As a freelancer, one of the main challenges you’ll face is getting your first freelance project. With so many experienced professionals out there competing for that first contract, it can be difficult to know where to begin in order to get your foot in the door and land your first client as quickly as possible. By following these 8 tips to help you win your first freelance contract, you’ll ensure that you do everything in your power to succeed and maximize your chances of being awarded your first big project.
1) Revise, revise, revise
To win a freelance contract, you have to make sure your submission is in tip-top shape. Before you send it off, read through your proposal or CV again and again. Ask yourself: are there any grammatical errors? Have I addressed every point my client needs me to touch on? Does anything here seem confusing or unclear? Is my writing punchy, engaging, and powerful? If you want your proposal or CV to win a freelance contract, it’s essential that it’s well-written and attention-grabbing; give it as much thought as possible before you submit it. With so many freelancers competing for each job, they’ll go with whoever puts in that extra bit of effort!
2) Break Down the Project into Tasks
Breaking down your project into smaller tasks can help you plan each stage of your work more efficiently. When it comes time to submit a proposal, breaking down your bid ensures that you aren’t over-promising on what you will achieve—and saves a lot of heartaches if you have trouble accomplishing everything you set out to do. A freelancer contract should outline clear tasks and specific deliverables, as well as milestones and deadlines for when each aspect is due; having a strong idea of exactly what needs to be done beforehand makes it easier for clients and designers alike. To make sure you get paid for all your hard work, clarify how much money you expect upfront (or after certain milestones are met) before signing off on any freelance contract.
3) Get Personal Recommendations
Make a list of every professional you’ve ever met. Now find out if they’re hiring freelancers, and if so, whether they’d be willing to let you do some work for them. Word-of-mouth recommendations are always best, and even better when someone can vouch for your skills directly—not just say that they like you as a person! If that’s not an option, look into getting certified or accredited in something relevant; that’s sometimes enough of a personal recommendation from someone credible. And don’t forget about social media: it’s easy to get referrals through LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and other networks.
Read About 7 Benefits of Affiliate Marketing (That You Didn’t Know) – Digital Money
4) Use Social Media to Market Yourself
With so many platforms out there, it can be a bit overwhelming trying to decide where you should be. The best place to start is probably with LinkedIn, which has been around for more than 10 years and is now used by over half of all US professionals. LinkedIn isn’t just for networking: It’s a fantastic place to promote your work, especially if you’re new to freelancing. Browse through your connections and share examples of your past work. If you run into any hiring managers on LinkedIn or other social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook, ask them how they prefer job applicants (and writers) to reach out—and don’t forget about hashtag recruiters!
5) Learn About Your Prospective Clients
Before you can win work from a client, you need to understand who your prospect is and what kind of projects they’re looking for. Take some time here, do some research and learn about your target audience. Find out their pain points. What are they trying to accomplish? How does your product or service fit into that? The better you know your prospect, the more likely you are to win them over with an amazing pitch! If a prospective client is not willing to take some time with you on a consultation call or live chat session, keep looking for another customer because if they’re too busy, they probably don’t have enough time left in their day (or budget) for your services.
6) Network at Events in your Area
Whether you’re an introvert or extrovert, it’s always a good idea to mingle at local meetups and events. As an added bonus, you might be able to connect with professionals who can offer their advice on how best to approach your freelancing goals. (Just remember not all networking connections are equally valuable.) Consider becoming involved in associations related to your line of work, so that you can get connected with others in your industry. At some point, you may also want to consider signing up for a social media site such as LinkedIn so that you can expand your network online.
7) Don’t Be Afraid to Pitch Yourself
As a freelancer, your job is to make yourself as marketable as possible. So how can you do that if no one knows you exist? Get out there and find clients. And that starts with pitching yourself. Networking is an essential part of growing your business and making connections is key—if someone already knows you by name, they’re more likely to hire you. But don’t just connect with anyone—use targeted pitches sent through personalized emails or even in-person meetings at industry events (when appropriate). Think about it: If your potential client isn’t familiar with who you are, why would they ever hire you? After all, what are their other options? Make sure they know yours before someone else does!
8) Understand the Client’s Requirements
It’s essential that you understand exactly what your client is asking for before you bid on a project. This means doing a thorough read-through of their job posting (or brief) and making sure you get every detail right—down to their formatting preferences, preferred file types, deadlines, and anything else they deem important. Oftentimes, if it’s not in writing in the job posting, then they don’t expect it from you. So if there are gaps or information is missing from your understanding of what they need or want—it’s on you to ask those questions upfront. That way, any confusion can be handled early on and easily—before it becomes a problem later.