Freelancefolder

Sales Tips for Shy People

Posted March 8, 2011 in Getting Clients, Marketing

You’ve probably all heard of the proverbial natural salesperson. You know the one I’m talking about–the one who can sell anything to anyone at any time?

Well, that person is not me. In fact, I’ve blogged about being a bit shy before.

But, as a freelancer, I frequently find myself in situations where I must sell my services. Selling is just part of doing business.

So, I’ve learned to cope with my natural shyness. Over the years, I’ve developed some techniques to help myself.

If you’re a freelancer who is naturally shy like me, here are some tips to help you become better at sales.

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Open Thread: How Do You Promote Your Freelancing Business?

Posted March 6, 2011 in Marketing, Open Thread

Here on Freelance Folder we share a lot of posts on how to market your freelancing business. We’ve discussed making cold calls, building relationships, and using social media.

There’s no doubt that marketing is vital to freelancing success. Without marketing, there are no clients–and we all need clients to survive. Right?

But, every single freelancer handles the marketing task differently. You probably use different marketing techniques than I do. A third freelancer probably has yet other marketing methods that work for them.

Those differences in marketing techniques are why today we’re asking you:

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The Freelancer’s Pros and Cons of Participating in Interviews

Posted February 28, 2011 in Marketing

If you’ve been actively promoting your freelancing business and demonstrating your expertise in your field, chances are that eventually you will be asked to participate in an interview. The interview request could come from another freelancer, a blogger, or it could come from a member of the mainstream media.

Often, freelancers are uncertain about how to handle such requests. In this post, we’ll discuss the pros and cons of agreeing to an interview and provide you with tips that will help you prepare for a successful interview.

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7 Reasons Your Website Doesn’t Bring In New Clients

Posted February 23, 2011 in Marketing

As a freelancer, you count on your website as an important part of your marketing system. It is like a sales representative, gathering leads and warming them up to become paying clients, 24/7.

That is, IF your website provides the appropriate content, attracts the right readers, is properly optimized for conversion, and is a pleasure to use.

Unfortunately, after years of observation and working with other freelancers, I’ve noticed that freelancers tend to make plenty of mistakes with their websites. In this post, I’ll list seven common website sins freelancers commit.

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Should You Connect with Your Prospects and Clients on Facebook?

Posted February 22, 2011 in Marketing, Social Media

If you’ve been a freelancer for a while, you will eventually get a request from a client or prospective client to connect on Facebook.

While normally we encourage freelancers to connect with clients through social media, for many freelancers Facebook is different.

Because Facebook has become mainstream for many, particularly in the U.S., a freelancer may be connected to a wide spectrum of friends and relatives on Facebook who have absolutely nothing to do with their business. For that reason, many freelancers hesitate before accepting that friend request from a prospect.

On the other hand, some freelancers claim that a Facebook connection with a prospective client is much more likely to turn into a business relationship than other types of social media connections.

In this post, we’ll discuss some of the advantages to connecting with clients through Facebook. We’ll also look at some of the disadvantages of connecting with clients through Facebook.

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Why Free Ultimately Pays Off

Posted February 10, 2011 in Getting Clients, Marketing

Here at Freelance Folder we always recommend that Freelancers charge what they are worth. In fact, we’ve written numerous posts to help freelancers determine what to charge for their services.

With all of those posts about setting freelancing rates, you’d think that we’d be the last people to tell freelancers that they should give anything away.

The truth is, giveaways DO work as an effective marketing strategy for freelancers. In this post, we’ll discuss why it works and help you discover how to implement this strategy for your own freelancing business.

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How to Get More Exposure for Your Freelancing Business

Posted January 26, 2011 in How-To, Marketing

Just like any other business, a freelancing business needs exposure to gain more clients. Not only will exposure get you in front of your potential clients. It will also increase your perceived authority and credibility.

In this post, you’ll find 15 different ways to get more exposure for your freelancing biz. I’ve left out the traditional ways freelancers spread the word, such as business cards, brochures/fliers, and print ads.

Let me know if I’ve missed anything.

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You Probably Already Do Know Your Very Next Client

Posted January 23, 2011 in Managing Clients, Marketing

A common freelancing stereotype is that a freelancer never knows where or when his or her next job is coming from–or from whom. For most of us, though, this stereotype is only partially true.

Odds are that your next client is hidden somewhere among your Twitter (or other social media) followers, your previous clients, or your friends and acquaintances.

Time after time, whenever we’ve asked freelancers where they find clients and they give us the same two answers: through referrals and repeat business. Those answers don’t surprise me at all because that is where most of my own clients come from.

In this post, we’ll give you some tips to help nudge some of your future clients (that you already know) towards doing business with you.

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5 New Social Networking Trends for Freelancers to Explore

Posted January 20, 2011 in Marketing, Social Media

Social media is here to stay. Twitter, Facebook, and Foursquare are a vital part of many freelancer’s marketing efforts.

But, just because these social media tools are popular today, doesn’t mean that they will always be effective marketing tools for freelancers. What’s popular today may be forgotten tomorrow. The shrewd freelancer will be constantly exploring new social media marketing alternatives.

Here are five promising new social media tools for freelancers to explore (and why I think each is worth looking at):
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