How To Upsell to Clients as a Freelancer

If I have learned something in ten years of freelancing, it is that the best kind of client is a repeat client. The overhead of searching for new projects, applying, interviewing, vetting clients and acquainting yourself with the project is immense. This is why it’s very important to regularly search for opportunities to extend your relationship with your existing clients. The trick is doing it while keeping your professional integrity and keeping the client happy.

Here are some dos and don’ts of upselling.

Do try to solve problems the client isn’t aware he has. For example, do you have a client who has a retail store with a good amount of traffic, but below-average conversion? There is a reason for everything, and you can help both yourself and the client if you can find that reason. As a software developer, you could test the checkout process and compare it to other stores out there, then suggest improvements. As a copywriter or marketer, you could suggest communicating with users who have unfinished orders, in order to determine the course of action. You can bet that you will be the one to implement the solution if you identify the problem.

Don’t leave something undone or broken so you can be a hero and fix it later. The dark side of the above appears in the form of knowing something you were supposed to build is incomplete, or not functioning as expected. Clients often don’t understand the inner workings of what we do, and it is possible to sell them a fix to something that was our fault, to begin with. This is unethical behavior regardless of your profession. If that’s not reason enough to avoid it, remember that many clients are savvy and will not take kindly to being made a fool of.

Do suggest good features that you’ve invented or noticed in other projects or websites. Not only does this show initiative and concern for the client’s well-being, but you will certainly be the one to get paid to do it, and it will help build a long-term relationship with the client. New features or products require maintenance, upgrades, and changes more often than standard, tried-and-tested features.

Don’t suggest features that you know won’t really help the client, just because it would be lucrative or fun for you to implement. Example: recommendation engines for video streaming websites can be as fancy as you want — from comparing a single tag on the video to an algorithm that takes months to implement. If you’re a software developer or data scientist, they are interesting to implement. Also, clients love this sort of automation. But, if the nature of the website is such that most customers are only there for one or two channels, a fancy recommendation algorithm is a very expensive project that will likely never pay off.

Do respect your client’s opinion, even if you don’t agree with it. If you think his idea should be implemented in a completely different way, you should say so, but not be overly stubborn about it. Clients will sometimes want a quick and dirty fix that costs $10 rather than a solid solution that costs $500 — and that’s fine. You and I both know the $500 solution is much better and much easier to maintain, but it’s worth to the client what he says it’s worth, not what our professional intuition says.

Don’t be a “yes man”. While the client gets last say, a freelancer shouldn’t just nod their head to every suggestion. Sometimes you have to take the time to explain to the client why what he’s asking might be counterproductive, at the expense of losing some work hours.

Do think outside the box. Does your client have a good product and website conversions, but no retailers or promotion? You might be able to put together a plan for them to expand by creating a white-label solution or starting an affiliate program. If their website is well-designed, but a bit cold, why not discuss adding some gamification features or modernizing the user experience?

Don’t lose sight of the box completely. Helping your client diversify and expand is great, it shows initiative and creativity. But, never forget what the client’s bread and butter are — trying to divert their attention too far from their core product or message can make you seem disinterested and reckless.

Do propose custom solutions for problems. There is no need to use three different plugins to do something you can build yourself to suit the client’s needs perfectly. Explain the pros and cons and see if the client is interested in having a proprietary solution for his needs.

Don’t insist on reinventing the wheel. If your client needs a CRM, there are plenty of solutions out there that work out of the box and cover the needs of 90% of businesses. Taking 6 months to build your own solution, in this case, is a huge waste of money for the client.

If you adhere to the guidelines above, you will earn more money, all the while making real contributions to your client’s business and nourishing a real, mutually beneficial relationship with them. Keeping your goals aligned with your clients is key to long-term success. Never let short-term gains compromise your relationships and distract you from your path.