One trend that the pandemic has brought amongst the whole world’s population is – Freelance! In the UK alone, 42% of 4.8 million self-employed people are freelancers. One in every 3 people is a freelancer in the US alone. This astounding number shows the extent to how the workforce has changed around the globe, for good or for worse.
Freelance as easy as it sounds is not simple enough. Many join freelance with various presumptions but, only a few stick through the tide. Unlike an 8-hours-shift job, freelancing needs a lot more work to stay in the game. It requires being more approachable, communicative, persistent and disciplined. These are the basic starter packs anyone would need to test the waters.
However, once you get a hang of it, you also need to keep updating along with the changes in the profession. Here are some aspects that will level up the game!
Under Promise, Over Deliver
This is just the right trick anyone should know about. When I say, ‘under promise’, you don’t really have to set the bars low. Evaluate your client and understand your strengths. When the deciding moment comes, provide them with average deliverability and while submitting, giving them the extra output would only excite them.
It is a win-win situation for all. The clients are happy to get more than what they’ve asked for. You create great value for the clients, and all you did was to give them the output that you knew you could! Offering the customers the best is the only asset for you to help climb up the freelance ladder.
Communicate and Socialise
Emails and social media platforms are the best places to showcase your talent all while being able to communicate with potential clients. Reaching out to as many leads as possible is the strong mantra to follow to get the much-needed attention. Because you never know what leads will get the deal!
It is not necessary to be on all social media platforms. Let’s face it! It’s quite exhausting to maintain them all. Find the one’s that you’re comfortable with and take the lead from there. Another better way is to reach those influential personnel’s inboxes directly. AI-powered websites like GetEmail.io is the best email search platform to help you access an unlimited number of emails. It also comes with a chrome extension to your Linkedin account, so it becomes simple to find an email address in just a matter of seconds.
Time is Money
Of course, time costs money for every working person in the world. However, it is literal in the freelance world! When you’re not considerate about the client’s job, the client won’t consider you for the next time. That is one opportunity lost just as simply! There might be a couple of chances one might get in their regular 9-5 jobs, but not in here.
When considering a position, evaluate yourself as per the industry standards and charge the amount. A lot of freelancers undervalue themselves and end up overworking. Remember to define a line between personal as well as professional life. Both the parties (freelancer and client) should be satisfied with the results. All the efforts and patience must be worthwhile.
Broaden your Horizons
Jack of all, King of none is the sentence of the past. As a freelancer, one must learn to broaden their horizon. Being the jack brings a lot of opportunities to the doorstep. Of course, specializing in one field only makes the work more efficient and effective. At the end of the day, it is your call to decide.Â
Diversifying helps in expanding the areas of expertise. For example, being a pro at FCP or other editing apps is great. But being able to handle the camera and manage to shoot well adds another valuable feather to the cap. The basic skill set will always remain constant, the additional skill sets bring in additional opportunities and chances to explore new adventures.
Conclusion
As said above, more than anything freelance requires discipline and patience. There will always be highs and lows in terms of income as well as career satisfaction. It is up to you to decide if you’re in for the long haul. The ones who are already into it – Kudos to you! You’re doing a wonderful job. Hope these additional points benefit you to be a better freelancer and improve your career.
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