Leave a Tip & Win a Copy of The Wealthy Freelancer

The most basic and helpful tip for making money is to have a diverse, high-quality portfolio. If your portfolio isn’t up to par with your clients, you will not be gaining any money at all.

Believe in the value of yourself, your work, and most importantly your rate.

Be willing to say “No” if the terms are not agreeable.

Keep your attitude positive. Be real. Be human. Be enthusiastic and approachable. Sell yourself first. If you do that, they’ll buy your work.

EN: everything’s negotiable. Whether you need more time, more money, or want to strike that pesky indemnity clause, it never hurts to ask. In fact, this can show prospective clients that you mean business and wow them with your business savvy. Plus, it’s less hassle to negotiate for more money than it is to seek out (and execute) more projects.

Making your clients happy – and the referrals that come with that – are better than any advertising you could ever do.

Persuasion. The moment you master it, your business will make a turn for the better. It will become both healthier and financially better, for two reason:

1) You’ll be able to win almost every client.
2) You’ll be able to convince them, that the website you’re building for them is aimed to their customers, not themselves. It will result in faster building process and feeling happier about the project itself on both sides.

Communicate with your client. No matter what. Never stop. You may be over scope, out of time and money, but if you keep in touch with your client you’ll come out in the end. It is our job to educate our clients by communicating with them and making sure the focus – of a project that communicates to ITS users – is the priority. Communicate well and you’ll have a happy client; and happy clients will come back for more.

Develop your personal brand. Besides the physical work that you have created, people will view you as a thought leader.

the best advice I ever got was to always ask other people what the best advice they ever got was.

Never burn any bridges.

I tried to keep all relationships on good terms, even when they ended. Because of this mindset, I have had clients and old coworkers contact me years later wanting me to do work for them. They have also referred me to new business contacts and paying work.

Stay passionated for what you love to do, stay strong, the money flow has natural by pass

Networking and communication. Two of the most important aspects of freelancing.

Stand your ground. If a client tells you something that goes against good design (“Can you put this photo in my logo?”) explain to them why it’s not a good idea and propose a better alternative. If they’re insistent, don’t be scared to put your foot down or even drop them as a client. Getting rid of a client when you need money may seem like a bad idea, but most of the time they end up costing you more money than you’d be making.

The most important piece of advice I could offer to someone would be to follow your passion. Don’t settle for doing something that makes you miserable just to pay the bills. When you find your passion and follow it your clients will know it. They will see the value in your work and in the end both you and your clientele will see it in your work.

Look at a client’s lifetime value… for instance, I am willing in certain cases to take a bit of a hit on web development if I can get that client to host with me or sign up for a maintenance program.
Nowadays 70% of my work is done through my existing clientele on maintenance or upgrades

The tip I’ve found most useful when it comes to dealing with clients and considering your worth is the Triangle Rule; Good – Fast – Cheap
and your client can pick two of the three.

Be honest with yourself and your clients.

I find you can never ask enough questions of a client about the project they have/may hire you for (colors, type, images, content).

In most cases, examples are the most effective way of selling something.

I find the “Photoshop® mock-up” approach is much less effective than the real, hands-on site mock-up, as you envision in your own mind; complete with the layout, colors, images, and type you feel works best. Once a client can interact with a tangible product, it is much easier to sell your idea.

Don’t be too quick to pigeonhole yourself. Look to other interests or hobbies you have that can be developed into another area of freelance expertise. If prospective clients approach you for a job you hadn’t originally envisioned, carefully weigh the pros and cons and, if the job is worthwhile, take advantage of the opportunity to broaden your skill set and areas of expertise, which in turn can result in unforeseen clients and projects, adding another dimension to your freelance abilities.

Don’t over-think things and have an open heart. Opportunities can be found everywhere…when you least expect it.

This might come off as kinda snarky, but the best freelancing tip I know is “stop reading about how to do things and start doing them.”

I know lots of freelancers and entrepreneurs that read blogs and forums all day and never get anywhere because they’re too busy learning tips and tricks to actually do any work and make money.

