Welcome to the world of freelancing; it’s great to have you here.
Getting started on your own as a self-employed gigster isn’t the easiest thing in the world, and there isn’t a dedicated playbook that will guide you to success.
That being said, there are some straightforward things that you can do to set yourself apart from the competition and land the gigs that you’re so desperate for.
To help you, we introduce you to the RadialHub freelancing cheat sheet, which will help launch your freelancing career in no time at all.
Cheat #1: Don’t merely replicate what others offer.
Remember, there are millions of freelancers active in the present day. As such, clients don’t want to see carbon copies of profiles from site to site. They want to see something different.
There’s absolutely zero merit in copy and pasting information from another freelancer’s profile in the hope that you will get noticed.
The most successful freelancers produce compelling profiles that market their skills and attributes in unique ways. When you’re selling yourself, focus on what makes you special, not what makes you the same as everyone else.
Cheat #2: Quality is always more important than quantity.
Some freelancers start out with the expectation that they need to secure as much work from as many clients as possible in order to be successful. But this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Particularly in the early days of your freelancing career, you need to focus on quality, not quantity. Find quality clients and deliver quality work.
Doing so will allow you to develop a reputation within your niche that is backed by verifiable client testimonials. This will undoubtedly help you in the long run as your freelance career takes off.
Cheat #3: ‘No’ is the most important word in a freelancer’s vocabulary.
When you start a new job or embark on a new career path, it makes sense to say yes more often than no. And we don’t dispute this – it’s a good way to make a name for yourself.
However, saying yes all the time is unsustainable. While it’s certainly difficult to turn down work, you need to learn the value of saying no.
Some clients will ask for unrealistic deliverables, command low fees for your work, and perhaps even coax you into a working relationship that makes you feel uncomfortable.
While the vast majority of clients out there will offer a positive experience, learning to say no to the timewasters will save you a huge amount of stress and angst.
Cheat #4: There are plenty more fish in the sea.
The gig economy is thriving. Projections indicate that it will be worth a staggering US$455 billion by 2023.
This is great news for budding freelancers. And while your initial client interactions are likely to be mostly positive, there will be some working relationships that just don’t feel right.
If you find yourself in a situation that isn’t working for you, walk away. There’s no need to persist with a particular client just for the sake of it because there are so many more fish in the sea!
We’re not suggesting you should be blasé about your client base, but you absolutely shouldn’t spend time working with difficult clients. There is a whole world of projects out there waiting to be completed, so don’t confine yourself to situations that don’t work for you.
Cheat #5: Testimonials are just as valuable as money at the start of your freelance career.
Hear us out on this one. You’ve heard of the chicken and the egg, right? Well, lots of freelancers wonder how to land clients without any testimonials or reviews of their work.
One excellent cheat is to offer your services in the first weeks of your freelance career in exchange for detailed client feedback and testimonials that you can publish on your site.
You might charge a nominal fee for your service (or even work for free) for a limited period, so you can build up a solid foundation of testimonials.
Then, once you have established a glowing reputation, you can price your service at your desired rate and let the projects roll in!
Cheat #6: Respond to every message that you receive.
Setting up on RadialHub is a great first step towards freelancing success. While you won’t be interested in every query that comes your way, it’s so important to respond to every message that you receive.
Not only is this common decency, but it keeps your profile active and current and will help people find you.
You also never know what might come out of potential relationships. And while you might not be suited to a project with a particular client right now, you never know what the future holds.
And if a client remembers you for your awesome communication and affable personality, they’re likely to consider you for future work.
Final thoughts
We hope this freelancing cheat sheet will serve you well as you begin your career on RadialHub. Becoming a freelancer and taking charge of your work schedule is one of the most liberating decisions you will ever make, and we wish you the very best of luck with your initial projects!
