Want to learn about the biggest/common freelancer mistakes? If yes then you are in the right place! In this article you will come to know “common freelance mistakes to avoid”, “top freelance mistakes” – you name them. 🙂
It’s an obvious thing that you signed up to be a freelancer for awesome pay, as well as a perfect job. Maybe a Facebook commercial ad inspired you into freelancing which promises a lot of money, world travel, and a life of enjoyment and fun. Well, whatever that thing is, now you have joined a new world.
I think maybe you are like me. You quit your job and changed your way into freelancing before another employer could snatch you up. But!!
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You need to focus on the most common freelance mistakes!
So, the best bet is not to grab the following! 🙂
Well, let’s go to the main topic.
No matter how much you feel comfortable in the awesome world of freelancing, there are some common beginner mistakes many of us make. We can’t do anything except to avoid those mistakes if we want to grow our freelancing business.
1- Neglecting Marketing when Business is Good
No! No! No!
Dont read the other if you are interest to learn only the one.
This is the the worst among the most common freelance mistakes!
When Business is good, marketing better not be dropping!
If you wait until all your skills have dried up to begin marketing again, you will make poor decisions. Do you know what poor decisions look like?
- Bad work
- Bad clients
- Bad plan
You have a one-man business, making time to market your services is not easy. Coming up with those marketing methods requires some trial.
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If you spend a lot of time on the internet, you will see a lot of content about how to market on any platform. Share your development stories with your friends as well as social media.
Must remember that freelance writing is a great job. Join in on social media or in the comments.
2- Not Managing for a Fluctuating Salary
One of the biggest problems of freelancing is poor income.
Well, this is where most of the freelancers repent as one of the most common freelance mistakes.
In the beginning, the problem may be simply not having enough salary, but the problem is that as time goes on and checks become more regular, a different problem arises.
So learn to manage!
3- Not Communicating with your clients
A lot of freelancers don’t perfectly communicate with their clients and end up losing the client – again one of the most common freelance mistakes.
If you don’t have communication skills then learn, take your time. If you want to be a successful freelancer, you will have to learn how to communicate like a boss.
4- Not Paying Heed to Self Care
You should know when your mind needs rest and when you are ready to do your work.
Some freelancers don’t pay heed to their self-care and keep on working without taking any break. And in MUST, they end up with a headache and other problems.
Again!!
One of the most common freelance mistakes.
So, if you don’t want it to happen and you want to do all your work effectively then you will have to pay attention to yourself. the hours that you are available, just set.
5- Using your Finances in a Wrong Way
At some point, you might not be able to manage your finances. At that time, you start thinking of quitting, here you are wrong.
You should see, where you need to spend and where you can manage without spending any money. Receiving your own money is amazing and you should take care while spending that.
By the way the book below is only for Fiverr sellers and if you skip buying it would be another (well) one of the biggest freelance mistakes.
6- Doubting Yourself
Doubting yourself will only bring negativity for you. That negativity will cut off the direct route to your professional thoughts and problem-solving abilities. I want to tell you that you know you are the best at what you do! In this way, you have to be your own biggest fan when solidifying yourself in the business.
Must dedicate time for yourself to recharge and keep your mental health perfect. Sometimes, we feel uncomfortable while working, in this situation take a break and if you continue, you will be burning yourself out.
7- Applying for Every Job
Applying for every available job is among the most common freelancing mistakes. Make a list of your favorite clients who respect you and whose business makes progress with your values.
You must consume your time and energy and just work with specific types of clients.
8- Limiting your Work Hours.
Working only from 9 to 5 while waiting for opportunities to come your way is among the worst freelancing mistakes. Think like an employee who does whatever is needed to deliver quality work.
And freelancing it’s great when you have no boss who tells you what to do. It does not mean you make some mistake and become irresponsible.
But that also means you are responsible for updating skills as well as marketing your services. Manage your all work with full concentration.
9- Looking Randomly For Clients – Accepting Every Project
Although online job boards make it simple to find clients, just 6.3 percent of freelancers believe this method is effective, according to the Freelance Industry Survey.
The greatest options include referrals (27.4 percent), word – of – mouth (23.8 percent), and internal network (16.9%). While it’s crucial to use effective strategies for discovering customers, Celine Roque, an accomplished freelancing & trainer, says that now the cornerstone of successful freelancer is being extremely explicit as to who your ideal customers are and therefore only engaging with colleagues who fit this category.
One of the most typical freelancing blunders is applying for each and every available assignment, which can lead to you being trapped doing work you don’t enjoy for clients who treat you like such a commodity. Create a list of ideal customers who will treat you as an equal and whose company will support your ideals.
You’ll save time and energy, allowing you to focus on individual clients and enterprises.
10- Not Suggesting Another Possible Project – Losing Connection
Your best potential customer is a present or former customer. Why? Since he is familiar with your code of ethics and quality, but you are familiar with his business issues and objectives.
Do not really rush into working for a new customer without first presenting another task to your current one. This is indeed a part of YOUR project.
A really good new project idea suggests that you are aware of his objectives and can assist him in achieving them. Write a personal email with your filled contact information if you don’t see another project or even if he starts to decline your suggestion.
This will communicate frequently. Still not convinced of the need to maintain contact with old clients? Then it’s worth saying the findings of the before cited Freelance Industry Report: The much more effective ways of finding clients are with referrals (27.4%), word of mouth (23.8%), and social contacts (16.9%).
