Photo by Geekgirly.

We all know how many responsibilities a freelancer has and how many different hats we have to wear (client work, invoicing and finances, marketing, customer service, etc.). It can be easy to forget that we all have strengths and weaknesses because we spend so much time trying to be good at everything.

In order to do our best work and to maximize efficiency and productivity, we need to recognize what we do well (and what we don’t) and avoid trying to be all things to all people.

From what I see, our weaknesses can be broken down into two categories: 1) specific types of projects, and 2) the various tasks of freelancing. On this first point, most of us have a particular type of service that we specialize in. A designer/developer may be best at designing high-end flash-based sites, and may not be so skilled at designing an attractive website with a minimalist approach, or vice versa. Freelance writers will typically have certain topics or types of writing that they are more experienced with, and so on.

On the second point, we all have certain aspects of freelancing that we excel at, and others that are more of a struggle. For example, you may have a hard time with keeping your invoices and finances organized, but you may excel at dealing directly with clients.

Regardless of what our strengths and weaknesses are, we need to recognize them and realize when we’re not able to do an effective job on a particular project or a specific aspect of freelancing.

On a personal level, when I started freelancing part-time one of my first clients contacted me about designing her website. I gave her a quote for what she said she wanted, she agreed, some documents were signed, and we started working together. Not very far into the project it was pretty clear that what she really wanted was not a good fit for my strengths at the time.

Initially, I was under the impression that she wanted a new, clean CSS-based layout for her site, but what she was really after was high quality graphic design and the layout wasn’t even an issue. She could have hired someone that was an expert with graphic design and Photoshop but knew nothing about CSS and web development, and she would have been able to get what she wanted. Because I was working on something that wasn’t a good fit for my skills at that time, I spent twice as long creating something that quite honestly could have been done better by someone else. I think she saw a low price that I quoted her (because she was one of my first clients) and she wanted to make me a good fit for her project rather than hiring someone who really was a good fit.

Had I done a better job of communicating with her from the start and getting more information about what she specifically wanted, I could have potentially avoided taking on a project that cost me a lot of time and didn’t produce great results. But instead of recognizing what I wasn’t, I wound up taking a job that turned out to be an unpleasant experience.

The Benefits if Knowing What You’re Not

Higher Quality Work

If you accurately know what you’re capable of and where you are weaker, you can avoid taking jobs that are likely to lead to sub-par work. Focus on your strengths and you’ll produce the highest quality of work possible.

More Efficiency

Working on projects that are not a good fit for you skills can cost you a lot of time trying to make things work. Trust me, I’ve been there. If you’re working on something that you are good at, chances are you will be more efficient because you won’t have to spend so much time to get the results you want.

Likewise, if you struggle with aspects of freelancing like record-keeping or finances, make an effort to get some help in these areas. There are plenty of programs and tools that can help you with all kinds of financial issues, and there is the possibility of hiring a virtual assistant to keep you more organized and on-task.

More Repeat Business

A higher quality of work and faster work will lead to more repeat business. These things obviously lead to happy clients, and happy clients are likely to hire you again when the have some work to be done. Trying to do something that you’re not good at can leave clients with a less-than-spectacular opinion of your services and your abilities.

Better Reputation

Those who are able to spend the majority of their time doing what they are best at will eventually build a strong reputation for their work. A good reputation is obviously important for building referrals and word-of-mouth advertising.

Less Frustration

For me there is nothing more frustrating than working on something that I’m not very skilled at, knowing that I need to do a good job. Generally, I think most of us enjoy working on things that we know we do very well. Although we can all get burned-out at times, there is a satisfaction that exists with doing a great job for a client.

Putting it into Practice

Know Your Strengths and Weaknesses

The first step to doing more work in your areas of strength is identifying those strengths and weaknesses. Most of us have a good idea by now of what we do best and what might be a struggle for us.

Communicate Your Strengths to Potential Clients

Many potential clients will not understand all the details of the service that you’re offering. If you’re a web developer, chances are your clients may not understand that not all web designers and developers have the same skill sets. When you are talking to potential clients make your best effort to communicate to them what you specialize in and what types of projects you typically work on. This should help them to know if you are right for the job.

Get a Clear Idea of What Potential Clients Want from You

This is where I failed in the example given earlier. I was told by the client what she wanted, but I didn’t dig into it any deeper to find the details of what she was really after. If you can do an effective job of understanding the client before you get started, you may be able to avoid some situations that you would rather not put yourself in.

Don’t Be Afraid to Walk Away

If your communication with a potential client indicates that the job isn’t a good fit for you, don’t be afraid to pass on the opportunity. While you may be losing out on some income from the project, you’ll be available to do other work that you can do more efficiently, and in the end you may make more money and do a better job.

Get Help Where You Need It

If you love doing client work but you hate dealing with invoices, spend some money on one of the many options for managing your invoices easily online. Spending a little bit of money to make things easier on yourself will save your sanity and it will give you more time to focus on what you do best.

What’s Your Experience?

Have you had situations where you took a job that wasn’t a good fit for you? Do you specifically look for projects that line up well with your skills?