It pays to network
There are many ways you can network, ranging from just going out a lot and meeting new people, to targeting industry events like conferences and tradeshows to going to local user groups. The most important thing is the volume of contacts you make.
Unfortunately for the shy among us, there’s no escaping the dread of networking. If you’re not doing it, someone else is. The good news is that it does get easier, and who knows you may even come to enjoy it!
Build a brand around your nameThey are ALL those things. Likewise with branding, it is a combination of your logo, the way the copy on your website is phrased, the service you provide, the music you play when a person is on hold and everything else that people perceive about you. Of course how far you take branding depends on you.
It helps to be able to offer add-on services to your clientsNow that doesn’t mean you should try to be a programmer, photographer and designer all in one, but it might mean having a network of other freelancers you use, it might mean performing a few services outside of your established set or it might simply mean coordinating those things for your client.
One of the advantages a larger business often has over an individual freelancer is the ability to fulfil many aspects of a job. So if you can perform extra services this helps to even the scales a little.
Sell yourselfIf you know your stuff, are good at what you do AND sell yourself, then you will be on to a winning combination. In my experience a client looking for someone to do some work wants a solution to land in their lap, so if you have the goods to back your words up then they’ll be happy and often you’ll get the job. And if you don’t, well on to the next lead!
When things go wrong try to make the best of a bad situation
Admitting if you are at fault, taking responsibility for things even if they weren’t yours and finding ways to repair broken bridges will often turn an upset client or a bad project into a positive result.
Life doesn’t always go the way you want it or expect it. Sometimes jobs go south, clients get upset, projects come out less than perfect. In all these cases it is your job to make the best out of a bad situation.
