More advice for freelance illustrators

Call up five clients today, and ask them if they need any illustration work done. They can be five of your favourite clients, or best-paying clients, or clients you haven’t heard from in a while, or even brand new contacts. You choose.

The cost of five 3-minute long distance calls is a tiny fraction of what you’d spend on doing a mailer of 1000, or 2500, or 5000 postcards, but the feedback you’ll get is direct, immediate, and leaves a far better impression. Also, it’s the greenest form of promotion: no pollution, no cards ending up in the trash (which most do), and no toxic inks used.

Remember to keep it short, you have no idea how busy they are at that moment. Be friendly and cheerful, without being pushy. Here’s a sample script:

“Hi (CLIENT-X), it’s (YOUR NAME GOES HERE). We worked on (PROJECT NAME) together a little while back. How’s it going? (INSERT SMALL TALK HERE) Well, as you may have guessed, I’m calling to see if you need any illustration work done right now? …. Nothing right now huh? No problem. Maybe on the next project? …. Cool, well thanks for taking my call. I’ll keep in touch. Bye!”

This is probably how most of the calls will go, but you’ll be surprised at how many positive responses you’ll get. Maybe the client even knows someone else who needs your services; maybe in another department, or even another Art Director friend of his/hers.

I know you’ll feel awkward doing this if you don’t do it regularly (or have never done it). You may even feel like you’re begging them for work. But you’re not; you’re just running your business, keeping yourself in the picture, being active about your own self-promotion. All self-promotion and advertising is done with the exact same intent: to sell your services. It’s only begging if you have nothing to offer in return.

As they say on infomercials: “Pick up the phone, and call now!”