Take your time, if you need to. There’s nothing worse than making a needless mistake because you were rushing. It’s better to take a little extra time and just do it right the first time.

I was told to build a business, not just a client list. You think you are gaining independence but then you find yourself trapped by your business. Instead of just thinking of yourself as a freelancer, think of yourself as a “creative entrepreneur.”
http://the99percent.com/tips/6501/build-a-business-not-just-a-client-list?utm_source=Triggermail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MIH+May+10

Give talks at universities and networking events. Being an active voice in your respective field is a great way to establish credibility and further demonstrates your expertise.

Save.

Always, always, always deliver the “product” on time, every time. Happy clients usually result in more referrals, more referrals can result in more clients, and that relates to more money.

Also routinely re-evaluate your fees structure and how it relates to your competition as well as what the market will bear. You may be underpricing your services.

It’s far easier to keep a customer than to gain one.

Keep your existing customers happy rather than try to find new customers all the time. Do amazing work, and new clients will fall in your lap. Word of mouth from happy customers is the best marketing you can ask for.

Set your prices high, bill hourly.
Clients are too much of a variable.

The tip that had the most influence is quality of my works. At first i was not making too much money on English-Russian translations, but later on customers offer prices 4 times higher than my starting one.
Quality is the most important, later on goes your own responsibility (e.g. submitting work on time, keeping promises), and, of course, professional way of communication – business language of communication.

Switch completely off your Mac/PC and go outside at least one day a week. Two even better…

That’s the best way to relax and find inspiration.

1) Learn to say No when you are already loaded with work..coz then you end up messing up all the projects in hand

2) Stay Hungry Stay Foolish..Its very true in this profession..If you are not updating yourself then chances are that you end up resuming full time job again and give up freelancing

3) Be reasonable with your end date and try to finish a day earlier so you can revise what all you have done before delivering to your client

4) Biggest of all update your client regularly since its invisible mode of communication where physical presence is almost nil..hence for client to trust you he/she needs to be updated with the progress

5) Be Honest : If you cannot do this job simply say ‘no’ otherwise in the process of learning you will end up messing up other projects in hand and your morale will go down too

Always challenge yourself. Never stop learning, never stop trying new things and always try to think outside the box.

Value.your.work. Even when you see Joe “freelancer” advertising rates that are half what you charge. Even when a client comes back and complains “I could have done this myself”. Even when you don’t have the next project lined up and are wondering how long your funds will last. Don’t sell yourself short.

Treat every client as if they don’t know anything about what you do. This will help avoid failures of communication where the client pays for something they don’t want.

Don’t sit around expecting work to fall on your lap. Go out and look for it. Apply to job boards, make cold calls, visit networking events. There is plenty of work out there if you look in the right palces.

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. As a freelancer you need to have a range of clients, not rely on only one “big” or “good” client. Circumstances can change beyond your control, no matter how great a service you provide, and you don’t want to be left scrambling for new clients if one should suddenly disappear.

I freelance in addition to my full-time job, so I’m not really out there “drumming up business” like I would be if it was my only source of income. As it is though, I find that referrals are the #1 way I get work. Developing good relationships with your vendors and always providing them with perfect production files will go a LONG way in them thinking of you when they have a client that needs graphic design services.

If you don’t strongly believe that you are the best person your potential client should choose to work with, there’s no way he will believe it neither. Confidence is the first step to everything else.

Bring your passion to your work, instead of waiting for your passion to make you money.

Have a detailed contract for EVERY job, and be sure to lay out the allowed number of revisions, the communication deadlines (i.e. no contact for a month will close project- no refund, etc), and the scope of the project.

This ONE tip has helped me tremendously in this ‘go’ of freelancing, the last time I tried to freelance full time I failed miserably because I did not take this action, I constantly let clients have me make 100′s of little changes over the course of two or more weeks, or clients that stopped communicating for a month or more then wanted to pick up right where we left off- no matter how busy I was- and I let them, I hated it, but I let them. After about three months I quit freelancing I was so unhappy- but here I am 9 months later and loving it, clients are happier and I am MUCH more successful!

