I did a poll on Instagram a few weeks ago about staying in touch with past clients, and 1/3 of you guys said that you rarely/never follow-up on them.

And I totally get it! I used to not follow-up too. I only seriously started following up on my clients last year — when I was about to fire one 😅

It’s been over a year since we last worked together. He’d appear on my inbox every now and then. He was the type to haggle for the cheapest option.

So...

I said my hello, told him I expanded my services and that my rates have increased.

I thought I wouldn’t hear from him again. Next thing I knew it, we were on a sales call and he sent over the first payment 💰

By staying in touch with him, he made me $5200.

Ever since then, I'd make sure to greet my clients every 2 months.

⭐️ It’s never too late to follow-up on past clients. I once followed-up on my client after a full year and still got a new project.

⭐️ Staying in touch helps you stay top of mind, and you don’t need a good reason to follow-up on them. I greet my clients whenever there’s a special occasion (e.g. birthday, new year, etc.)

⭐️ Overtime your small clients can end up becoming your biggest clients AND cheerleaders.

⭐️ Staying in touch can bring in new leads. I once greeted my client a Happy Chinese New Year and was suddenly invited to be his guest in his business networking group.

Asking for a new project after finishing one a couple of months ago...

Hey CLIENT,

Hope you’ve been doing well!

I really enjoyed working with you on your visual identity. I’m doing some production planning for the next few months and thought that you should know in case you need anything. Is there anything you need help with?

I’d love to work with you again!


Asking for a referral after getting good feedback

Hey CLIENT,

I’m really glad to hear that you enjoyed working with me! I really enjoyed working with you too.

If you know anyone who’s in a similar situation as yourself, we’d love it if you can send them this (name of freebie) that can help them with (problem).

As you know, one of the ways our business grows is by getting referrals from clients like you.


If you don’t have a lead magnet to give...

Hey CLIENT,

I’m really glad to hear that you enjoyed working with me! I really enjoyed working with you too.

As you know, I help (niche) with (problem). Is there anyone you know who might benefit from my services?You see, one of the ways our business grows is by getting referrals from clients like you.


Another simple way is by saying:

Thanks CLIENT, glad that you enjoyed working with me.
As you know, one of the ways our business grows is by getting referrals from clients like you.

What would I have to do for you to refer me to your network?

And then wait for a reply…

Hope this helped,

Patty 🤩

tl;dr - It’s never too late to follow-up on past clients. This helps you stay top of mind and bring in new projects and referrals.

📖 Book: Burn Your Portfolio by Mike Janda — This is a must read for any designer. Here, you’ll get a look of the exact systems, processes and scripts Mike used for his own agency.

💡 In case you missed it: How I turned my $200 into a $3.7k client — A short story on how I increased my client’s budget. This only happened because I continued to stay in touch!

📖 Book: Building A Storybrand by Donald Miller — This is a book I’m always re-reading. It’s a good reference for brand messaging and storytelling. I apply a lot of the exercises onto my own freelancing business and client strategy sessions.

📺 Shows: All Of Us Are Dead (Netflix) — I’m a sucker for Korean Dramas. This show focuses on the survival of high schoolers during a zombie infection. I’m not a fan of zombie shows, but I love how K-dramas portray the relationships of the characters — it’s a real tear jerker 😢

Twice a month, I would share actionable tips to help you sign your premium clients