2 October 2025
Client Acquisition Specialist for a Freelance Design Studio
📍
Remote
Monthly Salary Range : Fixed Fee
Sales
Mid Level
Contract/Freelance
Remote
The Opportunity:
Mission
Build a predictable, ethical, and scalable pipeline that consistently books qualified discovery calls for high-value design projects: brand identity, packaging, print, digital, and web design, across any various industries in Canada and USA. You are the engine that transforms my reputation and portfolio into a steady flow of decision-ready conversations.
I’m an award-winning senior freelance graphic designer & design director; a true “Swiss-Army-Knife of Design.” I deliver agency-level creative across brand systems, packaging, motion, print, and high-performing websites for small & mid-sized businesses, enterprise clients, and funded startups. I handle strategy and execution; you own client acquisition so I can stay focused on creative outcomes.
What You’re Accountable For:
Booked Calls: 3-5 qualified discovery calls per month within your first 45 days; scalable to 6-10 with proof of channel fit.
Quality of Opportunities: Prospects have a real initiative (brand/web/packaging/motion), authority or direct line to it, a credible budget range, and a plausible timeline.
Signal-Based Targeting: You identify credible buying signals (growth, launches, rebrands, funding, category refreshes, hiring indicators, etc.) across any sector and convert them into conversations.
Learning Loop: Clear weekly reporting (key numbers, why replies happened, why they didn’t, best-performing messages, next experiments). Decisions backed by data, not vibes.
Scalability: Within 60–90 days, you’ve documented a lean playbook (ICP notes, message bank, objection handling, channel insights) that another rep could run — without teaching them the basics of sales, just capturing our specifics.
NOTE: If you cannot speak to results in these exact areas from prior roles (especially with creative services), this isn’t the right fit.
Scope:
Prospect Sourcing & Targeting: You define broad, testable audiences (SMBs, funded startups, growth companies, professional services, e-commerce, hospitality, healthcare, industrial — any sector that buys design) and prioritize based on purchase likelihood.
Messaging & Positioning: You craft concise, relevant outreach that reflects a premium creative practice. No fluff, no generic templates, no spray-and-pray.
Qualification & Handoff: You protect the calendar. Confirm authority, initiative, budget sense, and timeline before booking. Provide crisp context for each call.
Rhythm & Reporting: You own your weekly operating rhythm and keep pipeline, notes, and outcomes clean. You propose experiments and scale what works.
What Great Looks Like:
15–25 personalized first touches/day (email/LinkedIn/light call where useful), not volume for its own sake.
Reply rate ≥ 5–8% on cold email by week 4 through iteration (not gimmicks).
No-nonsense CRM hygiene: every contact has reason, stage, and next step; every booked call has a 5-line brief.
Professional tone control that represents a premium design brand.
Who Should Apply (Must-Haves):
Proven client acquisition for creative services (freelance designers, boutique studios, or agencies). You have actually booked paid project conversations — not just “generated leads.”
Must be available to work during ET (Eastern Timezone) Hours.
Research mindset: you spot credible triggers across any industry and translate them into relevant conversations.
Copy discipline: succinct, human, on-brand writing in excellent English.
Commercial sense: you can qualify budget/timeline respectfully and hold the line on fit.
Owner mentality: you manage your day, your pipeline, and your learning loop without micromanagement.
Who Should NOT Apply:
Generic B2B “lead gen” folks who mass-blast templates and can’t show outcomes for creative/consulting services.
Candidates who speak in guarantees (“50 calls in 2 weeks”) or vanity metrics (impressions, inboxes warmed) without booked, qualified calls.
People who need step-by-step instructions to do the basics of prospecting, messaging, and qualification.
Working Model
Remote; at least 2 hours overlap with America/Toronto for async reviews/hand-offs.
Start lean, prove channels, then scale together. Ethical outreach only.
Compensation:
Fair regional hourly + closing bonus on won projects.
Paid trial (2–3 weeks) to validate channel fit and economics before expanding.
Don't forget to mention that you found the opportunity at YDI. Use the Apply button below to see application email or URL.
Want to volunteer?
YDI is run by volunteers who bring in unique view points and an unmatchable willingness to give back to the design community. We are always looking for support and advice to shape the future of YDI. Think you can help? Slide into our Email.