4 things you can do to be a better freelancer
Over the next decade or two, we are going to see an acceleration of the trends towards more of the workforce being freelancers.
More full time and part-time ‘employees’ will officially transform into gigsters.
The statistics on unemployment that governments rely on to measure a strong economy will become redundant and nonsensical.
Some people will freelance because it is the only option available to them. Some will do it because they love it. Some will do it for lifestyle and family considerations.
From here on, I’m going to assume you are or are considering a freelancing future.
So how do you survive in a world that is more freelance?
Well the skills of the successful freelancer are akin to the skills of the successful small business owner. Just under a different guise.
Having run my own consulting practice for twenty years and having surveyed more than ten thousand business owners and written nine books on business and communication, I thought I could share with you a few tips on how to be successful at freelancing.
Tip 1 — Know your skills
It is important to have a strong understanding of what you are good at, and what you suck at as an individual. If you assess these, you’ll be able to direct where you can best generate revenue and earnings from your freelance work.
Tip 2 — Know your passions
Being good at something and being passionate about it don’t always go together.
And yet, passion is really important to being a good freelancer and it will show in your work for your clients.
It will also get you through the dark days when you feel as if it all too hard, or you have a bad experience, or you lose money on a project. If you’re not passionate about the work or what you are creating, it will be easier to give up on it.
Tip 3 — Know your value and work on increasing it
Take two people who are equally proficient in taking photographs as an example. Photographer one can get the job done and deliver good quality images. But photographer two is easy to work with, ensures his subjects enjoy the process, and is quick to respond to questions, enquiries and so forth.
In most situations, photographer two will be able to command a higher value for their work, because value doesn’t just lie in the product or service itself. It is a complex equation made up of many factors. And in each market and for each customer this equation will be different. Get the equation right, and understand your value and you’ll be successful.
Tip 4 — Know your best customer
Another side of the value equation above is finding the type of client who will value you the most. If you can marry a valuable product or service to the type of customer who values it most, there will be a match made in heaven and you will be able to run a successful freelance operation.
Be good at what you do, enjoy it, be valuable and work with customers who value you.
I wish you every success in your journey.
