P-010  ·  Battle Tested Field Notes Co.

CLIENT ACQUISITION
FIELD MANUAL

You have the skill. Getting paid for it consistently is the problem this fixes. Exact positioning, real outreach scripts, a proposal template, and a weekly pipeline routine you can run alongside delivery work.

GET THE MANUAL ›
£9
PDF + Audit Tool + Offline
10 chapters  ·  13 exact scripts and templates  ·  weekly pipeline routine  ·  companion audit tool
The problem

REFERRALS AND LUCK ARE NOT A STRATEGY

Most freelancers land their first few clients through someone they know or someone who happened to find them. That works once. It does not work reliably, it does not scale, and it falls apart the moment a retainer ends or a referral source goes quiet.

The result is feast and famine. Busy with delivery, pipeline goes quiet. Project ends, scramble for the next one. Repeat. The work is good. The system for finding it is missing.

This manual is the system. Positioning, outreach, proposals, follow-up, referral activation, and a weekly routine you can run even during your busiest delivery weeks.

Who this is for

IS THIS YOU?

THIS IS FOR YOU IF
  • You are starting with no portfolio, no testimonials, and no network
  • You are three to five years in but still running on referrals and luck
  • You have tried platforms and cold email but nothing has stuck
  • You land clients but not consistently enough to plan around
  • You get busy with delivery and the pipeline dries up every time
  • You know how to do the work but not how to find people to pay you for it
THIS IS NOT FOR YOU IF
  • You already have a full pipeline and a waitlist
  • Your issue is pricing, not finding clients (see P-001)
  • You sell digital products, not services (see P-005)
  • You run an agency with a sales function
Why this is not another guide

SPECIFICITY OVER ADVICE

Free advice on getting clients is everywhere. Most of it is encouragement dressed up as strategy. This manual out-specifies it on every page.

13
EXACT SCRIPTS
Cold email, LinkedIn DMs, community outreach, follow-ups, proposal nudges, referral requests, client introductions. Word-for-word, adapt and send.
1
PROPOSAL STRUCTURE
Five sections, exact copy for each one. Situation, approach, deliverables, timeline, investment. Closes on a specific next action, not "let me know what you think."
1
WEEKLY ROUTINE
Monday to Friday, 40 to 60 minutes a day. What to do, in what order, with what targets. Runs during delivery weeks at a compressed minimum so the pipeline never fully stops.
1
TRACKING SYSTEM
A simple spreadsheet structure with every column named. Contact, channel, outreach date, three follow-up dates, status, notes. No CRM needed at sensible pipeline volumes.
From inside the manual

THIS IS WHAT "SPECIFIC" LOOKS LIKE

Not principles. Not encouragement. Every chapter ships something you can use today. Here is one of the 13 scripts, reproduced exactly as it appears in Chapter 4.

Cold Email — Version A: Observation-Led
Chapter 4 · Cold Outreach
Subject: [Company name], quick thought on [specific thing you noticed]

Hi [Name],

I was looking at [specific thing: a page, a campaign, a published piece] and noticed [specific observation: what you saw, what struck you, what could be sharper].

I work with [type of company or person] on [what you do, positioned]. I’ve [one line of relevant context, not a CV].

If this is a live area for you, I’m happy to send over a few specific thoughts. No pitch, just what I’d look at first.

[Your name]

The manual ships two cold email variants, a LinkedIn DM script, a community outreach script, three follow-up scripts, two proposal follow-up scripts, a referral request script, and a client introduction paragraph. All word-for-word.

What’s inside

10 CHAPTERS. ONE COMPLETE SYSTEM.

Built from 30 real freelancer demand signals. Every chapter solves a specific, named problem in the client acquisition sequence.

