What Makes Freelancers Stand Out from Competitors

With a sheer number of freelancers out there, it is, undoubtedly, challenging and tiresome to grab the attention of clients and stay one step ahead of your competition. So, how are you going to put yourself out there to compete with all that competition? Let’s face it- the freelance industry has become increasingly competitive with passing time. Why? Because more and more people like the idea of being their own boss so they quit their jobs and end up becoming full-time freelancers. You would be amazed to know that almost . Therefore, setting yourself apart from the crowd is as important as shaping your future and earning. What exactly you need to do in order to win the trust of your clients and get more opportunities for freelance work? Here comes the list of ways on how to adopt certain practices that could be the fuel you need for your freelancing work to stand out. So, let’s dive in!

Consider building a strong portfolio

It is beyond impossible to get yourself freelance work by different clients if you have no experience. When a potential client is looking for a freelancer, they focus on the quality of work they are capable of delivering. All they want is to gauge what sort of work they can expect from you before diving into signing contract with you. Certainly, no client would want to hire a careless and less passionate freelance who may put their business at risk. This is the reason why building a solid and strong portfolio is necessary if you want to stay ahead in the competitive market. To bring in new clients, your portfolio would be one effective way to display your skills and abilities.

If you have a great list of samples, make sure you list your works there. In addition to listing your work, it is important to tell more about yourself and how beneficial it would be for them for having to work with you. Just keep in mind that potential clients look for freelancers to assign some tasks. In turn, they expect you to make their life easier. Thus, it is your responsibility to show them what and how you can solve their problems. So, make sure you jot down a summary of your sample works and don’t forget to include links. While putting together a portfolio of the work you have done in the past, you need to ensure that it is easily accessible. Moreover, it is important you focus on organizing your samples according to categories so that potential clients don’t find it a hassle to go through your portfolio.  

Consider consulting your client for free

Albeit the fact that you have become a full-time freelance solely for earning a handsome amount of money yet sometimes all you need to do is invest your precious time and effort into getting your name out. And consulting potential clients for free can be a key to showcase your highest level of professionalism to them. It is something that is overlooked by most of the freelancers, but less do they realize how big of an impact it can have on their future freelancing orders. 

If grabbing the attention of your clients is on your top priority, you need to make sure that you display your professional skills, in turn, consulting can pave the way for your ultimate success. It may not only increase the interest of clients toward collaboration but also play a vital role in winning their trust. Additionally, you must consider going for word-of-mouth advertising. It goes without saying that it one effective way for building awareness. 

Always send your work in real-time

Once you have successfully accepted a client’s order, make sure you exceed their expectations by delivering your work on time. If you always meet deadlines efficiently, that’s great. And you put an effort to send your work prior to the deadline, that’s even better. 

By sending your work before the deadline arrives, you not only show your consistency to the client but also appear as a responsible worker who performs really well and manages to take care of the client’s needs. The faster you complete and get your task delivered, the better. However, it is not a good idea to compromise on the quality of your work just because you think it is ideal to send your work in time. Completing any given tasks while maintaining quality should be your utmost priority.

Always try to stay proactive

A good freelancer is one who goes out of their way to complete a task according to the guidelines given by a client. While on the other hand, a great freelancer is one who knows exactly how to stay proactive, and never misses a chance to suggest their own ideas on how to work on the task in an effective and efficient way so that it can bring more value.

Let’s suppose, you are a freelance videographer or designer, you can think out of the box to come up with an idea to create unique videos or images that might be interesting for your client’s audience. When you focus on staying proactive, it is a great way to show your client that you not only take care of a client and but also their business.

Give yourself a break

If you have been taking too many orders, working day in and day out, and now you are on the verge of feeling burnt out, then now is the time to give yourself a much-needed break from freelancing. Working constantly will get you nothing; you can end up falling ill. So, make sure you take a short break every once in a while to unwind. 

Now you must be wondering how you can make the most of your break. Well, either you can go out to eat with your friends or invite your friends over to watch a movie or TV show together. If you are going for the latter, then make sure you have  so that you can experience the joy of unlimited streaming with your friends. This is how you will regain the energy to work harder than ever on your tasks. 

Always be honest with clients

Let’s face it: you will find yourself becoming a victim of crazy and unattainable ideas from your clients from time to time, and it takes a lot of effort and courage to let them know the truth about these ideas.

When you try your best to be honest with your clients, it is likely to build trust, set a positive working environment, and not to mention, raise understanding. For example, your client gives you an idea that they think will work wonders for their business, and deep down, you are aware of the fact that what your client is suggesting is something that won’t be beneficial for their business. If this is the case, just make sure that you tell them the truth. It is much better to be honest with your clients than to keep them in the dark.