7 Mistakes Freelancers Make When Trying to Get Clients and How to Avoid Them
In freelancing, one of the things that will make you busy is marketing yourself to expand your clientele. Your clients will be your means to increase your income and stabilize your freelance career. To achieve that, you need to have a game plan on how to get clients and work on their projects. But in doing so, there are possible mistakes you might commit without you knowing that they’re ineffective strategies. So, to give you a heads up of them, we’ll show you the seven mistakes freelancers make in attracting clients and how you can avoid them.
7 Mistakes Freelancers Make When Trying to Get Clients and How to Avoid Them
Solely Relying on Freelance Websites
Don’t get us wrong; we strongly encourage you to boost the promotion of your services on freelance websites. Selling yourself through freelance websites is among the most useful tips for freelance newbies. But, that doesn’t mean you have to depend on them completely to get more clients. If you do so, you’re limiting your chances of getting more clients.
Freelance websites are getting more and more competitive. Many freelancers with the same skillset as you have are registering on freelance websites to get a proposal from good clients. Admittedly, some freelance websites are even experiencing oversaturation, which means there are too many freelancers. In that situation, marketing yourself to your target clients will be tough due to heavy competition.
Again, we encourage you to attract clients on freelance websites, but make sure to look for other platforms and options. Social media is a good place to start announcing yourself as a freelancer. You need to have a good online reputation on social media to attract more attention from the freelance market. Study and execute various social media strategies to gain followers. Another option to find clients is by contacting clients directly and through referrals. Sometimes, you need to get back to the basics of getting clients.
Not Having a Personal Branding
A lot of newbie freelancers immediately take a nose dive into the freelance market without differentiating themselves from others. In other words, they don’t establish a personal branding. The freelancing field is just like any other business; you’ll have a lot of adversaries who hunt the same prey you hunt. So, you should have a brand that makes you unique from other freelancers. If you don’t have a personal branding, the clients on the market will hardly recognize you or glance at you at least.
To establish branding, make your presence felt on online platforms. Publish articles, blogs, and vlogs containing information that your target audience is looking for. And, if you have the budget, hire a graphic designer to create a logo for you, or create it yourself if you’re capable. Moreover, don’t forget to publish your portfolio as well. Your portfolio is the perfect representation of your branding, and it’s your primary selling point as a freelancer.
Trying to Diversify Too Much
According to an analysis report by And Co, 61% of freelancers are adept in at least 2 to 3 skillsets. If you’re a part of that 61%, you certainly have the option to diversify your freelance career, meaning you can focus on more than one niche. However, don’t make the mistake of diversifying yourself too much. Handling too many things from different playing fields can burn you out.
As a freelancer, having one niche is good enough. But, if you want to diversify, having two niches is the ideal approach. Having multiple niches is not a practical way to get more clients. Instead, focus on one or two niches, gain experience, and hone your skills in doing them. As you improve on your niches, the more work you can gain from trusted clients because of your reliability and strong competency.
Not Studying Target Clients
Many newbie freelancers make the mistake of putting their profiles and portfolio out there without studying their target clientele. Remember that a particular market demographic’s needs differ vastly from that of another. The manner of how they hire freelancers, where they hire freelancers, and what qualifications they require varies. So, if you don’t analyze your target clients, it’ll be difficult to make them a part of your clientele.
Well, avoiding this mistake is simple. Before you tackle the freelance market to sell yourself, know all about your target clients’ attributes. Determine how frequently they look for freelancers and what freelance platform they usually visit. Other than that, make sure to gain information about their general needs and demands concerning their projects. When you’ve done your homework, you can easily create a checklist of effective strategies to bring your clients under your wing.
Pricing Too Low
You might be thinking that setting your quotation or your price low can win you more clients. Well, yes, you will, but it doesn’t mean you’ll earn more money. In actuality, your income will be near rock bottom, possibly. Plus, this kind of approach will attract the attention of bad clients who take advantage of inexperienced freelancers. Pricing yourself too low is like making yourself a cheap and low-quality item in a department store.
One of the benefits of freelancer careers is that you can set your price. So, take advantage of it by maximizing your price based on your current market value. Also, research the amount of money that other freelancers like you earn regularly. That should help you set a fair price for your services.
Saying Yes to Everything
Open-mindedness is a good trait to have as a freelancer. Agreeing to your clients’ conditions and requirements is a one-way ticket to keep them satisfied. But saying yes to everything they want isn’t always a wise decision. There are some client deals wherein the outcome is a win-lose situation with you being on the losing side. A prime example of this situation are clients who request to cut down your pay by a certain percentage. Of course, you don’t want that kind of a deal. That’s the time when refusing to work for them is a reasonable and valid decision.
Show your clients that you mean business. Be firm on your terms and conditions. Learn to say no from time to time. Your client deals shouldn’t be a win-lose or a lose-lose situation; it should be a win-win situation all the time.
Accepting Too Many Clients
Having all the freelancing tools and being confident in your productivity will likely motivate you to accept multiple client offers. Well, that indeed is something to look forward to in the future. But, tread with care. Taking too many clients is not feasible most of the time. If you do, you’ll end up overworking yourself, and you’ll be doing a lot of catching up due to numerous deadlines.
So, take things slow in expanding your clientele. Don’t rush yourself. It’s important to give yourself a break from time to time. In your weekly or monthly schedule, focus on a certain number of projects that you can handle without stressing yourself.
Ready yourself when you encounter a situation where you might commit the mistakes we’ve discussed here. Take note of the things you’ve learned here. In the long run, you’ll have a freelance career that most can only dream of.
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