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Original post by FreelanceSwitch.com

Landing new clients can be one of the most time-consuming tasks for the overworked freelancer–and it doesn’t pay you a single penny.  Spending countless hours on the hunt instead of being billable isn’t the most effective strategy for the self-employed, so knowing how to increase the value of each and every client you have is a skill that you absolutely have to master.

Fortunately, doubling the income you get from your clients isn’t rocket science–it all comes down to using a few time-tested strategies for boosting their spending.  Here are 3 smart things you can do after you land a client that can pad your paycheck for months (or years) to come.

Smart Move #1 – Think Two Services Ahead

Chances are high that whatever your clients are hiring you for is only one step in a chain of events that they need to act on in the future.  Look at the service you’re providing and think of the logical next steps that will flow from that, and consider offering an extension of related services.

If you’re designing a logo for a client, find out if they have other art needs for their product packaging or website.  If you’re writing web content for a client, test the waters to find out if they want any existing content rewritten, or brainstorm ideas for an entire series of articles.  I used this tactic to spin a client request for a single piece of web content into a ten-part series (as well as an ongoing stream of SEO copywriting).

You can do it too, if you take the time to understand what your clients want and where they are going.  And if you give them ideas they haven’t even come up with yet, you’ll look like the smartest freelancer they ever hired.

Smart Move #2 – Think Two Months Ahead

One of the savviest moves you can make as a freelancer is to find a way to turn a one-time job into an ongoing stream of monthly income.  There are more ways to do this than you might imagine–you just have to dig deep and find ways of providing valuable extensions to the service you’re performing, so that your client gets an ongoing benefit.

If you’re a web worker, you could offer a monthly maintenance package where you continue work on the original job–for example, tweaking web content for freshness or optimization every 30 days.  Or, you could produce monthly analytics reports for a client if you’re doing something measurable like SEO.

This works for more offline freelancers as well: the idea of a monthly maintenance package has been around for years (and chances are, you’re paying for one yourself).  If you’re stuck for ideas, research the websites of your competitors to see if there are any ongoing service extensions that you should be offering.

Smart Move #3 – Think Two Clients Ahead

If you want to stay billable with the least amount of legwork, then naturally you’ll want to take advantage of word of mouth advertising, the most effective way to get additional clients.  It’s not uncommon for one slam-dunk relationship with a client to blossom into a handful of well-paying opportunities–but you don’t want to leave something so valuable to chance.  As you serve your clients, use professional, no-pressure strategies to leverage their network and their kind words to your advantage.

One effective way to do this by offering your client a one-time discount on your services as a way of saying “thank you” for their business–and to throw in a few coupons for first-time discounts they can give to others.  If you make the first-time discount attractive enough, you may find yourself with a number of new additions to your client portfolio without the hassle of hunting them down yourself.

Don’t forget the power of client testimonials, either.  Having a sizable list of endorsements to your name can be the very thing that makes a prospective client who finds you via a search engine decide that you are the freelancer they need to hire.  But testimonials don’t always come unsolicited, so be sure and ask your clients for feedback on your services.

Bonus Move #4 – Think Two Freelancers Ahead

These are only three ways to make the most of your hard-earned clients – but I’m betting that you know of even more smart moves that can create a profitable win-win for you and the people who hire you.  Share your wisdom and experience in the comments below, see if other freelancers have left any tips that you can use, and make staying billable in the future easy and stress-free.

Original post by FreelanceSwitch.com

It’s can be difficult enough to complete a project off the top of your head. So when you get it back with demands attached and a client who is giving you attitude, it’s natural to get a little defensive.

But it’s not always the smartest thing to do as a professional.

This article caters to situations when you’ve really done all you could…like when a client says “Just write my website…it’s about Topic A and you can research that on the Web,” or “I like pink and black, make a logo out of that.” It’s geared towards circumstances when the client says, “You’re the professional, I trust your judgment,” and doesn’t give you a lot to go on, despite all of your prodding for more information.

Despite not giving you a good foundation, I’ve found that some clients in this situation can get a little uneasy. Even though your work may have been great, their expectations were somewhere else so no matter what you do, it’ll never measure up. There are times when the client really has nowhere firm to stand because he or she has left you without information, so it’s vital not to just take the heat—but to stand up for yourself and take charge of the situation, moving the project onward and upward (even if the customer has gone a little sour!)

When you’ve given it your all and your client is putting you in a pinch, what can you do? Take a breath and keep cool—I’ve got some tips to help you diplomatically explain your actions and avoid a temper flare at the same time.

Don’t rub in their fault—at first. While it’s okay sometimes to point out that they gave you little information to go on and previously said it was okay to start and you’d go from there, it’s important not to lash back. If and when you do, it’s best to do so politely. But not in the beginning of the conversation—the beginning is for listening, understanding the client’s perspective and then using your skills to get the client back on track.

