This is a review of How To Make Money on Elance, an information product for freelancers produced by Alexis Rodrigo. Sparkplugging has not been paid to write this review but did receive a free review copy of the product. There are no affiliate links in this review.

In How To Make Money on Elance, freelance writer and internet marketer Alexis Rodrigo shares what she learned from Trish Lambert (an Elance Premier Provider) about making money on Elance. It consists of an interview with Trish (in both audio and PDF format), a worksheet, and a mindmap to give you an overview of the material.

If you’re looking for solid advice to help you make the most of the time you spend on Elance, then you won’t be disappointed with this product.

It’s obvious that Trish (the interviewee) knows what she’s talking about when it comes to getting clients through Elance, and Alexis asks her just the right questions. At $27, it’s a worthwhile investment if you’re planning to spend a lot of your marketing time on Elance. There’s no “fluff” or “filler” – just solid, practical tips that you can apply immediately.

So I definitely recommend this product for those of you currently using (or planning to use) Elance. In fact, I would go so far as to say that you probably shouldn’t start bidding for jobs on Elance without the information contained in How To Make Money on Elance.

But if you’re serious about attracting high-paying clients, I don’t think Elance is the place to do it.

This is just my opinion. A lot of people have apparently made real money on Elance – but not me. I got my first two freelance writing jobs through Elance, so in that sense it was a good way for me to dip my toe in the water (and maybe it’s a good option for you if you’re a freelancing newbie). But I have found that I can attract higher-paying clients in far less time using other marketing methods, so for the most part I’ve given up on Elance.

There are some good jobs posted there, but they’re hidden amongst a slew of crappy jobs posted by people whose primary goal is to pay as little as possible (regardless of quality). It takes a lot of time and energy to sift through the junk, find worthwhile jobs, and then craft customized bids for those jobs, so you have to be sure it’s worth it.

My advice: if you’re using Elance, keep track of all the time you spend trying to get jobs in addition to the time you spend on the jobs. Then keep track of the money you make (net of Elance fees) and determine how much you’re actually making per hour. With that information in hand, you can make an educated decision about whether to continue spending time on Elance.

Traci Feit Love is a freelance writer, editor & communications consultant for businesses that need smart, impressive content. She blogs here and at The Breadwinner Mom. To learn more or to sign up for her free e-course, “How to Get More High-Paying Clients,” visit her website at http://tracifeitlove.com.

In today’s post, we’ll cover the most important step: adding content to your website.

Step 5: Create Content That Converts Leads Into Clients

As a freelancer, you will want to have at least the following pages on your website: (1) Homepage; (2) About; (3) Services; and (4) Contact Me. You may also want to add client testimonials, samples of your work, and other information that helps demonstrate your knowledge and skills. As you draft the content for your site, keep the following tips in mind:

Your Homepage

Before you write anything for your homepage, decide what the function of your homepage is going to be. Is it to get visitors to sign up for your e-newsletter? Is it to get visitors to call or e-mail you for a consultation? The most important thing is to decide on a next step that you want visitors to take, and then make that step the primary focus of your homepage.

Keep your homepage uncluttered, and make sure that visitors can easily find the answers to three questions: (1) what do you do? (2) why should they hire you to do it? and (3) how can they contact you? If people have to hunt for this information, they won’t. They’ll just move on to the next website.

Finally, don’t put a bunch of links to other websites on the homepage of your website. If you do, you’re just inviting visitors to leave your website. Why do that?

Your “About” page

The “About” page is often the hardest one to write. You have to talk about yourself, which is always difficult, and you have to promote yourself without coming across as unlikeable or egotistical. It’s not easy.

I think the most important thing to remember about your “About” page is that it’s not really about you. Yes, you have to provide information about your background and expertise, but think about this from your potential clients’ perspective. They want to know about you only so they can figure out whether you can help them. Don’t disappoint them; explain how your background qualifies you to meet your clients’ needs.

If you’re really having trouble writing your About page, consider getting some help. I know this may seem crazy to those of you who are writers, but even the best writers can run into trouble when they try to write about themselves.

Your “Services” page

Be specific about the services you offer. Potential clients may not have hired a writer/graphic designer/etc. before and they want to know what it will be like to work with you.

The big question freelancers have when it comes to their “Services” page is whether they should post prices. I think you have to decide what will work best for you. I post a range of prices so that potential clients have some idea what I charge. This helps me to pre-qualify leads (by culling out the people who can’t or won’t pay what I charge), and gives clients a little bit of guidance about pricing. You may decide that posting prices is a bad idea for your particular business, and that’s fine. Whatever works for you.

In General

All of the content on your site should be client-focused and serve a purpose. Don’t feel like you have to fill your site with hundreds of pages of content; just get your point across and encourage visitors to take the “next step” down the path towards becoming your client.

photo credit: dbdbrobot

Traci Feit Love is a freelance writer, editor & communications consultant for businesses that need smart, impressive content. To learn more or to sign up for her free e-course, “How to Get More High-Paying Clients,” visit her website at http://tracifeitlove.com.

