How to Find Companies & Clients Looking to Outsource Work

How to get clients for outsourcing business

Getting clients for an outsourcing business is definitely no easy task. Even the most experienced freelancers and contractors can attest to that.

In most cases, companies that need outsourcing services usually don’t advertise it. Some don’t even know that they need it. As a freelancer, you have to develop a sixth sense for sniffing out opportunities from thin air.

The fact of the matter is that there are plenty of outsourcing job opportunities out there, just like there is an abundance of gold and diamond, but only if you know where to dig.

A big mistake I often see freelancers do is to approach prospects without doing any research whatsoever. They’ll just send a templated proposal, and then hope for the best.

They imagine that by sending 10 proposals to 10 different prospects, maybe one will become fruitful. But that’s rarely the case.

Most companies receive dozens of emails and calls every day from people trying to sell them something. If you don’t personalize your outreach to show that you actually did some research on them, then you just look like all the other spammers.

Outsourcing is often a risk for many companies because they are forced to rely on blind trust and faith. They have no guarantee that you’ll get the job done as promised. Not all freelancers are reliable. They can only get confidence through your approach. This article will hopefully give you some ideas on where and how to get potential clients for your outsourcing business and grow exponentially.

How to Approach Clients Online

Tip 1: Have a clear definition of who your ideal client is

It’s important to have a clear understanding of your most ideal clients (or your target customer personas). That will help you understand where and how to target them. For example, if your ideal client is a marketing consultant, then you know that they’re likely to be found in marketing-related groups on Facebook and LinkedIn. That gives you a starting point.

If you haven’t already done this exercise, take some time to describe what such a client looks like. What industry are they in? Where are they located? Are they an individual or an outsourcing company? What is their job title?

Tip 2: Always research your prospects before reaching out

It’s important to find out everything you can about their business. That will help you prepare a tailored proposal that explains exactly how you can help them overcome realistic obstacles they may be facing.

Find out how they operate, who they target, their mission and vision, etc. The great thing is that most of that information can be found on their website and social media pages. You can also research reviews that they got from their clients. That can also be found in their social media pages.

Many clients are usually blunt whenever they’re unhappy with a service, and will not hesitate to let it out in a review. Researching reviews is one of the best ways to uncover challenges a company is facing. For example, if you see a number of comments about how slow their customer support is, then you know it’s probably an area they could do with some help with.

Tip 3: Always send personalized proposals that include samples of your work

Once you’ve done your research, the next thing is to put down all your findings in a proposal. Explain exactly how your services can help them overcome their pain points. If you offer web development services, explain all the issues their site has, what consequences such issues could have, and how you can help them.

As an expert in the field, your proposal is your opportunity to display your prowess. It’s your chance to show prospective clients problems they didn’t even know they have, to spark their curiosity and even enlighten them.

Don’t forget to include samples of your previous work as evidence of your quality. A big risk companies face whenever outsource is overpaying for low quality.

The best way to give them confidence is by showing them your pervious work. If they like it, then all the other things you proposed won’t seem far-fetched anymore. You would have proven that your worth. A sample is a lot more powerful that paragraphs explaining why you’re so good.

How to find companies looking to outsource work

1. Set up Google Alerts

Google Alerts enable you to keep track of what’s happening on the internet. You can set up alerts for keywords related to your outsourcing service, so that every time a new job is posted on any website, you get notified.

For example, if you are a freelance app developer, you can set up tracking for the keywords “app developers wanted”. Google frequently crawls websites for new content, so you will always be the first to get notified whenever it finds something that might be of interest to you.

2. Get a website

A website puts you in front of thousands of potential clients who are searching for your services online. It gives you a huge advantage over 90% of freelancers who only rely on third party platforms get clients.

Wix is a fantastic tool you can use to build your website if you don’t wish to spend thousands on developers. The platform enables non-technical people to easily build professional websites using an innovative drag-and-drop builder. It’s completely beginner friendly.

Wix also has over 500 of ready-made website templates that you can add to your site with a single click, and then edit the content to reflect your business. Their plans start from just $4.50 a month, you can get started here.

Once you have your site, you can take things a step further by running a small paid ads campaign. For example, if you are a freelance writer, you can create Google Search Ads, so that your site shows up whenever people search for the keywords ‘freelance writers in xxxx (insert location)’.

Since running ads can quickly get expensive, make sure to only target a specific location and set a maximum budget that you’re willing to spend per day. You can test it out by running a campaign with a budget of just 5-10 dollars per day for a short period. That will help you test the waters with limited risks.

If the outcome of your trial campaign is positive, you can gradually increase your daily budget so your ads get shown to even more people.

3. Find prospects on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is an amazing platform for finding potential customers online. You can use it to identify prospects by searching for them by job title and by location.

For example, if you’re targeting business owners, you can search for ‘CEO’ or ‘founder’ under the ‘jobs’ option, and then filter the results by location. Scan through the results manually to find profiles that match your criteria.

You can then send a connection request along with a short message introducing yourself. DON’T start pitching your services right away, instead look to first build some rapport. Get them to open up by showing interest in them as a person, not as a salesperson trying to sell.

4. Answer questions on Quora

Quora is an under-utilized platform that can be used to generate leads online. The entire basis of the platform is for users to ask questions, and other users to answer them by giving suggestions and recommendations.

You can search for questions that are within your line of work and then simply answer them by recommending your outsourcing business. For example, if you’re a freelance writer, you can search for questions like ‘where to find freelance writers online’, and then give a list of the top 5 best writing services (while including yourself in the list).

The great thing about Quora questions is that they often get thousands of views, so that means you’d be pitching your business in front of thousands of people looking for similar services.

5. Join industry related groups

You can find groups that are dedicated to nearly every niche on Facebook, LinkedIn and Reddit. Such groups are where your potential clients usually hang out to participate in discussions.

You can join groups and become an active member by contributing in the discussions. Don’t focus too much on selling otherwise you’ll get kicked out. Instead, always look to provide value every time you decide to chime in.

Occasionally a question will be asked that’s right up your alley. That will be your opportunity to indirectly pitch your services. You can either do so publicly, or by sending a private message to the person who asked it. Since you are an active group member, a lot of the members will have some familiarity with your name, and that will give you an upper hand.

6. Cold calls and emails

This is an old school method that’s still as effective today as it was years ago. The only down side is that it’s time consuming and can get overwhelming at times.

The key thing when cold calling and emailing is to first do a profound research on your leads, so that you can present solutions to problems they’re likely to be facing. Never ever send templated emails, it’s really putting off because they probably receive dozens of emails just like that every day.

You need to distinguish yourself from the other spammers and get their attention by presenting tailored solutions.

How to Find Companies and Clients Looking to Outsource Work