In this video, I show you how I use Dropbox and how it helps me in my freelancing work.

When I bought a new computer recently, the very first thing I installed on it was Dropbox. Having it in my new computer meant I had access to my most important files–without having to copy and paste from one computer to another.

Dropbox helps you to:

• automatically back up files
• share files with people you specify
• ensure files you share with others are synchronized

I forgot to mention that, with Dropbox, you can access your files either through a web browser or on any computer where you have installed Dropbox.

You can get a free Dropbox account with 2 GB of memory space. If you need more, the premium accounts are priced reasonably.

Interested? Here’s my affiliate link to Dropbox: http://www.TheSavvyFreelancer.com/dropbox

What service do you use for file backup, sharing and synching? Please tell us by posting a comment below.

Just today, I published a post on FreelanceFolder about the top 3 ways I find clients. Number two on the list is social networking. In this video, I show you how you can find clients using Twitter.

More specifically, you’ll see how to:

• find Twitter users who are looking for services you need
• always have interesting links to tweet out
• meet prospective clients through Twitter chats
• use a Twitter landing page to attract prospects

Useful links mentioned in the video:

Alltop

List of Twitter Chats

Tweetchat

Would you like a copy of my free guide to creating a Twitter landing page? Fill up the form below so I’ll know where to send it:

Today, I’d like to talk about inspiration.

What inspires you to keep freelancing?

I ask because freelancing isn’t always easy.

Why Freelancers Need Inspiration

Sure, we enjoy a lot of perks. Just the other day, for example, I got out of bed after 9 am. I can do that, because my work schedule is flexible. I can work anytime, anywhere I like, just as long as I meet my deadlines.

That said, freelancing isn’t always easy. In fact, it can be pretty darn hard.

For example, those of us who freelance from home can feel pretty isolated at lot of times. We don’t have co-workers to socialize with. No water coolers to hang out in for some small time. Sure, there’s Facebook and Twitter, but it simply isn’t the same.

And then there’s the constant need to hustle. We always have to be marketing and promoting our services.

I can go on and on about the disadvantages of freelancing… but that’s a topic for another blog post.

When the going gets tough, it helps to go back to our inspiration.

What inspired you to become a freelancer anyway? And what inspires you to go on?

My Inspiration

What inspires me is an ideal. It’s an ideal world where I can take care of my family–be there physically for them–while at the same time doing something I love and am passionate about.

My family and my professional life go hand in hand.

I don’t have to sacrifice one for the other. I don’t have to relegate the care of my kids to strangers in order to pursue my passion. At the same time, I don’t have to put my creativity and professional growth on hold to care for my family.

My children inspire me to model a different way of living. One that isn’t characterized by dragging yourself out of bed in the morning, because you have obligations to meet and bills to pay. One where being “out of the mold” is rewarded, not punished.

Other parents inspire me to prove that it can be done. It’s possible to be a good parent, a good provider and a fulfilled individual all at the same time.

Other moms and dads who have gone ahead of me and created their own freelancing lifestyles inspire me. People like Kelly McCausey, Lynn Terry, Alice Seba and Nicole Dean inspire me. They’ve living my ideal! They’re living proof that you can be your own boss and be a good Mom and support your family.

How About You?

Now it’s your turn.

What inspires you?

photo credit: Kyle Kruchok

The other day, I was chatting with a new freelancer. He’d been freelancing for three months, and was dissatisfied with the number of clients he has had so far.

I reassured him that three months was hardly enough time to get established with a full roster of clients.

And then I proceeded to give him advice so he would soon get so busy, he’d have to start turning clients away.

Here are the five most important things I told him:

1. Get clear on your Ideal Client.

If you’ve been reading this blog for some time now, you now I always harp about the importance of knowing exactly who your Ideal Client is.

Without an Ideal Client, you’re shooting in the dark, hoping to hit something. On the other hand, if you know exactly whom you’d like to work with, then you’re more like an archer with a big target in front of you on a clear, cloudless day.

2. Create a buzz piece.

I stumbled on the importance of a buzz piece–a special report, white paper or other informative content–quite by accident.

However, The Wealthy Freelancer describes in detail what it is and why it’s important.

A buzz piece is content you can share with prospects to demonstrate the how a something relevant to your service can benefit them. Take note: a buzz piece doesn’t directly promote your services, like your website does. It’s more subtle than that.

