How a freelance software developer can get clients

If you happen to be in the field of software development, it is very hard to not feel some envy when you look at your fellow developer friends who have gone into freelance software jobs and are thriving. You wish you were in that position too, but you have no idea where to start – especially when it comes to getting clients.

However, before you begin striking it out on your own, it is important to get noticed and build a client base of your own – here are some tips to help you with that.

Make an online portfolio

Because you are heading off to the freelance market, all clients will judge you based on your ability to deliver the job. It is obvious that you will lose out 90% of clients when you are very new to freelancing as the clients do not know what you can deliver, and they also want the money they are spending to count. With that said, there are some clients who will decide to hire freelancers who are quite green in their experience – so you may land opportunities like these, even though they are rare.

One of the best ways to persuade new clients is having a solid portfolio. Make it simple and easy for them to follow, and ensure it shows the best results of the work you have done before.

Working for free

A beginning freelancer always has a tough call – you must have a reputation of completed projects in order to get clients. However, you also have little to no projects when you are brand new, as well as no reputation.

Keeping this in mind, make it your main aim in the beginning to build your credibility, which eventually helps you get some experience and build your portfolio. Some of the best ways to do this are through:

• Talking to startup companies – offer to write some utility software or build them their company website, even if they cannot pay you much.
• Checking local organizations – they can offer you a chance to do some software development services for them.
• Family and friends – the economy of today has facilitated the shift of many businesses to an online space, and you can get to offer your services to friends and family who have online businesses.
• Emailing your e-card to contacts – create a neat e-card to represent your business, and email it to your email contacts to tell them you are offering your services to them for free or a limited-time discount.

Get your clients’ testimonials and showcase them

Recommendations are essential in the world of freelance software developers, and testimonials are a very good way of achieving that. After finishing a project, ask your client to create a testimonial of their experience with you, which you will eventually add to your website.

When adding these testimonials, make sure to add some credibility to them by including the name of the client, as well as the company they work for. The best testimonials are always focused on the results of the job, instead of being vague.

Contribute some tutorials or articles on other sites

Writing is a major way to establish you as an authority in a field, and contributing to major sites can result in plenty of exposure. The best part about it though is the chance to get paid for your contribution, which will push you through in your determination to become the best at what you do. In addition to that, you can include your most popular articles in your online portfolio for visitors to see.

Market yourself

When you want to land new projects, marketing yourself is essential – and you can do it through both offline and online means, as long as you have a strategy to handle both methods.

When you are meeting potential clients in person, maintain a friendly and casual tone, and get to know them if they are not interested in working with you at that moment, while following up on them later.

Additionally, you can also blog – this will allow you to show your knowledge about software development, which can land you clients.

In order to guarantee your chances of success even as a freelance software developer, it is important to build strong networks, a good portfolio, and plenty of expertise.