View engaging conference lectures, interesting how to discussions, and high quality freelance advice via video here on FreelanceSwitch.

This week we look at Ways of Seeing by Rob Forbes. This weekend we’re sharing an interesting talk by, Rob Forbes, who shares a gallery of snapshots that inform his way of seeing the world. Charming juxtapositions, found art, urban patterns. Continue Reading

Dave and Carrie Kerpen started their marketing company, Likeable Media, after they created a buzz selling sponsorships to their New York wedding. They raised $100,000 for their wedding and $20,000 for a charity.

The couple, who both had marketing backgrounds, were asked by so many people “what’s next” after their wedding promotional stunt that they started their own company, which today has offices in New York, Boston, Chicago, and Mexico City.

Dave appears in this video on Inc.com talking about how he got started as well as sharing some tips on what makes someone good at social media marketing. While I wish there was less “wedding” and more “tips for 2012”—as the title suggests—I did like what he had to say about the kind of person who excels at social media marketing.

The most successful person in social media is the same person who is the most successful person at a cocktail party. —Dave Kerpen

Dave has a few fantastic tips that are worth considering in your freelance business…

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In this issue of Ask FreelanceSwitch, we look at hiring a sales person and getting started as a freelancer. Ask FreelanceSwitch is a regular column here that allows us to help beginners get a grip on freelancing. If you have a question about freelancing that you want answered, send an email to askfreelanceswitch@gmail.com.

Question 1

I think this question is pretty good, but I’m not able to find good answers.

The context of the question: I’m a programmer working as a freelancer, things are going good, but most of the jobs I get are from 2 or 3 agencies.

One day my brother asks me if I wanted him to sell my services. I liked the idea, replacing agencies with a member of my family is very tempting. But now I face the problem of training him. Not only in what I do and what he can sell, but also in how to sell this kind of services.

I have seen freelancers using a sales person to bring in business for them, usually paying a cut of each project as a commission. Sometimes it works out well and sometimes it’s not so great.

The biggest problem that I’ve seen (and the reason I haven’t gone this route) is that if your sales person doesn’t have a good network — people actually interested in buying services from freelancers — he isn’t going to get very far. Before you dive in too deep, you need to talk through who your potential sales person thinks he’s going to sell to and why they may buy.

Once that issue is dealt with, you need to walk your sales person through your portfolio. He may need a copy of his own, at least of the perfect projects you show potential clients. He really needs to see the range of projects that you take on, though: break it down in terms of what the client wanted, what you delivered, how long it took and how much you charged. You have to have an understanding on what things cost (appropriately raised to be able to afford your sales person’s commission) and how long they take, or your sales person can put you in an awkward position.

Even though you’re talking about working with family, it’s a good move to write out what you’re both agreeing to and signing it. Whether you put things in the form of a letter of agreement or a contract, get it on paper. Continue Reading

Note: A few times a month we revisit some of our reader’s favorite posts from throughout the history of FreelanceSwitch. This article by Martha was first published April 12th, 2009, yet is just as relevant and full of useful information today.

A few years ago, articles of this sort were all about building one’s mailing list.

And we in the design field knew the drill quite well. We’d create a list of likely prospects, design something cool to send out, and then wait for the phone to ring. Sometimes it rang, sometimes it didn’t.

A-a-a-ah, the olden days.

Back then, those spinning business card files bearing the Rolodex brand were like gold. If you are of a certain age, you may remember that strict “Don’t Take the Rolodex with You” policy if you decided to leave Company X.

While you were at Company X, the cards in your Rolodex spent a great deal of time on your desk, waiting for you to give them a spin. Occasionally, they had to be spun into a mailing list, and you may be curious as to how that would happen.

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Looking to give your karma a boost in 2012? Why not consider working for free? Let me clarify: not working for free everyday, but donating your time and experience to help others and to learn from others as well.

Designer Roy Barber has embarked on a project whereby he spends every Friday freelancing for free at a different agency, which, he says, gives him the chance to work with some of the smartest people in the industry. In return, the agency gets an extra pair of hands for the day and he writes up the experience and his learnings on his blog. —Net Magazine

I really loved this idea—it’s sort of like freelance interning. Remember how psyched you were to land an internship in college? You get to be around all sorts of really smart people doing exactly what you wanted to do when you “grew up.”