For example, I have a special report on video marketing. It describes how video marketing can benefit businesses, how to go about doing it, what equipment and software are needed, and what mistakes to avoid.

It’s only in the end where I mention that I help entrepreneurs by creating marketing videos for them.

3. Collect testimonials.

My newbie freelancing friend didn’t have a single testimonial from his past clients. Some of them have told him verbally how he has helped them. He hadn’t gotten any of these in writing.

Read this post to learn more about why testimonials are important and how to get them–even before you actually have clients.

4. Network, network, network!

Networking is the single most effective marketing tool for me. It may not be fair, but very often, it’s whom you know that determines how successful you are.

There’s no doubt that we tend to hire people who are more familiar to us, who we trust and like personally, or who may come highly recommended by somebody we trust.

I remember one prospect who seemed interested but hesitated from hiring me for weeks. One day, when he found out that I had done a lot of copywriting for somebody he knew, he quickly approved the proposal that had been sitting in his computer.

Do whatever you can to meet with prospective clients both in live events and online. Follow them on Twitter, join online and offline forums, mastermind groups, and networks. Attend in-person conferences. When you know who your Ideal Client is, you’ll know where to go to network with them.

5. Get over your dislike of selling.

Not all freelancers may realize it, but as soon as you become self-employed, you ALWAYS have to be selling.

This can be a big obstacle for some of us. It certainly was for me, since I’d only ever worked in the non-profit sector.

After 14 years of working in UNICEF, I was used to asking people for their money–but not for my own benefit. It’s easy to ask for money when children’s health, education, safety and well-being are at stake.

It isn’t as easy when we’re asking for money for ourselves.

It took some time for me to get comfortable with this. A mindset shift is needed. You need to recognize that the money you receive symbolizes the value you provide your clients.

In my case, I help my clients make money by selling more of their products and services. I help them to worry less about their businesses. I help them to have more free time to work on those parts of their business that they enjoy and are good at. I give them peace of mind, because they know that certain parts of their marketing will be taken care of.

What value do YOU bring to your clients? What’s that value worth?

Tell Me

What other advice do you have for my newbie freelancing friend? What advice do you wish you got when you were starting out?

Please share them by posting a comment below.

PS: If you haven’t gotten a copy of the Wealthy Freelancer yet, I highly recommend it. Read this review to find out why.

photo credit: awezmaz

In this post, I answer a question posted by Kelly McCausey on her blog:

Many freelancers are service providers and from my interactions with them I know they find blogging challenging. Do you have any quick tips in advance of our session for freelancers who want to use a blog to grow their businesses?

Hey there, Kelly, here’s my answer:

Up until recently, I wasn’t convinced that blogging was a necessary tool for freelancers to find clients.

Because truth be told, blogging is a lot of work. I mean, it’s one thing to write and publish posts. And then it’s another thing to promote your blog and actually get readers.

And unless you have readers, then you are blogging in vain.

That said, if you can manage to write at least one post a week and spend a few minutes every day to promote it, then blogging is truly worthwhile.

Is Blogging for You?

I say this only because I’ve seen first-hand how effective blogging can be for finding clients.

I can’t promise that blogging will be as effective for other freelancers out there.

You have to know that my freelancing is purely online. I don’t target local businesses. I never have to meet my prospects or clients face-to-face.

They are all small business owners who promote their products or services online. So my freelancing business is very much based on the Internet, which makes blogging an excellent fit as a marketing strategy.

So how can you make blogging easier?

5 Tips to Make Blogging Easier for Freelancers

1. Know what your goal is.

Get clear in your mind why you are blogging. You’re blogging to attract your Ideal Clients. You’re not blogging for fun. You’re not blogging to keep friends and family posted on the latest happenings in your life. You’re not blogging to help other writers, designers, programmers, virtual assistants… etc. do their job better.

You’re blogging so people will hire you, baby! Never forget that!

2. Know who your target readers are.

Now that you know number one, the next question is, who is your Ideal Client? Is it male, female, single, married? What type of business is he in? What kind of income does she make? What topics are they interested? Which blogs do they read?

3. Use an editorial calendar to plan your topics.

The best way to make blog posting easier is to plan out what you’re going to be writing about in advance. Make an editorial calendar and have a schedule of posts.

