Freelance is hard. That’s the truth. You begin your freelance journey wearing a multitude of professional hats. You are your own accountant, marketing, creative director, customer service, salesperson, lawyer (contract writer), CEO, investor …oh right, and a web designer too. As a freelancer you don’t usually start with a huge investment like other startup enterprises. And the more positions you fill, the lower your overhead. So the key at the beginning of a freelance career is to manage and advertise your business, yet still find time to advance your knowledge on current web design trends. How? The answer is putting in time at the beginning & networking. Below is a guide to what avenues you should invest your time in when trying to build a clientele.
How to ‘Get a Client’
1. Talk.
Either you have a convincing personality, people like you, and hire you on your word. Yes, this can happen with the right charisma. BUT it can bite you in the butt if you don’t follow up and produce a good product. People who find clients using this method (talking) usually have a hard time producing the quality they promote verbally. However, if you spend time and effort above and beyond the client’s expectations, especially on your first projects, this method will suit you well.
2. Use Your Portfolio.
If you have the liberty of time, some monetary support, or are attending school, take advantage of it and develop your portfolio. A potential client’s decision is heavily based on your past work and experience. No matter how much charisma you have, if your portfolio stinks you’ll have a hard time getting and retaining clients. Build your craft and become a master of your trade. But at the same time don’t stress about jumping into paid situations. Do your homework, put in the hours, be confident and make it happen.
3. Use Both.
Obviously using both is ideal. A talker with a poor portfolio, poor work ethic and follow-up will not get far. Yet the same goes for the extremely talented designer, who doesn’t network, advertise, or talk about their services. How is anyone going to know about your talent if they don’t know it exists? Both quality design work and good social skills are important, however we are only human and may not be able to do both. That doesn’t mean you have to throw in the towel. Hone into what you’re good at and work on your weaknesses. If you’re a good talker, put extra time into networking events, conventions, and meet-up groups. But don’t neglect your portfolio or quality of work. If you have an insane portfolio, but are really shy, advertise using social networks and listing services. But still force yourself to attend networking events. Be confident and don’t be ashamed to advertise what you do to friends and family. You’d be surprised how many people you know need a website or know someone who does.
4. Start Cheap.
This may a little controversial for some, but when you have no experience you are not very competitive in terms of portfolio and knowledge. The only way you can add a competitive edge to you service is by reducing your price. Granted you’ll be spending more time just trying to figure things out. But your learning curve is not the responsibility of your client. You are also less accountable for time sensitive projects when the price is low. If you need extra time to figure something out, a client is more likely to wait if they got a great deal. But whatever you do, don’t slack off. These projects will dictate your worth in the long run. As you get busier you won’t have time to do cheap work and your price will go up naturally. Remember, in freelance some pay is better then none.
5. Network.
I’m sure you hear it all the time, network, network, network. You are your own marketing / sales team, meaning you have to go out and sell yourself. And just attending networking events is not enough. You must advertise what you do, talk about work, and socialize with other designers to learn from their experiences. It’s also important to gauge your strong points and weaknesses. Don’t overwhelm your time trying to figure something out that you don’t enjoy doing or can’t grasp. Use networking to find others who are strong where you fall short and partner up. For example many graphic designers do not like to code websites. If you are good at coding XHTML and CSS but have trouble with the actual design, then graphically oriented designers can make good partners. And don’t just network strictly in your profession. Especially since the economy is down, many designers are looking for work. That means the field is more competitive and less designers will be referring work out. You’d be better off going to an architects networking event and advertising to them you create websites.
Conclusion
Freelance is not for everyone. It is extremely attractive to have your own hours, time, and be your own boss. But it is not without a cost. Freelancing is much more work, especially at the beginning. Usually as a freelancer you will be making less money then full-time employed designers, receive no benefits, raises are fully dependant on the demand for your work, experience tough competition, no job security, and you incur all the costs (expensive design programs like Adobe, large monitor, graphics computer, ink, printer, etc…). It takes a strange few with different priorities and the ability to live off less to choose the path of freelance. However, on the upside, a successful freelance service may grow into a new, flourishing business.
