If you are a freelancer, you must take care of different things to boost your career and achieve your professional goals.
In North America, 64% of freelancers found their respective jobs online and if you want to be part of the statistics, you should invest time in finding new job opportunities.
Keep in mind that anyone can offer their services, but not everyone knows how to do it to obtain the best results.
If you learn to optimize your proposals, set correct prices, and correctly promote your services, surely you will reach new job opportunities.
1. Identify Your Target
To offer your services more effectively, you must know what your target is. Who is your ideal potential customer? Think about it for a few minutes and keep reading.
If your answer is “everyone” you have a big problem, because this fact indicates that you do not know who you want to sell to, or rather, who you want to help.
Not knowing what is your target has consequences in the strictly professional sphere such as, for example, diffuse and poorly focused messages and communications, ineffective and costly strategies and marketing plans and irregular income flows, among others.
To offer your freelance services, you must first know who you should offer them to.
Every freelancer has a specific audience to whom their business is directed and identifying it is the first step to knowing where to direct your efforts, if you offer your services to your ideal audience, you will have a much better chance of making a sale.
Many freelancers fail because they do not know their target market and when they try to please everyone with their products or services, they really do not please anyone and end up lowering prices and wasting time and money.
So how to define your ideal client? Think about what they do, if it is a company or if they are people with personal brands, what style do they handle? Are they formal or more casual? The more specific you are, the better.
You can also search for companies that require your services. This is very important to avoid wasting your time with clients who are already working with another freelancer.
By looking at the business of clients you would like to work with, you can tell if they need your services.
2. Set The Right Prices
Before starting to offer your freelance services, you must know how much they will cost. This is an important point since determining the correct price will bring you much closer to receiving the job you want so much.
It may sound weird, but a high price will make clients turn away and a too low price can seem suspicious, it will make them believe that your work is not quality and they will end up walking away.
To define the price of your work as a freelancer you can follow these simple steps.
- Define everything that your freelance work will include, so you will know what you will charge for.
- Find out how much your colleagues usually charge for the same services that you offer, which will help you get an idea of the price that is handled in the market.
- Take into account the fees of the means of payment you use, it may not bother you or on the contrary, you will want to add that discount to the payment so that nothing is subtracted from the payment you expect to receive.
- Will you set an hourly rate or a fixed price? Define which option is best for you depending on the work you do. For example, personal assistants would prefer to charge per work hour and graphic designers per project.
- Consider your level of experience. If you are a beginner, they will hardly buy your service if you offer it at a high cost, so to find your first jobs you should charge less than the average.On the other hand, if you are an experienced freelancer you could even charge more than the average, since you may have more demand for work and offer a better service than other colleagues.
3. Build Service Packages
Depending on your niche and the type of work you do, you can segment the items of your work and assign a price to each thing.
For example, if you are a graphic designer and you make logos, your package can offer the design of three versions of a logo, and each change or modification of the logo may have an extra cost.
Creating one more version of the logo may have another extra cost for the client which means you can earn more money, and thus with different services that you want to include.
This will help you to receive fair remuneration for your work so that the client is clear about what is included in the package for which they are paying and so that no extra expenses take them by surprise.
Advantages Of Using Service Packages
It Adapts To Different Budgets
Not all clients have the same economic capacity, but the solution for this is to offer different options, some more accessible than others.
However, you will always encourage the client to choose the most complete (and most expensive) as it will benefit their business the most.
Make The Parameters Clear
When you establish what each package includes, you will avoid confusion or problems with the client.
They will know beforehand what the package they are buying includes (and what not) and you will know what the limits of the work are and what you should do.
It Will Make Work Flow Better
It is a starting point for your working relationship with the client and you can make the items in the package more flexible so that it adapts to the client’s needs.
On the other hand, having packages makes it clear what are those things that you can do for the client and they will not take you by surprise with orders that you cannot carry out.
4. Promote What You Do
There are many places where you can advertise your freelance services and investing your time and effort in some of them will increase the chances that you can make sales and find valuable clients.
Through A Portfolio Website
A portfolio website is a place where you can display all the work you have done previously and thus show your experience.