4. Stick to a schedule.

Decide how often you’re going to publish to your blog and stick to it. Be realistic. If you can manage only one post per week, or one every two weeks, then so be it. The most important thing right now is to be consistent.

Also have a schedule for actually writing the posts. Maybe you can carve out one hour once a week. That’s enough time to draft at least two posts.

Get them written, schedule them for publishing in WordPress (you ARE using WordPress, aren’t you?), and reward yourself with a cupcake. You deserve it!

5. Live and write.

The next best way to make blogging easier is to actually be involved in your field. Be on top of the latest trends. If you’re a website designer, read all the latest blogs, books and magazines. In other words, live, eat and breathe your expertise!

Interact with freelancers in your field. Hang out in forums where your Ideal Clients tend to exchange notes. Find out what they want, what bothers them, how you can help them.

By doing this, you will never run out of ideas for topics to blog about. And you’ll always be relevant and interesting.

There’s a bit more to blogging than what I’ve mentioned here. You do have to know about search engine optimization, backlinking to your site and all that fun stuff.

If you’ve been on the Hot Seminar Series, you know a lot of this already.

Don’t think you have to know everything before you start blogging. You can learn by doing.

And the sooner you get started, the better.

See you at the Hot Seminar Series on Wednesday!

Today my cousin posted on her Facebook profile: “Thanking the Lord for my second year in freelance editing.”

I congratulated her, and then realized that my own two-year anniversary had recently come and gone without notice.

I had been too focused on tracking my income, that I had lost sight of this milestone in my freelancing career. This is not good.

Sure, money is a big reason behind why I freelance, and I’m sure it is for you too. However, I’m also in it for other reasons, such as:

• personal and professional development
• modeling an “alternative” lifestyle for my children and those who dream of leaving their cubicles
• work-life balance

Certainly there are more “metrics” I should be looking at other than the bottom line.

Such as the fact that I’ve been freelancing for 28 months and am thriving!

Another Way to Track Your Progress

One good advice I read somewhere says something like, “To see how far you’ve gone, compare where you are today with where you were, say, a year ago. Or two years ago, five years ago… and so on.”

Unfortunately, I can’t remember where I heard this advice. (If you know, please share in the comments section below.)

Please indulge me as I share with you how I fare when doing this exercise.

Compared to two years ago, I now…

• know exactly what kind of services I want to provide and to whom
• charge at least four times what I used to, for the same or similar service
• have steady work month after month
• have a list of prospects for my freelancing services
• have a marketing plan to ensure that I get myself “out there”
• get a lot more done in one day
• feel overwhelmed a lot less often
• feel much more confident about my skills, experience, and ability to help my clients
• have information products I created and am selling, with more coming
• a number of networks to meet prospective clients and joint venture partners
• wake up raring to get to work!

More Challenges Ahead

I have to admit, though, that I still have a long way to go in terms of achieving work-life balance. It’s not that I spend a lot of time working.

On the contrary, because I have a preschooler at home with me, I have very limited time to work… which means I work every time I have the opportunity.

This means I’ve been neglecting those parts of me I wish I could nurture more, such as physical exercise, reading for pleasure, and crafting. Not to mention my children’s scrapbooks. And, uh, what’s a social life?

I hope this picture will improve when my youngest child starts Junior Kindergarten in the Fall. My biggest worry is that, I’ll get so caught up in my work that I’ll still neglect all these other things. It’s hard to achieve balance when you’re enjoying your work so much, isn’t it?

Of course, there’ll always be room for improvement in every area of our lives. If not, what would motivate us to keep growing?

How Far Have YOU Gone?

All right, enough about me. I’d really like to hear from you: How far have you come since you first started freelancing? Or if you’ve freelancing for a long time, then how do you compare right now to where you were two years ago?

Please share by posting in the comments below.

photo credit: ginnerobot

The getting of clients remains the number one challenge for freelancers today.

At least, that’s what I found when I surveyed the participants in my recent webinar with “the real” James Chartrand.

As you may already know, James knew all about the pain of struggling to get clients. In fact, that’s what drove her to take on a male persona.

Sadly, I found other cases of freelancers changing themselves for the sake of their freelancing biz.

For example, somebody told me she dyed her light blonde hair dark just to be taken more seriously.