Now it’s time to talk about how to make your site look good (without spending a fortune).

Step 4: Select a theme and then customize it.

Whether you’re working with Wordpress or Squarespace (the two platforms I recommended earlier in this series), you’ll need to select a “theme” (called a “template” in Squarespace) for your website. The theme you choose will determine the basic look of your site.

Selecting a Theme in Wordpress:

If you’ve created a self-hosted Wordpress blog, you can select a theme by logging in to the admin area of your site, clicking on “Appearance,” and then clicking on “Add New Themes.” This will allow you to choose from a variety of free themes. There’s nothing wrong with using a free theme, especially if you find one you really like – just make sure you add some customization to make your website unique.

There are also premium (read: not free) themes available elsewhere on the web. There are a lot of them (do a Google search for “premium Wordpress themes” and you’ll see what I mean). The premium theme that I use on my site is Thesis, which I highly recommend. I selected Thesis (and subsequently became a Thesis affiliate) because it is exceptionally flexible, easy to use, and well-supported. If you choose a premium theme, you should follow the installation instructions from the theme designer instead of using the “Add New Themes” button.

Selecting a Theme (Template) in Squarespace:

If you’re using Squarespace, go to your website and then log in. Click on the paintbrush in the upper right-hand corner and you’ll see the Appearance Editor pop up on the bottom half of your screen. You’ll see a button that says “Switch Templates” on the lower left-hand corner of the Appearance Editor. From there, just select the Template you’d like to use. Once you select a template, you can use the Appearance Editor to change the colors, fonts, column sizes, and other design elements of your site.

Customizing Your Site

Once you’ve selected a theme or template, you’re almost done – but not quite. If you stop now, you’ll have a site that looks pretty basic (and possibly very similar to a lot of other sites out there). You don’t have to spend tons of money on a web designer, but if you’re willing to spend just a little bit it will make a big difference.

For my site, I hired a designer (Jamie Varon of Shatterboxx Media) to customize the stylesheet, the header image, and my subscription button. I was really happy with it turned out, but you may not even need to go that far. At the very least, I recommend that you get a custom-designed header image. You can find very inexpensive designers on Elance, but be careful to review samples of their work before committing. Alternatively, find a website you like and ask who designed it. You may end up paying more, but you’ll probably be very happy with the results.

So that’s it for now. If you run into problems or have any questions, share them in the comments and I’ll see if I can help!

Up next: Step 5 (Content and Copywriting)

photo credit: Paul Keleher

Traci Feit Love is a freelance writer, editor & communications consultant for businesses that need smart, impressive content. To learn more or to sign up for her free e-course, “How to Get More High-Paying Clients,” visit her website at http://tracifeitlove.com.

I shared my own story here yesterday about not being paid by a client but my friend’s story is a little bit different because the client pulled the job prior to it being completed. My friend worked a few hours on these graphics, trying to bring the client’s vision to life, but the client decided to go with another designer. Certainly, that is the client’s perogative but should the first designer get paid, even if it wasn’t what the client wanted in the job?

Absolutely yes.

It’s certainly unfortunate that the communication broke down between my friend and her client but once she sat down to begin working, the time clock began. And that’s not just for those who work at home. Advertising agencies and lawyers immediately come to mind as those who keep timesheets and bill by the hour. No matter if you’re on a phone call with the client or actually designing, time spent on the project should be billed.

In fairness, I don’t know the exact details of my friend’s plight. Maybe she didn’t ask enough questions, maybe the client was vague about what she wanted the final project to convey. No matter the reason, this type of thing happens everyday to freelancers and you need to have a plan of how to avoid this situation.

1. Use simple contracts for each project. Contracts don’t have to be long or jammed with legal jargon to be effective. Write down all the aspects of the job as you understand them along with deadlines, client expectations, and payment policies. Be sure your client initials the section about being charged for any work that is done, even if they change freelancers midway through a job.

2. Ask questions. Getting a clear explaination from the client about what the final product should convey is difficult if you’re sitting face to face in a conference room and can become more challenging when conducting business online. Ask as many questions as necessary to clearly understand the project and make sure your client is available if additional information is needed.

3. Determine how many rounds of changes are included in your price. Very often designers will limit the number of changes per project to avoid having a fickle client changing his mind every minute. This is especially important if you’re charging a flat project fee rather than an hourly rate. Even if you’re charging hourly, keep your client informed how much additional money these changes will cost.

4. Be willing to share your timesheets. If a client is complaining that something is taking too long to complete, have a hard copy of your timesheet ready to show and be willing to answer any questions. Keep accurate notes on each timesheet entry so the client can clearly see which aspect of the project you worked on and when. I highly recommend Freshbooks for their timesheet and report capabilities.

Without a doubt, some clients will need more hand holding than others, some will be super picky, and some will still balk about not knowing your policies even though you have a signed contract. Use those clients to learn important lessons and be more prepared to handle future client projects.

photo credit by shadphotos

Step 3: Decide whether you want to publish a blog and where it should go.

