All successful freelance writers have one common trait: confidence. Do you feel good about your skills and the direction of your career? If not, you need to do whatever you can to become more confident. Remember this one tip: if you are not confident in your writing skills why would anybody else believe in you?
Over the years I have found that freelance writers who are not confident usually don’t have much success selling their services. It is essential that you believe in your skills, and that you are willing to sell yourself with confidence. If you know you are good at what you do you should not have any problems showing this to potential buyers.
How can I gain more confidence? Unfortunately, this is something that has to come from within. It is easy for me to say that you should feel confident. But when it comes down to it, I don’t know what you are thinking, how you feel about your career, and how you act around clients and potential buyers. It can take some time to develop a high level of confidence, but if you truly believe in yourself this will come sooner rather than later.
It is also important to note that there is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. You want to believe in yourself, but you don’t want to go so far as to come across as arrogant and cocky. If you do, it is safe to say that clients will begin to run the other way and new buyers will want nothing to do with you. Remember, it is not fun to deal with somebody who thinks they know everything. Confidence is important, but make sure you draw the line before you get into “arrogant territory.â€
Be confident when it comes to selling yourself. You have a skill and you should believe that others will want to do business with you.Â
Do you go to extremes to please your freelance writing clients? This is not something you will do all the time for all your clients. But those who send you a lot of work and are a true joy to communicate with should be treated as nicely as possible; or at least this is the way I look at things. Simply put, I don’t have any problems going to extremes for clients that have been good to me in the past.
What does it mean to go to extremes for your clients? This all depends on what you mean by the word “extreme.†For me, three ways of doing this are as follows:
1. Check in on a regular basis to make sure that everything is okay. I like to do this with clients because it shows them I care, and also helps to ensure that they have everything they need at all times. You don’t want to go overboard and annoy your clients, but you definitely want to go above and beyond when it comes to making sure that they are all set as far as your work is concerned.
2. Be open to making as many changes as requested. Clients that are respectful and always sending new projects deserve to get exactly what they want. This is not to say that you should turn down other clients when they ask for a few changes here and there. But what it does mean is that you should be more receptive to clients that you have a long term relationship with. After all, you know they are being honest and that they would not hesitate to help you in the same way.
3. Send a gift from time to time. If one of your clients is always doing things for you it is time to return the favor. Believe it or not, there are many affordable gifts that are perfect for most clients. For example, I sent cookies out to several clients this past Thanksgiving and Christmas. Each gift cost $50. While this may seem like a lot it was well worth the time and money because I want my clients to know that I value our relationship.
Do you feel confident that you can implement the above “extremes†into your freelance writing career? If so, go for it. When you go to extremes to please clients it will work out in your favor in the long run.
