The Most Impactful Lessons My Freelance Life Learnt Me So Far

I've made mistakes. Costly ones.

Here they're so you can save some money.

// A THREAD //

1. Communication Is A Key

I've failed to follow up.

I've failed to keep in touch.

Freelancing is about communication the same way it's about high-income skill

Keep in mind.

SOLUTION: Build a system / use CRM and use it religiously

2. People Don't Value Service When It's Free

In the beginning, my ultimate sales pitch was that client won't pay if he won't like the end product

I closed almost all clients.

But without deposit, most of them stop cooperating soon

SOLUTION: Leave this approach asap

3. Client Pays, Client Decides

You deliver good service. But if your prospect thinks it's a disaster no help.

Just amateurs re-do the project any way the client suggests.

But you need to have the client on board.

SOLUTION: Ask clients WHY they want the change, be receptive

4. Present it Live

You need to see the client's reaction to the end product.

Ask questions, watch the reactions, make notes.

Explain your solution.

Make additional changes based on feedback.

SOLUTION: Present the final projects live or at least Skype/Zoom.

5. Make Yourself Findable

Outreach via cold email was my saver at the start

But there are also "passive" ways how to get clients

e.g. Freelance catalogues

SOLUTION: Take advantage of those channels.

PS. Check https://twitter.com/HustlingStudent/status/1290638920443666433?s=20

6. You Don't Know That You Don't Know

I thought I was a decent web designer.

I was TERRIBLE.

Now, I know.

And that's the goal.

SOLUTION: Get a mentor, study group, consultation ASAP. High-income skill is a complex beast. Know the rules.

7. WHY Is Much More Important Than HOW

Whatever you create, make sure it brings results to a client.

"People don't want a "beautiful" website, they want results"

SOLUTION: Ask clients why they want what they want (e.g. website). Define the goals and how to get there.

Thanks for reading.

If you have any questions, feel free to DM me.

If you want to send a thread to a friend or RT here's the first tweet: https://twitter.com/HustlingStudent/status/1316831746638467072?s=20