If you’re a freelancer, it’s easy to get freelancing advice. You can invest in books, coaching programs, and bootcamps for freelancers.
Even if you’re bootstrapping, you won’t run out of freelancing advice from blogs, free webinars (ahem), not to mention well-meaning friends and relatives.
The bottom line is, you can find a lot of guidance for freelancing out there. What’s critical is your ability to sift through all the information that is available, and make a judgement call on which advice is good, and which is bad.
In this post, I’m sharing the best and worst freelancing advice I’ve ever seen, read, or heard in 2011. Don’t worry, I won’t name names. And if you happen to be following the bad advice I do single out here, I hope by the end of this post, you’ll be convinced to change your ways.
The Best Freelancing Advice of 2011
Prepare a custom elevator speech before a live event.
I got this advice from Thursday Bram, who wrote a guest post in The Savvy Freelancer about finding clients in conferences. Her pre-game advice was to create an elevator speech especially tailored to the typical attendees of the conference.
By now, if you’ve been paying attention, you already have an elevator speech for your freelancing business. But did you know you can and should tweak it, depending on whom you are talking to?
I made the mistake of using my generic elevator speech in one networking event, for example, and ended up being confused for a web designer.
I’ve learned my lesson. I now have a custom-made elevator speech for that particular audience. I’m sure nobody will end up thinking of me as a web designer at our next event.
The Worst Freelancing Advice of 2011
Add a QR code in your email signature line.
A freelancer wrote in a blog that this was a great idea.
Um, no, it is NOT. Think about it. To be reading your email, a person is either already in front of a computer or a mobile device. If the reader is already on the computer, wouldn’t it be much easier for them to simply click on a hyperlink in your email? Than have to scan your code to get to the linked page?
And if they were on a mobile device, such as a smart phone, how would they be able to scan your code?
Scott Stratten of Unmarketing explains this so much more entertainingly than I can:
There’s a time and place for QR codes. Use them on physical objects, such as your business card, to make it easier for people to get to your landing page. If you want to learn more about using QR codes — properly — this article can help you get started.
How About You?
What’s the best and worst freelancing advice you heard in 2011? Share them in the comments below, and let’s get a good discussion going.
I laughed so hard, I had to watch that video twice.
As for the worst piece of advice for freelancers, I have to agree with Declann Dunn. Entrepreneurs who take the leap for the “freedom” are in for a surprise and I hear it preached everywhere. Even though you have the ability to choose your hours, there tend to be many more of them. It’s seriously a full time job, especially in the beginning. On top of that, distinguishing between on and off time gets tough.
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That Scott Stratten video is hilarious. Thanks for sharing.
My advice is don’t underbid yourself when trolling freelancing sites. I’ve been seeing it happen more and more. Hopefully the market will work itself out someday.
Lately I’ve had to search high and low to find sites that aren’t over saturated and keep a good balance of talent and jobs. Hiretheworld.com is one I found so far. Do you have suggestions on more?
I don’t get ideas for granted, so it’s better to always know what ‘flies’ and what not. The best advice I got was in 2009: ‘don’t try to get hired as a web designer at a firm, start freelancing’.
I was ‘ending’ up my 10 year career as a radio DJ with no chances to go further in the industry (most studios were closing, wages were half of what they used to be). I was jobless and scared with DEBT on my hands too.
Have been creating sites as a hobby and thought I could go get hired somewhere. Even as a junior web designer (though I had almost 8 years of experience).
He was a freelancer himself and worked at a big web design firm. Then started on his own. I THANK HIM now and always for how he changed my life.
It’s been 2 amazing years and I’ve really found my calling.
The worst advice for this year? Spend time with ‘social media’. IN my case this is WASTED time, so I’ll start focusing on better things.
Best advice? GET MORE ORGANIZED. I’m planning stuff, setting budgets, keeping expenses ‘diaries’. I can see the difference
[...] Best and Worst Freelancing Advice of 2011 (The Savvy Freelancer): The bottom line is, you can find a lot of guidance for freelancing out there. What’s critical is your ability to sift through all the information that is available, and make a judgement call on which advice is good, and which is bad. [...]