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Top Freelance Skills to Survive Your First 30 Days Freelancing
9K views
Jan 17, 2024
Freelance skills can make or break your freelance career. If you’re ready to make the switch to freelancing, and want to do it right, you’ll want to pay attention during this video. • • • VIDEO CHAPTERS • • • 0:00 Introduction 0:31 Why Freelancing? 0:53 Skill 1: Finding Freelance Clients 2:22 Skill 2: Selling Yourself to Clients 3:16 Skill 3: Negotiating with Clients 3:33 Skill 4: Knowing Which Projects to Work On 4:11 Skill 5: Closing a Deal 4:30 Skill 6: Writing and Sending Invoices 5:07 Skill 7: Delivering Projects On-Time & As-Promised 5:45 Skill 8: Upselling Your Clients • • • MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO • • • SolidGigs Freelance Lead Generator: https://solidgigs.com Upwork Freelance Platform: https://millo.co/upwork Freelancer•com Marketplace: https://freelancer.com Our Complete List of Freelance Job Sites: https://millo.co/freelance-job-sites
View Video Transcript
0:00
If you're ready to try freelancing but you're not sure what it takes, stay tuned because
0:04
today I'm going to reveal the most important skills that you need in order to survive and
0:09
thrive in your first 30 days as a freelancer. Hey guys, I'm Josh from Mellow.co where freelancers come to level up their business
0:20
And today's video is all about your first 30 days as a freelancer
0:24
If you're ready to make the switch to freelancing and want to do it right
0:28
you'll want to pay attention for the next few minutes. Freelancing is one of the best and fastest ways that you'll begin working for yourself
0:35
And with over 1 billion people in the world working as freelancers
0:38
it's safe to say it's a great career choice. But just like any career change, the first 30 days can be a challenge
0:46
Here are some of the most important skills that you need to thrive in your first 30 days as a freelancer
0:51
Skill number one, finding freelance clients. In your first 30 days as a freelancer, you'll want to focus a huge amount of your time and
0:59
energy on finding freelance clients. Here are some of the best ways to get clients fast
1:05
First, tap into your existing network. Tell your friends and family members what you're working on and ask them if they know
1:12
anyone that might need your services. You'll be surprised what comes out of the woodwork just by talking to people about your freelancing
1:19
If you find your personal network is a bit slim, you can try joining social media groups
1:24
where clients reach out to freelancers or where freelancers exchange gigs. Second, search high quality freelance job sites
1:33
For quicker results, try freelance job websites where clients are actively posting freelance
1:39
jobs and looking for a candidate. You can start with solid gigs, Upwork or freelancer.com, all of which we'll link below
1:47
We've also linked a full list of our favorite freelancing sites for even more ideas
1:52
Third, send well-crafted cold emails. If those ideas aren't enough, you may need to get more proactive
1:58
Try sending well-crafted cold emails. Remember, cold emailing is a numbers game
2:04
You're going to have to send a lot of emails in order to get a few responses
2:09
Try software like reply.io to automate your outreach. For more on this strategy, download our free guide
2:16
How to Get 10 New Clients in 30 Days or Less, linked in the video description
2:21
Skill number two, selling yourself to clients. Selling can be really scary, often causing freelancers to freeze
2:28
give up or completely blow any chance they had with a new client
2:32
In reality, the best salespeople aren't pushy, they aren't rude and they recognize the true value they're presenting
2:39
Here are just a few quick ideas for you to get better at selling. First, learn the basics of sales and persuasion
2:46
Check out a book from your local library, listen to a podcast, watch a sales course or attend a training seminar
2:53
Second, study history's best salespeople. A quick search for experts like David Ogilvie, Tiffany Bova or Zig Ziglar
3:01
will give you plenty of results to learn from. Then, practice. If you're nervous, test it out on family members or friends
3:09
If you want a better experience, pick up the phone or send an email to some of the less important potential clients you've identified
3:16
Skill number three, negotiating like a pro. Learning to negotiate with clients will impact how you get paid
3:23
well beyond your first 30 days. One easy way to negotiate is to begin with a higher cost than you expect to get
3:30
then let the clients negotiate down until you're both happy with the price
3:34
Skill number four, knowing which projects to work on. While your primary goal in the first 30 days of freelancing
3:40
is to bring any new work you can find, it's still important to understand how to evaluate each freelance job that comes to you
3:48
That's because the projects you complete as a new freelancer will likely fill up your portfolio, which you'll then use to get more work
3:55
If a project comes your way and you don't want five more projects just like it
4:00
you need to turn it down. Hey, we're about halfway through, so if you're finding this video helpful
4:05
please click the subscribe button and leave us a comment letting us know what you'd like to learn next
4:10
Skill number five, closing a deal. To thrive as a freelancer, you must know how to get a client
4:16
to officially agree to working with you. Don't be afraid to use direct phrases in your communication
4:22
such as, so we agree, let's get started on this project, or great, let's move forward, shouldn't we
4:30
Skill number six, writing and sending an invoice. Invoicing is a crucial piece of getting paid as a freelancer
4:37
We've linked to our in-depth article on writing a client invoice in the description of this video
4:42
In the article, you'll learn how to determine what invoicing tool you should use
4:47
decide the payment terms of the invoice, include all important or relevant information to get paid
4:53
generate and save your invoice, and send the invoice to your client
4:57
Tools like Hectic or Bonsai make invoicing a breeze, so we'll be sure to link to those resources in the description as well
5:05
Skill number seven, delivering projects on time and as promised. Here are just two ways to ensure you get your client's work to them on time
5:14
First, build in a buffer. If you think a project is most likely going to take a week to complete
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tell your client it'll take 10 days. Then, when you need eight days to complete it
5:24
they'll be delighted when you deliver the project two days early. Second, stick to the scope
5:30
The reality is, few clients ever stick to the original scope of the project
5:34
We call this scope creep. While making the client happy is your top priority
5:39
encourage them to stick to the original budget and timeline. If they want to expand the scope, be sure to extend your deadline
5:46
Skill number eight, upselling in its most basic form, means finding creative ways to get a little more revenue from each project or client
5:55
There are lots of ways to upsell a freelance client, but here are two that have worked well for us in the past
6:01
First, add a complimentary service. Start by offering something of value that enhances and adds to your original offer
6:08
If you're a writer, for example, you might offer to add quality images and charts to your article for an extra fee
6:15
Or offer a recurring discount. While offering a discount isn't always the best idea
6:20
doing so in exchange for predictable work can be a great idea for a young freelancer
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The client gets a discount and you sleep a little easier at night. Plus you don't have to start over completely every month
6:31
wondering where you'll find your next client. And that's it. Eight skills that you need to thrive well past your first 30 days as a freelancer
6:40
Do remember that freelancing is a learning process. You're embarking on a journey that most people never dare take
6:47
You got this. Until next time, I'm Josh from Millow.co. See you in the next one
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