Announcing the Freelance Pro Library
I’ve created a new section on The Freelance Pro to list books on freelancing. I’m calling this The Freelance Pro Library.
There are quite a few books there now, but over time there will be even more as I find more titles to add.
You’ll find books with general freelancing tips, plus books specifically about freelance writing and design, as well as a few related freelance areas, such as editing or photography. I will also add books on consulting and small business, which offer skills and know-how you will need.
This should be your first stop when you’re looking for books about how to start and run a professional freelance business. Check it out.
The Elements of a Business Generating Web Site
Different freelancers will have different approaches to creating Web sites.
One will produce a huge site crammed with information, such as articles and checklists. Another will include lots of interactivity, such as polls or a blog. Another will want a lean, spartan site that is tightly focused on describing services or showing samples.
The diversity is good. You should always make your site fit your own specialty, personality, and the expectations of your prospective clients.
But the common thread running through all freelance sites is that they are (or should be) geared for generating work for your professional freelance practice. However, thinking “business” is usually the hardest part of freelancing for most people. Read more
Listen to Dean Rieck Live Thursday at 2:30 p.m.
American Writers and Artists Inc. named me their “Copywriting Genius” for August and featured an in-depth interview with me on their Web site.
As a follow up, AWAI editor Sandy Franks will interview me live this Thursday, September 27, 2007, at 2:30 p.m. EST.
If you’re a copywriting freelancer, or want to be, here’s your chance to hear me talk about my behind-the-scenes creative methods that I use to drive my successful freelance practice. Even if you’re another type of freelancer, this could be an interesting hour with lots of tips for how to work with clients in the big leagues.
Here’s part of AWAI’s invitation letter sent to members: Read more
Down and Dirty Tips for Getting Clients Fast!
Recently, I discussed what to do when your freelance business is slow. Those tips were helpful if you already have clients and an established freelance practice. But what if you’re just starting out? How do you get clients if you need work fast?
I don’t recommend that you put yourself into a position like this. But things happen, and you may find yourself needing to kick start your business. So here are a few ideas to consider.
- Work your referrals. It’s great to have people send business your way, but this takes time to work. To speed things up, simply ask people you know for names of potential clients. Contact these people and ask for more names. You keep working this chain of referrals until you find someone who needs your expertise. This won’t be to everyone’s taste. But if you’re persistent, it can work.
- Contact your “wish list.” Come up with a list of businesses you would like to work with and start making phone calls. You will probably need to talk to a few people within an organization before you find the right contact. Be pleasant and brief. Most people are willing to help direct your call if they know what you want. Don’t try to sell yourself to everyone, just ask for the person who hires freelancers. Once you reach the right person, confirm that they hire freelancers, very briefly introduce yourself, and offer to send information about your services. Later you can follow up to answer questions, set up a meeting, or schedule future contacts.
Hourly or Project Fees? How to Choose.
Fees are a difficult subject for most freelancers. And one of the most difficult decisions you face is whether to charge hourly or per project. There are advocates on both sides.
In the hourly camp are those who claim that charging for the time you actually work is the only way to be sure you are fairly compensated. It’s also familiar to most freelancers who have worked this way in full-time employment situations. You quote your hourly rate, track your time, and multiply at the end of the project. Simple.
But hourly fees have a downside. Neither you nor your client know what a project will cost. This can lead to some nasty surprises and uncomfortable conversations when it’s time to invoice. Also, the better you are and the faster you work, the less you get paid, which is inherently unfair. The most important negative is that hourly fees mean you are selling your time instead of selling your expertise. This can prevent you from attaining the higher professional image you want. Read more
Are You Making These 7 Web Site Mistakes?
We are in the middle of a publishing and communications revolution. There has never been a time when it was easier or cheaper to put your message in front of a large audience.
Add to this the interconnectivity and search abilities provided by the Internet, and the possibilities for generating business for your freelance practice are staggering.
