Perhaps, you have heard about the many perks of being a freelancer. As a freelancer, you can enjoy the freedom of choosing how and when you work. You don’t have a boss to tell you what to do and what not to do, aside from your client. And what is even better is that you can directly earn what you work for — you don’t rely on a monthly paycheck from your regular job.
However, no matter how liberating being a freelancer can be, it can also be challenging. The process involved to successfully penetrate a competitive market can be overwhelming.
So be prepared to face the challenges, follow these tips.
Failing Is A Part Of Growing Your Career
From that very moment that you decided to shift to freelancing, you have taken the risk of failing. When you decided to take it on by yourself, you are left with no assurance to be successful but still, you challenge yourself. And that’s just how it goes.
It doesn’t matter what industry you are in. You cannot avoid failure. Becoming a freelancer, your chances of failing is just the same as your chances of winning. But that doesn’t mean you should hold back. Learn to see failure as your chance of growing.
Compared to corporations and companies, it will always be extra challenging for a freelancer to convince clients. Would you trust your business to someone who hasn’t made a name for himself/herself yet? You probably wouldn’t. So don’t be surprised if you face rejections and disapproval.
Don’t let it break you. Look at failure in another angle. See it as an opportunity where you can try a different approach to successfully get into your target market.
Make Your Career A Continuous Learning
One thing that could set you apart from the competition is to project yourself as the first when it comes to the latest trends and strategies in your industry. You cannot do that unless you are open to fresh knowledge and skills.
To be a successful freelancer, you need to embrace continuous learnings. Just because you have a good set of skills that is useful these days, doesn’t mean it’ll still be useful in the future. As the demand change so does the skill and knowledge needed to stay in the race.
Trainings, seminars, workshop, mentoring and coaching are necessary to keep your professional and personal development growing. With such activities, you can develop the knowledge, skills and attitude needed not just to survive, but to have a step ahead of the competition.
Pay Attention To The Competition
A survey revealed that there are about 53 million freelancers in the US. That’s about 34% of the whole US workforce. How many of them are in the same industry as yours?
With the competition getting tougher, how will you outrank your competitors? Some people may not agree with this, but paying attention to what your competitors can do, give you a good chance to outrank them. For a freelancer like you, it can be tricky and you may ask why?
It is important to know when to track your competitors so you can learn from them. When you see that you are doing great and you are gaining the results you wanted, perhaps you don’t need to check on your competitors much often. But when things are not working, perhaps you need to reassess your current strategies and compare it to what your competitors are doing.
Moreover, building bridges with your competitors is an effective way of gaining connection, which can help you build your identity. There is nothing wrong with a healthy competition. You may not see it, but your toughest competitor right now could be your closest affiliate in the near future.
Although it is debatable, it is crucial for your freelancing career to get a glimpse of what your competitors do. You just need to find the right balance between doing what you do best and paying attention to your competitors.
Be Flexible With Your Plans
One of the toughest challenges you could face in your freelancing career is change. As a freelancer, it is necessary that you are adaptable to change. Do not be afraid to change your strategies and approach if you think they not helping you to achieve your objectives.
Learn how to adapt and manage change. Recreate your plan. Through change management process, you can recreate your approach, including budget, resources and projects involves.
Change is something you shouldn’t ignore. It can sometimes be overwhelming, but there is no other way we can move ahead than to get through it. So learn the process of adapting to change and create a flexible plan for your freelancing career.
Conclusion
Becoming a successful freelancer is not just about how good you are in your field. Oftentimes, it all starts with how strategic and resourceful you are penetrating the market. You can’t just plainly do things, you also need to be skillful enough to put on the moves that will make you stand out.
First and foremost, you need to capture their attention before you can effectively showcase the service you offer. It may take a little time, but when you finally did it, embrace it, nourish what you got and you can be a formidable name in your industry.
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Author Bio:
Al Gomez is the man behind SEOExpertPage.com, Dlinkers and UnliDeals. With more than nine years of experience in digital marketing, he enjoys supporting smartpreneurs like himself achieve online success.
