Project acquisition – 7 ways to successfully acquire clients as a freelancer
How can freelancers approach project acquisition in such a way that new jobs are successfully generated with moderate investment?
"I'm looking for the right project" - freelancers would love to remove this phrase from their vocabulary. The new freelancer study by freelance.de in 2024 clearly shows that, alongside problems such as dependence on the economic situation, acquiring orders and projects is currently the biggest challenge for freelancers.
One thing is certain: Project acquisition and the search for new customers take up a lot of resources that are then lacking for the actual core business. Nevertheless, there is often no way around it.
But how can the acquisition of projects as a freelancer be organised in such a way that new orders are successfully generated with a moderate investment of resources? Which strategies are particularly helpful and what do you need to bear in mind? Read on and use our tips and advice for successful customer acquisition.
The definition
What is project acquisition?
The word acquisition describes all measures to acquire new customers. For companies, this often means finding buyers for their own products or services. As a freelancer, however, you are usually looking for suitable projects that you can work on. This is why freelancers often talk about project acquisition.
The definition is very broad and encompasses many different measures. These include, for example
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Applications for advertised projects
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Initiative Contacting potential customers (cold calling)
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Registration with various brokerage platforms
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Cooperation with project brokers
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Work on your positioning and strategy (passive measure)
Types
of project acquisition
1. Make enquiries with new customers: What is cold calling?
2. Win projects from existing contacts: What is warm acquisition?
You always engage in warm acquisition when you receive projects from contacts who already know you. This sometimes happens due to a recommendation from other customers. In addition, obtaining orders from existing customers is also warm acquisition to a certain extent.
The main advantage of warm acquisition is that the chances of success are higher. If there is already a connection or a basis of trust with the potential client, they are more likely to be willing to work together.
Freelancing made easy
Strategic approach to
project acquisition
Before you fire up the sales engine, you should first develop a strategic basis.
You can answer the following questions by preparing accordingly:
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Who exactly do I want to address? = Target group
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What are their "pain points"/challenges?
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How can I solve this with my skills?
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What sets my offer apart from the competition? = USP (Unique Selling Proposition)
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How do I want to address my target group? = Channels
With the answers to these questions, you can approach your project acquisition measures in a much more targeted manner and thus save your time and money.
1. Identification of the target group
Conducting interviews
2. Identifying the pain points
3. Identifying the unique selling point (USP)
Identification of the channels
4. Communication of the solution to the problem in the target market
1. Identification of the target group
2. Identifying the pain points
3. Identifying the unique selling point (USP)
4. Communication of the solution to the problem in the target market
Defining your own target group is particularly important and can already be a unique selling point, as the example of the app developer shows. However, there are many other questions that can help in the search for your own target group:
- Do you feel particularly comfortable in certain sectors?
- Have you become an expert in a small specialist area or are you more broadly based?
- Which manners and management style in the company are important to you with your customers?
- Do you prefer to work with small companies or are you attracted by the international global players?
- Do you like to work with your tried and tested knowledge again and again or do you prefer varied tasks that require more familiarisation?
- For whom is your offer relevant?
By answering these questions, you will be able to create a picture of your ideal customers (persona) and their needs.
Together with your USP, you can position yourself on the market and know which projects are ideal for you. You will also be able to target potentially interesting clients and optimise your customer acquisition accordingly.
Defining your own target group is particularly important and can already be a unique selling point, as the example of the app developer shows. However, there are many other questions that can help in the search for your own target group:
- Do you feel particularly comfortable in certain sectors?
- Have you become an expert in a small specialist area or are you more broadly based?
- Which manners and management style in the company are important to you with your customers?
- Do you prefer to work with small companies or are you attracted by the international global players?
- Do you like to work with your tried and tested knowledge again and again or do you prefer varied tasks that require more familiarisation?
- For whom is your offer relevant?
By answering these questions, you will be able to create a picture of your ideal customers (persona) and their needs.
Together with your USP, you can position yourself on the market and know which projects are ideal for you. You will also be able to target potentially interesting clients and optimise your customer acquisition accordingly.
