There is no denying that working as a freelance writer is more or less a “solitary position.†In other words, you are not going to be around others for the better part of the day; unless you have family at home, of course. But even then, you will not be conversing with co-workers, bosses, etc. Through my freelance writing course I have heard from many writers who do not like to speak with clients on the phone. In fact, some members have gone so far as to say that they do not answer if a client calls. Instead, they let voicemail handle it and then email the client back. In my opinion, this is a huge mistake.
If a client is calling they are doing so for a reason. They want to speak with you in real time, and you need to be open to doing so. There is nothing wrong with missing a call for a legitimate reason. But if you are ignoring clients you are making a big mistake. Soon enough they may feel that you are trying to avoid them, or simply not interested in doing business with them. The end result is losing a client that you probably want to keep. Now do you see how detrimental it can be to avoid calls from clients?
There is a bigger issue at hand. Why don’t you want to answer the phone when clients call? Are you afraid of saying the wrong thing? Are you so shy that this is a major problem? Once you know why you are ignoring calls you can begin to work towards finding a solution. And a solution is something you need in order to fix this problem and better your career.
You need to answer the phone when your freelance writing clients call. This is a great chance to not only form a better relationship, but to also break up the monotony of the day. Get past what is holding you back so you feel comfortable answering the next time a client buzzes you!
Competition within the freelance writing industry can be fierce. There are thousands of freelance writers out there applying for the same jobs as you. For this reason, you need to do something to set yourself apart. In other words, you need to give clients a reason to choose your services over those of another freelance writer. You may not land every job by doing so, but you will definitely increase your chance of success.
Why should a client choose you? You and you alone need to decide what you are going to offer, and how this will give you a better chance of success. Some freelance writers attempt to beat the competition by offering low prices. There is nothing wrong with this as long as you are comfortable working at a lower than average rate. Of course, this usually gets tiresome sooner rather than later because nobody wants to work for less than what they are worth.
I want clients to choose me because of my freelance writing experience and related expertise. The best way I can show this is by providing potential clients with samples, while also showing them some of the names and companies I have worked with in the past. Simply put, if you show clients that you have the background experience and skills you are bettering your chance of landing the gig. This holds true even if your rates are higher than others who apply for the position. Remember, not every client is interested in saving money. Many of them know they have to spend more to receive higher quality work.
If you are not giving clients a reason to choose you there is a chance that your freelance writing career will begin to sputter. No matter what, make sure you develop a unique selling feature that puts you above your competition.  Â
When I decided to become a freelance writer I was worried that I did not know enough to get started. To go along with this, I thought I would never pick up the right knowledge along the way. But of course, this changed soon enough and I found out that there were plenty of resources offering top notch information. Simply put, there are many ways to learn about the freelance writing industry. Even if you feel overwhelmed I can tell you from firsthand experience that things will get better. Soon enough your knowledge base will grow and you will know where to turn for the proper information.
One of the best ways to learn about the industry is through related websites and blogs. As I have said before, this is why I started my blog. I know how difficult it can be to collect the right information, and this blog is a way for me to give back to others. Of course, there are thousands of other useful sites and blogs that you will run into along the way.
Do you have a freelance writing mentor that can more or less guide you? When I started out I had somebody to help in this capacity, and it really helped to get me moving in the right direction. If you know somebody who is already working as a freelance writer, ask them to mentor you. For those of you who don’t know anybody, I would be more than happy to have you in my freelance writing course.
Some people never get started as a freelance writer because they are afraid of the unknown. There is a lot to learn about the freelance writing industry; there is no denying this. But remember, there are many sources for gathering accurate, reliable information. All you need is the willingness to learn!Â