In my last post, I listed three options for setting up your site: using a hosted service (which I recommended against), creating a self-hosted site using Wordpress, or using Squarespace to create and publish your site. Whichever option you chose, you will now need to make your first big decisions about the structure of your site.

In this post, we’ll go through the first two big decisions you need to make. To learn how to implement your decisions on a technical level, I recommend that you review Getting Started With Wordpress or the Squarespace Manual (depending on which service you chose). If there’s enough interest from people in the comments, I would also be happy to run a free webinar demonstrating how to do basic setup stuff in Wordpress and/or Squarespace.

Note: If you are creating a self-hosted site with Wordpress, you’ll need to install Wordpress on your site before you do anything else. Luckily, most of the hosting providers out there (including the three I mentioned in my last post – Reliable Webs, Bluehost, and Godaddy) will install Wordpress for you. You can either go into your control panel and navigate your way to the “install Wordpress” button, or just call your hosting provider and ask them to install Wordpress.

Now on to those “big decisions” I was telling you about.

1. Will your website have a blog?

The first decision you need to make is whether you want to have a blog on your website. You don’t have to. I emphasize that because if you’re not going to have the time to update your blog regularly, you probably shouldn’t publish a blog at all. A stale blog is much worse than no blog.

At the same time, a blog is a fabulous way to establish your expertise. If you have the time and writing ability to update your blog at least weekly, go for it. Just make sure that your blog is geared towards your prospective clients, rather than other people who do what you do.

2. Will your blog be on the homepage of your website?

Your blog doesn’t necessarily have to appear on the homepage of your site. Since the primary goal of your site as a freelancer is to sell your services, you may want to create a simple homepage that quickly tells visitors (1) what you do; (2) why they should hire you; and (3) how to contact you.

On the other hand, if your blog posts are well-written and provide information that would be useful for potential clients, you may want to keep it front and center.

Not sure what to do? Start looking at your competitors’ websites. See what you like and don’t like. Take the time to figure out what format would best show off your talent and abilities.

What’s next?

Between now and the next post, think about whether you want to publish a blog on your site, and if so, whether you want it to go on the home page. Once you make that decision, you can begin setting up the basic framework of your site. Starting next week, we’ll cover (1) the other pages you must have on your website; (2) how to customize the look of your site without spending a fortune; and (3) how to write web content that helps you get more clients.

Please share your questions and/or suggestions in the comments! The more direction you give me, the more useful these posts will be.

photo credit: tj scenes

Step 2 – Choose a web host and purchase a hosting package.

Two basic options: Hosted blog service or self-hosted.

There are two basic ways to publish a blog-based website: (1) use a hosted blog service, such as www.blogger.com or www.wordpress.com; or (2) use a self-hosted blog. What’s the difference? The main thing you need to know is that with a hosted blog service, you have a lot less control over your website. Different services have different rules about what you can and cannot do, and you should review those rules carefully if you’re considering using a hosted service.

If you really want your site to look professional and business-like, I recommend against using a service such as Blogger or Wordpress.com. They may be easier to set up (and free), but you’re sacrificing the ability to completely customize your site.

Note: Wordpress.com is a hosted blog service; Wordpress.org offers Wordpress blog software for free download, which you can then install on your self-hosted blog.

Setting up a self-hosted website.

If you’ve decided to take the plunge and set up a self-hosted website, congratulations! You’re on your way. I think you’ve made a good decision. Now it’s time to choose a hosting company.

There are literally hundreds of web hosts to choose from, and there’s no way I could list them all. Here are 3 web hosting companies that I believe to be reliable and user-friendly. I’m an affiliate of ReliableWebs, but not the other two:

1. ReliableWebs

2. Bluehost

3. GoDaddy

All three of these companies will install Wordpress for you (one less thing to worry about). I recommend that you visit their websites, read about their offerings and pricing, and select the one that you think will work best for you.

You could also choose another company – I’m just trying to keep things simple. The important thing is just to select a company and purchase a basic hosting package (it should be less than $10/month).

One other option: Squarespace.

Just in case any of you are freaking out or feeling overwhelmed by the idea of a self-hosted site, I want to mention one other option: Squarespace. Squarespace is a hosted blog service, but it gives you far more control over your website than services like Blogger or Wordpress.com. It has a lot of built-in options that make it easy to get your site up and running, and the learning curve is much shorter than with a self-hosted blog.

Unlike Blogger or Wordpress.com, Squarespace isn’t free. After the 14-day free trial, you’ll have to pay $14/month for the version allowing custom domain names (meaning you can post your website to your own domain name, instead of on a domain name such as www.yourname.squarespace.com). But if you’ve ruled out self-hosted blogs because you think they’re beyond your technical ability, I strongly recommend Squarespace over the other hosted services. I built my first website (The Breadwinner Mom) with Squarespace and have been happy with it so far.