A unique selling proposition sets you apart from the competition and allows you to stand out from the crowd of skilled workers. But how can you find a USP (Unique Selling Proposition)? The following questions are helpful in this context:
- Which skills am I particularly good at?
- What services have I impressed my customers with in the past?
- In which area of my specialism do I have particular experience?
- What kind of customers have I had particularly good experiences with?
You can use the answers to further differentiate your service and possibly develop a unique value proposition.
Example: An app developer has already developed many different apps in her career. Her best work, however, are health apps. This is the segment she knows best and she has also helped develop a number of special functions. In this case, positioning herself as a health app developer would make a lot of sense. This form of specialisation would allow her to offer particular expertise for corresponding projects. The perceived value of her service to the customer increases.
A unique selling proposition sets you apart from the competition and allows you to stand out from the crowd of skilled workers. But how can you find a USP (Unique Selling Proposition)? The following questions are helpful in this context:
- Which skills am I particularly good at?
- What services have I impressed my customers with in the past?
- In which area of my specialism do I have particular experience?
- What kind of customers have I had particularly good experiences with?
You can use the answers to further differentiate your service and possibly develop a unique value proposition.
Example: An app developer has already developed many different apps in her career. Her best work, however, are health apps. This is the segment she knows best and she has also helped develop a number of special functions. In this case, positioning herself as a health app developer would make a lot of sense. This form of specialisation would allow her to offer particular expertise for corresponding projects. The perceived value of her service to the customer increases.
This step is based on the selected target group and your own USP. You only reach your target group where they are actually located. Do you primarily want to address young start-ups? In this case, print advertising would be the wrong approach. Do you prefer to support e-commerce companies? In this case, an interview on a specialist portal with a link to your own website could significantly boost your project acquisition.
If, in the end, your offer and USP match the right channel for the target group, project acquisition can quickly become a sure-fire success. You speak to your target group in their "language" and offer exactly what they need.
This step is based on the selected target group and your own USP. You only reach your target group where they are actually located. Do you primarily want to address young start-ups? In this case, print advertising would be the wrong approach. Do you prefer to support e-commerce companies? In this case, an interview on a specialist portal with a link to your own website could significantly boost your project acquisition.
If, in the end, your offer and USP match the right channel for the target group, project acquisition can quickly become a sure-fire success. You speak to your target group in their "language" and offer exactly what they need.
Digital channels
for project acquisition
1. Use freelancer portals for project acquisition
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You log in to the respective portal.
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You create a profile with important data (e.g. skills profile, previous projects and your availability).
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You are now visible to potential clients and receive requests for collaboration.
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Alternatively, you can use the "marketplaces" there to obtain information about open contracts and submit a bid yourself.
2. Customer acquisition via the website
3. Social (business) media: social selling as a means of customer acquisition
In times of digitalisation, social media is a valuable tool for you as a freelancer to be visible to client companies and project decision-makers. LinkedIn and co. and your profile are much more than job portals and digital CVs.
Social business media are more like digital trade fairs where you can exchange ideas with like-minded people - and also acquire projects. The focus here is on your personal profile.
For one thing, the LinkedIn algorithm favours posts by people, and for another, people don't do business with companies... but with other people.
Your LinkedIn profile is the basis for all your acquisition efforts on social business media. The structure is similar to that of a landing page:
It should be recognisable at first glance which problem you solve for your target group and which service (skills) you offer as an IT freelancer. A professional profile picture makes you look competent and likeable. With your cover image, you can present your service and at the same time convey credibility and authority: For example, choose a picture of you speaking at a conference or with colleagues to show your expert status.
In terms of professional experience, we recommend the following for freelancers:
1. Show your own freelance work (create a company account with logo) and present your services in more detail. Also refer to past successes in your freelance career.
2. Present your individual projects as stages and describe what kind of work you have done for which customer. This is particularly useful if you have worked with well-known companies. This gives you the opportunity to fill your profile with relevant keywords and create trust by showing your previous projects with company logos.