Under promise, over deliver.

Treat your client as well or better than you would want/expect to be treated. Once you have established the expectations of your client and yourself, do all you can to exceed them.

When I ran track in college (class, not team) my coach always advised us to “run through the finish line” assuming the “real” finish line was 10 yards beyond the tape. This kept us from subconsciously slowing down as we approached the end of the race, thus hurting our time/speed/win. Many races are decided in split seconds and to slow down in anticipation of finishing can cost you the race. Slowing down or letting down in anticipation of finishing a project can do the same – cost you quality and “the win.”

So, I do the same with my projects as I did with my running – I don’t slow down and let quality or my efforts start to waffle and be less focused near the end of the project. I push through the end and work to exceed expectations – not just meet them.

The best way to do this is commit to over deliver. Go above and beyond expectations so when you do hit the finish line your work is strong and excellent for the extra effort. Your work will be better, your client’s happier and your wallet fatter for it.

Never let your clients see you driving a nicer car then theirs.

Find a niche and become a specialist, you can then become sought after and more highly paid. I found it easier to charge more with only a portfolio of high quality specialised front end design work, the jack of all trades approach leads to a dip in quality.

Make it a fun project for your clients.

I believe that keeping in touch with a client after the job is done is very important.
Keep in touch to see if he is happy with the job.
Keep in touch to hear what he has to say on the job.
Keep in touch to show you are interested not only in the work but because you care about quality and…a happy client.

Create a product or service for your clients that enables you to charge for it through automated recurring billing. If you can price point the service in the “more than affordable” range, they won’t think twice of starting, and will rarely notice each time they get billed. It’s a great way to set up a low hassle revenue stream that doesn’t waste more of your time then initial setup. It also saves you from having to track down clients for pending invoice payments.

Never underestimate the power of networking and a face to face conversation. Your prospects are much more likely to remember you and hire you if you’ve met in person!

Let go of energy draining customers. You may just replace the energy drainer with two great customers.

Learn to say ‘NO’

Learn How To Communicate…well, effectively, and often.

Asking questions isn’t a burden on the client, it’s you showing concern and interest in the project, making sure that you get it right. It opens a dialogue and makes sure all the specifics are covered so the project goes smoothly.

Answering an email within an hour (or for me, within a few minutes) of getting it, makes the client feel secure in that you’re available when they need you, which makes them trust you, which makes them send you more work.

It’s all about setting expectations, which is done how? Through communication.

Always have a contract. It can set the tone for a business relationship and project. It can both prevent and clear up misunderstandings. It protects you and the client. Best of all, you keep your friends by always putting it in writing.

Don’t under-quote because you think “the client can’t afford this.”

In other words, don’t negotiate with yourself. The client will usually be more than happy to fill that role.

My tip is to always go for the “Ikea Factor” with clients. Have you observed people checking out, floating out of Ikea with their new stuff? They are excited, confident, happy, empowered. Kind of like being in love. They absolutely know this purchase is the start of something great. They are on their way. From this day forward, everything changes.

So with clients, my goal is to deliver proposals, concepts, ideas that generate that excitement and hope. Doesn’t matter how small the job. We are not selling logos, postcards, tri-folds. We are selling possibilities. Really listen to what your clients want to be, want for their business and go for the “Ikea factor” every time.

Truly believe that you, your time, your skills are worth the price you are charging. Knowing that your time is valuable will help you know which clients to devote your time to and which ones that will be more costly in the long run. Yeah, I’m a freelancer scorn.

Set up your office to be as professional as your clients. Set up a business line with rollover into vmail, so that your clients never encounter a busy signal, a family member or call waiting. Have a back-up system, a computer guy who’s # you don’t save in your computer, virus protection, ability to fax/scan/print quickly (multi-function machines are not quick). Have basic supplies — paper, pads, pens, clips — so that you don’t run out. In short, be professional and you will act more professional and be treated that way.

Cost v. benefit analysis… writers’ cost v. end result dilemma.

