Are You Ready to Get Into Freelancing?
April 17, 2009 by James Chartrand
Filed under Preparing for Freelancing
Freelancing can be a great move to make. It can change your outlook on life, improve your financial situation and give you more freedom. It can also open up opportunities that you didn’t have access to previously, like traveling to new places or maybe a book deal.
But freelancing also can be a bad move, in some circumstances. Many people get desperate and throw themselves into this line of career without thinking and planning. The result? You’re worse off than you were when you started.
So when is the right time to move to freelancing? Is it a good decision for you? Will it be everything you hoped for? Read on.
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How to Answer Why You Want to Work
April 9, 2009 by James Chartrand
Filed under Other Good Stuff
“Why do you want to work for us?” The question crops up frequently in business interviews, and it should also become a standard in every pitch you write.
Knowing how to pitch why you want to work with someone (or for someone) is a valuable tool to have in your arsenal. It can help you land a gig that you really wanted, get you working for a better employer or help you become part of a team business.
So just how should you answer that question? It can be a tough one, because the obvious doesn’t really sound very good: You want a better job. Or you want more money. Or you want to be famous. Or you want more freedom.
You want, you want… Yes, true, it’s all about your wants, but your potential employer doesn’t want to hear what you want. He doesn’t really want to know why you want to work for him, either.
He wants to know how you’ll make his business better. He’s really asking, “Why should I hire you and not the next person? What are you going to get out of this, and why should I care?”
Here are tips to help you give a winning answer:
- Know who you’re going to work for. It’s a given that you apply for work or pitch a gig and you don’t know anything about the potential client or his business, he’s not going to be interested in having you on the team. Check out the company website, read the About page, and learn what you can.
- Know what the company stands for. Business owners love to hear that other people resonate with their mission. Mention that you believe in the same and compliment the mission of the company.
- Talk about a project you know the company has going on and mention how you’d like to be involved in its development.
- Demonstrate you know where the business problems might be and that you want to solve them. Even better, suggest a solution (which should involve your presence in the company eliminating the issue).
- Show ambition. Point out that you’d like to learn so that you can work up to a certain position in the company – and also point out you know you have a ways to go before you get there, so that no one feels threatened.
- Get excited. Show interest. Nothing makes a business owner feel better than seeing his or her passion firing up someone else’s passion too.
- Be honest and forthcoming. If there is something you want from this job or project, such as better skills or an opportunity, say so – but also demonstrate that this desire to improve benefits the company. They’ll have a go-getter on the team.
For more of an idea of answers you could try in your next pitch, here are some suggestions of what I’d personally want to hear from a prospective employee:
“You clearly know the business of writing. I know writing but not about the business. I also know that you could probably use the extra hands so you could work on your projects. I want to help you work less, and at the same time, learn more about the business side of things so that one day, I could have a business of my own.”
“You’re a growing business, and I know you’re not done growing yet. I think that’s fantastic, and I’d really like to get in on that instead of having to always be a solo. Plus, we can work together now and I’ll be perfectly trained for later when business gets crazy.”
Those are just my suggestions, though (but they did land Taylor a full-time job at my business). If you owned a business, what would you want to hear? And if you were a writer pitching a company, what would you say?
Want to learn more about how to make yourself a valuable asset to any business or team? Get The Unlimited Freelancer and get into great business.
Are You Scared of Spending Money?
April 2, 2009 by James Chartrand
Filed under Money Matters
Do you hang onto your money? That can be good – and bad, especially for your freelance writing success.
The saying goes that you have to spend a dollar to make a dollar. That’s doubly true when it comes to business, and your business is freelance writing. Basically, if you want to do better than you are now, you need to let go a little of what you have.
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How to Turn Off Potential Clients With Just One Glance
March 26, 2009 by James Chartrand
Filed under Other Good Stuff
How to pitch for a freelance writing job is an art… But if you have nothing to show your potential clients, you’re out of a job from the get-go.
No matter whether you’re just starting out in your freelance writing career or if you’re established and rolling along nicely with a good client base, you need a credible-looking portfolio page, blog or website.
I’m not pushing this idea because of my business – I’m pushing it because I’ve often considered working with certain writers…and been totally turned off ever hiring them, no matter how well they write.
Think about it. You’ve attracted the attention of a potential employer or client. You write well, you’ve pitched well, and the person is contemplating paying you for some work he or she needs done.