I put together this extremely brief video to show you what it’s like to set up a new site with Squarespace. It’s my first foray into the world of video so please let me know if you have any suggestions for improvement. Hope you find it useful.

(note to the curious: I don’t work for Squarespace and I don’t benefit financially if you use Squarespace. I just think it’s a good option for people who don’t have the time or inclination to learn about self-hosted blogs)

photo credit: KristianD

COMING FRIDAY: Step 3 – To Blog Or Not To Blog?

Traci Feit Love is a freelance writer, editor & communications consultant for businesses that need smart, impressive content. To learn more or to sign up for her free e-course, “How to Get More High-Paying Clients,” visit her website at http://tracifeitlove.com.

In light of that goal, I’ve put together a “Build Your Own Freelancing Website” series that I hope you will find helpful.

Each post in the series will cover one step in the process of building your own website, and I’ll be available to answer your questions about that step in the comments.

Please keep in mind that “building a website” is a huge topic and there’s no way I can cover everything. Maybe it’s better that way, since I got the impression that many of you are suffering from information overload on the subject of websites.

So we’re going to keep it simple. My plan is to just take you through the steps I followed to create my site. If that sounds good to you, read on!

Step 1: Choose and Reserve Your Domain Name.

The first thing you have to do is choose a domain name for your website. You can search for available domain names at Instant Domain Search, Go Daddy, 1 and 1, or elsewhere (there are a lot of services that sell domain names). In most cases your first choice for a domain name will be the name of your business, but you may find that someone else has already taken that name. What to do then?

You can use your own name (this is what I did), a name that describes what you do, or an abbreviated version of your business name. Whatever you do, just make sure that potential clients won’t accidentally end up on a competitor’s site when they’re looking for you.

If you’re having trouble finding a good domain name, try www.bustaname.com. You can enter a bunch of words that you would like to include, and it will give you a list of different options based on what’s available.

Once you find a domain name that you like AND that’s available, purchase it. It should cost you less than $10/year.

What else do you need to know about domain names? Please share your question(s) in the comments! To make sure you don’t miss a post in the series, subscribe to the Freelance Parent blog.

photo credit: KristianD

COMING WEDNESDAY: Step 2: Choose and Purchase a Web Hosting Service.

Traci Feit Love is a freelance writer, editor & communications consultant for businesses that need smart, impressive content. To learn more or to sign up for her free e-course, “How to Get More High-Paying Clients,” visit her website at http://tracifeitlove.com.

This week’s “Spark an Idea” theme is about sharing something you’ve learned (either directly or by example) from another blogger that you really respect and enjoy. There are so many great bloggers that it was hard to choose one to write about – which led me to think maybe I should write about other bloggers more often (so I think I will!). For today’s post, I decided to go with someone who has taught me a lot in a very short period of time: Scott Stratten, known on Twitter as @unmarketing.

Yesterday, Scott posted a new video entry on his blog, in which he writes about five people he thinks you should follow on Twitter (check it out if you have time). In that spirit, here are the top five things I think freelancers can learn from him:

1. Be yourself. Watch a couple of Scott’s videos and you’ll feel like you know him. That’s because he doesn’t seem afraid to be exactly who he is. I think a lot of freelancers get so caught up in appearing “professional” that they end up being totally bland and forgettable. Remember, there are a lot of freelancers out there. If you want prospective clients to think of you the next time they have a project, you have to stand out somehow. You have to be memorable. So try to inject a little bit more of who you really are into your public persona (note: if “who you really are” is someone no one in his right mind would hire, you should probably keep that to yourself).

2. Make the most of your strengths. Scott is a speaker, and he’s great on camera. So his blog posts are in video form (rather than the more traditional written format). Great idea. Are you making the most of your strengths, or are you trying to do what everyone else seems to be doing? Don’t be afraid to be a little bit unconventional if it means you’ll be better able to show off your talent.

3. Promote others generously. In yesterday’s post, Scott shares what he likes about five people he met through Twitter. The point of the post is not to say how great he is, but to say how great others are. This is not only a nice thing to do, it’s good business. When it comes to freelancing, although competition for work can be fierce, there will be times when you’re just not the right person for a particular job. When that happens, recommend someone else who would be a better fit. Both the client and the other freelancer will appreciate your referral. Maybe next time the other freelancer comes across a project that would be perfect for you, she’ll pass your name along.

4. Be passionate about your work. In everything Scott does, you can feel the passion and enthusiasm. Are you passionate about your work? Isn’t that the whole point of freelancing – getting to do what you love on your own terms? If you’re feeling less than enthusiastic about your freelance work, maybe it’s time to reconsider your career path (for your sake!).

5. Don’t be shy. This is perhaps the biggest lesson for me personally. As a writer, I’m most comfortable in front of my computer. But that doesn’t mean I should stay there. Freelancers have to find their own work, and that means putting ourselves out there. I’ve started to do this a little bit on Twitter and on my personal blog (The Breadwinner Mom), but I need to push myself a little harder to meet people in real life. When you’re a freelancer, you’ve got to market yourself, so you’ve got to push past the shyness. Maybe I’ll try to set an example by doing a video post at some point (oh my god that’s a really scary idea…maybe we’ll just pretend I didn’t say that).