Find what works and do it better. If an idea is tried and tested and works well, go for it! Then… make it better. There is no point filling a hole that does not need to be filled! That is a mistake I have done, and seen others do often. Something is not there, because it often does not need to be.

Don’t be afraid to take some time for yourself – schedule it if you have to! If you’re stressed and overworked, you won’t be able to deliver your best work, and your clients will notice.

Focus on a core strength and master it better than anyone else, document your expertise and the benefits it provides to your clients through case studies, then charge a premium for your services.

Take charge of your billing and cash flow. Find a secure, real billing solution to manage your accounts receivable and *use it.*

Whether it’s a hosted service like Harvest (http://harvestapp.com), a desktop Application like Sage Software’s Timeslips 2010 (http://is.gd/bVmfe) the best billing solution is the one you actually use.

If you’re in an economically depressed area, where rates are artificially low, find identify new clients and projects outtside your immediate area.
Overcome your self consciousness about billing clients for the true, market value of your services.

Bottom Line: Billing = Revenue = Your Business.

Never stop looking for work.

Have expertise in more than one field. Reason: If business dries up in one field, you can get the other one going as an income-producer.

Better yet, have income streams from multiple fields.

Learning the ability of separating “home or Family time” with “work time”

Have a network of supporters and mentors, people who are there to cheer you on and cheer you up when you need it.

Keep in touch with clients. Send holiday cards and (especially, because it’s personal) birthday cards. Congratulate them when appropriate. Create a personal relationship that gives them a stake in your success.

The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.
- Albert Einstein

Understand that you’re way is the right way. There are lots of people willing to give advice (heck, that’s what I’m doing right now) and tell you the best way to do something, but understand that there is no template for success. The thousands of books out there that give advice are helpful, but when it comes down to it, it’s your company, it’s your life and there’s no two on the planet quite like it: there is no right way, there is only your way. Yes, you’ll make mistakes, but that’s part of the journey, and the lessons you learn will make you extraordinary.

Be reliable.

Be known for being reliable, for getting work done. Don’t be the person who ‘disappears’ for days/weeks at a time.

I get my repeat work from clients who know they can email me with a request and I’ll turn it around when they need it.

If I’m out of town or will have limited availability I let everyone know ahead of time so we can plan appropriately (but have my laptop with, just in case).

NEVER STOP LEARNING!

For me the key to a great income is to keep growing as a freelancer. Feeding your brain is essential to offering your best. Read it, research it, study it, get inspired from it. The Web is loaded with information and resources. It’s the new school. Staying current is especially important in a fast evolving industry like ours. There’s always new ways to promote yourself, a new guru to guide or inspire you, new tools and new technologies.

By being current and knowledgeable, I’m able to suggest and offer my clients the best solutions that suit their needs. This leaves them happy and confident they got great service and value, which in turn leads to returning business and referrals.

Niche yourself into a narrow field and specialize in something. Then learn to say “No” to bad projects so that you open yourself up for the good ones.

Use tools like Google Voice to help make sure you’re reachable, and when you don’t want to be reachable, that someone can leave you a message, and only that. Control your interruptions and you can get a lot more done.

Listen, learn and work on the work you want to work on more

I’ve integrated a simple FAQ into my marketing. I can e-mail it in text, as a more designed image, or hand deliver it to businesses with my card attached to it. This allows much more of an indication as to what I’m like as a person while also explaining and giving suggestions for their marketing, which I can then help them with. This tip has made me hundreds of dollars.

Trust your gut if a client seems too good to be true, or like too much work [yet you need the work]. Because they will be a pain, and you’ll need to spend far more time dealing with them than with the better, paying clients who deserve that attention.

Communication is key. Never give up, even if you get rejected from a job you applied for.

Value added. I provide freelance copywriting services, but I make sure to give my clients more than just copy. They also get the benefit of my SEO skills, my business background and my marketing acumen.

I’d say the most influential freelancing tip that has helped me with income is to close my office rooms door, as a way to let my wife, friends, and dog know that I’m working and not to disturb me unless its urgent.

