Do you need to take your time when expanding your freelance writing career? This is a great question. After all, you do not want to bite off more than you can chew too early in your career. But at the same time you do not want to pass up legitimate opportunities to take your career to the next level. As you can see, there is a fine line between knowing when to expand and not jumping ahead of yourself.
The first question to ask is: do I have time to take on more freelance writing work? If you are already working eight hour days the answer to this question may be no. But before you make this decision you need to consider every detail that is in front of you. For instance, you may not have a lot of time to take on more work but if the right project presents itself you will probably want to make room.
Next, will expanding hurt your current business? There is nothing wrong with taking on new freelance writing clients as long as you can continue to serve those who are currently working with you. Adding more projects to your to-do list will mean more time spent at your computer. But this is not always a bad thing because more projects usually mean more money.
As you can see, the way that you expand is up to you. Only you know how much time you have available, and whether or not adding new clients would cause any issues. Your main goal should be to work as efficiently as possible as to increase your client base and income without overloading yourself with too much work.Â
How do you sell yourself to potential freelance writing clients? The way that you answer this question will have a lot to say about the success that you have. Simply put, some freelance writers are better at sales than others. Those who are usually find it easier to build their client base in a short amount of time. But even if you are not skilled in the sales department you can still make a lot of headway in this area.
Here are four details to keep in mind when it comes to selling yourself to potential clients:
1. Do not be afraid of sounding cocky. Many freelance writers think that selling their services means talking about how great they are. This is not true. You can easily sell yourself to potential clients without being seen as arrogant. The best way to do this is by letting your past work do the talking. You don’t have to say much about yourself on a personal level. Instead, offer samples and talk about your experience.
2. You are good at what you do. Make sure that you are in the right frame of mind when you call on clients. It is important to know that you have a lot to offer, and that you would be an asset to anybody’s team. If you are thinking like this you will come across as confident. In turn, this will allow you to increase your chances of success while also throwing all fear out the window.
3. Selling your freelance writing services is not all about you. In fact, your main goal should be to give the client what they want. You will more than likely go into each “sales pitch†with an idea of what you want to accomplish. But soon enough this may change based on what the buyer is telling you. Make sure that you are open to change, and that you are always working to give the buyer what they want.Â
4. Use all of your sales and marketing skills. Although the above tips will help when cold calling, they can be customized to suit any sales plan. For instance, if you are sending cold emails you can still use these tips. All you have to do is customize them to suit your style and the steps that you are taking.
As you can see, any freelance writer can learn to sell their services to potential clients. Just because you are new to sales does not mean that you will struggle in this area. Some of the most successful freelance writers I know started with no sales experience, but land client after client by using the tips above.Â
Even the best freelance writers run into complicated situations that are difficult to overcome. If you are facing an issue with a particular project the best thing you can do is get in touch with the client. Many freelance writers will never do this, but they are making a huge mistake. I strongly believe in asking for help if need be. This does not mean that you should bother clients with questions that you can answer on your own, but if you are truly stumped you should ask for assistance.
Why are some freelance writers afraid to ask for help? Simply put, they are worried that the client will think less of them. In other words, the client will find somebody else who is more knowledgeable to complete the job. In most cases, from my experience, this is not the case. In fact, most of my clients are more than happy to clear up any complications. Remember, both you and the client want to do what is best. There is no reason to believe that your client will become upset and turn away if you ask a question.Â
Think about it this way: it is better to ask for help when you run into a problem than to proceed and find out in the end that you made the wrong decision. In this case, the client may become upset because a lot of time has been wasted, etc.
This is a subject that I have talked about before, and one that will continue to come up time after time. It is very important that you keep an open line of communication with all clients, and that you are never afraid to ask for help when need be. Many of the students in my course were afraid to communicate with clients when they started. But guess what? After they asked a few questions and began to communicate on a regular basis, this changed. Once you ask for help one time it will become much easier to do so in the future.
All in all, you are a professional. You should treat your freelance writing as a business while also treating clients with respect. And in this case, respect to both parties means asking for help when you need it.Â
