Do It Yourself Marketing with only $20
Oct 27, 2006So you’re a competent tech guru. You want to strike out on your own. “Down with the Man!”, you say. So you put up a website, carve out some space on the dining room table, and then realize, “Hmm. I could really use some paying clients.”
The Marketing Dilemma
Software developers frequently crack jokes about sales people and marketers. We lump them with the “unwashed masses” and dismiss them as people who obviously couldn’t cut it with a real career. Only until we’re forced out from behind our monitors do we realize how tough they have it. Cold calling, advertising, door to door … it’s enough to make one go back to the corporate work where projects are magically delegated from on high and you never have to deal with a customer.
So you love developing great software, but obviously you first need to wrangle a few clients. You’re also going to have to establish a good relationship with potential clients since you’ll most likely be an unknown.
Here’s what I’ve found is a fairly pain-free way to get some momentum going.
The $20
Go online, get yourself some business cards, and make sure they look respectable. They don’t have to be flashy, they just have to have your name, contact information, and easily inform people what you do. Just get a basic set of 100 so you won’t feel bad about changing to new business cards later. This is just a small first iteration in your foray into freelancing, you don’t want to commit yourself to something you’ll probably want to change in a few months anyway as you fine tune your focus.
Now I’m sure you’re wondering why you need business cards when you have a website and you’ll be doing most of your communication online. This is because you’re going to leave your keyboard and go make face-to-face contact with people.
The Do-It-Yourself
Assuming you’re not a hermit, you probably know a handful of people you generally like you and consider you a pretty good, stand-up person. Guess what? These people have jobs too. They also know people also have jobs. Within just two degrees of separation you can probably end up with about 20 companies to investigate for potential business. I can guarantee you that just by the general state of the IT world, have these companies have technical problems that you can help solve.
So you need to let your friends know you’re available for freelance projects. This is where you give them 2-3 business cards to hand to their bosses. If you’re lucky a few of these business cards will stick and get you your first client. That’s all you need.
The Backup Plan
Expect this process to take a few months. In the meantime you have a great outlet for all your free time. Work on your existing portfolio by doing pro bono work for non-profit causes you believe in. I’ve said it before: Pro Bono work is essential to success.