How I Adopted A Strategic Cold Outreach Method To Find New Clients [Update]
This is a follow up story for Eva Gutierrez. If you're interested in reading how they got started, published almost 6 years ago, check it out here.
Hello again! Remind us who you are and what business you started.
I’m Eva Gutierrez and I’m a freelance writer and writing coach. I write articles for companies with marketing-related products and currently make about $10k+ per month alongside my coaching program that teaches writers how to get clients and turn them into a steady and predictable income.
Tell us about what you’ve been up to! Has the business been growing?
Despite being nervous at the start of COVID as to where my business would be—things have been going well. I’ve been able to bring on one more writing client that has a product I use every day! This means the articles I write for them are directly from their customer avatar to their customer avatar.
I like to write for 3-4 clients per month maximum and only work on long-term contracts. For example, I’ve worked with my longest client for 4 years and my newest client for about 6 months. I don’t do waitlists or even have onboarding forms for my business because I don’t want to be working with new people constantly. I like building real relationships with the people I work with and being able to deeply understand their customer avatar and products—which makes a long-term relationship the best fit.
To keep my writing clients interested in continuing to work with me, I put a big focus on being a great freelancer. This means that I’m always communicating with them, I never overpromise or underdeliver, and I always meet my deadlines. I also make sure to keep looking for ways to help them, sharing opportunities with them, or even helping them with parts of their job (like content ideation).
If I want to find a new client, I’ll cold pitch companies with products I like and believe in. I use a strategic cold pitching method called the Client Acquisition System. It’s a 3-step process of figuring out my income goals, finding clients I want to write for, and pitching them using foundational marketing techniques.
I teach the Client Acquisition System to writers, as well. Writers have used the Client Acquisition System to sign $200,000 in retainer writing contracts in 12 months. That means they’re not just making more money from writing, but they’re making a steady and predictable income that’s allowing them to quit their full-time jobs or take their writing career to the next level.
What have been your biggest lessons learned in the last year?
By far my biggest business lesson this year is how much I hold myself back from the next level of my business and career. It’s an odd thing to realize, but we can be scared of success. More money means more responsibility and we don’t always feel worthy or capable of handling it.
I’ve been doing a lot of inner work to focus on why I’m fearful of leveling up and how I can rewrite that script to fit true reality: I’m ready and capable to hit the next level of my business!
Another big lesson I’ve learned is how quickly technology is advancing and the importance of keeping track of where writing software is today, and how fast it could get tomorrow. I’m focused on building a personal brand that can overcome the technological advances of having AI write content for companies.
What’s in the plans for the upcoming year, and the next 5 years?
In the next year, I plan to continue to write articles for my clients and bring on one more high-level client. I’m continuing to look for more ways to help my current clients, without turning it into so much work on my end that I get tied to my desk (I chose freelance for a reason!).
Your business is just a system and it can tell you exactly where you’re headed if you let it.
I also plan to coach more writers through the Client Acquisition System next year, hopefully being able to show at least 30 writers how to get clients and create a steady and predictable income for themselves from freelance writing.
My plan for 5 years from now is to expand my coaching into teaching business communication, both for freelancers and bigger corporations. I’d also love to still be writing and have cultivated a niche, and loved personal brand.
Have you read any good books in the last year?
I’m an avid reader and have read about 30 books this year! Right now I’m really into science and systems and the impact they have on the world (and how I can use their theories and laws to make my business as antifragile as possible).
A few great reads:
- 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari
- The Great Mental Models: Volume 2 and Volume 3 by Shane Parrish
- Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg
Advice for other entrepreneurs who might be struggling to grow their business?
Your business is a system and you can predict exactly how much money you’ll make if you break it down. For example, you can figure out how many customers you’ll get in the next 6 months by looking at:
- Your average audience to subscriber conversion rate per platform or website page
- Your average subscriber to customer conversion rate
- Your average customer to high-tier offer conversion rate (if you have an ascension stage in your funnel)
- Your average sales call to conversion rate (if you use sales calls for your offer)
If you work out these conversation rates, you can figure out exactly how many customers you’ll get from where your business is today and how many more subscribers and audience members you need to reach your goal.
Your business is just a system and it can tell you exactly where you’re headed if you let it.
Where can we go to learn more?
- I talk about mindset, writing, and marketing for freelance writers on Instagram and Twitter daily
- Get weekly training for freelance writers here
- Website
If you have any questions or comments, drop a comment below!
