Business

5 Prerequisites for being a freelancer

January 20, 2012 by Vinod Shankar M in Business with 27 Comments

There really is nothing like being your own boss. To some this is a big enough driver alone to start a freelancing career.

Well its not time to board cloud 9 just yet.

As with anything, freelancing has its own pros and cons. Here are a few basic pointers to move towards a successful career in freelancing.

1. Conduct

People are drawn to the freelancing lifestyle. They don’t have to be always disciplined, can work or rest whenever they want. The fact is, this is only true to a certain extent.

Being a freelancer, you and only you will be responsible for organizing your daily routines. If u don’t strike a balance then the whole concept of freelancing counts for nothing

2. Marketing

When you’re a freelancer always be ready to market yourself. The term marketing here includes; searching for clients, cold calling (Which you’ve got to do without being shy), learning how to talk to a client, and of course, how to be convincing will also be handy for both in short and long run.

3. Positioning

Always prioritize your top skill set. It can be anything from web or logo design, video editing, copy-writing etc. Initially it may seem strange to downplay areas in which you are more than capable, but it actually enhances your chances of getting hired.

4. Tactics

Having the required strategies reaching and converting your clients is what makes you a successful freelancer. These tactics can come in the form of package deals, maintaining contact post work, enhancing your deliverables above and beyond that of your key competitors, or even something not directly geared towards your profit margins, like giving the client extensive options for revisions of work .

5. Communication

This the the most important element. It is something that every freelancer should keep in the front of their mind at all times. Giving the impression that you’re always available for the client for revisions, help or advice makes you their favorite employee. Also make sure you don’t sound too technical while giving assistance.

Conclusion

So lets wrap this up. Freelancing is not as easy as a lot of people think. But once your’e prepared to face the more difficult aspects, that you will undoubtedly come across, then it can turn out to be the best and most rewarding decision in your life.

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27 Comments

Aidan BradleyJanuary 21, 2012 at 12:36 pmReply

When I started, I had a big problem with positioning. I wanted to be seen as a pro in everything.

I hated the term ‘Jack of all trades, master of none.’ But I did learn that if you start with a core service, you can later build on this. Certainly a valuable lesson on my part.
SpikeJanuary 22, 2012 at 7:23 amReply

Some interesting thoughts, though I disagree on the marketing front. It’s entirely possible to be a freelancer without marketing yourself beyond the bare minimum.

I’d replace it with “Direction”. Far too many people dive into freelancing (as I did, I’ll happily admit) without considering what they actually want to achieve with it. Doing that simply means you’re swapping one boss for another… and since you’re your own boss, it’s often a bad swap!!

By setting down what you want to achieve, you know where you’re headed and can take steps in the right direction. Otherwise, like me, you’ll flail around uselessly for a few weeks until you realise what an idiot you’ve been. )
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- lfckopendJanuary 25, 2012 at 8:10 pmReplyAuthor
  
  Yes it is entirely possible to be a freelancer without marketing.But when someone consider freelancing as their main profession then he/she must have those marketing abilities to call up clients,convince,negotiate,organize everything without being shy cos only then he can make it big and succeed.
  
  If its for time pass/partime then i agree marketing is not really necessary.
AllisonJanuary 22, 2012 at 8:08 amReply

I have to agree with Spike. There are now several websites that you can pay (some will even do it for free) to market you to companies. There’s no longer any real need to market yourself beyond providing the information on what you can do and what you have done.

You are right, though, that many people don’t realize the dedication and work that freelancing requires.
bryceJanuary 23, 2012 at 5:51 pmReply

Some great tips for freelancers. I agree that it is difficult to position yourself as an expert when there are hundreds of people competing against you. But it is still possible to carve a niche for yourself by studying demand and supply carefully. Maybe there is a demand for a particular type of skill and there are not enough suppliers, there’s your chance to position yourself as an expert.

Another tip to become a preferred supplier is to treat each customer with respect and over deliver on your projects. After you over deliver few times, people will automatically note that you are doing a good job and start coming back to you or even refer your skill to their friends.

Bryce
HReginaldJanuary 29, 2012 at 11:12 amReply

Thank you for the tips there, they will be useful for rookie freelancers out there. I remember when I first started, it was quite a daunting process and you really have no idea what to do first. Being an expert in one particular field certainly found me more work and more demand for my expertise.

Bryce, you also make some good points.
TashWordFebruary 11, 2012 at 8:01 pmReply

I agree that freelancing can give you options and freedom to a point – the point being that you have to work enough to achieve your goals. For instance, if you want to earn $x a year you may find yourself working 40 hours a week instead of the ideal freelancer 5 hours (ok, I’m exaggerating to show the point!)

Marketing is interesting. I consider marketing to include every contact with a potential or actual client – so every time I tweet or comment on a blog, I am marketing myself, every email I answer (with my signature automatically present) is marketing. Marketing is an essential part of being a freelancer.

Advertising, however, is not always necessary – I know my work has come through networking and word of mouth. Most paid advertising I’ve done has been in part to support something else (e.g. an ad in a community calendar was to give financial support to that community).

I agree with Spike in that formalised marketing is not necessary for success and shouldn’t be the factor to stop someone starting up.