Having a portfolio website will help clients perceive you as a professional freelancer and apart from work samples, you can include testimonials and recommendations from previous clients, as well as blog posts where you talk about your experience, creative processes, and other topics of interest.
Building a portfolio website is not as complicated as you imagine. There are many platforms like Wix, Squarespace, and WordPress that make all of this a lot easier.
With a portfolio website, you can give much more exposure to your work and it is even possible that clients will contact you through it. As soon as you have it, you can include the link to your portfolio on many social profiles.
How To Offer Your Services With Your Website
Through your portfolio website, you will be able to attract the attention of potential clients who search the web for similar services to those that you offer.
On your website, you can publish the services you offer, your packages and also show previous work that you have done for other clients. Here you should also include your contact information so that potential customers can contact you.
Make sure that the theme you use for your portfolio website is responsive, this means that it can be seen well from any device.
Within your website, you can also have a blogging section and write articles that are of interest to the public.
For example, if you are a web developer you can write a post about five things that should not be missing on your website, and at the end, tell the reader that if they want a website that meets all these tips, they can hire your services.
Pro Tip: Avoid using free domains for your website as it hinders professionalism and can affect your online presence. Think of it as an investment for your business.
Networking
It is always important to be in contact with other freelancers with whom you can ally, people who may need to complement their services with yours to offer a more complete package to the client.
For example, if you are a photographer, you can seek an alliance with a graphic designer, whose clients may eventually require a new stock of photos for their magazine, posters, etc.
If you are an expert in digital marketing, you can partner with a web developer to offer clients not only a new website but a whole promotion strategy for their new image on social networks.
Customers will like to know that you and your associate can provide a more comprehensive solution to their requirements.
How To Offer Your Services When Networking
- Have business cards to hand out to people at events.
- Keep in touch through emails, you can promote your packages and give special discounts.
- Participate in projects for organizations or non-profit organizations. This way you will make yourself known in the niche and colleagues will appreciate your potential.
Use Your Social Networks
One way to start offering your freelance services and getting clients as a freelancer is to take advantage of social networks to promote yourself.
You can start by updating or creating a profile on LinkedIn where you describe your areas of competence and invite your contacts to validate your skills.
How To Offer Your Services On Social Networks
You can create a fan page on Facebook, where you not only promote yourself as a freelancer but also share quality content for your followers.
There you can establish contact with other freelancers and potential clients while developing a closer relationship with them.
Facebook also offers you the ability to buy advertising and segment your target audiences so that your ads reach the right audience, those interested in your services or working in related areas.
As you know, Facebook is one of the most used networks today. Many people look for products and services directly in it.
Therefore, your fan page must include complete information about your services and contact information.
Another social tool that you can use is Twitter, this network can be synchronized with Facebook so that the contents you publish on your fan page are shared on your timeline.
Follow people related to your area to keep up to date with notes of interest for your specialty and do not forget to share the interesting content you find.
You can also create an Instagram account to share photos of your creations and use hashtags related to your work. All this will help you have greater visibility and position your personal brand.
5. Use Freelance Platforms
To get clients more easily, you can subscribe to an online platform for freelancers. The advantage of these sites is that they are a portal for thousands of potential clients requesting offers for their projects.
Some platforms that you can use are Upwork, Freelancer, Fiverr, and FlexJobs.
In most of these platforms, the dynamics consist of reviewing job offers and then offering your services to these potential clients, explaining how you are the ideal freelancer they need for their projects.
To offer your services you must project reliability and experience in your profile. You must complete it 100% and put samples of work done. A
s much as possible, ask for references to clients you have worked with before so that this is reflected in your profile.
Finally, regardless of which strategy you choose, the most important thing is to generate value for your customers. Offer creative solutions in all the projects you do.
This will create a loyal clientele and long-lasting business relationships for you. It will also help other potential clients see your work and take an interest in you.
How To Offer Your Services On Freelance Platforms
To show the client that you really care about their business or project, attention to detail is a must and so is a customization of each job proposal.
Make your proposal fit the job offer, that is, do not write in such a general way but responding to the points they are looking for or the characteristics they ask for from a freelancer.
