As a contractor, your income depends on the amount of work you can do in the time you have available. Of course it also depends on how much you are paid for it.
But if you have set income goals, do you reach them or get very close by the end of the year? If you aren’t sure you should be checking periodically so you know if you are staying on track to meet those goals.
Since the end of the year is so close there are some last-minute ways you can generate extra revenue to push you over the top.
1. Contact Past Clients
Check with past clients to see if they have any needs or end of year projects you could help them with. This could include holiday newsletters, blogs, copywriting, or other services.
You can pitch new ideas that can increase their revenue as well, such as promotions for holiday sales or other writing projects.
2. Remind Clients to Use Remaining Marketing Budgets
For tax purposes, your clients likely want to use their remaining marketing dollars within this current year. This is especially true of large clients because not using their whole budget could result in a lowered budget for the next year.
Reminding them to use the funds they have available helps them with their upcoming tax deductions and you with increased revenue to boost your business to meet year-end goals.
3. Presell for the New Year
You could offer a discount to clients who wish to pay in advance for projects you will complete in the New Year. You get the revenue, they get to use the rest of this years budgeted money, and they get a discount on top of it.
4. Create Packages
Put together packages of services for next year that you can offer to past and current clients based on their needs. This could include copywriting, blogging, press releases, newsletters, and more.
5. Offer Maintenance Contracts
Another way to boost your business to meet year-end goals is to offer monthly maintenance plans.
For instance, businesses with a website may want only a few small monthly updates. You could offer a certain number of hours of work each month for a fee, such as $50 for two hours of work. This would add to your revenue each month with very little work on your part.
6. Promote Yourself
You can promote yourself through the many social media platforms to increase your visibility. Potential clients may see your ads and enter into conversations with you which can increase your business.
7. Upsell Other Services
When you are providing one service to a client, offer others that may benefit them as well. You may find some of the other services you provide have not even been considered before.
For example, if you are writing blog posts for them, offer to promote them over social media platforms to increase their business.
As you can see, it is possible to help your clients meet their needs using the ideas listed above. At the same time you just might reach your own year-end goals and close out the year with a win.