I think this has given me additional billable hours because I manage my time much better without as many distractions.

Never give in to mediocrity.

Have a buffer. Even a month’s worth of cash means you don’t need the business. That makes it easier to say no, easier to choose your clients and easier to sell yourself (just like in dating, you never want to come off as desperate).

Oh, and daily backups! Ideally to more than one source.

Value your clients time, so they value yours.

Be passionate about your work and the service you provide and you will be successful in your career as a freelancer. Networking is also a key part of gaining clients, always give your network and as much as you take and it will come around when you least expect it. Producing great work and the good ole’ “Customer Satisfaction” will always lead to referrals and good reputation.

I think, It most important take care every day of you clients. If you provide an excelent service with added valor, You´re going to suscribe more and more clients.

Never stop selling. Treat everyone you talk to as a potential client.

Don’t have meetings, have a conversation.

A coffee shop is the place to know your client, not an email.

He is in need, so he needs a friend.

Be that friend, and he will pay the value of your friendship.

thank you very much for the great tips.

Sometimes ‘freelancing’ isn’t the right answer. Not everyone is made to be a freelancer; if you’re uncomfortable with risk, need that steady paycheck or want someone to tell you what to do – work for someone else. There’s no shame in that, and ’tis much better to recognize that up-front than pay the price later, either through emotional, mental, physical or financial pain. On the flip side, if you ARE made to be a freelancer then don’t second guess yourself: rock it.

I’m an Australian resident so this freelancing tip will be considered null.

It begins with the letter P.

PLAN.

Plan your time. Planning your time is critical to freelancing success. How many hours do you want to work? How many hours do you want to sleep? How much time to spend on a particular client instead of another. When is the client deadline?

Plan your money. Any wealthy freelancer knows to look after the bottom line. The moment the bottom line is jeopardized is the moment you begin to question yourself as a freelancer. Set your price/target and stick to it. Set a budget and plan your income and expenditure.

Stick to the PLAN and it ends with the letter P.

PROFIT.

youtube: Ari Gold Motivation

The ones who are: considerate, loyal, straight-forward and honest will endure as freelancers (also a bit of backbone)

Before accepting an offer, always make sure that you are 100% happy with the offer. If you are even 99.5% content, re-negotiate or leave the table. Your hunches will not always work, but it’s better for your soul to take projects you are comfortable with in the long-run verses taking short-term projects that you don’t like.

After all, isn’t freelancing about what you ENJOY doing?

Find a client that can give you full-time work, but is flexible enough that you can cut back a little when needed (sounds impossible, but there are a few writing jobs out there like that). With that as your base pay, you’re free to take other gigs that pay more (or pay the same, but interest you more).

Wow, this set of suggestions is pure gold. My best suggestion (since I’m new to the freelancing world) is to follow the plans & tips outlined in “The Wealthy Freelancer.” Just finished the book, definitely a book I’ll read over and over again.

Without some sense of structure, you will start to feel lost and incapable of freelancing. Enjoy your freedom, but realize that freedom comes with lots of responsibility. Come up with a structure that will help you manage your time and reputation.

For example, if you don’t have work coming in, promise to spend X amount of hours each day to look for new clients, work on your portfolio, or boost your skills to make that next job easier and faster to complete.

Structure is your friend; even a freelancer’s friend.

Stack your offerings. If you provide a service such as writing code, build a few useful executables and sell them cheap or give them away. If they work well, it will inspire confidence in your ability to do custom work. You can also write useful instruction papers (or maybe even a book) that help users complete tasks related to your specialty. Now you have stacked your services with multiple “products” that can provide additional revenue on their own and generate leads for your core service business.

Post an ad on Kijiji.

I was surprised how much local work I could find through there, and I live in a town of around 100K.

Portray yourself as a professional and only seek good clients who respect your work and do not mind paying for your services.