In the contemplation stage, people gather information. That’s important. So your potential client casually check to see if you’ve mentioned a website. He idly glances at email signatures, maybe a link you’ve shared…
There is a link, right? Somewhere? Anywhere?
No link? You can’t be serious. This is 2009, people. If you can’t be on top of even basic technology, how can you be expected to be a credible web worker? Stop right now. At the very least, get some cheap free service with a basic template to build a small site with a bit of info about you and your work.
Ah, there’s the link. Whew. That employer almost thought about taking the other writer. But he doesn’t. He clicks through to see what type of businessperson you are – and winces.
It’s a visual assault. Alright, there’s a site, and the information is there, but the aesthetic appeal is a total mess. Colors are horrible, overly bright or clashing badly, Adsense riddles the page, and there are so many advertisements that the person begins to wonder what kind of business you run.
An ugly one, that’s for sure.
Visual appeal has a huge impact on how potential clients may perceive you. Your site puts your best foot forward, and if it’s a cheap and ugly one, that’s your best foot. You’re giving people a silent message that you’re a mess, unprofessional and are going to perform work up to the standards of what you show off – and your standards are obviously not very high.
That’s not what your potential client wants. CLICK! He’s gone – and you just lost a job.
Don’t lose jobs. Learn how to make more money doing what you love (even while working less) and put your best foot forward to land those gigs. Check out The Unlimited Freelancer today.
The Forgotten Advantages of Becoming A Freelancer
March 19, 2009 by James Chartrand
Filed under Just Good Business
Many blogs write about the benefits that go hand in hand with freelancing, such as enjoying a flexible schedule, total freedom, the ability to wear what you feel like to work and doing what you love every day.
There are many other important advantages, though, and they’re often overlooked or simply forgotten. These freelancing advantages can help you increase your client base, enjoy greater success and build up a stunning resume if you decide to become a company employee.
Let’s revisit some of the reasons why freelance writing is a fantastic, interesting and adventurous career to pursue, and some of the business advantages you’ll gain:
Time management, scheduling and discipline.
Yes, it’s true. Freelancers don’t really have the tra-la-la life of no obligations or responsibilities. You’ll quickly learn that scheduling effectively and managing your time properly become a must to avoid overbooking or missing deadlines. That also means you’ll learn discipline – you’re the only person responsible for making sure you get the work done. Too much time off, and you don’t make any money.
A great writer books a normal-sized workload into a decent schedule and sticks to it.
Bonus advantage: When you learn how to schedule well and manage your workload in the available time you have, you’ll benefit from more satisfied customers who see you as reliable, responsible and time. You’ll also develop good skills that make you attractive to potential employers.
Money management, investing and budgeting
Most writers aren’t amongst the elite or the rich, and it takes some time to feel safe with your income stream. Freelancing often involves peaks of great times and valleys of huge lows. You’ll need to learn how to budget for those dry spells and sock money away during peak times. You’ll also learn how to analyze expenses, cut back on luxury spending and waste and become savvy about business improvements that offer the best returns.
Bonus advantage: When you start to monitor income and spending, you’ll realize how much money goes into the wrong places. You’ll learn how to redirect funds to other areas where the money is better spent and invest wisely in your business for smart improvements.
Effective, efficient project management
When you first start out as a freelance writer, you don’t have many processes or systems in place to have smooth operations. Getting the work done might even happen haphazardly and you might feel sloppy and scattered until you settle in. You’ll develop a nice routine that flows work through a systematic process, developing strategies that save time and help you do a better job.
Bonus advantage: Developing good work habits that follow a set pattern and that have a stable routine mean you’ll increase your profit margin on the projects you take on. Time is money, and the more you save, the more income you keep. You’ll even produce higher quality work, and that means more happy customers.
Expanding knowledge in related fields of business
Freelance writing isn’t just about writing. You’ll need to learn how to find jobs, attract clients and promote your services or else you won’t have any customers. That means you’ll become familiar with marketing, accounting, sales, branding and all sorts of other fields of business. This new knowledge can help you offer new services, add-on extras and build a better business on a good foundation for growth.
Bonus advantage: The more knowledge you have in business, the more attractive you become to potential clients and employers. You may even decide to change career paths or expand your business beyond writing alone.
Can you think of other advantages gained from becoming a freelance writer? Which advantages have you found to be winning ones for your own success? Which are you working on achieving right now?
If you want to learn how to develop smart systems and increase your client base for a better freelance business, check out The Unlimited Freelancer. It’ll teach you the tricks you need to know to take freelancing to the next level.
