Freelancefolder

Would You Hire This Freelancer?

Posted May 20, 2010 in Managing Clients, Marketing

Can a single sentence really make the difference between you being hired for your next freelance job and you being flat-out rejected?

Here’s an example of how it can, directly from the horse’s mouth…

Recently, I needed to hire a stellar user interface designer for my startup company. I needed someone with tons of experience, and was willing to pay well for it. Most importantly, I had a sketch and a vision for how I wanted my startup’s website to look, but I needed someone who would have the courage to stand up to me and say, “No, Erica, that won’t work, and here’s why.”

In this post, I’ll share what I did to find a designer.

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How to Keep a Mistake from Losing You a Client

Posted May 14, 2010 in Managing Clients, Marketing

Every freelancer makes mistakes. You miss a phrase in the client’s specs that expressly says not to use any blue in the design, and your first mockup has blue all over it. You miss a deadline, and you don’t even have a good excuse–you just forgot the project was due on that date. You accidentally copy someone who most definitely should not have been copied on that email you sent, and it created an internal conflict on the client’s end.

Mistakes happen. No matter how good you are, you’re human and eventually you make not just a little mistake, but a doozy of one.

It’s not the mistakes that lose you the clients, though; it’s how you handle them. These three little tips won’t keep mistakes from happening, but in most cases they keep the client from showing you the door–or badmouthing you to every other company in town.

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Why Online Reputation Management Is More Important Than Ever

Posted May 12, 2010 in Marketing, Social Media

Do you monitor your online reputation?

Some time ago, we explained why a freelancer’s online reputation is important to their business. Those points are still valid. In fact, there’s now more information than ever about each of us online.

Yet, judging from the comments I see almost daily on social media sites and on blogs, I am guessing that many freelancers have become lax about managing their online reputation (or image). Or, it’s possible that some freelancers just don’t understand the importance of having a good online reputation.

In this post, we’ll explain what makes up your online reputation. We’ll also explain why managing your online image is more important than ever. Finally, we’ll invite you to share your own tips for managing your online reputation.

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How to Know When to Walk Away

Posted May 3, 2010 in Managing Clients, Marketing

Remember when you first started as a freelancer? You were probably desperate for a gig–any gig–where you could show that you really could do this. You wanted to show the world that you were good. That you were worth hiring.

You needed money, sure, but the money mattered less than proving that you were a serious freelancer who should be paid money in the first place.

Your first client offered you an insultingly low rate, and you took the job–because it meant that you were a real freelancer.

Flash forward to present day. You wouldn’t accept low rates anymore. You’ve grown, you’re established and you know your own worth.

But, you still may be selling the value of your services short. It’s very easy to catch yourself accepting a rate lower than your ideal one–no matter how established a freelancer you are. You need to know when you should walk away. In this post, we list some three situations when you should refuse work. We also provide some tips to help you walk away from work when you need to.

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