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12 Tips for you to exceed Expectations as a Freelancer

Date post: 28-Jul-2015
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Twelve Tips for you to exceed Expectations as a Freelancer
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Twelve Tips for you to exceed Expectations

as a Freelancer

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


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