Roy Barber came up with the idea after hiring his own intern. He got to teach this student things about freelancing that he would not have learned working as an intern at a larger company. Barber figured there were things he could still learn from larger agencies that he wouldn’t experience working for himself as a freelancer.

Some of the agencies he has been working for for free have even offered Barber jobs. He’s increased his clientele and is booked up through the new year. All for volunteering his time.

Not all businesses will be open to this idea—but you’ll never know if you don’t ask. There are other ways to offer your services and learn from others, too, that don’t include giving up each of your Fridays.

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I have been a freelancer for more than a decade and over that period of time, I have seen a lot of changes–everything from a giant increase in credibility if you actually are a “freelancer”, to technology changes in such a short period of time as to rival any other sort of change over the last century.

Through all of these changes, one major thing has happened. Specifically, the list of things that were once considered de rigeuer in order to have a successful business no longer apply.

Of course there are tools we couldn’t live without as freelancers, but following are ten things that I no longer need to be successful in my business. Continue Reading

According to a recent study by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, 47.7% of women believe they are capable of starting a business compared to 62.1% of men. This lack of confidence persisted throughout all economies and cultures that were included in the study.

So what gives? Let’s delve into the issue a little more…

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Many freelancers, in a wide range of fields, think of hired writing help as something for larger projects, for corporate clients, not something for the independent one-person shop. It can be hard to imagine hiring someone to help with writing tasks if you:

• Cannot see a reason why you would need writing help, or
• Cannot visualize how you would work with that writer.

Why Hire Writing Help?

Some freelancers feel a little guilty when they do not do their own writing. It’s on their list of tasks they mean to do. But they avoid it, or they do not have time, or what they write just does not seem to have the impact they are looking for.

Part of the problem is that everyone one of us knows how to write, and we all do it every day. It is hard to farm out a task that seems like an extension of a daily activity. And that’s just the kind of thinking that perpetually postpones the creation of marketing content.

It isn’t a question of whether you should do your own writing on principle. It is a question of what gets the writing done. A white paper that is never finished (or never started) will bring you exactly zero new prospects.

What are some symptoms that point to the need for a little help?

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Have you tried getting a small business loan from a bank for your freelancing career only to be turned down? You are not alone.

Some freelancers who need access to cash have turned to something called peer-to-peer lending. It’s an interesting model that both Prosper and Lending Club, the two leading peer-to-peer websites, are using. Here’s how it works:

Peer-to-peer lending, or social lending, it is a way for investors who have money, to lend directly to borrowers looking to borrow money. It is a win-win for all parties. The investor gets a better return on their money than a traditional savings account or CD and the borrower gets a lower interest rate than they would likely pay for a credit card advance or bank loan.  —Peter Renton from SocialLending.net

Whether you are looking to consolidate debt or set yourself up with a home office for your new freelancing career, peer-to-peer lending cuts down the wait time and administrative fees from banks.

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Are you a graphic designer or copywriter with a disappearing proposal problem?

You know the drill: You find an interested prospect who requests a proposal. You write a masterful proposal – one of your best ever! Then you send it to the prospect and wait for an answer. Which never comes.

It’s as if your proposal has disappeared into a black hole. What did you do wrong?

The answer isn’t as simple as you might like it to be. Proposals fail for a variety of reasons. Which can make reading Marketing Mentor’s Proposal Bundles feel like a painful, but ultimately beneficial, experience. Continue Reading

As freelancers, we’re told to collect as many testimonials as possible — but what do we do with all those great descriptions of how amazing we are to work with?

There are some people who believe that testimonials should be plastered over everything, from business cards on. But there are a few uses for great testimonials that are particularly effective. Continue Reading

View engaging conference lectures, interesting how to discussions, and high quality freelance advice via video here on FreelanceSwitch.

This week we look at Philippe Starck Thinks Deep on Design by Philippe Starck. In this video Philippe Starck, With no pretty slides to show — Stark spends 18 minutes reaching for the very roots of the question “Why design?” Listen carefully for one perfect mantra for all of us, genius or not. Continue Reading