Explain the process—and that this is a process. When the client says something like “I just don’t like it,” you have to tell them that a normal part of the editing process is to get their input and you’ll need specifics. It’s better not to say, “Well, what don’t you like?” but to lead them into detail-giving with something like, “Okay so let’s start with the headline. Do you feel the tone is too conversational? Do you want to tell me in layman’s terms the tone that you’re going for? Are there any marketing collateral pieces you’ve seen that have a tone closer to what you want?” I think grilling them is essential, especially since you’ve explained that you’re going to need their input and how vital it is.

Get down to details. To be honest, sometimes you’ve got to speak to people like they’re five years old, minus the coddling tone. Upfront, I tell my clients that it’s perfectly normal not to always be pleased with the first draft. But I need specific information to get things as they want them to be. I let them know that I will work to get it just right, but I need them to sit down and think about what they specifically like and don’t like, and give me examples (if need be) of similar projects they do like. (In my case, I have them tell me in layman’s terms what tone they want, or I advise them to show me a marketing piece with a writing style they like.)

I always try to get as specific as possible and have learned to prod even if they continue to give me simple “I just don’t like it” answers. I toss the ball in their court. “Okay, I understand. So help me make it better and let me know what specifically you don’t like about it? Why don’t we start at the intro paragraph?”

Toss in the past. If that client is still moaning and wailing over spilled milk, you can consider putting up more of a boundary—but do tread with caution. While I don’t believe the customer is always right, I do believe you should never burn bridges. This is where you can mention that you didn’t have a lot of information going in (not so much as a defense but as an excuse), and how they said it was alright to go ahead anyway.

You could say something like, “I know we didn’t have a lot of background going into this, but now that we have a first draft, can you offer anymore information to help me get a better feel for what you’re looking for?” Again, explain things in baby tone without the baby talk (i.e. “This may not be what you really wanted, but it’s a strong start despite not having much to go on. Let’s figure out where you’d like to go from here to get this juuuuust right for you.”) I really only remind a client of that after I’ve explained the editing process and offered to “fix” things and they don’t sound happy. I try not to start getting tit-for-tat over things or bringing in the dreaded, “Well you never gave me much to start with.”

Inject some lightheartedness. This hasn’t happened to me outwardly, but I get the “You’re the writer, you know best” vibe a lot. The truth is that I may know best—but the client has to be happy with it in the end, so my opinion really doesn’t matter unless it’s requested. Since many customers may toss this thought your way, it’s in good taste to reply by stating that while you’re good at the visual interpretation (if you’re a designer, for example), they really know what “look” in an image they want best.

Replying with something like, “I can design whatever you’d like, but I want it to really represent your company the way you want it done. So I’m going to need your input on this. Do you think we should take this line out?”

Remember that some people may just want to put you down. Try to move them away from criticizing to giving you constructive criticism. The key is to facilitate moving forward, even if a client only wants to look back.

Kristen Fischer is the author of Creatively Self-Employed: How Writers and Artists Deal with Career Ups and Downs. For more visit www.creativelyselfemployed.com.

Original post by FreelanceSwitch.com

How to Overcome Small Business Frustrations

Running a small business is never easy. Many an entrepreneur has succumbed to various frustrations that arise while operating their business.

Here are some tips on how to prevent this from happening to you.

• Delegate. Instead of trying to solve every small or large problem by yourself, delegate some work to your employees so that you can concentrate on solving fewer problems.

  You will also find out if some of your employees have good leadership or problem-solving qualities.

• Keep Problems Small. Instead of trying to brush problems under the carpet, try to solve them while they are manageable.

  It will be less expensive and painful to attend to them immediately than to forget about them and get a rude shock in the future.

• Take A Break. However hard you might try, you may still find that frustrations will creep into your daily life and bog you down.

  Try to take a small break from your business and spend some quality time with your family and friends in order to reduce your stress and recharge.

• Build A Good Business Network. Maintain contacts with other businesses and hire efficient tax consultants and accountants that can solve these problems in a professional manner.

  Sharing your frustrations with your business friends can help you find a quick solution to a particular problem if they have been in a similar situation in the past.

• Be Ready. Accept the fact that small businesses get bombarded with small and large problems and that you have to be ready to face them.

  Once you are ready to solve any problem that comes your way, you will not be caught off-guard and will be better equipped to handle any frustrations that might crop up from time to time.

By sharing, delegating and solving problems while they are still small, you can easily overcome your frustrations and ensure that they do not hamper the smooth running of your business.

Original post by Buzz

This article won’t be for everyone. Not all of us care to grow a large business or automate our income. Many of us are perfectly satisfied to earn dollars per hours and that’s great!

However, I have a lot of freelancers ask me this question:

How can I scale my business? I can only take on so many clients before I lose my sanity, free time, and desire to work!

So for those who want to increase monthly income and perhaps even automate it, how is that possible for a freelancer–without simply raising prices?