I know I can get away with charging more because I offer the best customer services I possibly can and I am not afraid of giving a little more to my clients. In the end, this little more is my selling edge and I find that about 80% of my clientele is coming from referrals of past/current clients.

say no to client price pressures on features that were never in clients plan originally. We all hate “Eh that is just a small simple thing”…

The one thing I have learned over the years is to outsource work. Find other designers that can do the work an you can grow you income exponentially. You youself can only work so many hours in a day. This way you can have many more projects simultaneously. This also gives you the ability to not turn down any work from clients who would end up finding someone else to do the work. If that happens it equals lost revenue for future projects since they will probably stick with the new person they found. In short. Outsource work you can’t handle or don’t want to do to free you up to do the work you want to do and get more clients. Note outsource means accountants, bookkeepers and other services as well. It really increases your earning potential.

Remember to make time for yourself; it’s ok to be unproductive once and a while. Freelancers who work from home, including myself, often find it hard to NOT work every waking hour and this could leave us in a creative slump or just plain burnt-out! Every other night, I put aside at least an hour to do something that I love, and I don’t sweat it if it’s not productive. It gives me time to step back from my busy work life for a much needed break and when I return, I am relaxed and ready to jump right back in.

@shaunarlewis
@lushcreative

Customer Service

You can be the most talent and experience developer/writer/designer on the market but if you don’t know how handle your clients and maintain a constant level of communication with them I can guarantee you that you are not going to last long on your own.

Most of client are not very big text savvy or experience on web development/design/etc some times a daily or regular email goes great lengths for them.

Cheers

Always give something extra to your client, but not something less.

First and foremost is to do good work. Without it, you don’t get more work, and you don’t develop a reputation that resounds throughout the community.

Second is to be honest, if you make a mistake or miss a deadline, admit to it and apologize, it goes a long way and actually has gotten me repeat business even when I wasn’t perfect at certain points in the project.

And thirdly and perhaps most importantly, turn every job into a unique positive experience by the end. No matter what things go wrong throughout the project, if you ultimately did good work, the best work in your field, and you somehow turn each job into a positive experience for the client at the completion of the project, you will get repeat and referral business, time and time again. I’ve never had to advertise once and there’s never a day I don’t have work.

For example, one time I missed a deadline by two weeks. I had to keep my client at bay the whole time since they were very upset. My coder was behind schedule and there was nothing I could personally do about it. So at the end of the project, I offered to deduct $500 from the project as a good business gesture. What they didn’t know was that I build $500 extra from the rate I want to get into every project I quote so at the end I am able to offer discounts incase something goes wrong throughout the project, or if everything goes very smoothly, I can offer my client up to $500 for a referral. The client is usually ecstatic with the end result of my work anyway, they refer a friend for let’s say $3000 when all I wanted was $2,500 they get $500, I get my $500 back plus more work at my full rate, and around and around it goes. The work keeps coming in and each customer feels like I’m giving them something in addition to great quality work that exceeds their expectations. Everyone leaves happy

Develop a System & Learn to Manage.

Do what you would do for free. When you care about the art more than the money, that is when the money will come.

Sorry I am late for this. I am free to express my feeling about this and many other books targeting freelancers. They know that freelancers are mostly starters are desperate for becoming rich, so a title like “Wealthy” is to lure them in. The only people who become wealthy are the writers of such books. my 2 cents.

Things got a whole lot easier when I combined my quote offering document with the contract itself; in two straightforward pages I’ve outlined the project’s work (on both parties’ parts), estimated schedule and deadline, fees AND terms of payments.

This way, once the client signs or digitally approves of my quote offer, they are automatically (and knowingly) aware of what’s expected in terms of both the professional and financial aspects.

@annat K. However some prospect want a quick quote, it is wiser to get them a mini version of your agreement so that they agree to the price first. Once they do then you send them your 2 page quote plus contract. Some get scared of reading a contract.
I call my simple one “project proposal” and the final one that requires a signature with the contract “quote and agreement”

Be selective with your clients, after a while you’ll realize that no matter how much you need new clients, you are better off avoiding these bad clients!

I just wanted to say that I have read this book couple of weeks ago and it is a wonderful book, packed with lots of valuable information for creatives. It gives you all the secrets that work in marketing and promoting your business. I Highly recommend this book.