Setting Up or Expanding Your Freelance Business
So you are an experienced professional and have decided for whatever
reason that setting up as an independent freelancer is the way forward
for you, or you have been working as an independent freelancer for some
time and want to grow your business, or perhaps you were employed on a
freelance basis from a former employer who has now terminated your
contract and you need to find more clients. Whatever the reason you are
looking to increase the number of clients you freelance to, there are a
few key areas that you should be looking at. By addressing these
simple, and often overlooked, tasks you can be confident that you are
giving your business the very best chance of success.
•
Identify your Niche Market – the first step to becoming
the expert in your field, and therefore the most sought after
freelancer, is to choose a niche market. Many freelancers fall down
because they do not choose a narrow enough niche and end up being
perceived as a ‘Jack-of-All-Trades’.
•
Plan Your Success – write a business plan, even if you
are not seeking funding from the bank. By committing to paper what you
plan to do, how you plan to do it and when you anticipate reaching your
milestones you will actually be writing yourself a step-by-step guide
to the success of your business. Refer back to the plan often, and
realise that it is a living document and make changes according to your
research and experience. 2 years on, my business plan bears no
resemblance whatsoever to my start-up plan and this is the main reason
I am so confident in the approaches that I take to my own Consultancy.
•
Learn How To Market A Service – Marketing a service like
yours is far different to marketing a product and it is important to
know that fact. When you are selling a service i.e. You, your potential
clients have to KNOW, LIKE and TRUST you. It is also very important to
market the results of your service, not the process by which you attain
those results. Prospective clients want to know the benefits of hiring
you, not what you are going to do.
•
Develop A Follow-Up System – One of the key areas where
freelancers fall down is not by not doing enough networking, but by not
following up those contacts that are made during networking events.
Follow up with everyone you feel compliments your business and tell
them again what it is you can do for your target market, even if they
do not work in your target area. This is the first step to developing
powerful strategic partnerships and tapping into others’ extended
networks.
•
Become The Expert – What you project is what others will
perceive and by becoming the perceived expert in your chosen field
others will clamour to have you work for them. Write articles on your
subject matter and seek out speaking engagements. It is far more
memorable for you to speak to a group about what you do than to just
dish out 20 business cards at an event. There are plenty of resources
available to help you with presentation skills if the thought of public
speaking fills you with dread. It will pay dividends.
•
Market Your Freelance Business Consistently – Choose a
few marketing activities that you have identified in your research into
marketing a service and do them consistently. The most effective form
of marketing a service is to tell people over and over again what it is
that you do. If you keep changing what you do and how you do it your
network will become confused about what you do and may overlook you for
opportunities they come across. Be consistent.
Visit www.servicebusinessboost.com to kick-start your freelance business.
Feb 29, 2008
Email this article
Printer friendly page
Previous Page
