The Simple Two-Step Funnel I Use to Qualify Freelance Leads

Finding freelance leads can be a thankless task.

You send out 30+ pitches and land two clients and that’s considered a Very Good Outcome.

So, you sign a contract with those two clients, start the work, and everything is unicorns and rainbows; it’s all hunkydory.

Each project lasts for a heady two weeks, but then you hit the ground with a bone-crunching bump and a dawning realisation: you have to send out another 30+ pitches to get another two clients.

It’s relentless and can seem like a lot of work — particularly when you’re busy doing your actual job. Because of course you’re going to forget to pitch some weeks if you’re snowed under with your latest contract, right?

But pitching is the only way to get work… Isn’t it?

Or is it…?

In the early days of freelancing, spending 20+ hours a month identifying clients and sending out pitches can be incredibly rewarding. It can bolster your schedule for a good few months and get good work flowing in.

For long-term freelancers, 20+ hours a month is way too much time to spend landing new work. Those are potentially billable hours that could be spent honing your craft, building relationships with…