Why You Can’t Afford to Be an Undercover Freelancer
Posted May 14, 2012 in Getting Clients, Humor
I love detective movies. I really do.
There’s nothing more thrilling than when the detective goes undercover by blending in with the bad guys.
You spend the rest of the movie holding your breathe to see whether the hero gets caught or catches the bad guys.
Going undercover makes for great entertainment. Unfortunately, going undercover isn’t so great if you’re a freelancer.
You see, as a freelancer, the absolute last thing you want to do is blend in with everybody else. You can’t hide your talent and succeed.
In this post, I’ll discuss the importance of standing out and also present a fun quiz that may show whether you’re acting like an undercover freelancer.
Why You Need to Be Different
The Internet is overwhelmed with freelancers. Nobody seems to know exactly how many there are, but everybody seems to agree that their numbers are growing.
What this means for you is competition–and lots of it.
The thing is, your prospects are basically lazy. That’s not a personal judgment about them so much as it is an observation. They don’t have the time or energy to really weed through hundreds freelancers just to find you and figure out why you’re special.
Your prospect doesn’t have the time, so you need to make it easy for them to find you and figure out why you’re different. But that won’t happen if you’re an undercover freelancer, just trying to blend in with everyone else.
You need to let friends, family, and everyone else know that you’re freelancing and that you’re the best at what you do. Going undercover as a freelancer doesn’t work.
Are You Undercover?
You could be an undercover freelancer and not even realize it.
Here’s a quick quiz to help you find out.
A. You’re at a dinner party listening to another guest drone on and on about their job. Suddenly, the guest turns to you and asks, “So, what do you do for a living?” You:
- Choke, mutter something incomprehensible under your breath and hope the conversation moves to a different topic quickly.
- Use the earlier conversation to segue into a brief explanation of what you do for your clients and how you could help your companion’s company.
- Say, “I work for…” and name your latest client as your employer.
B. Your kid’s teacher calls and says that he is trying to get stay-at-home parents involved. He asks if you can commit to chaperoning the kids for lunch several days a week. You:
- Grit your teeth and agree to help even though it will cut into your work time. After all, it’s your kid’s school asking and how could you say no?
- Politely explain that your heavy workload as a small business owner doesn’t give you the luxury of taking several hours off a week.
- Pretend like he has reached a wrong number and hang up as quickly as possible.
C. Which of the following describes your marketing strategy?
- If a lot of other freelancers are applying for freelance work from a company, it must be good. You apply for the same opportunity.
- You scour your local business directory for companies that meet your ideal client criteria and send them an information packet about your services.
- You don’t believe in marketing your services. You hate sales.
D. When a potential client contacts you, you:
- Always accept the project at the rate the client proposes. You have to take work whenever you can get it or you’ll experience the “famine” of the feast or famine cycle.
- Negotiate according to your predetermined criteria for freelance work. You also turn a sizeable portion of potential clients away–they just don’t fit your business goals.
- You don’t accept inquiries from clients for jobs you haven’t already applied for.
If you answered these questions with mostly “1″s, you are probably an undercover freelancer. You need to be a little bit more assertive about your marketing. You also could use a little more self-confidence.
If you answered these questions with mostly “2″s, good job! It sounds like you really know what you’re doing, so keep it up. You’re definitely NOT undercover.
If you answered these questions with most “3″s, ‘fess up. You just started freelancing or you’re not a freelancer, but thinking about it, right? Don’t give up. You can a lot right here on Freelance Folder.
Of course, the previous quiz was just for fun. However, I hope it gave you some insights into your freelancing style.
Your Turn
How did you do on the quiz? Are you an undercover freelancer?
What quiz questions would you add?
Share your thoughts in the comments.
Related posts:
- So You Think You Can’t Afford a Vacation?
- When a Client Can’t Afford You: Why It’s Still Better to Bid High
- Why You Can’t Afford to Ignore Personal Projects Any Longer
About the author: Laura Spencer is a freelance writer from North Central Texas with over 20 years of professional business writing experience. If you liked this post, then you may also enjoy Laura’s blog about her freelance writing experiences, WritingThoughts. Laura is also on Google+.
The Unlimited Freelancer is Now Only $19
Unleash the true potential of your business. Get The Unlimited Freelancer and start transforming your freelance business,
now only $19.
Try searching "Getting Clients" or "Productivity"
Free Report
Sign up for our product discount list to get a free copy of Why Some Freelancers Thrive and Others Barely Survive. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Forum Discussions
Popular Articles
- SEO Techniques All Top Websites Should Use
- When a Client Can't Afford You: Why It's Still Better to Bid High
- How To Stop Scrambling For Clients And Get A Steady Stream Of Paying Gigs
- A Simple Way To Stop Clients From Rejecting Your Proposals
- 3 Reasons Your Rates Are Still Low (And How To Start Raising Them)
17 Comments
Pawel Grabowski
May 14th, 2012 at 12:23 pmLaura, very good idea to show one of the most important aspects of self employment – professionalism. In order to make it in business you need to act professionally, and, this goes for anything from what you say to our prospects to what does your email signature say about you.
Great post.
Laura Spencer
May 14th, 2012 at 2:36 pmPawel Grabowski–Thanks! It’s definitely important to be up front and professional about your freelancing business.
Lauren
May 14th, 2012 at 4:00 pmHooray! It looks like I’m on the right track! :)
I gotta work on the one I gave a #3 answer too though! :O
Great quiz, Laura!!
Laura Spencer
May 14th, 2012 at 4:26 pmLauren–Yay! So glad you’re on the right track. :) Keep up the good work.
Catena Creations
May 14th, 2012 at 9:04 pmI am smiling at the thought of what my clients and colleagues would say about me being undercover. You can hear the laughter now!
I promote my business whenever I can. You never know where your next contact will come from!
And prepare an answer/response for those nosy family members who say, “But do you have a REAL job?” My aunt still thinks I’m unemployed — even though I’ve been in business for 3 1/2 years. And even though she ran her own business for 20+ years.
Laura Spencer
May 15th, 2012 at 8:21 amCatena Creations–It’s good to hear that you’re not undercover. :)
Stacey
May 16th, 2012 at 9:10 pmYes, the key to Quiz question “A” is explaining what you do for your clients (i.e., how you help them) as opposed to a laundry list of your business’s features. That’s how freelancers stand out. There are many freelancers who still do not get that very crucial element of the spiel.
Shumyla Jan
May 18th, 2012 at 1:13 amCatena, I know what you mean! My Dad is always worried about me as if I’m unemployed and starving.. “do you need help? I can send you money. Are you sure? If you need money you can ask me” — Oh come on, Dad — I’m not unemployed, I just work from a home office, sheesh!
Matt Meakins
May 18th, 2012 at 1:58 amI’ve been guilty of “flying under the radar” and that’s fine when you have some steady clients who are paying the bills, not so great when their budgets and priorities change and it’s suddenly just you and an empty Inbox! Good tips, put across well. Thanks!
Laura Spencer
May 18th, 2012 at 4:01 pmGreat comments! I’m glad everyone is having fun with this quiz.
Stuart McHenry
May 22nd, 2012 at 4:12 amI know many people that just lay low for years. They don’t want people to know exactly what they do. I can related on a certain level. I have projects I don’t want copied and sometimes prefer to fly under the radar.
Open Resume Builder
June 13th, 2012 at 12:47 pmyep, I’m an undercover freelancer. Sometimes I think it’s better that people not know what you do so you can keep friends.
Mohammad Solaiman
June 15th, 2012 at 12:25 amNow I understand about Undercover Freelancer. It is very helpful for me. Thanks a lot.
Trackbacks