How to prepare for a Freelance Project
Freelancers need to remember that they are active members of a marketplace. Unlike full time work where they are shielded from supply and demand effects, you need to constantly promote yourself, seek good reviews and price accordingly.
Before embarking on any project, it’s worth spending time to ascertain exactly what the client’s needs are. It might turn out that what the client really needs is a different skillset altogether. If you don’t clarify this at the early stages, you’ll suffer from frustration, lower pay and bad reviews.
Be upfront and honest about what you can provide. That includes not just skills but also price. You may have an hourly rate in which case you should make that known straight away. You might be able to provide a rate based on the description of the project.
Employers use freelancers because it’s a quick and efficient way of getting work done, they don’t want to spend a lot of time finding out information that should be immediately obvious, so try to think about the decision making process in the employers mind. What would they need to know to pick you?
A few top tips:
- Clearly state your expertise, and provide examples of past work, outlining what you did.
- Identify an hourly rate or any other unit of measurement. EG Copywriting $10 / hour. Translation $0.05 / word.
- If the client isn’t sure what they want, ask them what problem they’re trying to solve
- Commit to a delivery date of work and don’t be late.
- If you are unable to meet a deadline, tell the client as far in advance as possible to keep the communication lines open
- Don’t use generic selling points such as “I believe I will be an asset” or “I enjoy doing this work”, if 100 other freelancers are saying the same thing you won’t differentiate yourself
- Browse the latest jobs and start applying at www.nabbesh.com