  • 01
    POSITIONING CLARITY
    Why "I'm a copywriter" gets you ignored. A positioning statement worksheet that makes the right client recognise themselves immediately.
    Worksheet
  • 02
    PROOF WITHOUT A PORTFOLIO
    Five types of proof that are not client testimonials. How to present spec work, analytical pieces, and non-client references without apologising for them.
    Framework
  • 03
    CHANNEL SELECTION
    A four-axis scoring framework for picking the two channels worth your time. The other channels wait until the pipeline runs.
    Scorer
  • 04
    COLD OUTREACH
    Three exact scripts. Cold email (two variants), LinkedIn DM, community message. Value-first framing, realistic expectations, no mass-blast templates.
    3 Scripts
  • 05
    FREELANCE PLATFORMS
    Upwork and Fiverr as a deliberate channel, not a race to the bottom. Profile positioning that leads with your niche. A five-step proposal structure that gets read.
    Template
  • 06
    THE PROPOSAL
    Five sections, exact content for each. Situation, approach, deliverables, timeline, investment. Every proposal closes on one specific next action.
    Template
  • 07
    FOLLOW-UP DISCIPLINE
    Day 4, day 10, day 21. Five exact scripts for outreach follow-up and proposal follow-up. What to say when the reply is "not right now."
    5 Scripts
  • 08
    REFERRAL ACTIVATION
    When to ask, how to ask, and what to give the client so they can actually make the introduction. Three scripts including the forwarding paragraph.
    3 Scripts
  • 09
    THE WEEKLY PIPELINE ROUTINE
    Monday to Friday, what to do and when. Targets, tracking sheet structure, minimum viable week for full delivery weeks. The routine that keeps the pipeline from emptying.
    Routine
  • 10
    DELIVERING AND ACQUIRING SIMULTANEOUSLY
    The feast-and-famine fix. Why you build pipeline during delivery, not after. Calendar blocking, warning signs, and the three things to do in the final weeks of every project.
    System
Companion tool
CLIENT PIPELINE AUDIT
Included with the manual
Positioning Clarity
Cold Outreach
Follow-Up Discipline
Referral Activation
The Weekly Pipeline Routine
Your three lowest scores are your priorities

KNOW EXACTLY WHERE TO START

The companion tool is a self-assessment across all 10 pipeline areas. Score each one honestly, then see your three priorities with a direct chapter reference for each.

  • Score all 10 areas in under 3 minutes
  • Bar chart shows your pipeline at a glance
  • Priority actions link back to the relevant chapter
  • Runs entirely offline, in any browser
  • Print the results page for your desk
What you get

THE BUNDLE

PDF Guide
CLIENT ACQUISITION FIELD MANUAL
10 chapters. 13 scripts and templates. A positioning worksheet, channel scorer, proposal structure, tracking system, and weekly routine. 60 to 70 pages.
HTML Tool
CLIENT PIPELINE AUDIT
A self-assessment across all 10 pipeline areas. Open in any browser, runs offline. Score, see your priorities, print the results. No login, no account, no data sent anywhere.
Text File
README + QUICK START
Three entry paths: starting from zero, existing clients with no system, and recovering from feast-and-famine. Know exactly which chapter to open first.

BUILD THE PIPELINE.
KEEP IT RUNNING.

One purchase. No subscription. No upsell.

£9
PDF + Audit Tool + Readme
Instant download via Gumroad
GET THE MANUAL
One-time purchase  ·  Instant delivery  ·  No account required
The catalogue

REST OF THE SERIES

P-010 pairs with these titles. Each one covers a different bottleneck in the solo practice.

001
FEE CONFIDENCE FIELD MANUAL
How to price your work and hold your rate. The number that goes in your proposal’s investment section.
003
CLIENT BOUNDARY FIELD MANUAL
How to manage the client relationship once you have won the work.
008
CREATOR PLATFORM RISK FIELD MANUAL
Platform dependency, demonetisation risk, and income resilience.
009
SOLO BUSINESS PROTECTION FIELD MANUAL
Client vetting, contract basics, and operating risk for solo practitioners.