On the other hand, if you either (a) don’t have a website or (b) you have a website, but it’s not quite right – I’d like to help.

I’ve learned a LOT about creating and managing websites over the past couple of years, and it would be great to share some of that knowledge with my fellow freelancers. In that spirit, I’m planning to do a series of posts for you about how to build a professional website that will get you more clients – with limited time and limited funds.

The thing is, I don’t want to bore you with stuff you already know, and I don’t want to skip ahead to advanced material if you’re still stuck at the beginning.

So I need to know a few things from you:

1. If you don’t have a website, why not? What’s stopping you?

2. What are your biggest questions about creating and/or managing a website for your business?

3. If you already have a website but you’re not happy with it, why not? What would you like to change or improve? Would you like a free review of your website with suggestions for improvement (this would be a public review so you’d have to be ok with that)?

4. What resources do you think you need in order to create or improve your business website?

5. Anything else you’d like to know?

You can provide your answers in the comments, or, if you want to respond privately, click here for my contact information.

Thanks in advance for your responses – I’m really looking forward to answering your questions and helping you build or improve your website!

Welcome to Spark an Idea Thursday. Each week we’ll be sharing some great ideas for a topic of interest to our readers. We invite you to

This week’s “Spark an Idea” theme is about creating a “wow!” experience. I love this topic because I believe it’s the foundation of a successful freelance business. And it’s fairly simple: to impress your clients and create a “wow!” experience, you have to deliver more than you promised to deliver.

This may seem unfair at first glance. Why should you have to provide more than the services the client paid for? Well…you don’t have to. You could just deliver exactly what you promised to deliver, and that’s totally fine. But don’t expect the client to be overly impressed.

The fact is that clients expect you to do what you said you would do.

That’s why they’re paying you. Think about it: if someone agrees to pay you $1200 for a project, and then pays you $1200, are you amazed? No – you’re glad they came through, you’re relieved they did what they said they would do, but you’re not thinking, “holy crap! this is the absolute best client ever!”

The same concept applies to your services. Do what you’re supposed to do and the client will be satisfied. Do more than what you’re supposed to do and the client will be thrilled. You want your clients to be thrilled – every single time. When they believe they’ve gotten more than they paid for, they will tell their friends. They will give you awesome testimonials for your marketing materials. These are priceless.

Remember: every project is a marketing opportunity.

Instead of viewing extra work as “unpaid labor,” think of it as an investment in your business. The time you spend on the client’s basic project is for the client’s benefit; the time you spend going above and beyond is actually for your benefit since it will ultimately grow your business.

If you commit to creating a “wow” experience for every client on every project, you will grow your client base. You will be able to charge more for your services. And you will eventually be able to turn down projects that don’t appeal to you. Isn’t that worth the extra effort?

When you’re setting up a business, trying to find work, completing projects, handling administrative tasks, and trying to be a good parent at the same time, “branding” tends to sit quietly on the “when I have some free time” list. And we all know what happens to the stuff on that list.

I’ve been as guilty of this as anyone. I sort of have a brand – “smart writing for smart businesses.” But I haven’t spent enough time defining and building it. So I thought I’d do some research on branding, share my findings with you, and then try to apply that knowledge to my own business (I’ll keep you updated on that).

Here are the most important things I’ve learned so far about branding for freelancers:

1. Your brand has to quickly tell people what’s different about you. I like the way Dave Navarro put it in “3 steps to creating a freelancing brand that sells,” a guest post on the Freelance Folder blog: “Since the drop-dead easiest way to get extra business without extra work is by word of mouth, it’s up to you to give all of those mouths the word(s) they need to say.” In other words, it should be easy for people to tell others about you in a way that differentiates you from your competitors. What do you want people to say about you? What words should come to mind immediately upon hearing your business name? Do those words make it obvious why potential clients should choose you instead of someone else?

2. Your brand has to address a real need. This one is fairly obvious but extremely important – it’s pointless to build a brand around something people don’t care about. Make sure that your brand will really resonate with your target market.

3. Your brand should strike an emotional chord. Without an emotional aspect, your brand is boring and you won’t be able to command top-notch rates. That’s because your prospects are more likely to make decisions based purely on your rate if they view your service as an interchangeable commodity. If, on the other hand, your brand makes prospective clients feel something that makes them want to work with you, your rate becomes less of a deciding factor.

4. Consistency is key. Two types of consistency are important here. First, your message has to be consistent. What you tell people about you and your brand (through your logo, your blog posts, your social media activity, etc.) has to be consistent in order to make an impact. Second, the level of service you provide has to be consistent (consistently good – or consistently great if you’re selling yourself as the best in your field). People gravitate towards brands they can trust.