How sad! I happen to be envious of blonde hair, and would probably bleach my hair blonde if it didn’t clash with my coloring.

People Judge: It’s A Fact

All this talk of having to change an aspect of yourself in order to get more clients worries me.

After all, I have a lot of things going AGAINST me:

• I’m female
• I’m Asian
• I have a hispanic family name
• I look young for my age
• I’m a work-at-home Mom

… and so on and so forth.

Should I create a different, more acceptable persona? One that does elicits more trust, credibility and expertise?

I won’t.

Here’s Why

1. The first reason is I’m just plain too lazy. If I changed my persona in any way, I would need to maintain it and exert so much effort just to keep my real identity from coming through.
2. My second reason is, I’m stubborn. I refuse to pander to the prejudices of those who let gender, race, hair color, age or whatever else affect their decisions.
3. And finally, I’m all about being authentic. Not to say that those who’ve changed their identities are not authentic. However, I would feel like a fake if I did.

I would feel like a traitor to “my kind” if changed my public identity in any way.

And besides, I really don’t want to work with people who would think less of me because my demographics.

WHO NEEDS THEM?

So that’s me.

Your Turn

How about you? How far would you go to get more clients? Or get paid more by your clients?

Be honest! No judgements here, just keeping it real.

photo credit: mark sebastian

Ever since James Chartrand admitted that he wears women’s underpants, I’ve been intrigued by his story.

But James has been in my radar, not only because of his underwear choices, but more importantly because:

- he’s a successful copywriter, which is what I’d like to be when I grow up

- his blog, MenWithPens.ca is one of the best blogs for freelancers out there, and is what TheSavvyFreelancer.com would want to be when it grows up

- he is one of the authors of “The Unlimited Freelancer,” the book I credit for helping me take my part-time freelancing biz to the next level

- despite his popularity, he’s always been gracious, appreciative and just plain nice on his blog, my blog, and on Twitter

So it comes as no surprise that I’m interviewing James in the next Savvy Freelancing Webinar.

DATE: July 8, 2010, Thursday

TIME: 10 am, Eastern

Register here if you want to listen in:
I’m going to ask James to tell his story, give us success tips, and just hang out for an hour. Let’s get to know the REAL James Chartrand.

PS: It will be fun, so join us already:
photo credit: Faithful Chant [ back ]

Have you ever submitted a proposal for a prospect… but didn’t want to get the job?

I have.

It may surprise some, but sometimes you just don’t have a good feeling about somebody, know what I mean?

Choices, Choices

When this happens, you have two options:

1. Lie and say you’re not available, or you don’t do the specific assignment they want.

2. Submit a losing proposal.

I’m not a good liar. And besides, that sort of thing just leads to bigger problems later on down the road.

Which leaves us with… writing a proposal we purposely don’t want to get approved.

How NOT To Write A Winning Proposal

This isn’t as easy as simply doing the opposite of writing a winning proposal.

For example, you wouldn’t want to intentionally put a lot of typos, grammatical errors, or misspellings in your proposal. You still have a reputation to protect, after all.

There are more insidious ways of sabotaging your own proposal, without making you look like a bad freelancer.

For example:

1. Quote an unreasonably high price. If you publish fixed rates for your services, then you won’t be able to do this. I publish a starting fee, so I quote a fee for every project. This allows me some flexibility to quote high when necessary.
2. Request a very relaxed time table. Another way you could sabotage your proposal is by requesting to work on a timetable that would probably not work with your prospect’s schedule. For example, three months is usually way too much time for a copywriter to put together a sales page.
3. Make the project sound more complicated than it actually is. Don’t make anything up, but do get into minute details and hope that this gives your prospect a feeling of overwhelm.

Of course, you could always take the high road and go for…

Option Number 3

Go straight out and say you’re not interested in the project. The way I see it, you don’t need to even give a reason for this. Just be clear and straight to the point. I’m thinking, something like:

“Thank you for your interest in working with me. However, I am unable to send you a proposal for this project.”

It would be nice if you could then refer the prospect to a couple of other freelancers who may want to make a pitch for the assignment. That makes the prospect feel that you have their interests in mind, even if you can’t support them yourself.

What Do You Think?

Did I miss any other options for handling a situation like this? Can you think of better ways of responding to a prospect whom you’re not interested in working with? Do share!

photo credit: B Rosen