You also have the option of asking your ex-customers for recommendations. Use this opportunity and ask your (former) project contacts for a recommendation to generate more trust through customer feedback.
Your LinkedIn profile is the basis for all your acquisition efforts on social business media. The structure is similar to that of a landing page:
It should be recognisable at first glance which problem you solve for your target group and which service (skills) you offer as an IT freelancer. A professional profile picture makes you look competent and likeable. With your cover image, you can present your service and at the same time convey credibility and authority: For example, choose a picture of you speaking at a conference or with colleagues to show your expert status.
In terms of professional experience, we recommend the following for freelancers:
1. Show your own freelance work (create a company account with logo) and present your services in more detail. Also refer to past successes in your freelance career.
2. Present your individual projects as stages and describe what kind of work you have done for which customer. This is particularly useful if you have worked with well-known companies. This gives you the opportunity to fill your profile with relevant keywords and create trust by showing your previous projects with company logos.
You also have the option of asking your ex-customers for recommendations. Use this opportunity and ask your (former) project contacts for a recommendation to generate more trust through customer feedback.
Social business media are ideal for networking with relevant contacts in a targeted manner.
Find out: Which employees are involved in the freelancer recruitment process?
These are precisely the people you should network with: These can be IT decision-makers (CIOs, IT team leads), recruiters from client companies, but also employees from IT service providers. Networking with IT recruiters from personnel service providers can also be worthwhile.
Tip: There are recruiters or sales staff in the recruitment sector who are only assigned to a specific client, e.g. "Key Account Manager for Daimler". It is worth finding out who these people are if you are interested in a particular industry or client.
The LinkedIn search function offers you numerous filters, such as location, company or industry. But you can also search directly for certain keywords in the "Position" field. On no other social media platform do you have the opportunity to search so specifically for potential contacts to support your acquisition.
Social business media are ideal for networking with relevant contacts in a targeted manner.
Find out: Which employees are involved in the freelancer recruitment process?
These are precisely the people you should network with: These can be IT decision-makers (CIOs, IT team leads), recruiters from client companies, but also employees from IT service providers. Networking with IT recruiters from personnel service providers can also be worthwhile.
Tip: There are recruiters or sales staff in the recruitment sector who are only assigned to a specific client, e.g. "Key Account Manager for Daimler". It is worth finding out who these people are if you are interested in a particular industry or client.
The LinkedIn search function offers you numerous filters, such as location, company or industry. But you can also search directly for certain keywords in the "Position" field. On no other social media platform do you have the opportunity to search so specifically for potential contacts to support your acquisition.
What would happen if your previously identified project stakeholders saw your face and your value contributions in their LinkedIn feed every day?
That's right! You anchor yourself in their minds with your expert status and they remember you. This is particularly helpful if you want to be the first point of contact for a new project.
When creating and posting content with professional relevance, we make use of a psychological effect, the so-called Mere Exposure Effect:
The effect of this is that the repeated exposure of an item (in this case your person) that was initially assessed as neutral results in a positive assessment.
LinkedIn also gives you the opportunity to stay in touch with a much larger number of recruiters and clients by commenting on their posts or interacting with them socially in other ways from time to time (e.g. wishing them a happy birthday/promotion, following up with them via direct message, etc.).
What would happen if your previously identified project stakeholders saw your face and your value contributions in their LinkedIn feed every day?
That's right! You anchor yourself in their minds with your expert status and they remember you. This is particularly helpful if you want to be the first point of contact for a new project.
When creating and posting content with professional relevance, we make use of a psychological effect, the so-called Mere Exposure Effect:
The effect of this is that the repeated exposure of an item (in this case your person) that was initially assessed as neutral results in a positive assessment.
LinkedIn also gives you the opportunity to stay in touch with a much larger number of recruiters and clients by commenting on their posts or interacting with them socially in other ways from time to time (e.g. wishing them a happy birthday/promotion, following up with them via direct message, etc.).
