10 Mistakes You Don’t Want To Make As A Freelancer
1. Pretending To Be Someone You’re Not
Image Credit: Adam Ciesielski
the heat of the moment, when you are trying to land a deal with a client, many times it can be tempting to make it sound as if you are a little bit better at certain things than you actually are, – adding a year or two to your working career or skipping to mention that you are going to have a vacation right in the middle of a critical time period for a client. Maybe you’ll get away with it once or twice, but its really not anything you should let yourself do. One thing is that lying is bad, another thing is that in most cases it will probably do you more harm than good. Maybe you will loose a client or two, but as most clients value honesty you will come out better in the long end.
Be honest on what you are capable of doing and not, tell it like it is and set deadlines that you are sure you are able to keep. If you fail a project because you took on too much or did things you don’t really do that well, your client wont be back and it may affect the other clients you currently have. Remember that every client can give you good or bad reputation in the market, so try to get a name out there as someone who’s honest and can be counted on.
2. Overpricing/Underpricing Yourself
Image Credit: COFFY | MOTIONDESIGN
Pricing your products/services can be very critical, so its important to do some good researching before you set the prices. Check out what others charge for the same or related services, ask your friends or business-partners, you can even ask potential clients. Depending on which country you work from there may be different forums and websites that can help you out on this. If you price yourself too high the clients will choose your competitors or just get very unhappy when they receive the bill. If you price yourself too low it can be hard for you to make ends meet and the clients may also find it a bit unprofessional. Just remember to do the required research before you start up. And most importantly: don’t be afraid to do adjustments along the way if you feel you started off a bit wrong. My hottest tip on this point will be to keep a close dialogue with the clients and try to get feedback from them after the project has ended.
They are the ones that are responsible for your paycheck and the ones that in the end decide if they want to use your services or not. So make sure to listen to them and value their opinion.
＊「勤勉は成功の母」：人生で成功しようとするなら、勤勉であれということ。
同諺・Adage掲載ページ
Diligence is the mother of good fortune.* [2010-01-24] Theme: art
Diligence is the mother of good fortune.* [2010-02-24] Theme: goods
1. Pretending To Be Someone You’re Not
Image Credit: Adam Ciesielski
the heat of the moment, when you are trying to land a deal with a client, many times it can be tempting to make it sound as if you are a little bit better at certain things than you actually are, – adding a year or two to your working career or skipping to mention that you are going to have a vacation right in the middle of a critical time period for a client. Maybe you’ll get away with it once or twice, but its really not anything you should let yourself do. One thing is that lying is bad, another thing is that in most cases it will probably do you more harm than good. Maybe you will loose a client or two, but as most clients value honesty you will come out better in the long end.
Be honest on what you are capable of doing and not, tell it like it is and set deadlines that you are sure you are able to keep. If you fail a project because you took on too much or did things you don’t really do that well, your client wont be back and it may affect the other clients you currently have. Remember that every client can give you good or bad reputation in the market, so try to get a name out there as someone who’s honest and can be counted on.
2. Overpricing/Underpricing Yourself
Image Credit: COFFY | MOTIONDESIGN
Pricing your products/services can be very critical, so its important to do some good researching before you set the prices. Check out what others charge for the same or related services, ask your friends or business-partners, you can even ask potential clients. Depending on which country you work from there may be different forums and websites that can help you out on this. If you price yourself too high the clients will choose your competitors or just get very unhappy when they receive the bill. If you price yourself too low it can be hard for you to make ends meet and the clients may also find it a bit unprofessional. Just remember to do the required research before you start up. And most importantly: don’t be afraid to do adjustments along the way if you feel you started off a bit wrong. My hottest tip on this point will be to keep a close dialogue with the clients and try to get feedback from them after the project has ended.
They are the ones that are responsible for your paycheck and the ones that in the end decide if they want to use your services or not. So make sure to listen to them and value their opinion.
＊「勤勉は成功の母」：人生で成功しようとするなら、勤勉であれということ。
同諺・Adage掲載ページ
Diligence is the mother of good fortune.* [2010-01-24] Theme: art
Diligence is the mother of good fortune.* [2010-02-24] Theme: goods