Hand Over Fist Money Makers

Use Your Talents
Not one freelancer is perfect — not me, not you, not even the finest of
us. We all make errors, day in and day out, and if we’re bright, we
learn from them.
A few errors, all the same, are more important than others, and if we
may correct or avoid those errors, we’ll survive. We’ll still make other
errors, but they won’t smart as much.
Let’s have a look at a few of the errors that freelancers, new and old,
frequently make, and how to prevent them.
Your power to put out quality work and fulfill deadlines is what
makes your reputation. And as a freelancer, your reputation is totally
what you have. If you overlook deadlines too often, you'll soon see
your customers going elsewhere.
How to prevent: Make deadlines among your top 2 priorities (along
with investing great work), overestimate how long something will
take, break the project into littler steps, and be accountable each step
of the way.
New freelancers, particularly, undervalue themselves and charge less
than they’re meriting. That’s all right if you’re just getting into the
business, and don’t have any former work or reputation to point out.
However once you’ve got some amazing work under your belt, don’t
be frightened to ask what you’re worth, otherwise you're selling
yourself short. And you’ll be working overmuch simply to pay the
bills.

How to prevent: It’s great to discover what the market average is, and
charge a bit more. This tells customers that you’re good. A great way
to do the math is to work out how much you wish to make, and how
many hours you honestly plan to work. Then bill based on those
numbers.
Do research prior to making your pitch, not prior to completing the
assignment. Frequently a freelancer will contact a likely customer and
make a pitch, without truly understanding the customer or his needs,
and without understanding how this project will add value to the
customer. This plan of attack will get you very little business.
How to prevent: Research the customer thoroughly prior to making
contact. The Net is a great way to do that, naturally. Know what the
customer does, the customers market, and customer’s goals (in
general), and work out how you may help the customer meet those
goals. How will you increase value? Direct your pitch at those
problems.
The client-freelancer relationship is a crucial one, and there are a lot
of issues that may make a client the incorrect client, or the correct
client, for you.
Those include the market they’re in, they’re working manner, how
difficult they are, how likely they are to ante up your rate, how much
work they need, their ability to pay promptly without trouble, and
more. If you pick out the incorrect client, you'll make less revenue, be
distressed, and work more.
How to prevent: pick out customers cautiously.

Again, research them, talk to additional freelancers who’ve worked
for them. If contacting a customer, consider it as a two-party
interview — they're trying to determine if you’re correct for them, but
you ought to likewise be trying to determine if they're correct for you.
Carry out your first assignment or 3 on a test basis, to see how things
work out. Occasionally, evaluate your customers to see if they’re
worth the hassle.
It’s great to be friendly with a customer, however keep it professional.
Don’t be best friends but don't be too formal, either. Either one is bad
for business.
How to prevent: begin any correspondence on a conventional basis,
and then get friendlier depending upon how the customer handles
communication. Don’t be afraid to be friendly, but don’t go past
business.
If there's an issue with a customer, some freelancers have a
disposition to vent their frustration — at the customer. This is risky. It
will hurt your professional reputation, both with this customer and
with later customers. And it will lead to diminished business, if you
continue this error.
How to prevent: If there's an issue with a customer, and you're mad
or frustrated, don't communicate immediately. Let your steam off
another way.
But don’t do it at your customer, or anybody else in your professional
world. Then, once you’ve chilled out, communicate with your

customer in a non-emotional, professional manner — in a favorable
way, but clearly, so that future issues may be quashed.
Frequently a freelancer will finish an assignment, and then advance
to an assignment with a different client. Maybe the freelancer trusts
that the assignment that