Now is the time of the year that you should make a conscious decision to finish strong or take extra time off. (Find out which I chose last year.) Either is a totally valid option, and I personally know that I am happier when I pick one path or the other instead of trying to land somewhere in the middle, which means I only make a little money and get only a little relaxation. For those who decide to Finish the Year Strong (FTYS), I’m going to offer tips each week on how to make the most of the next six weeks of 2017.

Last week, I reached out to an agency client for whom I had done a large amount of work on a project for a national telecommunications company in October. I hadn’t heard from them in a few weeks, so I asked if they had any more projects. I quickly got a response saying that they had a ton of work for me because the client needed to use up their budget before the end of the year. They might have reached out to me, but because they knew I WANTED extra work, they assigned many more stories than I likely would have been offered otherwise.

With consumer publications, trade publications and newspapers, the budget is consistent throughout the year per issue. However, corporate departments at companies are allocated specific amount of money for the year. Typically, if you don’t use the money up, then you don’t get allocated that amount next year. It’s basically use it or lose it. This is a perfect opportunity for freelancers and now is the perfect time to reach out to clients with budgets to burn.

To Do: Check In With Current and Past Clients

Find some time this week to contact all of your current and past clients, and ask if they have any projects. I usually use the wording “I wanted to check in with you because I just finished a big project and have some availability. Do you have any content marketing writing projects that you need help with?” I always have the best luck getting work by checking in with past and current clients since they already know me and I’m already set up in their system.

I would reach out to both agency and direct clients. Agency clients may be working with clients who are looking to spend extra money and could use your help. If you have typically worked for an agency in a specific niche, be sure to let them know about other experience and expertise that you have because they might have other projects that would be a fit.

If you had previously talked with the client about a specific future project, I would be sure to mention it in the email. Of course, I personalize it as much as I can by asking about any projects I know they were working on or recent vacations that they took. I wouldn’t specifically say that you want to see if they have money in their budget to burn. If they are in this situation, they likely just realized it and are actively trying to find worthwhile projects.

My one email that I sent last week has alredy landed me $1000 in assignements and will likely result in at least $5K of work in the next few weeks. And it made me decide to reach out to other clients as well. Sometimes clients will just assign work to whatever freelancer is at the top of their mind. By reaching out now, you ensure that you are their go-to when their boss reminds them about their extra 2017 budget money.

Have you gotten work from clients looking to spend remaining budget money? Anyone else land work recently by following up with a past client?