Photo by etech

When it comes to the questions we’re asked, “What do you do?” is at the top of the list. There are times when the answer is best delivered in the form of a catchy little “elevator speech.”

And then there are times when a longer answer is needed.

For example, a prospect may be visiting your website. Although he loves your site’s design and the pieces in your portfolio, he just can’t figure out what you do. So he clickety-hops away, never to be seen again.

Although they seem to be an anathema to many designers, photographers, and other visual types, nothing beats words when it comes to explaining what you do. I like the Question/Answer format that’s commonly used on website FAQ pages. It’s simple, direct, and easily customizable. Continue Reading

Photo by Plutor.

No matter what our background, most of us can speak a foreign language. One that’s completely opaque to anyone who might be listening in. It’s the language of your industry.

So what’s your second language? Is it ‘web dev’? (Take this quick quiz – have you ever used the words ‘CSS’, ‘XHTML’, ‘sFIR3′ or ‘Javascript’ face-to-face with a client?). Or do you lapse into ‘designer’ or ‘blogger’ when you get excited?

Whatever your second language is, chances are either you or your clients are losing something vital in the translation. Every industry creates jargon, acronyms and product-words that aren’t in any dictionary, and mean nothing to outsiders. And then individual companies have their own variations on the dialect.

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Photo by visualpanic.

With the coming recession, I get a lot of questions about whether it will be increasingly difficult for freelancers to get new clients and, more importantly, projects that pay appropriately.

Over the past eight months, the following industries have proved extremely lucrative for freelancers. I categorize them into Spheres.

The Extreme Sphere

The industries in the extreme sphere are those that are currently crashing or booming. Why would a crashing industry be a good industry to find clients in?

If you’re a freelancer, you’re less expensive and easier to handle for a struggling entrepreneur or business than an employee would be. Additionally, if you provide marketing services or can help them secure a presence online, they need you. Continue Reading