ends when the project is complete. On the other hand, Anchor Clients provide consistent work with a relationship that can last many years. Many freelancers prefer to prioritize their anchor clients over their one-off clients. 

But why?

It’s simple. To find a job as a freelancer, you need to spend time chasing new leads. But it gets much worse when you only have one-off clients because you’ll constantly be chasing these leads for new jobs. However, having a handful of anchor clients ensures long-term work and a predictable income. But the real question is – how can you find these precious anchor clients?

Let’s find out.

How to Find Anchor Clients?

Below are three easy steps to land Anchor Clients:

Know your Ideal Anchor Client

It can be hard to land your ideal Anchor Client if you don’t know who they are. So before you look for clients, you should ask some important questions like:

• What do my ideal clients do, and why are they doing it?
• What are their most significant issues?
• What products and services will my clients need to solve their problems?
• What is the client’s budget?

Aside from knowing how to find your ideal Anchor Clients, knowing the above information can help you understand and solve their problems. These details will also help communicate and create well-targeted messages for your ideal clients.

Over-Deliver on Every Project

For many freelancers, some of their anchor clients start as one-time clients. However, these anchor clients decide to retain these freelancers because of the consistent quality they provide.

In short, over-delivering on projects is a quick way to impress your clients, which might eventually make them anchor clients.

Over-delivering includes:

• Finishing a project earlier than expected.
• Taking time to respond to clients during off-hours.
• Providing excellent customer service, etc.

Use Networking to Find Anchor Clients

Your network is a place you can get anchor clients. You can find other freelancers willing to introduce you to their clients. But this relationship demands you to be ready to introduce them to your clients.

For example, Bob, a web designer, can ask an SEO expert or digital marketer to introduce him to their clients. And in return, Bob will introduce them to his clients if they match the description.

Many times, someone in your network might have a client that needs your services, so make sure to reach out to relevant people in your network or community.

Conclusion

Remember that these anchor clients don’t just fall from the sky. After working hard to generate a new lead, you’ll have to take the necessary steps to turn these leads into anchor clients. This article covers what you’ll need to land anchor clients, so reread it if you need help.