5 of my biggest freelance mistakes
It is often said that we learn more from mistakes than from successes. But it is still better to learn from others' blunders than from your own.
Every freelancer has something to tell about his work, so now I will tell about my own experience. I hope my advice will be useful and you may share your experience in the comments.
1. Lower price
Most of us have ever sinned with this, many are still doing it. Money is a problematic topic for most people. Despite the fact that now I can talk more freely than before about money, I still find this topic somewhat uncomfortable. Although it is not easy to talk about it, it is extremely important.
You have the right to receive fair pay for work, especially if you do it well and have a lot of experience. How to understand that the price is undervalued? If you are doing a good job, and the customers' proposals go in an endless stream, then the prices are too low.
Also, be careful when evaluating the value of your work on an hourly basis when this is not required of you. If you assign a price per hour of work, then by completing the work faster than expected, you will actually punish yourself. In addition, many works require considerable experience and special knowledge, despite the fact that their implementation takes a little time. As the old carpenter said, when his client complained about the price for fixing a squeaky board in the floor: you pay $ 1 for a nail and $ 999 for what I know where to hammer it.
2. Excessive employment
No customer has an exclusive right to your time, even if he thinks he is paying you well. If one client occupies all your time, then this will be your boss, and you will have a permanent job, but this should not be in the relationship of the freelancer with the customer. Remember also that in addition to the existing work, you need time to offer your services on the market and establish cooperation in order to get work in the future. Allowing the customer to manage my time was the biggest mistake I ever made, since when the contract was executed, I had absolutely nothing to do. Ideally, you need to have four or five combined works plus time for rest, so due to the loss of one of your jobs, you will not lag too much behind life.
3. Inability to sell
I believe that the next after money problem freelancing for most people is the problem of how to present and sell their services. The fact is that, often, despite the fact that the client is aware of the need for your help, he himself does not understand exactly what he needs. Offering your services, do not present them as a panacea and do not try to shake everything out of the client. If you can actually help someone, then offer your services in such a way that your offer is responded to. Consider everything that concerns a given client: his needs, what he wants to achieve with your help. And most importantly - listen more than speak.
4. Answer “Yes” to any offer.
Fear can make us do stupid things. It took a long time before I began to reject orders. Some were easier to reject than others. Requests to work for free still come, but now I always say no. It’s still hard to give up work, but I can do it. You need to remember that a bad deal or a bad client can hurt you a lot more than losing your job. Be prepared to disagree on everything that gets in your way, and know that you can remain a pleasant and friendly companion, even rejecting the offer.
5. The lack of communication with customers after the completion of the project
Former happy customers can serve as the largest source of new work, either through repeat business or by giving you good recommendations among your colleagues. Be sure to ask for at least a recall when customers talk about how satisfied they are. It is even better if you can convince them to recommend you. For demand, do not hit the nose! It would be nice to send a birthday card or something like that. You never know what might come in handy.
Like most of us, I still have a lot to learn in freelancing, but I enjoy being engaged in it, making mistakes, etc. What lessons have you learned on this difficult path? Please share with us in the comments.
Via freelance job
Every freelancer has something to tell about his work, so now I will tell about my own experience. I hope my advice will be useful and you may share your experience in the comments.
1. Lower price
Most of us have ever sinned with this, many are still doing it. Money is a problematic topic for most people. Despite the fact that now I can talk more freely than before about money, I still find this topic somewhat uncomfortable. Although it is not easy to talk about it, it is extremely important.
You have the right to receive fair pay for work, especially if you do it well and have a lot of experience. How to understand that the price is undervalued? If you are doing a good job, and the customers' proposals go in an endless stream, then the prices are too low.
Also, be careful when evaluating the value of your work on an hourly basis when this is not required of you. If you assign a price per hour of work, then by completing the work faster than expected, you will actually punish yourself. In addition, many works require considerable experience and special knowledge, despite the fact that their implementation takes a little time. As the old carpenter said, when his client complained about the price for fixing a squeaky board in the floor: you pay $ 1 for a nail and $ 999 for what I know where to hammer it.
2. Excessive employment
No customer has an exclusive right to your time, even if he thinks he is paying you well. If one client occupies all your time, then this will be your boss, and you will have a permanent job, but this should not be in the relationship of the freelancer with the customer. Remember also that in addition to the existing work, you need time to offer your services on the market and establish cooperation in order to get work in the future. Allowing the customer to manage my time was the biggest mistake I ever made, since when the contract was executed, I had absolutely nothing to do. Ideally, you need to have four or five combined works plus time for rest, so due to the loss of one of your jobs, you will not lag too much behind life.
3. Inability to sell
I believe that the next after money problem freelancing for most people is the problem of how to present and sell their services. The fact is that, often, despite the fact that the client is aware of the need for your help, he himself does not understand exactly what he needs. Offering your services, do not present them as a panacea and do not try to shake everything out of the client. If you can actually help someone, then offer your services in such a way that your offer is responded to. Consider everything that concerns a given client: his needs, what he wants to achieve with your help. And most importantly - listen more than speak.
4. Answer “Yes” to any offer.
Fear can make us do stupid things. It took a long time before I began to reject orders. Some were easier to reject than others. Requests to work for free still come, but now I always say no. It’s still hard to give up work, but I can do it. You need to remember that a bad deal or a bad client can hurt you a lot more than losing your job. Be prepared to disagree on everything that gets in your way, and know that you can remain a pleasant and friendly companion, even rejecting the offer.
5. The lack of communication with customers after the completion of the project
Former happy customers can serve as the largest source of new work, either through repeat business or by giving you good recommendations among your colleagues. Be sure to ask for at least a recall when customers talk about how satisfied they are. It is even better if you can convince them to recommend you. For demand, do not hit the nose! It would be nice to send a birthday card or something like that. You never know what might come in handy.
Like most of us, I still have a lot to learn in freelancing, but I enjoy being engaged in it, making mistakes, etc. What lessons have you learned on this difficult path? Please share with us in the comments.
Via freelance job
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Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/31323/
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