Comments on: The Seven Deadly Sins of Freelancing Part 4 – Ignoring Marketing And Sales

By: sue

sue — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:54:16 +0000

Thanks Bob, as you say this can be difficult but something we have to do if we are going to earn a living as a freelancer.

By: Wonderabby

Wonderabby — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 23:18:53 +0000

I am a freelance web marketer — and I found that my best friends in getting clients is number one — the search engines, number two — freelance job sites — a good site is elance, and number three, my personal blog. A blog shows potential clients that you mean business and that you know what you’re talking about, and it saves you the trouble of in interview. A great portfolio also opens the door to many opportunities, just make sure you can easily stumble upon it (online). Lay out your cards on the table and show them what you’re capable of, just don’t spill the pearls of wisdom before the swine (don’t give out free consultation, get paid first).

By: James Chartrand - Men with Pens

James Chartrand - Men with Pens — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 22:59:53 +0000

I can specifically point to marketing as the difference between our success and our potential failure. Marketing brought us where we are. In every sense of the concept.

By: Katharine

Katharine — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:53:21 +0000

Excellent piece. I mentor freelance copyeditors, and every time, an inability or unwillingness to promote their services is what’s behind their lack of success at self-employment. They’re disciplined at keeping regular work hours, they have the skills, they have the office equipment … but the ones who are floundering just can’t get past viewing marketing as sleazy. They want work to just show up on their computer screens.

By: Allena Tapia

Allena Tapia — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:34:53 +0000

Calm down there Dave Navarro…….

Oh I’m just kidding, you’re right you ARE the bomb.

Sorry, BY, I can’t get with this sin. I don’t market that much at all, but I’ve got work up the wazoo. Reepating customers fill my part time hours quite enough. It’s really a lack of hours problem I guess. I’ll come back to this sin and agree with ya when we go full time around here.

Rain tomorrow in the Mitten!

~Allena, who is off to explore more sinful things.

By: Melek

Melek — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:35:54 +0000

What a great topic. It’s so true.

Even if you’re one of those who hates networking, sales and marketing, do the little things that you’re already talented in to get your name out there. Then it doesn’t feel so much like ‘work’.

For instance, are you a great writer? Write a press release about a new gig, big client, new office space, funding or whatever and submit it to your paper. The Business Journal has sections for ‘Deal Reports’ and press releases. Are you a web designer/coder? Send out an email blast to announce a new site launch, new technology you offer, or press you’ve gotten recently. Are you an illustrator or graphic artist? Create a cool notecard and sent it out to past/potential clients just to say hi, to give an offer (10% off next gig), or to celebrate a holiday.

There are lots of good ways to do what i call ‘easy sales’ if you’re too shy to try something like taking out an ad or networking in person.

By: Jaq

Jaq — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:40:58 +0000

I don’t have too many problems with sales part of freelancing, I think. But with marketing, that’s a different story. But I’m slowly learning. And I’m trying to get myself out there. I’m trying to get rid of the “I’m not good enough” thinking slowly. But I think I’m getting there.

Great post!

By: Dave Navarro

Dave Navarro — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:00:35 +0000

I definitely depend on self-promotion. Being able to highlight my successes and capabilities has been key in every success I’ve had. Many people are afraid to promote themselves (because many promoters do things in a slimy way), but they need to move past and find a way to truly put their name out there in a way that lets them still sleep at night. :-)

To get past the “evil” feeling, remember – as a freelancer, you solve problems / provide services that HELP people. Focus on the value you add (and not how “great” you are) and you can promote ethically.

For example, I don’t push myself as “the best writer ever.” I promote myself as having successfully front-paged Digg multiple times, and having highly commented blog posts (scroll up and look to the right, 4 out of 10 of this blog’s most popular posts are mine). So I can offer people relevance and community via blog writing.

Focus on the facts – what you can deliver of value – and the tension of promoting starts to slip away.

Agree/Disagree?

By: Ivan Nikolic

Ivan Nikolic — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:51:39 +0000

I am one of the “not marketing and sales guy” :), I just think that I don’t have that “thing” that makes you “visible” in some specific way to a client.
I should start attending some courses or read some books…

By: stephanerd

stephanerd — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:40:27 +0000

Thanks for this post, Bob. As a former marketing associate for an academic book publisher, it still amazes me that I have so much difficulty marketing myself.

I left my full-time job about a year ago and, since then, have been mostly thriving with work that I haven’t had to seek out. It’s just naturally come to me from contacts within the publishing industry. Now, however, I’ve hit a wall, and it’s a mystery to me as to how to go about building my business.

I’ll certainly be reading Seth Godin and Zig Ziglar religiously.