What Are You Selling?
Steven SnellAs a freelancer you are obviously offering a service to clients, whether it be designing, programming, writing, photography, etc., but what else are you selling?
You should be able to improve your overall effectiveness and your conversions of leads to clients by emphasizing and selling these aspects of your work as well:
Customer Service
Besides being great at the work that you do, you have an opportunity to separate yourself from the others and win clients over by providing exceptional customer service. Some clients will prefer to work with freelancers because of the one-to-one contact that they may not get with a large firm. Clients like to know who is going to answer the phone when they call and they like to have someone who is there to work closely with them.
Pride yourself on providing quality customer service and sell this to your potential clients as just one reason to do business with you.
Name Recognition
While most freelancers are relatively obscure, some are able to benefit from potential clients who recognize them as being an expert in their field. Those who are well-known in the industry can have a sizable advantage. Name recognition certainly doesn’t mean that the work is of a better caliber, but some clients will prefer to work with a freelancer because of an established reputation. In this case, you’ll receive more inquiries for work and you’ll likely be able to justify higher rates.
If you’ve already established a name for yourself in your field, be sure that you receive some of the benefits that should result from your past work which helped you to develop that reputation. In your marketing materials, make an effort emphasize your work and your associations that potential clients may recognize.
If you are working to develop stronger name recognition, here are a few tips:
Start a blog - Leading bloggers in most fields have excellent name recognition. For most freelancers a blog is a natural extension of their knowledge that will help to bring in new clients. As those in the industry will see your work and your expertise, your reputation will grow.
Get around - Part of building name recognition is just getting out and receiving some exposure. Don’t stick to the same low-profile jobs and expect people to suddenly start recognizing your work. Make an effort to get involved with a variety of different clients and look for opportunities to do work for high-profile clients. Do what you can to put yourself in a position to be seen.
Build a Killer Portfolio - A top-notch portfolio speaks for itself. If your work is genuinely high quality and you’re able to get people to see it, the name recognition will come in just a matter of time. Ideally, if you are able to develop strong name recognition you will be able to back it up with a quality of work that is deserving of your reputation, so the portfolio really is key.
Brand Yourself - Name recognition isn’t just about waiting for people to acknowledge you. You can help the process along by effectively branding yourself and your work in a particular way.
Experience
Freelancers come in an immensely wide variety of experience levels. If you are one of the more experienced freelancers in your field, use this to your advantage. Make sure your potential clients are exposed to your accomplishments and don’t downplay your past work. There’s a peace of mind that comes to clients when they’re working with someone who is experienced.
Results
Rather than focusing on the actual pieces of work in your portfolio, focus on the results that followed for your clients. I’m not suggesting that you brush over the portfolio itself, but make an effort to take it a step further. While potential clients will be impressed with quality work, results are ultimately what they are after. Without results what does the work really mean?
What’s Your Opinion?
There are literally thousands of freelancers who are capable of providing decent work. Help yourself out by finding new strengths that other freelancers may not possess or may not be capitalizing on as much as they could. Any of these things can help you to separate yourself from the crowd and ultimately allow you to provide clients with the best experience possible.
What other things do you market to potential clients either directly or subtly? What do you feel gives you an advantage over others?
chucktrukk
May 8th, 2008
I both work for clients and work for another agency as a contractor. I feel my number 1 priority is results. My goal is to find out what the customer’s goal(s) are- and complete them well. In another way, my number 1 priority is to help them meet their goals. If I do this, I get reputation, prove my experience, and that is true customer service.
It doesnt matter if I’m really nice but dont help them meet their goals. For example- Steve Jobs. Or my Air Conditioner Repairman. Both are jerks! or just not friendly at all. BUT, in the end, they meet peoples goals and get more clients (from rep and experience).
However, I do believe a huge asset to any freelancer is to have one customer service rep who can be nice to their clients.
Love the blog (and the survey you put out too!),
Chuck
riki
May 8th, 2008
As a Freelancer, it can be really educational if you ever need to outsource work, just to see the initial responses from other Freelancers. Meaning responses to job adds and requests for quotes.
I’ve had to do this a number of times and noticed a few common patterns. To start with the quoted estimates can vary dramatically, even with a highly detailed brief. You might find one person quoting $75 per hour for web development, with a total estimated cost of $3k. Someone else might have a lower hourly rate but the total estimate is significantly higher, say $7k. Then there will be a number of people quoting in the range that you expected $9-12k as a realistic budget. Then you hit the premium quotes $15-25k which usually turn out to be partnerships and studios at the higher end. It’s really easy to see who’s grossly under-quoting and of course those who are smoking their own pipe.
More importantly though, the other thing which varies significantly is the quality of the initial responses. A surprisingly large number will just send a quick informal email, with only the basic information, nothing else volunteered. In this case it feels more like they’re clearing their in-box. IMO that’s a lost opportunity to engage with a potential client. Sure they may feel some sense of accomplishment, in sending out a response, but it seems pretty clear to the person at the other end that they’re not investing time to show an interest in the project.