And I absolutely agree that communication skills can make or break any business.
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PaladinFebruary 14, 2012 at 7:44 amReply

Freelancing is a nice way to work on your own time but it can be difficult to actual earn a living from. Also, freelancing doesn’t usually provide a need for survival such as the food or housing industries so it might not last too long.
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SpikeFebruary 14, 2012 at 9:23 pmReply

I’ll politely disagree with you there, Paladin – at least on the use of the word “freelance”. Freelancing is just as viable as any business: the “freelance” tag simply says you’re not working for someone else. You could be a freelance estate agent, freelance builder, freelance baker or anything else.
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deannatroupeFebruary 23, 2012 at 10:13 pmReply

I agree with most of these points, especially what you said about marketing. That’s the one area of freelancing that people hate to do.
LinxFebruary 27, 2012 at 12:44 amReply

Yes, it ties in with what you said…but for me, what changed freelancing into something feasible, viable and enjoyable – was when I started practicing greater discipline.

I thought (erroneously) that I was disciplined – I was not. Now, I am holding myself even more accountable for my time etc, and this has made my freelance career move a much more profitable one.

In addition to your other points. They were as influential…but the initial lack of discipline almost broke me, which is why I am mentioning it here. Applying its opposite is making me.
akb2011March 11, 2012 at 10:50 amReply

I have started seriously considering the idea of freelancing. The discipline aspect that Linx mentioned actually intrigues me, because that is an area I need to concentrate on as far as writing goes. Time management is a key to discipline, one that I hope I can master as I begin this journey.
anotherspacemanMarch 28, 2012 at 1:25 amReply

Great advice there.

Been semi-freelancing for a while (my work is intermittent, so been trying to up income in the down periods rather than just burn through the bank account) so always nice to see in black and white those things I know I should be doing.
romesMarch 30, 2012 at 1:09 pmReply

Great advice indeed. I’ve done freelance work from time to time to help stave off going broke. I am good at marketing, customer relations, but the area I need to work on is writing. I am good at slogans, and advertising but when it comes down to writing general articles I am no good.

Still improving, but I am almost there.
ScottyMarch 31, 2012 at 12:17 amReply

I think with freelancing you need to be hardheaded and determined as well. No one is going to make it work but you! I don’t think I have enough of the qualities listed to be a good freelancer, but you’ve helped me none the less!
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RandomheroApril 2, 2012 at 9:08 amReply

I’ve heard some people that make a living from Freelancing but from what I’ve seen. Someone posts a gig and a huge 50+ people respond. How are you supposed to stand out from all of them? Some of them might even be more qualified as well. I’d rather create my own business instead of trying to respond to freelance projects, getting my hopes up etc..
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Aidan BradleyApril 2, 2012 at 4:39 pmReply

I find that the best way to standout is to go the extra mile.
As someone that frequently hires freelancers, I constantly get people that just blanket apply for everything without even reading the description (More than 60%).

But it’s the people that start an actual dialogue about the job, perhaps offer some advice or real world examples, not just the freelancers that post “I can do this to budget” that get the job.
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SpikeApril 2, 2012 at 8:06 pmReply

@randomhero: creating your own business is the same as freelancing in many, many ways. You’ll still have to compete for clients – you can’t honestly expect them to come running to your door, desperate for your services. And far from competing against 50+ direct bidders, your own business has to compete against thousands of other sites offering similar things (unless you’re real lucky and totally dominate a particular niche, of course).

As Aidan said, standing out is often as easy as showing you’re interested. Someone who shows they’ve thought about the job beforehand, are interested and competent and – above all – are humans and not some kind of spammy bidding bot has a much better chance of getting work.
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fmkApril 7, 2012 at 3:59 amReply

I completely agree with the “Conduct” point. I just started freelancing and am running a blog at the moment. But my habit of only working when being forced to, really messes me up. :p

Learned an important lesson from life, i.e.,

If you don’t follow a good conduct, then no matter how talented you are, you won’t earn a penny.
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angeldrbApril 7, 2012 at 4:22 pmReply

Oh, I might be having a bit of trouble when it comes to positioning. I tend to tick off everything I’m good at, thus not highlighting the skills where I’m best suited. I just realized that it makes be seem like a total airhead – thinking I can do everything and not concentrating on what I do best.
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mirage1440May 1, 2012 at 12:13 pmReply

Good article. I like the tips, and they are all true.
budgetwaysMay 3, 2012 at 11:09 amReply

I would add persistence to the list.

You need to be persistent when it comes to finding clients and making them happy. Most freelancers give up before they develop enough clients to survive and prosper.

If you can stay motivated until you get a customer base, word of mouth will soon take over and your busines will start growing without much need for some of the marketing and cold calling that is needed when you start.

The same can be said for your freelance accounts at sites like elance or fiverr. No one wants to hire you until you have good reviews and have done lots of work for others.
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Aidan BradleyMay 3, 2012 at 5:01 pmReply

It’s funny you say that about the eLance type sites.
I always feel sorry for the people that send me messages saying that they’ve just signed up, and haven’t got any reviews yet.
I always end up giving them a shot, and every single time I’ve hired someone without reviews, I get shafted.
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VellaMay 11, 2012 at 11:41 amReply

Interesting article. I want to do a bit of freelancing myself, but I don’t think I can make much money in my field.
KaydeMay 12, 2012 at 9:33 amReply

These are some very interesting points that I never considered. I always thought that you should present all of your attributes at once, but I can see why you should hold back a little. If you say you are good at lots of things it seems like too much. What future employers want is someone great in certain areas. Thanks for pointing that out to me.
akanbiJuly 6, 2012 at 1:27 pmReply

I think the hardest goal in this list is the one where it involves marketing through cold calling. It’s effective but it definitely isn’t easy. Thank goodness for video marketing which is also an option.
Isabellas2007July 7, 2012 at 11:01 amReply

These are some great thoughts. I never really thought about this aspect before. I know for me I would have to consider trying to become more of a master in one aspect because I am stretched so thin now learning everything that I can. With all the information floating in my head from working I could write a book on the topics, but not be really construed as an expert in them.