In a desk drawer, I have what remains of a box of floppy disks I purchased over ten years ago. I have no use for them now, but they were vital back then. As a freelance copywriter, it was the only way for me to send digital files to clients. I would save a file to the disk, put the disk in an envelope, and mail it. Two or three days later, the client would receive the disk.
My fax machine and phone were a lot more important then too. I would have to fax documents on a daily basis during a project. And communicating with a client meant calling them at their office (this was before cell phones were nearly universal) and usually leaving a message on a “machine” if the line wasn’t busy (this was also before voice mail).
Today everything is different. And the most different thing is how freelancers promote their business. Back then you’d have to print brochures and mail out samples. Today everything can be done on a Web site with a few lines of code. Read more
How to Turn an Angry Client into a Loyal Client with One Little Word
It’s like getting struck by lightening.
You’re having a great day and then BLAM! Your client ambushes you at a meeting or starts yelling at you over the phone. Something is terribly wrong and you are in the hot seat.
What do you do?
Don’t panic! You’re human and there’s no way to be totally calm when a client is angry. But you need to keep your head clear. How? By remembering one word: ANGER.
It’s easy to recall, given the situation. Each letter gives you a step for dealing with the problem: Acknowledge — Nod — Guide — Execute — Retreat. I’ll explain each step. Then I’ll tell you how this word can help you turn your angry client into a loyal client for years to come. Read more
10 Easy Ways to Instantly Energize Your Natural Creative Powers
Being a successful freelancer has a lot to do with your creativity. Creative thinking helps you solve problems, overcome obstacles, and find new and better ways to use your skills in a productive and financially rewarding manner.
You don’t think you have creative abilities? Nonsense. Everyone is creative to some degree. The only difference between those we call “creative” and everyone else is that creative people use and develop their creative skills. Often this is not a conscious effort, but a natural result of their personality and upbringing.
So it’s not a matter of “becoming” creative. It’s simply a matter of “energizing” the creative powers you already have. To a great extent, it’s a matter of replacing the bad habits that are holding you back with good habits that make you a more creative and productive thinker. Here are some suggestions: Read more
9 Big Benefits of a Business Web Site
In the mid 1990s, I logged into my CompuServe account and created my very first Web site. It was a big deal, because the World Wide Web was fairly new to people at the time and I was probably one of just a handful of freelancers who had a site.
Of course, it was a complete waste of time too, since just a handful of potential clients were accessing the Web back then. It was cool to have a site, but not particularly useful. I don’t remember a single client who called me because of it.
Today, that’s all changed. Just about everyone has a Web site. Saying you don’t have a site is like saying you don’t have a phone or indoor plumbing.
But just because nearly every freelancer has a site doesn’t mean that every freelancer’s site is successful. Many have one for no other reason than everyone else has one. It’s often more a matter of not wanting to explain why they don’t have a site rather than finding ways to use the site to build their business. Read more
101 Reasons Freelancers Do it Better
HR World has posted a fun list of 101 Reasons Freelancers Do it Better. It’s obvious the editors were having some fun with this, but there is a lot of truth in this list.
Here are some of my favorites:
5. Meetings about nothing.
25. Better pay.
30. You’re not stick with Crazy for the next 30 years.
36. Control freaks welcome.
45. No office politics. (Oh, this is a big one!)
60. You define your own future.
I’ve said it for years: I simply could never go back to a “regular” job. Freelancing has spoiled me.
Money Links for Freelancers
Whether you’re starting out or are an old pro, money is always a major concern in the freelance business. Unfortunately, most freelancers are not entrepreneur types. They’re more like “propreneurs,” or professionals who happen to be in business.
So it usually takes a special effort to deal with the business side of freelancing. Here are a few quick links on basic money management.
- Free-Lancing’s Office Side — General tips on financial management for freelancers from The Wall Street Journal.
- How to save money—really — A simple plan for starting to save money from your freelance earnings. Be advised that you’ll need to save more than the example given to pay your taxes.
- Freelance tax FAQ — A nice little Q&A on taxes. Not anyone’s favorite subject, but something you have to deal with.
