Stepping in, stepping up

With almost half of all arts managers expecting to increase their use of freelancers over the next year (AP222), what might be the best way of going about it? And what are the implications for the army of freelancers out there? A few pointers might be useful from my recent research as part of an MSc in Strategic Marketing. The starting point for my research was observing how little of my freelance consultancy work came through advertised opportunities; nearly all came from networks and contacts. So I undertook a detailed analysis of every piece of work I had undertaken or applied for over the previous two years. I’d like to share these findings – they give a personal viewpoint, but one which is rooted in experience and backed up by the comments of other freelancers.
 

THE FINDINGS
The first analysis was based on how I heard about a potential job: 59% came through a previous contact – this includes times when I was invited to undertake a further piece of work by an existing client; and the remaining 41% came through advertisements and invitations to tender, largely through websites. Of all contracts that were advertised and the 41% of clients who had no prior knowledge of my work, less than 20% of my applications were successful. A closer analysis made the position starker: in most cases, the jobs won through advertisements were actually successful bids to get on approved suppliers lists – something that does not of itself guarantee further work. On the upside, of the 59% that I was made aware of through a previous contact, over 90% were converted into contracts. In summary, when analysing all the contracts I undertook during the two-year period, 87% had been won following previous contact with the client or a specific invitation to apply. Only 13% of jobs I won originated from advertisements.

THE IMPLICATIONS
Does this just mean I’m poor at responding to adverts? Perhaps, but these findings are echoed by fellow consultants and freelancers. One experienced fundraising consultant told me that she never responds to tender advertisements. She used a memorable phrase: “I hunt down the work.” This was reinforced at a ‘How to Tender’ workshop for businesses outside the arts – the course leader suggested that, if you don’t know about a tender before it has been advertised you are probably too late. So what are the implications for freelancers, consultants and arts managers?

ADVICE FOR FREELANCERS
Prioritise networking time over time given to responding to advertisements. Sometimes the networking doesn’t feel like ‘real’ work because you are usually not being paid for your time. But it is vital if you want a sustainable business. Networking can be face to face or digital; ultimately both are about the relationships with people. Try to be concise about where your skills lie. One of the managers I spoke to talked about his frustration when trying to find a consultant who really matched his organisation’s needs. We freelancers tend to list everything we have any experience in, in case we might be considered for a job. If you decide to respond to an advert or tender, there is no point doing it half-heartedly. A number of managers spoke of the need to read between the lines of the brief. Phone the potential client and find out more. Managers also expressed a frustration with standard proposals that had clearly been adapted from previous ones. A basic rule of marketing holds true: it is far more effective to keep an existing customer, than to find a new one. So prioritise relationships with existing clients.

ADVICE FOR CLIENTS
If you are pretty sure who you are going to employ, do you really need to waste everyone’s time and money by advertising? You may be bound by procurement processes, particularly in the public sector. Could you argue for a ‘departure approval’ from usual processes? For example, there may be a small but urgent job, where prior knowledge will really help the consultant to hit the ground running. The above suggestions bring a number of risks to your organisation. The first is your commitment to equal opportunities. By only working with freelancers you already know, are you perpetuating an ‘old boy network’? Secondly, does your organisation need an independent outside view? One of the managers talked of the need for his organisation to be challenged: “It can be really good for us to have someone we don’t know who takes a completely fresh view.” You might need to be open to proposals that take the advertised job in a slightly different direction. If you are going to advertise, a robust selection process is important. Consider carefully the essential criteria for the job and the weight given to each. One national arts organisation recently completed a review of its processes for commissioning work. Perhaps as a result, a recent piece of consultancy work went to an organisation with which it had no prior knowledge but which met the brief most closely.