Let’s speak about something that has made a massive difference for my freelance business during the last decade: referral partners.
As an independent freelancer, I do know firsthand that landing your next big client can sometimes feel totally unpredictable. It’s possible you’ll lie awake at night wondering “Where will my next paycheck come from? When will one other lead come through the door?”
I’ve been there!
The stress of relying completely on referrals from past clients can take its toll. At some point your pipeline seems loaded, and the following—crickets. I ultimately realized I needed to take control and add more predictability into the method.
So about 5 years into freelancing, I began cultivating referral partners. These are people or corporations that actively partner to send business one another’s way on an ongoing basis. Over time, I built a network that moved me away from always guessing and allowed me to forecast revenue.
On this post, I need to share exactly how cultivating win-win referral partnerships modified the sport for my freelance business. I’ll speak about how I discover great partners, establish value-focused relationships, and leverage them for leads without being salesy.
Whether you’re just starting out as a solopreneur or are feeling stuck at a revenue plateau, my hope is that you just’ll walk away from this post with a clear blueprint for putting referral partners to work for your online business. I do know firsthand how much peace of mind—and profit—they will bring!
What’s a Referral Partner?
Before diving further into the worth of referral partners, let’s level set on what exactly these partnerships entail.
Referral partners differ from bizarre word-of-mouth referrals in a couple key ways. First, they represent an ongoing, deliberate relationship quite than a one-off favor. The connections are cultivated intentionally over time.
Second, referral partners imply reciprocity. In fact you hope to send business one another’s way. But the perfect alignment happens while you’re each focused on benefiting your shared customer.
For instance, let’s say a freelance designer builds beautiful, functional web sites for startups. The designer could partner with a copywriter who helps those self same startups align messaging and content for an impactful online presence. Together they will provide an incredible combined service while benefiting one another through leads and expanded network reach.
So in essence, a referral partner is someone who:
- Shares your ideal customer profile
- Fills complementary needs quite than direct competition
- Is invested in seeing shared customers succeed
- Sends and receives business throughout the partnership
Why Referral Partners
I used to think any referral that got here my way was a great point. And don’t get me mistaken—I still appreciate when past clients pass my name along here and there. But I noticed that was a pretty passive approach for something so crucial to keeping my business afloat.
Relying solely on occasional referrals left me in a constant state of uncertainty. My pipeline was all the time fluctuating, making it inconceivable to predict revenue quarter-to-quarter. I needed to get strategic if I wanted to scale.
That’s once I learned in regards to the power of referral partners. These differ from one-off referrals by being lively, win-win relationships which can be deliberately cultivated over time.
The hot button is aligning with partners who’re invested in seeing you succeed because it also advantages them. I discovered partners who offered complementary skills, not direct competition. Because at the top of the day, we share a similar goal customer.
A classic example is pairing up with someone whose offering fills in gaps of your individual. Web designers and copywriters are a match made in heaven! The designer creates the location’s feel and appear while the copywriter makes the user experience smooth. Each add value for clients trying to establish a web based presence.
Does this resonate with any partnerships you would envision in your individual freelance business? The hot button is to think beyond one-off referrals and strategically select partners.
Finding Referral Partners
Once I made a decision to pursue referral partnerships more intentionally, the following step was hunting down those win-win matches. This began by identifying where my best clientele already turned for added services.
I asked current and former clients numerous questions during our projects to study their broader business needs. I’d ask “So who handles your accounting and finance needs?” or “How do you generate leads besides through your website?” Their answers helped me map the complete pond my clients were swimming in for help.
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Armed with those insights, I thoroughly researched potential partners before ever reaching out. I made sure to understand their ideal customer, their offerings, their approach, and any gaps I could potentially fill. This helped me customize my pitch for mutual profit from day one.
Once I finally reached out, I focused fully on starting an open dialogue quite than pushing for a direct referral agreement. My first priority was listening to understand their business challenges higher and providing value.
Over time, small gestures also helped nurture partnerships. Following up a referral sent my way with a handwritten thanks note or complimentary gift card to try my services goes a great distance. I discovered consistency and goodwill built lasting, fruitful referral relationships.
Maintaining Referral Relationships
Landing that first referral partner is a great achievement. However the work doesn’t stop there my friends. Consistent nurturing is significant so your partnerships proceed bearing fruit.
It’s human nature that out of sight means out of mind. Make it a priority to often provide value to your partners long after your initial deal. Share an insightful article in regards to the challenges their customers face. Make introductions to other talented freelancers who complement their services too.
Also search for opportunities to gather intel through have informal conversations or interviews. Then leverage that insider knowledge into helpful content like podcast episodes, blog posts, and even guides and books! Position them as the revered industry expert and send copies featuring their commentary. This serves the twin goal of helping educate end customers while keeping your partnership top of mind.
The hot button is to consciously avoid an “out of sight, out of mind” dynamic where you simply reconnect while you suddenly need something. Nurture relationships behind the scenes continually so referrals flow more naturally (and also you don’t feel so salesy asking!)
The Risks of Referral-Only Strategies
While referral partnerships can transform your lead gen, I’d be remiss not to mention a few words of caution about relying entirely on referrals.
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On the outset, my freelance business depended almost solely on word-of-mouth referrals. And there have been definitely pros of not having to hustle always for sales. However the downside was my pipeline all the time felt out of my control. Busy seasons got here and went. I never knew what next month’s revenue could be.
If a major referral partner decided to exit the industry or take an prolonged vacation, my income took a major hit. That uncertainty ultimately pushed me to diversify my lead sources.
Referrals are still a powerful stream bringing highly qualified leads. But having additional income channels through content offers, paid ads, and lead nurturing ensures consistency.
My best advice is to pursue referral partnerships aggressively AND proceed prospecting through other channels concurrently. This balanced approach helps evenly fill your sales funnel.
Getting Began with Referral Partners
In case you take just one thing away, it’s this – strategic referral partnerships can transform your freelance business.
First, thoughtfully discover partners whose offerings complement yours. Research thoroughly to customize your pitch for mutual profit out of your earliest conversations.
Prioritize providing value through the partnership as a substitute of strictly extracting value. Trust that reciprocity will come by delighting their customers along with your services.
Once established, nurture referral relationships for the long-haul through consistent check-ins. Avoid the “out of sight, out of mind” trap.
When you’re constructing referral partnerships, proceed diversifying lead generation through other channels too. This balanced approach reduces the uncertainty of depending solely on referrals.
Referral partners have been integral for predicting revenue, scaling my solo operation, and weathering changes in my market. I hope cultivating your individual win-win partnerships yields the identical game-changing outcomes!
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