- Selling Yourself On The Value Of Your Time — Learning to think straight about how time is money when you’re working for yourself. This could make you skip that extra donut break.
- Taking Payment with PayPal, Escrow and other Online Options — Primer on getting paid online and some of the drawbacks and things to watch out for.
- Putting A Price On Your Capabilities — A business writer’s guide to setting fees. Most of the principles here can apply to designers or other freelancers.
- Getting Clients to Pay Up — How to handle those times when a client is slow or negligent in paying your invoices.
Announcement: Copywriting Genius for August
I’m late in making this little announcement, but American Writers & Artists named me Copywriting Genius of the Month for August.
The interview is part of a subscription deal, so I can’t share it with you. But you can check out AWAI online. They have a wide variety of training materials for freelance copywriters. Plus, I’ll be doing a live interview with them later this month, so if you join you can hear me talk about some of the work I do as a freelance marketing consultant.
Voice Mail: How Not to Sound Like a Clown
“Hello, this is Bigtime Client. I’m out of the office. Please leave a voice message at the beep.”
*BEEP*
“Um, yeah. This is, er, um. This is Dotty Designer calling. I was, uh, just wondering if you, you know, got the samples I sent and, uh, well maybe you didn’t look at them yet because I know you’re busy, but they’re in a big red envelope and I, er, so if you like them maybe you could, uh…”
*BEEP*
The dreaded voice mail message. It’s intimidating and merciless. It can catch you unprepared and will record every stuttering syllable as you try to string together a few intelligible sentences. More often than not, you end up sounding, shall we say, less than professional.
What’s the answer? Be prepared with a short “script.” Read more
What to Do When Freelance Business Is Slow
Even the very best freelancers go through times when the phone just isn’t ringing. It’s nothing to get worried about. If you’re managing your money properly, you should have enough in the bank to ride it out.
In fact, down time gives you an opportunity to do a little marketing. Here are a few tips for using your free time productively and getting the phone to ring with paying projects.
- Call past and present clients. Don’t sit around getting depressed. Pick up the phone and call everyone you’ve worked with. Don’t tell them your business is slow, just say you wanted to touch base and see how they’re doing. Chitchat for a minute, then ask if there’s anything you can help with.
- Call leads and prospects. Again, don’t say things are slow. Just say you wanted to stay in touch. Ask if there’s anything you can help with or if they need more information. Keep it short and friendly.
The Red Flags for Freelance Scams
Over at Freelance Writing Jobs, there’s been an energetic discussion about scams aimed at freelancers. I don’t want to get into the specifics here, but there is one business that seems to be a concern for a variety of writers. That’s putting it mildly.
Deborah Ng posted an article as a follow-up that provides some excellent, practical advice for spotting freelance scams, and some wise words about not throwing around unfounded accusations without proof.
I really wish freelancers didn’t have to deal with this, but it’s a fact of the business world. Every business has to watch out for the ethically challenged among us. What makes freelancers so vulnerable is, I’m sorry to day, desperation. Freelancers get taken advantage of because they are so eager to get work their good sense goes out the window.
I ‘m proud of the people over at FWJ for having their heads screwed on straight on this issue and looking out for each other.
For more on self-defense against scams, here are some other links for you:
- Watch out for these Freelance Writing Scams talks about poetry and writing contests. If you’re wanting to be a freelance pro, you shouldn’t be wasting time trying to make money like this anyway. Fiction and poetry are fine as hobbies, but the pay is lousy.
- How to Sniff Out Literary Scams lists six tell-tale signs of a literary scam and provides some information on checking out your suspicions and protecting yourself.
- Tips for Freelance Contractors is an article I mentioned recently, but it’s worth repeating. It lists eight pointers for protecting yourself as a freelance contractor.
- Freelance Writer’s Warning - New Cheque Cashing Scam is a disturbing article about a variation of the Nigerian scam, which you’ve probably received in your e-mail at one time or another.