Offline channels
for project acquisition
4. Use recruitment agencies for project acquisition
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You don't have to manually search for suitable projects
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You can draw on the brokerage expertise of the service providers
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Recruiters often offer you a follow-up project directly after your current project through so-called "spillover management"
5. Project acquisition on the phone
Acquiring projects over the phone is another alternative to digital customer acquisition. Your chances of success with this method depend heavily on your preparation. Cold calling by phone tends to be difficult for freelancers when it comes to projects.
The following preparatory steps will simplify the procedure:
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Kontakte vorher über die eigene Website knüpfen (Lead-Generierung)
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Unternehmen anrufen, die Projekte ausgeschrieben haben
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Genaue Kontaktperson recherchieren
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Einen guten Gesprächsaufhänger nutzen
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Gesprächsleitfaden entwickeln (Eigene Botschaft entwickeln)
6. Recommendations from existing customers and follow-up projects
Referrals from existing clients are the most valuable resource you can build up as a freelancer. When you deliver good work, clients develop trust in your skills and your way of working. So if your special expertise is in demand in their environment, you will certainly be on the shortlist for a recommendation. In addition, you can also acquire follow-up projects again and again through customer relationships built on trust.
In order to be able to successfully acquire projects in this way, customer care is a must. The following aspects are particularly important:
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Maintaining contact: Even after a project has been completed, it makes sense to maintain contact with customers. This can be done particularly unobtrusively via social media platforms such as LinkedIn. They respond to posts from the customer from time to time and are thus remembered. This could prove to be a real trump card for later projects.
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Show appreciation: Loyal customers are worth their weight in gold for IT freelancers. You should show this by showing your appreciation - for example with a Christmas card or a friendly email on certain occasions.
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Celebrating successes together: Have you successfully completed a joint project with a customer? You should also celebrate such successes together. Invite your customer to dinner or spend time together in some other way. This can turn an established customer relationship into a permanent foothold.
7. Print adverts in newspapers and trade magazines, flyers
Whether print adverts are suitable for your customer acquisition depends to a large extent on your target group and the specific situation. For example, flyers are well suited for trade fairs or other industry events.
As a freelancer, you could also find favour with your print ads in trade magazines. There you can address your target group precisely and avoid wastage as with general daily newspapers. Please note, however, that you are more likely to reach a less online-savvy clientele. However, depending on the definition of your target group, this can also be an advantage.
Conclusion:
Successfully acquiring projects is no coincidence
Project acquisition is definitely one of the most important tasks for freelancers alongside their own specialism. After all, the flow of orders must not stop. Ideally, you should take a strategic approach to acquisition and define your offer beforehand, including your USP and target group. With this data, you will be able to target your potential new customers through the right channels. You should also not neglect customer care. Existing customers are still the easiest source of new orders.
About the author
FAQ
- Projekt acquisition
There is not just one way to acquire projects. There are many different options and channels available to you. These include
1. Strategy and positioning
2. Online channels
3. Offline channels
4. Recommendations from existing customers
5. Follow-up projects
6. Public tenders
7. Contact with former employees
There is not just one way to acquire projects. There are many different options and channels available to you. These include
1. Strategy and positioning
2. Online channels
3. Offline channels
4. Recommendations from existing customers
5. Follow-up projects
6. Public tenders
7. Contact with former employees
Warm acquisition includes measures to win orders from customers who are not completely unfamiliar with you. This includes new projects with existing customers or projects that come about through recommendations from your existing customers.
The term acquisition describes all customer acquisition measures that are aimed at a specific addressee. This includes lead generation, lead qualification, making contact as well as sales talks, closing deals and after-sales. Advertising for branding purposes does not fall under acquisition, as it is not aimed at specific addressees.
The term acquisition describes all customer acquisition measures that are aimed at a specific addressee. This includes lead generation, lead qualification, making contact as well as sales talks, closing deals and after-sales. Advertising for branding purposes does not fall under acquisition, as it is not aimed at specific addressees.
In principle, cold calling is only permitted in the B2B sector if there could be potential interest in the service. In the B2C sector, only the sending of advertising flyers is permitted.