That of course may or may not change if they’re offered the project. But when compared with people who are taking the time to ask questions and volunteer advice. I think there is a strong incentive to go with someone who is willingly helpful and seemingly interested in the project.
Oddly enough studios can also fall into this trap, by sending you lengthy, personalized PDF brochures, which contain a lot of impressive yet irrelevant information, that just comes across as cold.
My advice, investing some time in your initial responses will put you ahead of the competition.
Banago
May 8th, 2008
Very good article, thanks!
Banago
May 8th, 2008
OOPS! Pardon my avatar
Jeff Keyser
May 8th, 2008
Just to add to the importance of expressing results…
Clients are not coming to you because they want an article written or a web site created for its own sake. They are coming to you because that article or web site is going to do something for them. That “something” is the real goal, not the thing you’re working on. By focusing the larger goal, you help that client in the short term, and can tell other potential clients about the business value you added with your service.
For example, I helped work on a web site to implement a program to help car dealerships drive more business to their service bays. One of the dealers using the program found it so successful that they had to expand their service departments to handle the extra work. I can point to the web site on its own and the technologies I used to help build it, and some clients would be impressed by this. But I can also point to the extra business that the site helped deliver, and this value is something a potential client can immediatelty grasp.
I’ll also add that, IMO, customer service is SOOOOOO important for most any business to distinguish itself from any other business than provides the same service.
Melek
May 8th, 2008
Great points. The thing I offer my clients that many other freelance designers don’t is quick turnaround and reliability. The most frequent thing I hear from new clients is “Our last designer disappeared. We don’t know how to get in touch with him or get any of our files.” That’s got to be frustrating. My big draw for those clients is that I do this full time…not a fly-by-nighter. And, what they usually hear from referrals is that I’m super fast on the turnaround and good at communicating. Funny how just doing what comes naturally to me is what everyone seems to be looking for.
Tei - Rogue Ink
May 8th, 2008
Two things:
I listen carefully, and I’m enjoyable to work with.
You would not BELIEVE how rare this apparently is. Most clients get angry because the project isn’t what they were hoping for (i.e., what they tried to describe), or because their hire is a jerk, or indifferent, or just kind of annoying or boring. Being a fun person to talk to, the person who always says, “Oh, sure, we can do that for you,” the person who makes you feel like it’s all going to turn out okay - I have so many clients who come back to me just for that. My work is good, but so is a lot of other people’s. It’s the enjoyable-to-work-with factor that’ll keep ‘em coming back.
damon
May 8th, 2008
@Jeff:
Exactly! Clients are looking for a 1/4″ hole, not a 1/4″ drill.
damon
Kevin
May 8th, 2008
…why is that chicken nuggets combo from Wendys $14?
Ed Gandia at The Profitable Freelancer
May 8th, 2008
Couple of things….
One, as someone else has already mentioned, “showing up” (the basics) really is 80% of the battle. I’m continually amazed at the lack of responsiveness and urgency I see out there from many freelancers. For so many of them, deadlines are just “suggestions,” not real milestones they need to meet. But that’s okay — I’m not complaining. Makes it easier for the rest of us to get steady, loyal clients.
Second, I like your point about leveraging your experience and background. What clients really want to see is that you bring something new, different and VALUABLE to the table. I’ve leveraged my sales experience from day one and I attribute most of my success to doing this. In my field (copywriting for software companies), having an understanding of sales and the sales process is very attractive to clients.
The key is bringing whatever makes you different to the surface. Promises of excellent service and “quality” deliverables aren’t enough to cut throught the noise in today’s competitive environment.
frank
May 8th, 2008
Good customer service is hands what clients want more than anything. As I do when I eat or shop somewhere with excellent customer service, they will continue to talk about how great of an experience it was.
Great post!
Shanti
May 9th, 2008
I really like this article! I’ve been reading for a long time, but haven’t ever commented…
I work daily running a continuing-ed company alone for speech therapists (I love this work - running a business is just natural to me). Because I run the business on my own schedule, I also freelance regularly in web design and I love the concepts you’ve put forth here; I think you’re dead on. Name identity is big.
Because I haven’t wanted to get too in over my head, I haven’t advertised in YEARS (I used to, and will again some day, but not now). I still have a steady stream of work coming in solely by word-of-mouth (proving my customer service is favorable) and from websites I’ve done (my work is identifiable (I guess!) and desirable). My name is also pretty unique
What you’ve laid out here really works for me. Right on 
Drupal Museum
May 9th, 2008
Great article. I think the most important thing a freelancer can offer is consistency and longevity. There are tons of freelancers who disappear because I think they lose faith. Digging your heels in really helps to establish your business and it shows potential clients you’re in for the long haul. If you’re selling websites, your clients want someone who will be around next year in case they need maintenance, an upgrade, etc.