This is not meant to be a comprehensive list (branding is a huge topic), and I’m sure I’ve left out some important stuff – so please share your thoughts and suggestions in the comments! We can all learn a lot if we share our knowledge and experiences.

How do you know how long a job’s going to take? How do you know what to charge? And then how should you present it to the client – hourly, per word, per page, flat fee?

It seems like the whole process should be a matter of logic and math, but in the real world our emotions kick in.

When you want a job badly enough, you start to second-guess everything: “should I really charge this much? what if he thinks it’s way too much? what if she’s insulted that I even asked for this much? what if I’m undercharging? what if the client thinks my work must be crap if I’m charging this little?” And so on and so forth.

It gets even worse when you finally decide on a number, send it to the prospective client, and hear nothing. For days.

“Oh no,” you think, “this person thinks I’m an idiot. She’s never going to hire me, and she’s going to tell all of her friends that I have no clue what I’m doing. I’m never going to work again.” Or maybe that’s just me.

If you find yourself succumbing to these kinds of thoughts, take heart. There is a way out.

You have to remember that this is business. It’s not personal. It sure feels personal when you’re a one-woman (or one-man) shop, and it’s your name on the letterhead. It feels even more personal when you’re marketing to people you’ve met on Twitter or Facebook, and you have a friendly relationship with them already.

But in the end, when prospective clients are deciding whether to hire you or not, it’s a business decision.

They have to decide whether they will get the best value from you or from someone else. While personal feelings may come into play (who wants to work with someone they can’t stand?), they’re not usually the deciding factor.

Instead of getting caught up in the “OMG, what did I do, I should have asked for less/more, I should have said this/that, etc.,” try to think more like a business owner and less like the creative spirit you probably are.

Don’t agonize over every estimate – look at every estimate (and response) as a piece of data, compile the data over time, and use it to build your business. As you gather more data, you will start to figure out what works best for you and you will get better results.

The key to this strategy is that you must have a lot of estimates going out the door.

If you only have one potential project, it’s going to seem like the end of the world if you don’t get the job. If you have 10 or 15 estimates going out, it’s more of a numbers game. I think you can look at things a little more objectively when you’re not pinning all of your hopes on one gig.

What do you think?

photo credit: whatmegsaid

There are so many things to worry about (especially if you’re a worrier to begin with). What if you don’t make enough money this month? What if your client hates your work? What if your quote is too high? What if this whole freelancing thing is a giant mistake? You get the idea.

But it’s impossible to move forward when you’re mired in fear and doubt. So what can you do to get past your fears and build a successful freelance business? Here are a few ideas.

1.  Focus on sales first. As a freelancer, selling your services has to be at the top of your list. You could be the best writer/ designer/ whatever in the world, but if you have no clients, you’re out of business. So the next time you find yourself fretting about where your next paycheck is coming from, focus on marketing and sales.

That probably means getting a little bit out of your comfort zone – selling is uncomfortable for most of us. But you have no choice if you’re going to make it as a freelancer, so you might as well start now. Make some phone calls, set up a few meetings, put together a special package and market it online, just do something to get the ball rolling. This is my favorite strategy and always makes me feel better.

2.  If you’re unsure about something, learn more. Never forget that you’re not stuck with your current level of knowledge or skills. You can and should keep learning, especially if there are things you’re unsure about. Worried that your rates are too high (or too low)? Do some research! Find out what the going rates are for freelancers in your field. Not sure how to attract more clients? Learn how. There’s an endless amount of information about marketing & sales out there, and you can get a lot of it for free at your local library.

3.  Consider the alternatives. If you’re truly overwhelmed with fear and worry, consider your other options. One of two things will happen: (1) you’ll figure out that freelancing isn’t really for you, and try something a little less stressful; or (2) you’ll realize that as scary as freelancing can be, it’s worth it – so you might as well put your fears to the side and get down to business.

4.  Talk to some other freelancers. It can be helpful to share your concerns and get support from others in the same position as you. Reading this blog and sharing in the comments is a great start, but you should also try to meet some local freelancers that you can talk to in person. It can be very lonely working from home, so don’t forget to get out of the house and socialize every once in a while. You may find that just getting your fears off your chest makes a big difference.

The good news is that there are clients out there with interesting projects and substantial budgets, and they are looking for freelancers. The bad news, of course, is that there are a lot of freelancers who want these jobs. To get high-paying work, you’re going to have to learn how to compete more effectively.

Here are the top 5 things you can do to attract more high-paying clients to your business:

1. Improve your skills. It turns out that there are no shortcuts to excellence. If you want to get high-paying work, you have to be worthy of it. But that doesn’t mean you’re stuck if you’re not currently the best writer on the block. Take a class. Participate in a workshop. Practice. Get feedback from a mentor if you can. Read about writing. Practice some more. Most importantly, you have to keep pushing yourself to get better. Don’t feel like it? Maybe this high-paying clients thing isn’t for you (I tried to warn you there are no shortcuts).