Your Usual Quality of Work and What to Do About It
March 12, 2009 by James Chartrand
Filed under Other Good Stuff
Have you ever had a day like this? Your client says, “This isn’t your usual quality of work,” and you get a bad feeling in your stomach.
Maybe you know he’s right. You know it wasn’t your best. You delivered anyways – because it was the best you could do for the moment. Quality has been dropping off because you don’t like the job, or you’re tired and overworked, or your heart’s just not in the gig anymore.
What do you do?
Or, maybe it was your usual quality of work, and you feel hot indignation. Does the client not see how well you wrote? Is he blind? Why, he wouldn’t know quality if it reared up and bit him with fangs!
What do you do?
In both cases, the answer is the same. Here’s what to do:
First, apologize. It doesn’t matter who is right – the client isn’t happy, and you need to convey that you heard his complaint. That doesn’t mean you have to tell him he’s right (because he could very well be wrong), but you need to show that you understand his disappointed and dissatisfaction.
Second, find a solution.
You’re going to have to offer to redo the work and do a better job, even if you did a pretty good one the first time around. It’s crucial to your reputation and it shows you care about your client. (Yes, even when you don’t care). Getting indignant or defensive doesn’t help anyone, and it doesn’t make you a better professional.
If you can’t redo the work because you’re just not up to it, you need to find someone who can. Fixing problems isn’t the client’s work – it’s yours. Ask someone to edit and polish what you’ve written. Hire another writer to start over from scratch. Do what it takes to replace the work more up to standards.
When it’s all said and done, you have a choice to make. You may decide to take a break for a little while. Maybe you’ve been struggling and need time to rest so that you can get back on track. Maybe you didn’t like the work or the customer anymore.
In either case, part ways politely. Announce that you’ll be taking a break (don’t mention whether it’s permanent or not). Tell the client that you’re sorry for having to leave at this time. (In truth, you are sorry. You don’t have to say what you’re sorry about.) Offer a brief explanation if you’d like, but keep it short and simple. Dramatic justifications are for divas, not writers.
Then offer a referral to another writer. You may be taking a break, but that doesn’t mean someone else wouldn’t like the work or wouldn’t get along better with the client.
Also, a referral gives the client an option so that he’s not left high and dry, which means he’ll think better of you. You don’t want a bad reputation of being the writer who ditches customers.
Your turn: Have you ever had a client tell you that your work quality had dropped? What was causing the problem? What did you do about it, and did it work out in the end?
Find out how to maintain top quality and make more money while working less with The Unlimited Freelancer. It’ll teach you the tricks you need to know to really break the limits of your freelance career.
Should You Start Freelancing in a Down Economy?
February 20, 2009 by James Chartrand
Filed under Just Good Business
The world’s in trouble right now – you hear it on the news every day. High debt, low sales, and everyone’s scrambling to prevent the economical recession from getting worse.
Then there’s you. Your job security may not be good or your partner was recently laid off. You have worries and fears. Maybe it’s not the best time to start freelancing, you think, but then again, you need the money.
I’ll tell you something. You can start freelancing now. You’re going to have to work harder and be more careful about the risks you take. But you’re also going to benefit from a great opportunity to learn about overcoming challenges.
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Where Are All the Good Writers?
February 6, 2009 by James Chartrand
Filed under Customer Service Tips
I had a recent conversation with a peer who mentioned that finding good writers to work with was more than a tad difficult. She’d been disappointed time and again by writers who just weren’t what they seemed to promise.
That’s a problem. When you don’t deliver on your promises, you end up costing yourself repeat business, long-term clients and better jobs. You move from client to client with no stable customer base and no guarantees of future work.
You also screw up business for your customers as well, leaving them facing extra expenses and cleaning up a mess. You create a bad reputation for yourself – and quickly, too.
Here are three issues that my peer and I discussed so you can make sure you aren’t one of those writers who falls short and disappoints.
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How to Land Repeat Clients That Pay Well
January 30, 2009 by James Chartrand
Filed under Just Good Business
Whether you’re new to the world of freelance writing or you’re a seasoned expert in the field, there’s three things that you generally always want: better clients, high-paying clients and repeat clients.
So how do you get them?
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How to Write 50 Articles a Day
January 22, 2009 by James Chartrand
Filed under Other Good Stuff
Today’s lesson is on how to write 50 articles a day, because apparently someone felt the need to learn that skill and searched Freelance Writing Gigs for the term.
Allow me to be of assistance:
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