7 tips to become a successful freelancer

Working as a freelancer has several advantages, attracting more and more people. As it has greater flexibility in working hours, it promotes more balance between personal and professional life. It also saves time as there is no need to commute to work every day.

However, it is important to know that like all professions, there are not only advantages. People imagine that being a freelancer is getting demands for work every day and that they magically appear. In fact, it is necessary to go after yourself to become a successful freelancer. With that in mind, here are some tips to reach that level:

1 – Contacts

The beginning of any career is very complicated, especially for self-employed professionals. In this way, it is necessary to inform everyone you know that you are working in this way, making it clear what your area of  expertise is, showing what you have already accomplished and that you have knowledge for projects of different types.

Talking to people close to you is the first step towards gaining more experience, as well as future contacts and referrals. As these factors develop, it becomes easier to consolidate in the market, having a known name, which is very important for an increasingly competitive work sector.

Even if you are not a new self-employed person, it is important to know that networking contributes to finding good job opportunities. That way, it’s always a good time to meet more people and grow the number of work contacts. But how to do this?

A tip is to start attending coworking spaces, going to lectures, events and congresses that are related to your area of  expertise. Use your social networks to produce content related to your work, in addition to talking to other professionals in the area.

2 – Publicizing your work

Even if you work alone as a freelancer, it is important to change your mindset to think that your services should be offered and sold, regardless of your area of  expertise. This means that you must start to see yourself as a company, a brand, so your attitude towards customers and the market must be different.

Your image and personality can be crucial factors in your success as a freelancer. This does not indicate that there is a need to create a website, logo or fancy name, but that personal marketing has to be one of your strategies to gain more space.

To do this, start by defining your skills and goals, focus on your specialties. Social networks can help a lot in promoting your services . A good web presence is one of the top tips for getting more jobs. So, take advantage of Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin to interact with other contacts and show your experience.

3 – Professionalism

A successful freelancer needs to know how to act professionally. Therefore, you have to talk to customers making it clear that you can do the assigned job and that they can count on your services. He shows that he knows how to keep his promises, even when he encounters difficulties at work.

In the area of  freelance web designer, for example, it is a great profession to work in this modality. Many professionals find success working this way, but they need to invest in themselves, looking for upgrades and specializations. If you don’t know what a web designer is , look for more information as it is a great career.

It is necessary to work with clients in a communicative and ethical manner and this applies to different levels of experience. They need to know that the professional knows how to honor his commitments, because no one wants to hire a service and not receive what was proposed at the beginning. Sincerity has to guide your negotiations.

4 – Organization

One of the main factors for being a successful freelancer is knowing how to manage your life, in every way. You won’t have someone who will manage your payments, or organize the order in which your projects have to be carried out. There is no bigger boss to check if your work is being delivered.

In this way, it is the role of the freelancer to know how to have organization and discipline to be able to continue being productive, fulfilling tasks and keeping finances under control. To help with this, it’s important to make weekly schedules, create a business plan, and make contracts with customers.

5 – Values

At the beginning of your career, it is normal to accept jobs with a below-average pay in order to build a portfolio . However, a successful freelancer already knows how much their work is worth. You need to stay up to date on how much people are pricing services in your area to stay in the loop.

Even if your strategy is to use reduced values  to attract customers, this is a tactic that may not work, resulting in a greater volume of work, more stress and without good financial results.

6 – Discipline

Just as keeping organized is fundamental, freelancing life needs discipline. Not having a set work schedule , being able to do everything at home, in your pajamas and without a boss monitoring your productivity seems to be just great advantages, right? But this all comes at a cost.

As a freelancer, earnings will be directly proportional to the results delivered, so if you don’t produce, no money comes in. Without being as rigid as formal jobs, you need to pay close attention to routine distractions at home in order to maintain productivity.

7 – Feedback

All feedback is very important to be able to know where you are getting it right, where you are going wrong and what needs to be improved. In these situations, it is also necessary to know how to behave in the face of negative comments. Show your willingness to receive feedback from your clients , especially after delivering the work.

Like any professional, there will be clients who are easy to deal with and those who are more complicated. Communication failures can be a challenge, but make an effort to treat everyone professionally, giving a positive impression that gives your audience more credibility.