2. Specialize. As in any profession, writers with a specialty tend to make more than generalists. Clients (especially those with larger budgets) aren’t looking for well-rounded writers; they’re looking for particular people to handle particular projects. For any given project, they’re looking for the best person for the job. The best person is almost always going to be someone who specializes in that type of work. If a client with plenty of money is looking for someone to write a sales letter, is s/he going to hire a “good writer,” or the well-known expert on sales letters? That’s an easy decision. So it’s important to pick a specialty and become an expert in that type of work – just make sure it’s something you enjoy doing, and something that your target market really needs.

3. Target the right market. No matter how good you are, if your target market is broke, you have a problem. That’s not to say you should only target the super-rich, but make sure your market has enough money to pay the rates you’re seeking. Your market also has to care (a lot) about quality. The only reason a client will pay more than the average rate for a freelancer is because the client wants better than average quality. The more your market cares about quality, the more you stand to make (assuming you’re really good at what you do).

4. Set rates appropriately. It’s hard to go after high-paying clients when you’re still accepting low-paying work. First, you end up so busy with the low-paying stuff that you don’t have time to go after better jobs. Second (and more importantly), when your going rates are low, prospective clients make certain assumptions about you and your work. They assume your rates are low because you aren’t good enough to charge more. They assume that you can only handle certain types of work. You have to be willing to ask for the rates you deserve (if you don’t deserve more than you’re currently charging, go back to #1). If you’re not willing to ask for higher rates, I can guarantee you that no one will be willing to pay those rates.

5. Market yourself effectively. It bears repeating that clients with a lot of money have a lot of choices. Why should they choose you? To compete for high-paying work, you’re going to need an impressive website and portfolio, testimonials from past clients, and a professional demeanor. You will probably want to start your own blog to establish your expertise, and use social media such as Twitter to raise your visibility. Learn as much as you can about marketing and learn how to close a sale once you have someone interested.

To learn more about how to get more high-paying clients, sign up for my free e-course. It’s a 10-lesson course delivered every few days to your e-mail inbox, it’s totally free, and it will help you make more money with your freelance business. What could be better than that?

Sparkplugging is starting a new tradition called ‘Spark an Idea Thursday’.  Each week we’ll be sharing some great ideas for a topic of interest to our readers.  We invite you to grab our image and carry the tradition through to your own blog!  If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired!

OK, so I’m being a little facetious with the title there, but today’s topic for Spark and Idea Thursday is “Spark an Idea that Makes You a New Business Ally,” and there’s something to be said for laying out a little cash in return for a great new ally.

We actually came upon this idea accidentally.  You may remember that some time ago, we invested in a new website for the Berry|Brewer Freelance Agency.  What we didn’t know at the time was that small business we hired would become one of our best clients.  We just wanted a shiny new site and were willing to pay another mompreneur to build it for us.

Fortunately for us, websites are not all that person was building.  She was actually laying the foundation for a really successful marketing company aimed at local small businesses.  I say it was fortunate, because she took us along for the ride.  Now, tons of the people who come to her for design also come to us for content.  Whether she needs something for her own business or for one of her clients’, she turns to us first.

I would say that you can’t buy that kind of loyalty, but the fact of the matter is that we sort of did…even if we weren’t smart enough to be doing it on purpose.

So, how can this relate to your freelance business?  Well, consider this: you need stuff that other people have.  They need stuff that you have.  You both know people that need what the other is offering, so why not hook them up? 

I sincerely believe that teaming up with other small business owners is a great way to make friends and improve your own business.    I’m not just talking about networking, either, but truly utilizing their services and seeing what kind of relationship naturally develops.  It’s worked extremely well for us, that’s for sure.

Constant Content is a site that basically works as an article broker for freelance writers. I’ve been using it for a couple of years now and while my earnings there aren’t spectacular (around $2,000 total), I also spend very little time there, so consider it a good investment of my effort. It’s a good option for freelance writers that are going through a slower period.

How It Works

The way the site works is you, the writer, turn out an article on any topic that pleases you (unless responding to a request, more on that later) and submit it. You set the price and decide if you only want to sell usage rights or full rights. There is a strict approval process that ensures only top quality articles get into Constant Content’s article database, but once you’re in, potential buyers can view and purchase your article. Constant Content takes a percentage off the top (35%) and the rest goes into your account, which is paid out at the beginning of each month if you have $5 or more pending.

Article Requests

While you can write on literally any topic, people do put in special requests for articles. The majority of these are going to be “public requests” which any freelance writer can respond to. For example, you’ll be notified that someone is looking for ten articles on kitchen sinks. You write a couple of articles using their keywords and submit them. Once these articles are approved, you can send them to the buyer who will purchase only the articles he or she is interested in. To tell you the truth, I haven’t had a lot of luck with this method unless the buyer is looking for a large number (10+) of articles. With just one article, the fastest article writers will get the job . . . but the article that you wrote for the project still goes into the directory and is available for sale should someone want it at a later date, which they usually do if the topic is a popular one.