For example, if they are looking for someone with a year of experience, mention that you have it and who you worked for.
How To Write A Winning Application
There are basically 4 things that your application must include.
Greeting: Simple, greet the client If you know their name or the name of the company you could use it. Depending on who is the client, you should consider whether to be formal or informal.
“Hi, Joseph! Thanks for the invitation to your project.”
Introduction: In this part, you include your presentation, who you are, what you do, what experience you have.
“I’m Anna and I have three years of experience working as a graphic designer. I specialize in logo creation and I love giving creative ideas to my clients.”
Body: Here you expand the information according to what they propose in the job description. You can write about how you will respond to their needs or answer questions they ask you.
“I like the ideas you have for creating your logo but I think it would be better to use another color palette and another typography that better conveys the personality of your brand. Apart from creating the logo for your brand, I would also give you the user manual of the logo. I would use Adobe Illustrator to create your logo.”
The close: Here you conclude, you thank the client for their time, attention, or for inviting you to participate and you say that you hope you can work together.
It is not necessary that you include contact information because they will already know how to do it within the platform.
“Thank you very much for your time, looking forward to working with you. Have a nice day.”
6. Communicate Efficiently With Your Clients
Every client wants to feel that they are dealing with a professional, and you can improve your image regardless of the level of experience you have.
Through your image and the way you communicate with your clients, you can convey professionalism and quality.
Giving a good image will improve your chances of finding work for clients who want to work with you.
The key to any client/server relationship is effective communication, which also is a requirement to become a successful freelancer.
If you really understand the importance of communicating well, dealing with your clients will be much easier. If your communication skills are not good, start trying to improve them.
You must use neat language, always, both when referring to your client, and when sending emails or communicating with other people that your work requires.
Effective communication is the ability to listen carefully to what the other person expresses, understand what he or she wants to say, and can respond in such a way that the messages arrive clearly and understandably, without misunderstandings or confusion.
For any freelancer, effective communication is a must especially if you take into account that as a teleworker, many times your client will not be in the same country and may not even speak the same language.
If your communication skills are not good, start trying to improve them.
7. Optimize Your Proposal According To The Client
To obtain good results from each proposal you send, you can adapt the offer depending on the client you are serving.
Remember that some clients generate more income than others, and for that reason, the same offer that you give to one may seem very expensive to another.
On the other hand, customers will appreciate that you send them personalized proposals, that you greet them with their name, and that you tell them how the packages you offer can be adapted to their business and solve their needs.
Helpful Tips
- Every time you are looking for work, you will notice writing job proposals for each one can be a bit tedious. A good idea is that you use a template for each occasion that you must send a new proposal, and all you have to do is rewrite the information that you need to include according to the job vacancy.
- Remember that to increase your chances of obtaining a job, you must ensure that your profile adapts to what they are looking for and that it truly is a job with which you can fulfill.
- Offer them several package options, an inexpensive but basic option, and a much more complete but more expensive option.
- Evaluate the needs of each business before offering your services.
Source: freecodecamp.org
Keep in mind that using emails from free services such as Google, Yahoo or others does not give a serious image to your professional freelance image. However, having a corporate email gives identity to your freelance career and seriousness.
Affordable Courses To Improve Your Proposals And Sales
- Digital Marketing Strategy – Profitable Sales Funnel Fundamentals
- How To Build A Profitable Freelance Business On Upwork
- How to Succeed on Fiverr Freelance: A Guide for Sellers 101
- Essential Communication Skills for Professionals
- Write Better Emails: Etiquette rules and tactics for smarter communication at work
- Sales Training for Freelancers: Land High-Ticket Projects
- Marketing Articles For Entrepreneurs: Drive Sales & Traffic
Offer Your Freelance Services And Grow Your Career
To grow your freelance career you should strive to offer your freelance services in the best way, since that is what will allow you to win clients and make yourself known.
In a company, a department would be in charge of making the sales, but when you are a freelancer, it is something that you should do on your own and there are many ways to achieve it, like using your social networks, networking events, or your own website.
Learning how to connect with clients and sell your services to them is something that requires patience and effort, but that will translate into profits for your business.