Klassen Communications Blog

You wouldn’t believe the number of times I’ve heard about freelancers losing a project or future projects, not because they weren’t good at their jobs, but because they failed to pay attention to the little things that go into creating a successful business.

My wife’s car had a flat tire the other day, so I took it to a local tire shop. I figured I would have to replace the tire, but was told they could patch the hole instead, which would save me money.

As I sat in the customer waiting area, I watched how the staff went about their work. Any time anyone was dealing with a customer on the phone, it was always with a happy voice. A few times I saw an employee walk over and open the front door for a customer who had just pulled up.

When my tire was patched, I found out that the work was done free of charge. I left the store pretty impressed with the whole experience and knowing that when it came time to buy new tires, I’d be returning to that store.

So what does that have to do with freelancing? Quite a bit actually.

There are lots of tire stores and when it comes to doing their core job – fixing or replacing tires – they can all do the job. So one of the best ways for a store to separate itself from the pack is with the consistent, little things. Things that customers tell their friends about.

You’re probably one of any number of people (designer, copywriter, etc.) who could do many of the tasks a client might want. So how do you separate yourself from your competitors?

Well, you could be the cheapest, but that doesn’t usually last long…someone else can always undercut you. Plus, being the cheapest isn’t exactly the recipe for long-term financial success as a freelancer. And being the cheapest is sometimes a red flag to savvy clients who know how much a service is worth. In their minds, cheap can mean desperate or inexperienced.

You could also specialize, but if you’re just starting out, it takes time to build up a great reputation. And even then, there are probably other people who specialize in the same area you do.

So one of the things you’re left with is focusing on the little touches that will send you to the top of the list when a client needs a service you offer. Trust me… way too many people are neglecting the little things that are equally important to clients.

The lessons I learned from the tire shop aren’t much different than what you should be doing as a freelancer:

1. Work on your phone skills. Be pleasant when someone calls you looking for information about your services. You’d think this is obvious, but it’s not. I stopped using one company, not because they couldn’t do the job, but because every time I called, they sounded like accepting my business was an inconvenience. In essence, they lost my business simply because they made me – the customer – feel like I was intruding in their lives.

2. Have one or two services that you do for free. This one may be a bit controversial, but the tire store experience sold me on it. Most projects you work on will be complex and you deserve to be paid a fair rate for them. But there are times when a quick task takes only a minute or two. For example, if you’re a designer, someone may need a single photo converted from color to black and white. You could do that in Photoshop in under a minute.

I try to follow the rule that if the job takes me less time than it would to put together an invoice for it, the job is free. It takes me only a minute or two to put together an invoice on most jobs, so I’m hardly doing tons of projects for free. But when I do a quick job for free, it helps to build goodwill and can help land me bigger jobs.

And don’t misunderstand…you don’t want to be taken advantage of. For example, if you do that free photo conversion and then the client has a new photo for you to convert each day, you’ll want to work out payment for that. And if your day is made up of only doing small, free projects for people, something is wrong. Use your best judgment.

Also, I don’t advertise my “free” services. It’s something I do when I can and when I feel it’s appropriate.

3. Take the time to educate. This is another area where you can be taken advantage of, so use your best judgment. Back to the tire store, I was convinced I’d need a new tire. But the store employee took the time to explain why a patch was going be a good solution to my problem, even though it meant they weren’t going to sell me a new tire that day.

Not every client who calls you is going to have years of experience in direct marketing, so you’re going to be the expert. Take the time to patiently share your knowledge during a complimentary project evaluation. You may not land a job that day, but you will be remembered as helpful and courteous. And that’s the type of thing that can bring you work in the future.

If they’re not appreciative of the help you’ve offered, you probably don’t want them for a client anyway.