There are also private requests where someone will contact you through your Constant Content inbox and request specific articles. These are pretty much guaranteed pay and I’ve made a good chunk of cash off this type of request. If you do a good job, these buyers will usually come back to you time and time again. Building up a reputation is very valuable.

How Much Can You Earn?

Once you have an article approved, it’s on the site and in the public eye even if you never write another article for Constant Content. I usually go through bursts where I’ll upload 10-20 articles at a time and then not touch the site again for months at a time. Despite ignoring them completely, my articles continue to sell and I receive a monthly payment from the site, even if I haven’t logged on in weeks.

Since you set your own price, you can ask for just about anything. There are some freelance writers who underprice themselves and offer their work for $5, but most of the buyers who come to Constant Content are willing to pay good money for quality work. Most of my articles are priced between $25 (for usage rights) to $50 (full rights), but I’ve sold several for $100, as well. Remember that Constant Content does take 35% off your price, so if you sell an article for $50, you receive $32.50. Since these are articles that I wouldn’t have sold otherwise and that I can usually turn out in 10-15 min. it’s worth it for this price.  Remember that you can write what you want, so there doesn’t have to be a lot of research involved.

I wrote a post on my blog in February about how to sell articles on Constant Content which you can read here: http://athomemomblog.com/how-to-sell-articles-on-constant-content/

And then we hit the end of March and were staring at a very empty calendar for April. Several of our clients had told us that they just wouldn’t be needing our services “because of the economy.” Oh, dear. We even fear that the creep mentioned yesterday (yes, I’m probably going to continually refer to that company until they’ve paid up) would go bankrupt or something. “Because of the economy.”

Today, I saw a great post called “It’s Not the Economy” on a (new-to-me) blog called The Fluent Self.

And my response is DAAAAAAMMMN! It kind of reminds me of a post that we wrote back in January of 2008. Our business was about five months old, I was three weeks from delivering my first baby, and we finally realized the secret to being successful at freelancing: Work hard.

Sure, the economy is getting a lot of us down, but a lot of people are acting like it’s The Nothing from The Neverending Story (no, I didn’t just make that reference). Long story short: yes, the economy is bad, but it’s not to blame for everything that goes wrong.

Of course, if you’re not acting in a professional manner, then the jig will be up pretty quickly. Your “professional freelancer” persona is going to need to be bolstered by your behavior and your actions. There are a few things that you can do to portray yourself as the professional that you want to become.

Always, always, ALWAYS make your deadlines. Sure, you might get away with it once or twice if you get an extension or get your project done the day after you said you would; but you’re not going to last long working this way. For one thing, you’re not going to get repeat clients, and they are such an important aspect of succeeding in freelance work. In addition, if you miss enough deadlines, it will start to become a habit, and we all know how hard it is to break a bad habit.

Spend a little money. Now, we have argued—quite vehemently, as a matter of fact—that you don’t have to have a lot of money to get started freelancing, and we stick by that. On the other hand, we also believe that if you lay a little money out up front, you can probably advance more quickly. One of the best things you can spend your money on is a professionally designed website. This does so much to improve your credibility, and it will get you jobs. The other area where we recommend you spend a little cash is to have business cards designed and printed. The free ones you get online are cool and all, but a really well-designed card gets a lot of attention, and you’ll be amazed how often you’re able to hand them out (like at a Christmas party, for example).

Network appropriately. Get yourself LinkedIn. Twitter. Blog. Go to local functions. We got one of our best clients because Tamara attended a marketing association meeting one time. When you do these things, tell people that you’re a freelancer and that you have your own business. On the other hand, we recommend that you don’t call yourself the CEO, COO, or something along those lines. It actually looks more amateur than professional. Besides, if you’re really a writer/photographer/designer at heart, then isn’t that a title you want to wear proudly? (There’s nothing wrong with “Senior Designer,” though. )

Charge what you’re worth. We’ve already talked about setting your freelance rates. One thing I didn’t really mention, though, is that a lot of potential clients will judge you by those rates. If you’re not asking enough, you won’t look professional, and they’ll skip right over you. If you’re charging too little, you may just come across as a hack.

Now, I’m going to let you in on a big secret. Of these four suggestions, there’s only one that Tamara and I did “right” when we started our business. We didn’t have a website when we started, and our first one was built by Tamara’s husband. (We still think of it fondly, but it didn’t do for us what the new one does.) We definitely didn’t charge what we were worth and are still finagling the appropriate rates all this time later. I also believe that we referred to ourselves as the CEO and COO for a short time, which now makes me shudder.

The point is this: You can certainly make it, even if you do just about everything wrong. As far as I’m concerned, there’s really only one major rule to freelancing, and it’s this:

“Don’t suck.”

The rest of it can be learned through trial and error if you have enough time. Or, you can take the advice of people who have already made the mistakes and skip over all the annoying stuff we did to ourselves. Instead of just calling yourself a “professional,” you’ll know that you really are one.