Five Ways to Turn Your "Professional Liability" Into A Marketable Credential (Part 5)

The first two professional liabilities I have cited have more to do with the freelancer learning to manage his time better, and acquiring excellent work ethics. The next one can be tricky, as this has proven to be a bad habit that plagues not just aspiring freelancers, but a lot of professionals as well.

Professional Liability Number Four: Being disorganized

Disorganization can be traced to a mismanagement of time, which ranks as the top commodity for an aspiring freelance worker. And while there are many advantages to having a flexible schedule and getting to call nearly all the shots by yourself, too often being disorganized stretch to keeping records and handling payments. This could kill what could potentially be a thriving career.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Time management

• Have a weekly schedule ready. Set aside an hour or two on Sunday afternoon, and in your calendar, fill in the tasks that would need to be done over the course of the week.
• If you email queries to managing editors, send your queries on a Monday morning, and the next batch on Tuesday. Some editors reply within 24 to 48 hours if he finds that it's worth giving your article proposal a try.
• If you bid for projects in popular websites for freelancers, get your samples together and email your cover letter no later than Tuesday. You can expect a good number of freelancers turn up to compete for the project, and it takes around three to five days before the company can pick the best candidate. If you're fortunate and negotiations have been made, you can start working before the weekend.
• If you're comfortable with cold calling to get new clients,  have a list of the people you're targeting, and spread out your calls over the course of the week. You can have two to three calls scheduled each day, or even more, if you want to increase the chances of having a project outsourced to you. 

Keeping records

• Have several templates of your Freelancer's Contract written down in a Word document, and save them in your hard drive. And then, as soon as you land a project, all you have to do is fill in the details accordingly.
• Create a template of your invoice.

Handling payments

• Always ask for a flat fee and a down payment before you begin to work on anything. This isn't about being greedy or ruthless. Keep in mind that you're running a business and you deserve to be compensated for your effort and hard work.
• Give your clients a variety of payment options. A popular payment plan is getting paid in two installments after the flat fee and down payment have been made, so if you charge 40 percent of the rough estimate as a down payment, you can opt for 40-30-30. Of course, this could be adjusted, because a good number of freelancers now charge a 50-percent down payment, so the payment plan could be broken down to 50-25-25, or 50-30-20.
• If you're working on a huge project and you're charging huge rates, say, over Php30,000, you can ask to be paid on an installment basis, stretched out to up to a maximum of 90 days.
• Have several templates ready for your collection letters, to be emailed as a reminder should a client be unable to pay on the date upon which you've agreed. 

Five Ways to Turn Your "Professional Liability" Into A Marketable Credential (Part 4)

In my past several posts, I have talked about liabilities that are confined within an aspiring freelancer's habits and work ethics. As I discuss further, the next one is related to the people who comprises the greater part of what could be a thriving career. Here it is:

Professional Liability Number Three: Ineffective skills in negotiating with clients

When you have not assessed yourself and your capabilities accurately, or you don't have enough confidence in your abilities, chances are you're charging less for your services than you truly deserve.

Or, you're landing projects and assignments that have proven to be quite lucrative because your clients are willing to pay, but you only have a vague idea how to keep your rates within reasonable parameters.

Lastly, the worst type of clients are those who will not hesitate to haggle, which is very different from feeling entitled to get a good bargain for their money. You can guard yourself against being taken advantage of by pumping up your negotiation skills. 

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

• If your problem lies in clients saying that you're charging too much, sometimes it could be due to the fact that working with a freelancing professional is still a relatively new concept to some people. Some clients may even argue that if you're really good, you should be in a company's payroll. This can be solved by making your website, blog, or other marketing materials like business cards, brochures, or flyers look as professional as possible. In general, choose a simple, clean layout with minimal frills. 
• Provide samples of your past assignments and projects, but use them sparingly. Group them into categories if you have two or more expertise.
• Ask for testimonials from satisfied clients, and include them in a web page or a different portion of your brochure. This has proven to be one of the best ways to promote yourself, and it's also one of the most cost-effective.
• Be prepared to itemize in a written document or email how your clients can get more value out of outsourcing their projects to you. Usually, a freelancer can boast of a faster turn-over rate, a more personalized service, and better attention to details. Free rewrites or modifications are also a unique privilege when a client hires a freelancer.
• Never start a project until your flat fee and a down payment has been settled.
• Get everything written down in your Freelancer's Contract, and save a copy for yourself and furnish a copy to your client as well. 
• Provide your clients the option of paying on an installment basis. After your flat fee and a down payment has been settled, succeeding payments could be spread out on a four-part or even up to a six-part installment basis. To illustrate, if you're charging USD800 (which is roughly equivalent to Php35,000) for your services in website development, the first installment could be made 15 days after you started the project, and each succeeding payment could be made on each 15-day interval. If you spread out the payments into a four- to six-part installment, that would give you two to three months -- enough time to finish the website.

Five Ways to Turn Your "Professional Liability" Into A Marketable Credential (Part 3)

I have discussed the disadvantages of an aspiring freelancer being a "one-stop shop," or a generalist. Now I'll cite several feasible ways to turn a few of your skills into a specialty.

The following is not an exhaustive list, as all of us are unique and may have had different experiences with clients, so feel free to include anything that may be helpful to you.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

• After a year or two of working as a freelancer, take a good look at the variety of projects or assignments that you've accepted and submitted. Ask yourself, "Which of these did I enjoy doing the most? Which gave me enough challenge to stretch me, but were within my capabilities?" After a thorough evaluation, pick no more than three skills that you'd like to cultivate.
• Look online for free tutorials or webinars that are centered specifically on teaching participants to hone their skills.
• Attend seminars and workshops that are related to improving your skills. Seasoned facilitators are usually trained to instruct students with greater depth and breadth.
• Read books about writing effective emails, as the ability to communicate and negotiate with your clients has been proven to be priceless in freelancing.
• Improve your manner of speaking over the telephone, especially if you will allow clients to inquire by calling you up. Prepare a list of questions that are intended for clarity of your clients' desired results for the project. Keep your list inserted in your phone book.
• Get in touch with a non-profit organization or groups who rally behind a cause and volunteer your time and skills. Don't worry about not getting paid. The experience that you'll get and the ties that you'll form with people will be far worth than any amount of money in the long run. 
• Create a website by looking into one of those free web hosting sites, like Wix (click here) and Weebly (click here). Make sure to spell out your complete name and provide adequate information about your services. Double check your contact information for accuracy.
• Start your own blog, where you can share tips with online readers or discuss any interesting innovations in your field. Having your own blog can also qualify as a credential when you bid for projects in freelancers' websites.
• Get in touch with other bloggers who write about topics that are similar to yours, and ask if they're interested in a guest blogging gig. They can submit one or several blog articles, and you can return the favor by writing a review of their blogs. This is a cost-effective way to gain wider exposure in the blogosphere.