It’s About Relationships

Some of the questions I am asked all the time are “Can you really make it financially as a freelancer?” or “Can you make a lot of money that way?”, “Isn’t that risky?”, and a more recent one from a ‘former’ freelancer – “How can you compete with companies and online job bid sites that have such low prices or just want to put in the lowest bid?”

There are a couple of things that I believe separate the happy and successful freelancers I know from the “other guys” for lack of a better word.

1) A willingness and openness to ride the tides of change, accept a period of growth in their businesses, and see themselves in it “for the long haul.”

Money and success don’t come overnight, and there are never guarantees. Everyone who goes into business for themselves has ups and downs, as well as periods of what I call “necessary learning.” That’s the beauty of going solo – if you embrace it. You’re going to learn lots and lots of lessons! Lessons about yourself, about how you deal with clients, about pricing, about your time, and about your own life and work balance. I believe these lessons to be priceless gems – worth more than your hourly rate!

2) A willingness to seek out the Clients you want – not just a “job” or project. This is a tougher one, and goes along with that “lesson” idea I talked about in number 1.

I believe that real success doesn’t come to those who bid against cheap work. Instead, the best success comes from finding local clients – or clients that are a part of your niche, and building the relationship so that you’re the “go to” person whenever there’s a need in your area of expertise. And then – building on that to land more clients. If all you focus on is bidding jobs on auction sites or freelance bulletin boards, you could find yourself living on minimum wage, and to boot, you lose a lot of opportunity to build wonderful long term relationships.

My favorite clients are ones like me – creative people, out-of-the-box thinkers, dreamers, artists, and those who understand the power of building great relationships. I’ve learned this over time. And with those favorite clients, I love building a relationship with them. I answer a lot of email questions every day, and most of the time I don’t charge a penny for that time. I’m honest about my expertise, and I love to refer folks out to others I know who have complimentary skills.

I think I always know from the beginning which clients will be long term, and which are just looking for a “cheap fix” for their problem. It’s great to look out for your wallet, I agree completely. However, when people also put value into building relationships, I think that everyone wins. I get to refer business out to my clients too! And the stronger the relationship, the more folks I love to send their way.

In the “new economy” it’s not going to be about the lowest bidder anymore in my opinion. The new economy will be built upon honest relationships of trust, mutual concern, and those with the vision for the long haul.