This article is being typed as the person nicely sits in my dining room sipping a cup of hot cocoa. He is in his baggy pants and a worn out shirt. Sounds weird? Well he has no fixed place to work in. His working style depends on my level of comfort and how he schedules his day. He is a freelancer. The perks of being a freelancer include a lot of freedom; he is his own boss. He gets to plan his day the way he wants to. Freelancers can be anyone and everyone – starting from a Graphic Designer to an Accountant. Do you have similar goals as most of the freelancers do? Well here are some tips on freelancing.
Know your target market
Before you venture out as a freelancer, it is essential to know the kind of market you are targeting. By market we mean the kind of clients you can approach, the kind of work to expect, the money you will earn and a lot more. Clients prefer working with freelancers who are aware of the current market.
Networking
It is essential to understand that clients will not come to you. You need to approach the clients. With social media in vogue, there are plenty of sites like LinkedIn which help you connect with prospective clients and share your work and resume accordingly. If you have a strong network, there is no way people can stop you from evolving into a successful freelancer.
Efficient planning
Once you secure a good contract or two, learn to plan your day. Time management is extremely important and clients don’t like any delays in their work. Likewise, since you are handling more than one project you need to learn how to juggle with time. If you feel a weekly plan is more convenient, then you can do that as well.
Dont be greedy
Learn to say ‘No’. The worse thing that can happen to you is losing your existing and new clients, just because you wanted to rush through the work for some extra money. Remember once your name spreads in the market, you will keep getting new clients. The trick is managing your clientele with a lot of panache and delivering them the quality they deserve to have.
Treat every client as your lover
Clients need to be given a lot of importance and they should have the feeling that they are the only client you are catering to. If in future, anything goes wrong from your side, your trusted clients will surely give you a second chance, if you’ve been nice to them.
Don’t forget to breathe
As mentioned earlier, don’t go for clients who you cannot handle. Even if you do, learn to take a break and breathe. If you do not take a break then your creative quotient goes down. Freelancing is not about choking oneself with work, given the disparity of work frequency in this world. There may be off-days, but that’s completely OK!
Ask for feedback
Upon submission of your work ask for a feedback. The feedbacks may be positive or negative, but you need to treat them as learning and mold yourself accordingly. At times it so happens that the client may pass angry remarks, take it with a pinch of salt and try to return back the favor with sugary response.
Just like the practical world, freelancers need to build their reputation at first, in order to reap benefits in future. Freelancing is all about self-control, dedication and self-management.
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