Top 5 Ways to Passively Turn Your Target Market Into Your Clients ~ Work for Yourself

A few days ago, I talked about the importance of diversifying your income. If you aren't lucky enough to have piles of passive income flowing into your bank account every month, you most likely will need to find clients for your freelance business.

Some freelancers think that this is one of the greatest challenges when it comes to building a successful empire. I think it's quite the contrary. The most challenging part of running your business is keeping your clients. Anyone can impress someone at first glance and sign a new deal. It's what you do AFTER you sign that client that counts. But, I digress...

Getting clients is often as simple as thinking outside the box. There are some prerequisites, though:

You should know who your ideal client is. Let's face it, not everyone wants your service, and that's a good thing. After all, there's not that much of you to go around. You want to make sure you still have time for the things you need to do to keep your business thriving.
You should know what your clients like. Do they like roses? Boxes of candy? Those weren't real examples, but you want to make sure that you approach your client in the right way. You wouldn't want to take a church friend to a rock and roll concert. Your clients are the same. They are individuals and deserve individualized offerings.
You must know how to speak your client's language. That's right - I mean Jargon. People love to talk Jargon in every industry. Outsiders are often left with a strange look on their face. Think I'm joking? Ask any non-SEO person what "link juice" is. :-)

After you get those "pre-reqs" out of the way, you can move on to actually bringing clients into your business.

So, how do you passively change these people from your target market to a client? It's relatively simple.

Be patient. It can take time to sign a client - maybe even a year or more. The more patient and persistent you are, the more likely the client will consider you when you're ready.
Create "free" solutions to common problems in their industry. Webinars and teleseminars usually do an effective job at helping with these sorts of things. However, you can also use tools like eBooks, whitepapers, etc. As long as it's free, you are being helpful and when they are ready to spend the money, they will count on you for help.
Talk to them. Don't just talk to them when you're trying to make a sale, and don't lose contact with them when you realize that you didn't make the sale. You never know how their situtation will change, and you can be the first one there whenever they are looking for a service provider in the future.
Teach them something. If you can show someone how to use Facebook in 5 minutes or less, you will have a line a mile long and filled with people who are interested in this "free" social media service. As more and more people sign up, you'll have even more people to add to your content list.
Hang out where they hang out. Are they active in the Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce, etc.? If so, you may want to check into becoming a member. More often than not, the business contacts you gain are well worth the membership fees required to join.

What other tips do you have for passively obtaining new clients?