For high-end projects or higher paid freelance work, meeting clients in person is often more effective than meeting clients online. Why? Because a lot of people would rather hand over thousand-dollar checks to people they know than people they don’t know.

You may be able to charge as much as double or triple your online rates by meeting clients offline rather than online.

How do you meet clients offline? Here are a few places to look.

=> Start with the People You Know

Instead of meeting new people, you’re often better off networking through people who already know and trust you.

Make it known among people you know what you’re up to these days. The more you can create a sense that you know what you’re doing, that you’re “the person” to send referrals to among your network, the better.

Always thank anyone who sends you a referral. Take them to lunch or dinner. Make them feel appreciated. In the future, they’ll likely send you more business.

This also applies to your actual clients. When they come from friends, they’re much more connected to your network than people who you’ve only met online. Make sure all your clients are totally satisfied and you’ll find even more referrals coming in.

=> Go to Events Where Potential Clients Go

Let’s say you’re a graphic designer. Where might you meet the kinds of people who would hire you?

One likely place is in meetings with small business owners who are making a profit but want to increase their business.

In this case, after doing a bit of research, you might come up with these events to attend:

* Your local Chamber of Commerce

* The Commonwealth Club meetings

* Two local entrepreneurship groups

* A realtor’s networking group (they often need brochures for home listings)

* Etc.

Two great places to look for great meeting and event listings include Craigslist and Meetup

The ideal place to meet your clients really depends on what kind of service you’re providing. Keep a list of places to visit regularly and continue to expand this list over time. Always be on the lookout for new places to meet clients.

=> How to Make a Favorable Impression

Avoid the “business card swap” strategy, where both parties swap business cards and never see each other again.

Instead, aim to make just one to three good connections per night. You have a much better chance of landing a client that way than swapping twenty business cards.

If they appear to be someone who could use your services, start exploring the subject with them. Focus on how you might be able to help their business, rather than trying to land a sale right away.

Don’t make it your goal to land them as a client right then and there. Instead, go for a second meeting. At the actual event, people are usually more focused on the event than you. So get their phone number, set a time and place to meet if possible, then have the actual sales conversation later.

Finding clients by networking in person is a much more effective way of landing high-end clients than using online advertising. Start with your own network, then meet new people through networking events. Get to know them and figure out how you can help them before trying to sell them your services.