Five Ways to Turn Your "Professional Liability" Into A Marketable Credential (Part 6)

I'll cap off this six-part article series by discussing a dilemma usually encountered by newbie freelancers. If not resolved, this can affect cash flow and may even leave the aspiring freelancer feeling cheated and undervalued. Here it is:

Professional Liability Number Five: Not knowing how much to charge for your services

I understand the uncertainties that most newbies go through because I had been there myself. I was 21 when I launched my career, and I was aware that I was competing with other young professionals who were in a company's payroll.

It wasn't until I seized every opportunity to hone my skills that my self-doubts soon wore out. I created my own website, accepted requests to proofread resumes, submitted articles, and landed several ghostwriting gigs.

I'd like to help you make your transition to freelancing as smooth and easy as possible, so consider the following:

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

• Conduct an online research. Look for information about how much freelancers are compensated within the global community.
• If you know any freelancing professionals in your area, get in touch with them and ask if they could spare an hour or two giving you advice on pricing your services.
• If you're just starting out and you only have a few clips or items in your portfolio, consider charging at the lower end of the payment scale until you build a hefty resume. However, there can be possible exceptions to this rule. One of the advantages of being a freelancing professional is not needing tenure in previous jobs. If you can prove that you can get the project done and deliver on your promise, you can price your rates at a range that is higher for which most newbies would charge.
• Be professional at all times. Once a client has inquired through email, prepare your price quote immediately, and reply within 24 to 48 hours. If you entertain phone calls, make sure to specify in your website, business cards, and other marketing materials the best time to call you.
• If you're based anywhere here in the Philippines and you want to thrive as a professional freelancer, you may need to adjust your rates due to demographics, cost of living, and the needs of local clients. To illustrate, resume writers in the United States charge USD249 for a resume package, which, when converted to our currency, would roughly amount to more than Php10,000. If you want to attract local clients, you would need to subtract a few thousand pesos from that amount. To give you a general guideline, you can charge no less than Php3,000-Php5,000 for proofreading resumes, and no more than Php8,000 for writing a resume from scratch.

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.

Five Ways to Turn Your "Professional Liability" Into A Marketable Credential (Part 2)

In my previous article, I have talked about how aspiring freelancers can deal with time constraints. Here's the next professional liability that may hinder the growth of a freelancer's career:

Professional Liability Number Two: Not having any specialty

If you've heard of the term "one-stop shop," where you can buy practically any item, that's probably the closest description I have for a freelancer who hasn't taken time to hone his skills and specialize. 

To illustrate, as an aspiring freelance writer, you may have submitted a few manuscripts and got published in a corporate or community newsletter. And then there were also your guest blogging gigs. You may have also accepted a few requests to ghostwrite speeches.

So my point is, if you keep scattering your efforts and running in different directions, you may have accumulated a year's worth, or even two years of experience, but boil down to not having any specialty at all.

And being a "one-stop shop" does not just apply to aspiring freelance writers, but nearly every other skill as well. An artist can work in graphic or web design, create company logos, or render illustrations for books and magazines.

Here's another one: If you're an editor or proofreader, you can edit book-length manuscripts, company manuals, corporate resumes, and academic papers. That certainly is quite a diverse selection of projects.

Now, how does being a one-stop shop, or generalist, work against you?

First, spreading yourself too thinly will result in a feeling of accomplishing less in spite of having a lot of work done. You have every right to be rewarded for your efforts, so it's better to direct your efforts to honing just a few skills.

Second, in the field of freelancing, it's better to be an inch wide yet a mile deep, which translates to having no more than three specialized skills for a faster turn-over rate and the right to command a higher fee compared to other freelancers.

Third, having just a few specialties can prove to be more cost-effective in the long run, particularly when it comes to creating marketing materials. If you plan to have a three-fold brochure designed to serve as a "teaser" for your freelancing services, you can simply state your full name and under that, your specialty, like "Advertising/SEO Copywriter" or "Resume Writer." You can also be more creative with your business card. 

If you were able to figure it out, there's no need to come up with another brochure to present another set of skills you may have but has nothing to do with writing. Potential clients won't end up confused, and they'll have you in mind as soon as the need for your services comes up.

Now, having mentioned the disadvantages of being a generalist, how do you get more specific with developing your skills? I'll talk about this in my next article.

Five Ways to Turn Your "Professional Liability" into a Marketable Credential

You may have been freelancing for a year or two, or even more, and you want to keep going. But it's also a fact that the majority of people who aspired to freelance went back to being employees after merely a year or two of trying to make it. 

There may be less stress in freelancing, but it's still a business, and you have to keep your business up and running, especially if there are bills that need to be paid.

And more than a lack of experience, marketable skills or credentials, there remains to be only one thing that is far more limiting than any other reason. And what is that one thing?

It's a negative attitude.

Time and again, a negative attitude has proven to be the only recurring hindrance, not just in freelancing, but in any worthy endeavor or field.