11- Giving Up – The Saddest Of Freelancing Mistakes
Freelance writing success needs time, necessarily in the form of a defined amount of hours, but rather via frequent immersion and practise. Practice leads to improvement.
Allowing doubts and diversions to cause you to lose concentration is not a good idea. Make a list of your accomplishments. Consider where you were when you initially started and how far you’ve come. When writer Stefanie Gonzaga interviewed oDesk’s Executive vice president and Enterprise, Matt Cooper, he stated it plainly.
“It is a meritocracy on a global scale.” You’re battling with everyone else in the globe, so you have to make the effort; however, people that make the effort and work at this are successful.” Here’s another motivation to keep going. According to Fortune magazine, freelancer pay is increasing as employers realise that offering more pays in return.
“Employers are prepared to pay more than that for quality,” says Nikki Parker of Freelancer.com, adding that freelancers are evaluated based on “previous feedback, abilities, reputation, and portfolios of work.”
12- Assuming All Clients Are Looking For Cheap
Another blunder that may harm your freelance business is presuming that almost all clients are seeking a bargain!
This is something that many designers assume. I used to do the same thing.
However, I’ll tell you that in our experience, I’ve been rebuffed far more often for price that was too cheap than it is for pricing that was too high.
Not all customers are seeking a bargain. When you set your prices too cheap, good clients will flee.
“But,” you object, “they might go to Fiverr.” Yes, they certainly could! What does it matter? How much do designers on Fiverr charge? Individuals who want to see it cheap should get it cheap.
Consider it this way… What is the total number of restaurants? Is it still possible to find five-star restaurants or personal chefs? Yes, absolutely! Fast food outlets haven’t resulted in the death of five-star restaurants or personal chefs.
Fast food isn’t for everyone and. So there. I’m not going to touch it. That not everybody is looking for a bargain.
There are plenty of clients out there that want convenience (even if they could do this now themselves), as well as quality and knowledge. They’re also prepared to pay for it.
Another thing to consider is presuming that your clients probably couldn’t afford your services. Why else are you attempting to decide for them as much as they can or cannot afford?
13- Not Trusting your Abilities
Not trusting your abilities is the worst thing. If you will not trust your abilities, who will? When you meet a person for the first time, you hear their story, what they are wanting to accomplish. In this situation, we all get a feeling. And then we face that feeling. Our trust is an important step making tool in business.
14- Are you Working with your Ideal Client?
It’s a big question, if your answer is yes then you are doing good. In the second case, you are making mistake.
You should work with your ideal client only. If you don’t work with your ideal client, you won’t be able to give your best.
15- Be Honest
If you think that a project will only take two or three days and you charge for five days, you will eventually get found out. Must remember that honesty is the best policy.
16- Showing Anger
What does a client need? His work! A client does not want to hear weird and negative opinions. You do not need to show anger to your client. So, make your accent calm and friendly and avoid showing any negative emotions.
17- You Rely on Some Clients
Remember one thing, attract new clients, and approach different agencies!
It’s the most common mistake that freelancers rely on some specific clients for paying their bills. Always think out of the box and keep exploring.
18- Learn to Listen
Learn to listen, if you don’t listen during the initial brief, you might get things wrong, and ultimately, you won’t be able to complete your task perfectly.
So, listen to what your clients want, see their comments and views, and then gave a reply.
19- You Get Lazy and Slow
Keep yourself focused by retaining a perfect attitude and stay motivated by having a life balance. You get lazy and make your work with a slow tone. In this way, you give a bad impression to your clients.
To complete your work as soon as possible.
20- You Think Yourself Better
Must listen to what your clients need and respect their point of view. An old saying is, the customer is always right. Following your customer’s suggestions and make your work with their point of view. Just don’t always think you know better than your client, because sometimes you don’t.
21- When you Take Salary you Run
Clients love to feel special and want you to care about their work. Don’t give them the impression that you want to take your salary and run. Care for your clients and complete your project with complete concentration.
22- Working at Low Rate
Offering to work at a low rate is the biggest freelance mistake. Must charge standard rates and make your site good in freelancing. In fact, I know that for pleasant working relations you must charge low rates.
23- Ignoring your Physical Health
Some freelancers make their work perfect but they don’t care about their health as well as physical health. This is a big mistake, if you will not care for yourself you won’t be able to do your work in the best way.
It is important to maintain everything, get exercise, and give yourself a break from screens.
24- Planning for Short Term
Remember that many freelancers care about what they do. I know what I can do.
But the fact is, just because you care about something does not mean you should plan to do that thing until you are in the grave. Just you are only one man, no one else is planning for your retirement.
25. Not following the above
The biggest of all is not to follow the tips mentioned above.
Final Words
Must make a promise to yourself to work through each freelancer’s mistake until you are confident and prepared to overcome these common difficulties and working with others that you meet along your journey as a freelance business owner!
Make sure to complete your work within the provided time limit, find good clients, and must give them love, respect, and care. Liste ton all the views of your clients and must read their comments. It will help you to become a good freelancer employee!
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Authors: Jack John & Alexa Smith
Jack and Alexa have been working in the online earning space for 4 years and have interviewed multiple Upwork, Fiverr sellers to get the actual insights about these freelance platforms.
Chief Editor & SEO Auditor: Adila Z.
