The ways of doing business have changed drastically. Today, many businesses have started outsourcing all kinds of work to freelancers. The whole web of outsourcing has become massive, and there are many freelancers out there who are willing to get work outsourced to them. However, the sheer population of freelancers makes it all the more difficult to convince businesses to outsource work.
Nowadays, you have to offer more than just skills to increase your marketability. You will have to convey a holistic appreciation of the work and business, and this requires more than skills in your area of expertise. In this article, we will help you identify ways to ensure that you develop a holistic approach so that businesses find you a good candidate for their work.
Here are seven tips that will you accomplish this:
1. Understand The Business
If you want to convince businesses to outsource work to you, you need to convince them that you understand their business very well. You need to research the history, purpose, and operations of the business for which you wish to work.
When you make your sales pitch, you should convey that you know what the business is about and how you can contribute to its development. While doing so, you can highlight those skills of yours which can help you make such contribution.
2. State What You Can And Cannot Do
You may be an accomplished freelancer, but this does not mean that you are without limitations. You need to clear about what you can and what you cannot do. These things must be conveyed to the potential client before you accept any work.
You should tell how much you can deliver, what your time constraints are, when and how you want the payment to be made, and what mode of communication you prefer. While the client may not readily agree to your proposed stipulations, you should, nevertheless, convey your model of operation to him.
3. Mind The Budget
You will have to ensure that you are able to tailor your budgetary needs in accordance with the requirements of the business.
Before you get on to working with a client, you must acquire sufficient information on how much he is willing to pay, what mode of payment he is willing to use, and whether the work offered will be short-term or long-term.
4. Market Your Portfolio
You will have to market your skills in a way that makes you stand out from the crowd. Hence, a good portfolio will be of great help to you.
Your portfolio essentially enumerates your personal information, educational qualifications, work experiences, and skills. Through a portfolio, you highlight who you are, what you have achieved, and what you can give to the businesses out there.
At times, the way you draft your portfolio serve as proof of your skills. For example, if you are a freelance graphic designer, you might want to reflect your skills into the making of the portfolio. You can add creative elements such as designer logo, video graphics information, and what not to exhibit your skills through it.
5. Connect On Networking Websites
Businesses will not get a vision of you being there as a potential candidate for your project. You will have to make them notice you—and you can do this by strengthening your online presence.
Just Google and you will come across success stories of many freelancers attributing their success to various freelance-specific websites. But, we want you to get on to the best performing freelance websites which offer what a freelancer needs. These websites let you customize search results, upload creative portfolios, connect to professionals from across the globe, and what not.
In addition to these websites, you cannot underestimate the relevance of social networking websites such as Facebook and YouTube in improving your business network and increasing your work prospects.
6. Participate In Public Discussions
Do not think that merely having accounts on websites is enough. You will have to use these accounts to connect to the professional world. One of the most effective ways to make your presence felt on these websites is through participating in public discussion.
Most of these websites run public discussion groups and forums. You can join these groups or participate in the discussion initiated by them. Give your observations in a detailed manner so that people understand your perspective. Ensure that your comments are professional and reflect your appreciation of the matter.
Through your responses, people might want to connect with you and may offer you work. For example, if you are a freelance software engineer and you respond to queries posted on various solution groups on these and/or other websites, people will notice that you are knowledgeable and have good IT skills.
7. Get Referrals
Always maintain a good relationship with your previous clients. The freelance industry stresses on credibility, which is not very easy to obtain. You can, however, show to potential clients that you are credible and can be entrusted with work through referrals from your previous clients.
Ask your previous clients to write testimonials on the website through which you both connected, or send over a separate write-up on your performance to substantiate your claims on your skills, work experience, and of course, credibility.
Businesses want to outsource as much work as they can, but they are also wary of unproductive and substandard freelancers who make huge promises and deliver on none. So, it becomes all the more necessary for you to show them that you are different and can offer them what they want. You will have to convince them into outsourcing work to you—and the tips mentioned above might help you in doing that.
We wanted to help our readers in expanding their knowledge on how the freelance businesses function today, and the information provided above can help them develop better strategies to attract qualitative work. If you think our article discusses the right things in the right manner, feel free to share it. Also, contribute your thoughts in the comment section to help us understand you better.
