12 tips for you to exceed expectations as a freelancer
TRANSCRIPT
Becoming a full-time freelancer or
entrepreneur isn’t for the faint of heart,
but is full of huge opportunities.
Going independent requires increased
discipline and a lot of planning if you
want to see long-term returns for your
hard work and risk.
Here’s how you can improve your chances
of success as a freelancer, and get started
doing the work you love.
Plan your Business
• Will this be your full-time job?
• Decide what you want your future to look like, both near- and long-term
• Tap your personal and extended networks for feedback and insight into your plans
Project your Financials
• Focus on 6-month, 1, 3, and 5 year horizons
• Get an idea of the price-points you’ll like to offer for your services
• Couple that with customer predictions to decide what’s really possible
Plan your Marketing Efforts
• Finding, connecting, and converting potential clients will be the life-blood of your venture
• Get active both online and offline with a website, social media accounts, and attending events where your potential clients will be
• Promote your skills and services
Show-off your Talents
• Explain and display what you’re capable of
• Maintain and share an impressive portfolio
• Give your clients an idea of your skills and help them decide if you can answer their needs
Focus on your Schedule
• Realize that you’re hopefully going to be busy with segmented responsibilities
• Keep a notebook, calendar, or scheduling app that can always stay within reach
• Stay on-time with clients, avoid overbooking
Give away Free Stuff
• Converting clients is difficult for any size venture or company
• Use “free” to attract and retain leads
• Spark a relationship and get in the door to show-off your services and talents
Already interested in putting your Talents to the Test?
Focus on a Niche
• Marketing as a “freelancer” isn’t efficient
• Specialize your offering for a target client, and master that unique skill
• Customize all marketing and promotion efforts to target that individual customer
Serve your Customers
• Failing to listen to clients will never end well
• Give your utmost attention to your newest and oldest customers to improve retention
• Retaining customers is far cheaper than finding and converting new clients
Provide Professional Quality
• Appear larger than you are
• Employ and manage your skills to answer every need of your client
• Even without a ton of resources, attention to detail can speak well of your operation
Say No
• Avoid taking every job that comes through
• Taking too many jobs or the wrong ones can stretch your resources and hurt credibility
• Make investments in the jobs that you really want and can do well
Focus on Learning
• Look at each experience as a chance to learn and make improvements on your operation
• Pay attention to feedback from customers
• Examine what you’re doing right and what you could be doing better
Work Part-Time
• Working full-time as a freelancer isn’t always immediately wise or possible
• Manage your free-time and take on jobs to experience independent life
• Make a decision after you’ve done research
Why not give Freelancing a shot?