How to get more business? Now that’s a big question? Here’s another one (or two)… Does it make a difference how much you know if you don’t have anyone to tell?… More to the point… Does it make a difference how many people you know to tell?

I guess this follows on from a previous post about confidence. Having been working for myself (seriously) since November 2015 I am a definite believer in it’s not always what you know but who you know. I gained business from contacts I had made through previous employment, people that already knew me well and knew what I was capable of.

They gave me the chance, and after proving myself to them I have both regular clients and those that use me for adhoc project requirements.

So, the problem… I have my existing customer base and those that I have gained through ‘word of mouth’ from them which is fantastic but (and I’m not being ungrateful), how do I reach out to more?

I have an acquaintance (not quite a friend but not far off) who has established a huge database of contacts which she can use at any given moment depending on who she is targeting for whatever event, conference, meeting etc she is co-ordinating. She has spent years gathering this data and years ‘working the room’ to establish herself as ‘one of the best in the business’. Is that the only way to grow your audience?

I’m not the best at networking so I tend not to do much of it – does it work? How do you stand out from the crowd and how do you sell yourself when everyone else in the room is doing the same thing?

As a freelancer I don’t necessarily have the budget to promote myself and compete for business online in an increasingly paid advertising based space. I do believe that social media networking can help to a degree, if you have the time to put in the effort – but do you have the time when you’re working on your client’s projects? I know my website has suffered (it really does need some TLC) due to workload. My priority has to be my client/s, doesn’t it

So… back to the burning question… Is it ‘what you know’ or ‘who you know’?