• How to get more clients as a freelance developer
  • Jad Joubran
  • The Nuggets translation Project
  • Permanent link to this article: github.com/xitu/gold-m…
  • Translator: Ryden Sun
  • Proofreader: Xilihuasi Augustwuli

Some practical tips I wish I’d known years ago

Whenever we talk about freelancing with our developer friends, we always talk about the same concerns:

  • As a freelance developer, how can I get more customers?
  • I finished my programming training and wanted to start working as a freelancer. Where should I start?
  • How do I deal with cheap competition?
  • How much should I charge?

“How can I get more customers?”

I started freelancing a few years ago, and I made a lot of mistakes trying to get more clients.

I’m starting to think it’s like a slice of pizza. Charge less (cut smaller pizzas), get more items (cut more pizzas). Isn’t it?

I also thought I needed to explicitly tell people I was a freelancer and post that information on social media, otherwise how would they find me?

I kept making these mistakes until I finally realized something.

Low fees give customers the impression of being cheap

This leads to them asking me to do more work for the same price. I’ve also learned that direct self-promotion can quickly cost you value.

It didn’t take long for me to realize that I was doing things the wrong way, that I was able to get a higher quality project with a higher budget and a better working environment. The effort I put in is much less than it used to be.

Over the next year, my working life improved significantly. I started speaking at conferences around the world, giving workshops to companies and banks, and teaching online. Later, I became a development expert on Google Web technology.

Now that we’ve ditched those misconceptions, here’s some good news:

You don’t need 10 years of experience to get more clients. ⚡ ️

It’s not about years of experience, it’s about what service you can provide. It’s about the overall experience, from the time your customer needs the service to the end of it all.

Here are seven steps that will help you get more customers.

1. Define yourself 👨🎨

Before you can start getting more clients, first you need to define how you want to be seen — what is your image? How do you want people to see you?

If potential clients hear about you, they often need to know who you are. One of the first things they will do is simply Google your name.

Try this: Search for your own name in browser incognito mode. What was your first impression of yourself? Does that match up with who you really are and what you do?

You can influence how people think about you

If not, the best way to change your image is to create a personal web page that shows who you are and what you’re good at. In the first two seconds they visit your site, explain what you do.

“Make it easy to understand, make it memorable. Make it interesting to watch. Make it fun to read “- Gary Vaynerchuk

This will stimulate your visitors to read further on the web, where you will prove to them that you have the experience you claim to have. More on that in a moment.

2. Don’t just be a developer ⚡️

When you’re working on a technical project, it’s easy to get so wrapped up and focused on small technical details that you lose sight of the point.

But if you only focus on the task you’re being asked to do, you’ll only produce average results. What you need to focus on is quality work

When you focus on quality, you need to do some work related to your specialty. For example, if you’re a front-end developer, you definitely need to know the basics of user experience and performance. This will help you deliver outstanding results.

The same goes for soft skills that can help you build relationships with clients. For example, communication skills or business strategy. Understanding the business logic behind a project will often transform you from a freelancer into a consultant.

These skills will prove that you’re more than just a developer, you’re a quality professional. This will make you stand out.

3. Show them, not tell them 👀

So how do you prove to people that you are who you say you are? It’s not enough to say you’re good at what you do. You need to prove to them that you actually have the experience to do this.

You just have to show them what you’ve done. If you have previous projects to show, it’s easy, just show the one you’re most proud of. But sometimes (like when your project is classified), this can be a bit opportunistic, but it’s a great opportunity to show them what you’re worth without having to say it.

Here’s an example: When you go to my site, I announce that I’m a technology conference speaker and Web consultant.

How do you know if this is true? You can see videos in the background of me giving presentations at various events (workshops, conferences). Through this, the visitor quickly dispels any suspicion and convinces me that I am indeed a tech conference speaker.

Explain what you do in the first screen

It doesn’t have to be a video. You can demonstrate your value in many different ways, from displaying logos of companies you’ve worked for to displaying articles you’ve written on your blog.

4. Use indirect marketing 🎯

When you think about how to get more clients, a lot of people might think: ok, how about I start Posting on social media that I’m looking for freelance work?

I see countless developers and designers on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and Slack Posting to the world that I’m looking for freelance opportunities.

It turns out that’s exactly what you shouldn’t be doing. You quickly lose your value in self-promotion.

Writing HTML code for a living

Think about it this way. Remember what it felt like when someone called you and tried to sell you a particular service? How cheap is it? Are you likely to ignore or hang up quickly?

The best customer acquisition tip I learned was never to touch a customer.

It sounds contradictory, but it’s true. Instead, you use the concept of indirect selling.

How to? Simply share your recent work activities and projects on social networks without mentioning the fact that you are looking for clients. After you share your recent activities a few times, people will start to know what you’re up to and will quickly recommend you to their friends and related people when given the opportunity.

This is how I got all my projects for the last 6 years. It works!

If you’ve never had a freelance project before, build a sample project instead of looking around. Make it look attractive.

Here’s an example of a tweet I’ve sent.

5. Don’t aim for a stable project source ⏳

You might think that being a successful freelancer means having a steady stream of projects and being 100% occupied by freelancing.

But it doesn’t have to be that way, and in fact, it shouldn’t be.

If all your time is occupied by freelance work, you won’t give yourself time to create, learn new things, and polish your personal image.

I set aside 50% of my time for research. During this time, I watch online conferences, read technical articles and try out the latest technologies.

People often ask me, how did you learn XYZ.. And the answer is always the same: I made a sample app for it.

So it doesn’t matter that you haven’t been looking for freelance projects, but taking the time to learn new skills can actually lead to better projects and opportunities.

6. Find your workflow 🔖

It’s hard for us freelancers to be organized because we have so many responsibilities to do. To ensure a smooth workflow with each client, create a process that you can follow on most projects.

That way, you’ll have a plan ready to execute as any potential projects come along. You don’t have to worry about the little things.

Here’s an example of my project launch workflow:

  1. Send proposal PDF
  2. Send the contract
  3. Sign and accept the contract signed by the other party
  4. Send invoice of deposit
  5. Collection deposit
  6. Complete freelance tasks
  7. Send final invoice
  8. Send feedback form

When you have your own workflow, you work well because it makes your clients love working with you and trust you. They will most likely refer you to other companies in the future.

Read more about the creative process

7. Charge more 💰

If you’re starting out, it’s ok to charge less for your first or second project, but you’ll need to start charging more later.

You may think you’re not worth charging more yet, but going through these steps will get you charging more because you already have the value of charging more.

You may not know this yet, but charging a low price makes your customers feel like they’re getting a low-quality delivery.

If you already have a lot of freelance projects because your fees are low, you may lose some clients because you raise your fees. But it’s really a good thing, because you’ll end up earning more and have more time to do your research. It’s a risk you don’t have to be afraid to take because it’s worth it.

In the same way, you don’t work with clients who demand too much, you work with clients who appreciate your service.

When it comes to price, you need to feel comfortable charging that — and then raising the price by 10 to 25 percent.

For example, you already work on a project, charging €80 an hour. Since you’ve spent the last few months learning about user experience and Web performance, you should now increase your current hourly rate by 15% because you bring more value to the project.

By following these steps, I’ve completely changed my life and hopefully it will change yours, too.

I can’t stress enough the importance of trying new technologies. Don’t wait for opportunity to knock on your door. Instead, create those opportunities yourself.

These are just a few tips for my free email course to become an expert developer. If you like this advice, then you will definitely enjoy my course, because we will go further on how to grow your expertise, get more quality clients, and much more.

  • Freelance work
  • self-image

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