- How to Avoid Freelance Job Scams is a good, general guide to work-at-home scams. I doubt too many readers here would fall for these, but some of these scams can be pretty sneaky.
It seems like most of the scams I see for freelancers involve writers or are of the work-at-home variety. I’m curious if anyone has seem scams targeting designers. Let me know.
Want Top-Notch Pay? Do Top-Notch Work.
You can do all sorts of cool promotion and aggressive marketing to increase your value to clients, but in the end, it’s what you deliver with your freelance services that will make or break your business. Quality work is the best marketing there is.
Many freelancers or those considering freelancing sometimes want the quick and easy way to achieve the high pay they’ve heard is possible. But the fact is, there is no shortcut. You have to be good at what you do. Clients have to value the service you are selling to them.
Even marketing that is pure genius won’t take you from earning $50 an hour to earning $250 an hour. Marketing opens doors. After that, you have to come through with great work. Read more
8 Time-Eating Client Species to Avoid
After a few years of freelancing experience, you will develop a sixth sense about the people who approach you with freelance work. Within about five minutes of meeting someone or picking up the phone, you’ll be able to tell if they’re worth your time or wasting your time.
However, this skill is hard-won. While I’ve tried from the beginning to be careful, I’ve been tricked, schemed, bamboozled, and taken advantage of a number of ways. Nothing serious in the way of money, but time lost cannot be regained.
To help save you time and aggravation, I’d like to introduce you to the eight dominant species of Time Eaters. These are some of the ne’er-do-wells who lie in wait in the dark and menacing freelance jungle to feed on your valuable time. Read more
7 Steps for Killer Freelance Sales Letters
Sales letters? Yes, sales letters.
If you’re in business as a freelancer, you need to use sales letters now and then. Why? Because your Web site isn’t enough. And while e-mail is efficient, it simply doesn’t have the impact of a printed letter.
A well-written letter, printed on your letterhead and accompanied by your business card, is a powerful and personal way to introduce your freelance services to clients or offer samples of your work. A prospective client might get several hundred e-mails a day, but only a couple of letters, if any. It’s a good way to stand out.
There is an art to writing great sales letters, so you can’t expect to become an expert after reading one article. But there are time-tested tactics that can dramatically improve your chances of success. Here are seven of the most important. Read more
Turning Down Freelance Work
Should you ever turn down freelance work? Yes. Absolutely.
I know that sounds like crazy talk, especially if you’re in a dry spell and you really need the money. But real professionals turn down work for all sorts of reasons.
I just read a great article over at Best Practices that suggests 6 Reasons to Turn Freelance Work Down. Number one (personality clash), number three (project outside expertise), and number five (can’t meet deadline) are all reasons I’ve turned down projects.
I’ve also turned down work because I believe the client is dishonest or acting in an unethical way. It’s never easy, especially when there’s a wad of cash hanging out there for you to grab. But in the long run, you’re better off turning down work from time to time.
Quick Tips for Getting Things Done
Sure, freelancing gives you more flexibility in your schedule. But that doesn’t mean you can waste time. Learning to manage your time wisely is a must if you are to stay in business for the long haul.
Here is a collection of time management tips from around the web. And I’ll give you a tip before you even get started on reading these: choose your tips wisely. You don’t have follow every bit of advice about productivity. Pick two or three that work for you and go for it. If you spend too much time worrying about time, you end up wasting time!
- Productivity Tips for Writers
- Time management for graphic designers
- Productivity Tips for Bloggers
- Getting to Deadline - Programmer Productivity Tips
- 30 Productivity Tips for Designers
- Five fast email productivity tips
- Separate your email from your to-do’s
- Twenty Unique Ways to Use the 80/20 Rule Today
- The Productivity Trifecta, Part 1: The Word ‘No’
- The Power of Yes: A Simple Way to Get More Out of Life
- Inbox Zero: Processing to zero
- 10 Productivity Tips for Web Designers
- 10 Productivity Tips for Home-Based Businesses
