The 5 Biggest Freelancing Mistakes
It is often said we learn more from mistakes than successes. Sometimes it is nice to learn from another person’s mistakes rather than your own! Every freelancer will have their own stories to tell.
Here are the 5 biggest freelancing mistakes.
1. Underpricing
Most of us will have done this at some point, many of us still do. Money is a difficult subject for a lot of people and most find it an uncomfortable topic. Problem is, while you might not find it easy, it is absolutely critical. You have a right to earn a fair price for your work, especially if you are good at your job and have excellent experience.
So how do you know if you are underpricing? If you do good work and you never lose a bid then your prices are too low.
Also, be careful about charging by the hour when you don’t have to. When you charge by the hour, you are actually penalising yourself for getting faster at your work. Also, some jobs require considerable experience and expertise while taking little time to execute.
2. Overcommitting
No one client has the right to monopolise your time, even if they do think they are paying well. When one client takes all your time, that is a boss and you have a job, not a client and freelancer relationship.
Remember, as well as the job at hand, you need time to market and network to bring in future work. Allowing one customer to dictate your hours is the worst mistake ever when that contract is over and you have nothing to fall back on.
You ideally want to have 4 or 5 overlapping contracts, plus some breathing room so the loss of one doesn’t set you back too far.
3. Failing to sell
After money, the next worst part of freelancing for most people is the thought of selling yourself and your services. Fact is, though many times a client will know they want your help but will not know exactly what they want.
If you can truly help someone out, then offer your services in a way they will respond to. Make it all about them, their needs, what they will get out of it. Most importantly, listen more than you talk.
4. Always saying “yes”
Fear can cause us to do many stupid things. Requests to work for free will surely come your way but it’s best to say no. You have to remember that a bad deal or bad client can damage you far more than the loss of the work.
Be prepared to not agree with everything that comes your way and know that you can be nice and friendly without agreeing all the time!
5. Not following up
Happy clients can be your biggest source of new work, both with repeat business and referrals. Always get at least a testimonial when they say how happy they are. Even better if you can get them to recommend you. It doesn’t hurt to ask!
