If you are a freelancer, the only thing that is certain is that you will need to manage your clients alone. You have to be out there proactively seeking contracts and have little or no time to market yourself. If you would like to get a better work-life balance and improve your productivity, you might have to start working smarter instead of harder. Below you will find a few tips on how to manage your workload and your profits better in the future as a freelancer.
Set Your Prices Right
One of the mistakes freelancers make at the beginning of their career is that they don’t set a minimum hourly rate. You might be working based on projects, but you will still need to earn a living, or it is simply not worth running a business and paying your taxes. You don’t have to compete with cheaper freelancers; add value and you can justify your higher prices. Time yourself doing each task and make sure that you are able to break even or make a profit.
Elevate Your Profile
You can also earn more and attract higher end clients if you work on raising your profile every day. This means that you will have to seek and publish feedback, understand how markets work and customers think, and offer something that others don’t. You have to find a way of standing out from the competition, one way or another.
Implement Productivity Tools
If you would like to make more money while working less, you will need to explore productivity tools that can help you focus better, manage your time, and reduce the administrative burden in your business. From a simple Pomodoro widget to advanced project management tools there are plenty of cool solutions you can take advantage of. Invest in document production software that will help you create and share contracts and project proposals faster and more effectively.
Don’t Let Leads Go Cold
One of the reasons most freelancers struggle with getting new clients is that they don’t understand the importance of following up. You might be working several hours a day on current clients’ projects, and have little or no time staying in touch with your market. To overcome this challenge, you can automate your digital marketing and create effective sales funnels that will effortlessly turn your leads into clients without you having to pick up the phone.
Pick the Right Time to Work
Your productivity changes depending on what time of the day it is. If you are more productive and alert in the morning, make sure that you schedule the important tasks for this time. If you are a night owl, however, you might want to charge up your batteries, spend some time on branding and marketing, catching up with clients in the morning and start your productive work later in the day.
Building up your freelancing profile and getting more done is challenging. Implement these tips and you can grow your business.
