tips ten successful free lancing
1) Keep an eye on the competition
Other
freelancers around you may offer a slightly different skillset to your
own, they may charge more or less. A thorough knowledge of the
competition will enable you to define the strengths of your business and
pitch to clients with that knowledge. Identify your competition (local
online directories) then Google them – many will have websites and
blogs. Never before has the competition been as open as it is now - you
may even find out what they charge. It’s information that can help you
make decisions on how you pitch yourself and what you charge.
2)Protect yourself
There
are legalities and formalities involved even with the simplest of
freelance jobs. Even if you’re referred through a friend (often murky
territory!) protect yourself with a contract and your standard terms and
conditions for doing business. Scope of work, schedule and payment
terms all need to be in writing, and signed off by the client. Never be
embarrassed, it’s good business sense! Understand copyright law, the
copyright of the work you create and infringement of anyone else’s
copyright (fonts, reproducing copy found online etc).
3) New business
Spend
a portion of your working week canvassing for new work, even if you’re
inundated – orders get cancelled, clients have a change of heart, often
at the last minute. It’s what everyone says you should do, not everyone
does it! If you have profitable clients in a certain industry sector,
leverage that experience as an opportunity to target others to become
your specialist field. If targeting new clients in new industries,
‘pilot’ the research by carrying out whatever marketing activity on a
small scale initially then closely following it up to measure its
success before investing vast sums of money and time. Divide up your new
business time in proportion to the likelihood of success: upselling to
existing clients and closing ‘nearly done’ deals are a much warmer
prospect that cold calling.
4) Repeat business
There
is a well known business theory that 80% of your income will come from
20% of your clients. Know who those profitable clients are and focus
your new business efforts on cultivating them. Keep in regular touch
with that client, keep up to date with their industry and emerging
trends and suggest work you could undertake for them in line with that
knowledge. In many industries customer loyalty is a dying concept,
however we don’t believe that to be the case with freelancers, so long
as you give clients a reason to keep coming back. As a resource already
versed in your clients’ markets and objectives you can offer
cost-effective services as and when you’re required without the need for
an entire ‘background brief’ from the client. If you always deliver on
time and to the highest standard and keep in touch, then if the client
has other requirements, that income should be yours. Build on customer
loyalty by emailing newsletters. Another interpretation of the 80/20
rule is that a handful of services will prove more profitable than
others. Does designing Annual Reports prove more profitable than
Corporate IDs? An analysis of where your future profit lies will be time
well spent.
5) Getting clients to appreciate the financial value of what you offer
Don’t
undervalue what you’re selling. Gain a thorough understanding of the
value of previous work done for clients by keeping in touch, if you
spend time developing a good relationship with your client list not only
will they automatically remember you for further work, they’re likely
to tell you your brochure, PR campaign, website or product image
photography/copy helped increase their sales X%. If you’re interested,
then it’s likely the client will keep you in the loop; it’s ‘after
sales’ care after all – how well did your work fare? That demonstration
of contributing to your clients’ bottom line then goes straight into the
equation when you’re demonstrating the difference between your services
and another freelancer who works for far less. Are you offering
multiple skills? Do you proof read client copy as well as brochure
design? Does your PR contact list add extra clout to the campaign? Or
perhaps your style of photography is unique.. Have a firm grip on your
strengths and be able to demonstrate them when asked. It builds a strong
case for not being negotiated down on cost.
6) Training
Another
string to your bow is being versed in the latest technology or emerging
trends. Freelancers are often self-taught due to financial constraints,
but if you fill the inevitable quiet moments reading up on the latest
software/tools/resources it will keep you ahead of your game. This
industry knowledge again forms part of your pitch when demonstrating
value.
7) Managing your admin
Be
organised, it will save you time and money! Setting up procedures for
your working week is vital, a system for managing your work flow and a
diary for dates important to your company (accountant/Companies House
deadlines) . Just as you need by a good salesperson by default, you also
need to be hot on admin to reduce time spent managing tasks. Set up a
client database with contact details and contact notes for existing and
potential clients so you can call back when you promised. Have a
workflow system with the related templates ready to handle each job as
it comes in, such as the contract, T&Cs, Schedule, Contact Report,
Artwork/Order sign off, Artwork release form, invoice, statement,
payment chase letter. Such a system should be designed to carry the job
through to completion and payment. Keep your book-keeping up to date,
half an hour each week is a lot less stressful than filing a carrier bag
of receipts and 6 months of assorted invoices. Routine is often key,
find a time in the week best sorted to each task, perhaps a bit of
‘housekeeping’ in the morning with sales calls after 10.30 etc. Use your
diary or online reminder regarding company deadlines you have to keep
and set yourself a reminder well in advance – your accountant’s
deadlines, Companies House filing deadlines etc – those that may slip by
unnoticed in favour of client deadlines otherwise, missing these
deadlines will cost you dearly in penalties. Move unfinished admin jobs
to a ‘procrastination list’ and tick off difficult tasks in quiet times,
and reward yourself at the end.
8) Cashflow
The
financial management of your business could make or break you. Managing
your credit should be an integral part of your every day business.
Carry out credit checks on new clients, you might not agree to 30 days
free credit if you knew that company’s history. Minimise any risk of
payment dispute by noting changes to the original brief on a Contact
Report and requesting the client’s agreement to such changes. Always be
clear when additional costs are involved. Forward your invoice as soon
as the work is delivered (and the client happy), and send polite
reminder requests, by recorded letter, when necessary. If the client
does not settle in full one option is to take advice from a credit
management company for recovery such as safe-collections.com who will
collect a small percentage for recovering the money owed.
9) Presentation is everything
From
your website, your telephone manner, emails and how you look – this is
your brand. Check your spelling, invest in a professional looking
website and look the part for client meetings. Some creatives may think
they’re expected to look like an “artiste” whereas that’s very likely to
frighten the living daylights out of your average prospective client.
You can convey having a creative edge without dressing and talking like
YouTube’s Design Gangsta
10)Enjoy what you do!
Starting
out as a freelancer is not easy; tax and legalities, company procedures
and client retention all make for a complex juggling act. Talk to other
freelancers on Freelance UK for moral support – everyone has to start
somewhere – but a few months down the line most freelancers have found
their business feet and can concentrate on their trade, and
interestingly, through the love of working for themselves, most deem
themselves ‘unemployable’. We wish you well!
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