Freelancefolder

Grow Your Freelance Business With Killer Customer Service

Posted March 18, 2010 in Business, Managing Clients

In these days of automated phone answering, online bill payments and support, and countless other technology-based, personality-disconnected offerings, quality customer service can often be hard to find. I’ve written previously about the opportunities our society can provide for freelancers. In this post we will focus on the elements of killer customer service freelancers can use to grow their business and keep clients coming back for more as well as recommending them to others.

My wife is in the process of getting her cosmetology license. Every day she has people sit in her chair and pay to have her cut, color or style their hair. As her schooling has progressed she has begun to build a significant number of repeat clients who faithfully request her services when making their appointments. In a recent discussion we were examining some of the main reasons we could identify as motivation for the return customers, and not surprisingly they all boiled down to killer customer service. Most of these reasons are transferrable principles that can be applied to any freelance business situation.

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Dealing With Negative Criticism

Posted March 11, 2010 in Business, How-To

As freelancers, we do everything we can to get our names out there. Whether it’s writing blog posts, twittering, using other social media, or just dealing with clients, we try to be everywhere on the web.

Unfortunately, the more you put yourself out there, the more you open yourself up to those people. You know who they are–the ones who disagree with you and aren’t afraid to point that out, the ones who hate your work, writing and thoughts.

While not the same as outright rejection, negative criticism can be just as upsetting and hurtful. So how do we deal with it while staying professional and cool headed? Here are some tips from someone who’s also received lots of criticism in her freelancing career.

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Bad First Impressions That Can Drive Potential Clients Away

Posted March 3, 2010 in Business, Managing Clients

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Those initial defining moments can be the determining factor for whether or not a client hires you, so it is critical to make them count.

When a potential client makes first contact–by email, phone, IM, social media or in person–everything you do and say will have a lasting impact on their perception of who you are, how you operate, and more. It is important to ensure that this impact is positive, and not the opposite. This post will point out some of the worst first impression mistakes a freelancer can make and give some direction for ways to avoid them.

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Earn More Money by Growing Your Freelancing Business

Posted February 23, 2010 in Business, Productivity

Do you need to earn more money?

At first, freelancers earn more money by taking on additional clients. However, there is a practical limit to how many clients a single freelancer, working alone, can handle. Eventually, a successful freelancer will be faced with more work than he or she can handle alone. That’s usually when the question of growing your freelance business comes up.

By growing the freelance business, I mean adding additional people to your business efforts so that you can handle additional work (and earn the additional income that goes along with it).

In this post, we’ll discuss the growth of your freelancing business. We’ll examine the best time for a freelancing business to grow and also take a look at several options for growth.

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How to Be Competitive Without Alienating Your Peers

Posted February 19, 2010 in Business, Marketing

In the current economic climate, freelancers can very easily discover they are a not-so-distant relative to the starving artist. Scrambling for the next project, lowering rates and doing whatever else it takes to secure the necessary income can begin to raise the competitive mindset to new heights in even the most community-minded of individuals.

While competition can be a healthy motivation, it can also be the knife in the back of other freelancers in your field if handled carelessly. This post will look at ways to keep competition in its rightful place, driving your business forward without alienating fellow freelancers or damaging your standing in your respective community.

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How Committed Are You to Freelancing?

Posted February 12, 2010 in Business

Freelancers come and freelancers go.

It’s a fact that many start freelancing, but not everyone who starts a freelance business sticks with it. What do you think it is that really separates those who stick with freelancing from those who quit?

Could it be talent? Is it the amount of knowledge that a freelancer has? Or, perhaps popularity is the true measure of a freelancer’s ultimate success…

While all of these factors are important, there is something that is even more crucial to freelancing longevity.

The answer lies in a single word–commitment.

In this post, we’ll discuss some of the traits of a committed freelancer. I’ll also share my own observations about freelancing commitment.

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How to Make Your Portfolio Better Than the Competition’s Portfolio

Posted February 7, 2010 in Business, Web Design

Competition is fierce in the world of freelancing. In the clients’ eyes, one of the few factors that differentiates you from the competition is the quality of your portfolio.

While much of what makes up a portfolio is both subjective and based on personal preferences, there are still several surefire ways to distinguish yourself in the sea of freelancers.

Let’s takes a look at some ways you can make your portfolio better than your competition’s portfolio.

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Staying Sane While Freelancing With a Loved One

Posted February 5, 2010 in Business, Freelance Stories

Two years ago, I was the full-time web guy at a conservative insurance company. My wife could see my frustrations there and encouraged me to quit and pursue a freelance career. She suggested that we could use her income as our base if things got really tight, financially. I’ve never been happier.

However, during the last two years, I’ve seen her deal with the same frustrations in her current work situation that I experienced two years ago. I realized our situations were reversed, and since she rescued me from my previous work situation and offered me a better career and better life, it was time for me to do the same for her. I encouraged her to quit and help me in my business. It’s only been about a month, but it’s been a month filled with lots of lessons on how to deal as a freelancing couple. So how did we get through our first month without divorce?

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How To Find the Right Freelancer for Your New Project

Posted January 28, 2010 in Business

So, you’re thinking about hiring a freelancer to build your website or write your copy or design your new logo, but you don’t know what qualities or skills you should be looking for.

Sorting through job boards, posting ads on Craigslist, or just crying out for help on Twitter does not sound appealing, productive, or promising. Still, your desire to invest in and partner with an individual instead of possibly spending money with a corporation and becoming just another account in a file cabinet drawer is enough motivation to cause you to consider diving into the freelancing fray.

There you sit, on the precipice of the unknown, and you wonder how to start. Well, today is your lucky day! This post is about how you can define your project in ways that will enable you to connect with the right freelancer for the job, along with some important qualities you should be looking for in the person you eventually decide upon.

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