Want to significantly boost your freelance earnings?

Want to earn more with less hustle?

Then learn to maximize earnings from a single client.

Getting a new client is 3x harder than securing a repeat gig from an existing one. This makes sense. Your present customers already know and respect you. They’ve seen the great value you provide.

However, a prospective client doesn’t know nor trust you yet. You’re yet to prove yourself. You might be a bungling amateur as opposed to the masterful pro they’re looking for. So it makes sense to focus on your current clients. It’s cheaper, easier, and more profitable.

Maximizing pay from a single client is one of the secrets highly-paid writers use to gross decent earnings.

In this post I’ll show you 3 easy ways to supercharge your earnings from one client.

Ready to dig in?

#1. ‘Wow’ your current clients with stellar service

When serving a client, good is simply not good enough.

You have to be epic. Woo them with your brilliance so they feel compelled to work with you. Again and again.

How, you ask?

Easy peasy. Do the basics right:

First, make sure you meet deadlines.

By just meeting or beating deadlines you’ll shoot to the top 10% of freelancers. Exclude clients from your personal drama. We all have problems.

According to the Accenture Broken Promises research, 90% of clients say the most commonly broken promise is on-time delivery of services.

Second, produce results.

Give your client’s conversions a huge lift. Make their content rank higher. Help them make more money than they’ve ever made. Do that and they’ll happily hire you over and over.

Let me give you an example.

There’s a client I’ve had for just over a month now. I’ve billed her $1600 for 8 projects in that time. Yes, you heard that right: 8 gigs in a single month. Repeat business is sweet and swift. Know why she keeps coming back for more? I impress her every time.

Third, be an effective communicator.

That’s part of being a good service provider. Don’t disappear into your freelancer cave and ignore client emails. It’ll backfire on you.

A Zendesk survey revealed that 82% of clients have stopped doing business with a service provider because of bad customer service.

Become your client’s go-to person through top-drawer service. You’ll bank more.

#2. Master the art of the lucrative upsell

Here’s a typical scenario.

You’ve nailed a project. You scored a perfect 10 in every aspect. Your client can’t stop singing your praises. You’ve made her look cool before her team or boss. She’s elated. She’s even considering naming her first child after you.

What do you do?

Appreciate her good words? Sure, that’s what a decent human would do.

Use her glowing praise as a testimonial? Wow. That’s a great idea.

Ask for a referral? Now that’s a super-cool way of maximizing the moment.

Over and above that, sell her more: enter the upsell.

An upsell is a sales strategy where the seller (that’s you, my friend) provides opportunities to purchase related products or services, often for the sole purpose of making a larger sale.

Keyword: related.

For an upsell to work, the offered product or service must be connected to the original purchase. McDonald’s doesn’t offer you a calculator as an upsell, do they?

Did a landing page? Offer to do the accompanying thank you page as well.

Aced a long form post? Suggest turning it into a lead magnet.

Been writing lots of posts for a client? Offer a turnkey package that includes content strategy, promotion and management.

You can make good money through upsells.

I love the way top copywriter Jacob McMillen explains why upselling works so well.

“When done correctly, upselling connects a problem people are actively trying to solve with a solution provider they are already happy with. Upselling eliminates all the hassle that comes with finding a new product or service provider. And that’s why, when done correctly, having someone upsell you is a big convenience.”

Serve your client and make more money through the upsell.

#3. Offer your services as a recurring gig

Freelancers often go through the feast-famine cycle.

One moment you’re flooded with clients and your schedule is full. In a couple of weeks you hit a dry patch when you struggle to land a single client. As a result your cash reserves dwindle.

One way of overcoming this is through recurring gigs.

Retainer gigs ensure that you get guaranteed income each month so you keep the lights on. Don’t wait for such gigs to come to you; propose them to your client.

Let’s say you’ve written a couple of blog posts for a client. She’s thrilled and blown away by your work and the value you provide. Suggest to her, “How about having these sort of posts x times a month/week?”

Sweeten the offer by leveraging a discount since you’ll be getting regular work. Take the time to explain how the regular work will benefit the client’s overall goals.

Keep the cash register ringing through repeat gigs.

Expert Opinion

I reached out to top business writer Sue-Ann Bubacz of Write Mix for Business and asked her to spill the beans bucks on how to maximize earnings from one client. Here’s what she said:

“My biggest secrets to grow a client to the biggest chunk of business possible is to position myself as a THE go-to source for them.

Essentially, you want to be a partner to their business without having to work in-house. You want to make certain to prove your reliability and always add value to any project you are part of.

And, this is very important, you have to establish your credibility by always bringing something new. Innovation and ideas as well as industry leading information makes you stand out. Make yourself essential!”

Position yourself strategically.

Provide super value. Prove your reliability. Produce money-making ideas.

That’s it.

Do this and your client will gladly give you a huge slice of her business pie. You’ll munch your way through delicious projects while others are scrounging for new business.

You’re sitting on a rich untapped goldmine

Your current roster of clients is a goldmine.

It’s up to you to roll up your sleeves and dig up the gold.

With strategic, focused effort, you can easily hike your income from one client and turn present gigs into bigger more lucrative ones.

Just solve the client’s problems and – bingo! An avalanche of cash rolls towards you.

What say you?