Most people choose to join the freelance path to be business owners. Working at any hour they want and set their own rates. Sadly, sometimes this may end up working from early morning till late at midnight. And even more, your hard work does not bring the numbers you want to your bank account. How to get out of this trap? Of course, the first thing that comes to your mind is to charge a higher rate on each of your projects. But where do you start?
How to build your confidence in freelancing?
It is important to add value to your freelance business. This will transform into a straight line to have the ability to charge higher prices. There are some useful ways to increase your value as a freelancer. You will be able to increase revenue in two ways. One option is to work more. Another choice is to work for more. Does the second option sound better? Of course. The best strategy to get out of the endless workload trap is the same working hours and bring in more rates. However, raising your rate means a higher burden on your client. So what should you do so they will not run away?
Understand the job clearly
You can get to know a good freelancer before starting working together. Fully understanding the requirement in advance at the initial stage is the key to having trouble-free communication. Don’t be afraid to ask a lot of questions at this stage and suggest other reasonable solutions. Keep in mind that you are the specialist in the field, and your client decides to pay for your professional experience. If you think that another idea can help the client achieve their goal, suggest it to them. Prepare a brief for them to understand. Later, the brief will be your guideline while working on the project.
Stick to deadlines
One of the reasons that clients may be hesitant to work with freelancers is due to punctuality. Some freelancers tend to take on all of the projects and work on them all at once. But if one small problem happens, such as making several time-consuming revisions, technical issues. The whole weekly plan will fall apart and delay the working process. Meeting deadlines is one of the most important elements for your personal brand as a professional contractor. That’s why it is important to consider your working schedule and take many things into account when you set your next deadline. Even though some clients may not have any problem with extending the deadline to two days. As long as you inform them in advance. However, this behavior may look unprofessional and bring unnecessary tension. The worst situation is that the client does not return to you again.
Become an expert in your industry
As a freelancer, you offer your experience, skills, and time to your clients. The main thing to prompt is yourself and your professional knowledge. It is hard to build your personal brand if you just take a little bit of everything. Let’s take the example of a copywriter who writes texts in every possible field, from how-to guides for young moms to chainsaw reviews to bank product analysis. It is not essential to refuse all other projects for changing focus on one specific field. However, you need to keep in mind that the higher value projects are for specialists in a particular field. Take the above example about the copywriter. A copywriter who is interested in the financial field can write something with financial analysis or review of bank products. Those can even be put into the advertising strategy and lead to more well-paid jobs. Choose an industry you know well, enjoy, and specialize in. This way, you can offer more value than your competitors.
Invest in education
Growing is important for a freelancer. You cannot stop growing even though you have clients and stable projects. Gain new knowledge and skills regularly. You can also showcase certificates and course confirmations to bring more possibilities to your personal brand. Taking time to invest in yourself is one of the fastest ways to grow your knowledge and lead to growing your rate.
Creating educational content
Being an expert can bring more advantages and take on more projects. It will help you reach higher positions on search engines. How to do it? It becomes more and more important to provide unique content. Furthermore, your blog is a confirmation of your knowledge and skills to a potential client. This applies to every industry. For example, when you are choosing a physical therapist. Will you choose the one with a Youtube channel with fewer views or a person who offers several high-quality contents?
With more confidence, you have a better way to price your work. All of the above advice is for your freelance work. From the stage to send a pitch, work on the project, deliver the work, work on your personal brand, and invest in yourself. Does all of that sound too complicated to you? Do not worry. You can implement each of those points at a relaxed speed without losing your current. If you do it conscientiously, your client will notice more progress in your work and be willing to pay more. Invest in education