[by Rosh Sillars]
The best place to find new clients is through old clients.
Pick up the phone and say hello. You have clients out there ripe with new opportunities. If you don’t know that, it’s because you haven’t followed up in a while. Never assume anything.
Maybe your client was a one-time assignment, maybe business was slow or perhaps you lost your main contact at the company. Whatever the case, the relationships are warmer where you’ve done business before.
One-time assignments don’t have to end when the job is over. Ask clients who they know who might need the services you offer. Ask for a referral.
Business may have been slow for some of your clients in the last few years. The ones that survived the economic storm had to retool and reinvent themselves. The department you worked with may not have opportunities right now. Don’t give up. A new division, department, or spinoff may need support. You don’t know until you ask.
A lot of people lost their jobs during the recession. Where are they now? What happened to your best contact from three years ago? If his former employer is growing again, who filled his position?
It’s amazing what a little action on your part can do to shake off the dust and open the door of opportunity. Even better, you might find a few new clients.