Now, let's look into five of the most common "professional liabilities" perceived by most aspiring freelancers as hindrances to their career growth.

Professional Liability Number One: Time constraints

You waited for several months before quitting your job in order to save up for a year's worth of living expenses, and then you started working on a few projects on the side while you were still employed to build a network of clients. But as soon as you left your job and plunged full-time into freelancing, you realized it takes more work and effort than you originally expected.

In addition to that, your spouse may still be working, and with a reduction in the family income, you would need to assume some of the household responsibilities in order to cut back on expenses incurred for hired help. You also need to make sure that your kids get more attention from you now.

So how can you juggle it all?

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

• Plan your calendar in advance, or according to what you'd like to achieve every month, quarter, semi-annually, or annually (e.g. make 20 percent more from magazine writing by emailing queries twice instead of once a week, bid for web development jobs that pay USD500-USD1,000 per project, etc.).
• Create a weekly schedule on Sunday afternoon or Monday morning. Set aside large blocks of time for your projects and assignments.
• Shoot two birds with one stone by having one day every week for laundry, and then draft your cover letters, proposals, or marketing strategies afterwards. You may be washing less items of clothing now, because you don't need to get up and put on corporate attire everyday.
• Turn off the TV, or drastically reduce the time you spend in front of the boob tube by being selective about the programs you watch.
• Have enough discipline not to turn to social media sites like Facebook or Twitter, unless you use them as a form of marketing strategy.
• Keep yourself healthy by spending two to three afternoons a week exercising. Or, get a good workout by sweeping and mopping floors or pulling weeds from your backyard.
• Cook food in bulk and freeze them in your refrigerator. And then, when meal time comes, heat just enough to serve the entire family.

Coping With Distractions and Interruptions, Part 2

In my previous post, I have cited the first three common types of distractions that are most likely to disrupt a freelancer's routine. Here are the remaining two:

(4.) Household chores

If you do freelance work as your main source of income, make sure that your family understands that you need blocks of uninterrupted time to get your projects done. 

There are plenty of things that you can do to save time on doing chores. You can pay to have your laundry done or hire someone to run errands for you. You can also buy groceries in bulk to lessen the need to shop.

If you have children, get them involved in activities like meal preparation and train them to make their own beds and put away their dirty clothes.

(5.) Unexpected visits

If water, telephone, and electricity bills are still being delivered in your doorstep, check to see if it would be possible for you to pay online, or have a couple of days every month where all you do is settle the bills.

There can also be instances when friends would drop by, wanting some of your time, possibly to talk about concerns or problems with their children, spouse, etc. 

Now, listening to your friends can sap your energy and leave you emotionally drained. But you shouldn't avoid or ditch your friends. In fact, you have to make an effort to maintain the closeness you have, especially since you work at home and will not have plenty of interactions outside. When visits from friends become all too frequent, simply set a date to meet with them, either to have lunch or coffee. It's okay to give yourself a break once in a while.

Coping With Distractions and Interruptions

The majority of freelancers work from home, and although there are many advantages that comes with setting your own pace, the freedom of not having a boss or supervisor can have drawbacks, too.

It's a well-known fact that distractions are a freelancer's number one enemy. There are also a thousand and one ways that you can be interrupted if you don't guard your schedule.

But if you're really serious about keeping your freelance business going, you only need to keep a few things in mind. Here are several of the most common distractions that freelancers face and effective ways to minimize or cope with them:

(1.) Telephone calls

I'm not talking about phone calls from your clients. You may have friends who, upon hearing that you decided to work from home, assumed that you now have a lot of discretionary time, and kept badgering you with attempts to engage you in endless chit-chat.

Unwanted phone calls can be extremely time-consuming. The only way to deal with this is to tell people upfront that you will entertain calls only during certain hours, like lunch time or late in the afternoon.

(2.) Television

You're convinced that you can't get your creative juices flowing until you've had some form of "stimulant," so you tune in to the television "just to find out what's on." Before you know it, you're hooked on a popular talk show or soap opera, and what you originally intended to be just a 10-minute channel surfing stretched to an hour. 

I'm not saying television is bad. Instead, try this technique: use it to reward yourself after finishing your tasks for the day. Once you've tackled a project that's been particularly tedious, you'll feel a lot more relaxed and a lot less guilty while watching your favorite show.

(3.) Social media

Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr, you name it. If your work as a freelancer requires you to spend time doing research on the Internet, it can be very tempting to log on to these sites to catch up with friends, look at photos, read some piece of gossip, etc.

The key is to monitor the number of hours you spend online. Have a daily to-do list at hand, and resolve to finish most of the tasks on your to-do list before you even think about checking out social media sites.

You can also hit two birds with one stone by composing and sending your business emails on the same day that you plan to write a personal message to your family members or friends.

Stay tuned for my next article installment where I will cite the two remaining distractions that can ruin a freelancer's routine.