Below are some ideas that I and others have used to scale and automate our freelance business.

Option 1. Productize Your Services

This isn’t nearly as difficult as it sounds and the only way to truly automate and scale your income beyond six figures.

Now don’t instantly balk at this. I understand that not all of us would want to offer products alongside our services. However I encounter many service providers who want to scale their business but don’t think it’s possible to offer products as a service provider.

You can. For instance, you can create an email newsletter and podcast that clients and others subscribe to for a monthly fee. Or you can create an ebook or e-course showing them how to do basic web development, marketing, or (insert your service here), for themselves.

This does not replace you as a service provider, but rather allows them to do the low-level grunt work themselves, see the power of it, and then come back to you for the advanced stuff that you enjoy most and is worth more money.

In essence, with such DIY (Do It Yourself) products, you’re actually having them pay you to be further convinced of the importance of your services and abilities while also helping them earn initial revenues to pay for those services (through doing initial work on their own).

You can also do seminars.

I recently helped nearly 200 freelancers launch their own seminars for offline businesses interested in learning the basics about getting online. We included in the seminar materials an attendee workbook that took the client step-by-step through how to evaluate their website for conversions and effectiveness, how to do basic search engine optimization, how to create and monetize a blog, and so on.

Option 2. Partner with a Complimentary Provider

Another strategy to scale your business and automate your income is to partner with other service providers that your target client would also hire alongside you. For example, if you’re a website developer or programmer, you could partner with providers who specialize in search marketing, conversion analysis, web copywriting, branding management, and social media.

Once you have a client, it’s a fairly easy upsell to these additional services. You can then negotiate with each service provider to provide you a residual commission on any referred business.

Option 3. Outsource

To increase the amount of business you take on without increasing your hours, consider outsourcing. You can find a couple individual freelancers or partner with a firm that will take on your projects.  This allows you to outsource your chief service and also provide several other complimentary services.

The difference between this and partnering with a complimentary provider is that everything is still done under your company name and brand. You can increase your referrals, reputation, testimonials, portfolio, and brand recognition when you outsource.

If you’d like a full-service firm you can easily outsource projects to, contact me at support at settletheweb.com for more information.

The way a typical outsourcing relationship works is this:

The outsourced talent provides a price sheet with set service packages and pricing. This pricing should be at a discount as they do not need to spend time and effort (and advertising dollars) finding, courting, and landing clients. You’re doing that for them.

You can then increase the service pricing to include a nice chunk of change for yourself. Everybody wins. It costs you nothing, costs the outsourced talent nothing, and the end client only has to deal with one contact person for several services (a HUGE benefit to companies who are being forced to outsource).

Option 4. Apprentice & Then Hire Additional Freelancers

For those of us who would like a closer relationship with any provider we outsource to, consider apprenticing someone in your area of expertise and then bringing them in-house. They can remain an independent contractor (for taxing purposes and so you don’t have to deal with employees) and pick up extra work you don’t want.

You earn a percentage of all their earnings gained through you, and a smaller, limited percentage on all other work earned outside of your direct referrals for a defined period of time.

The additional percentage on other projects is the “thank you” bonus for mentoring them and passing on your knowledge for free, not to mention the experience they get in the field with your clients–without having to land those clients themselves! However, make sure it’s a very small percentage and only for a limited time-frame equal to the amount of knowledge and experience you’ve passed on to them.

Option 5. Become an Expert

Many associations, groups, companies, and conferences will pay you to come and educate their people on your area of expertise. And as long as you know 10% more than the people you’re talking to, you’re considered an expert.

I know that sharing your knowledge can be a frightening experience, particularly when doing so as an ‘expert.’ However I can assure you it is a rewarding experience and reinforces that you do in fact know quite a lot and can make a difference in someone else’s life or business.

To find gigs speaking as an expert, visit your local Chamber of Commerce, local business groups, and speaking associations. Also look into industry conferences and expos that may be looking for experts. Virtually every industry is interested in having a web presence and will be open to you discussing your expertise at their event.

You don’t even have to ask them to pay you! Do it for free in the beginning and you’ll land some of the attendees as clients after your talk. Be sure to record your initial talks and eventually you’ll have enough experience and a media kit to then charge for your speaking time.

So there’s a basic list for you. Of course it is not exhaustive and I’d love to hear any ideas you’ve used to scale and automate your business. And as I tend to write very long articles, I didn’t have the space to go into the step-by-step for each of these options.

However, if you’re interested in a particular option and would like me to write an additional article solely on implementing it, do let me know. If you’d like me to do a series of articles covering each option in more depth, I’m happy to do that as well!

Original post by FreelanceSwitch.com

How to Obtain Small Business Grants

The U.S. Government has recently recognized the positive role that small businesses play in increasing economic growth.

If your small business needs funding to start up or to expand, then you could try to obtain a small business grant. A grant can help you to turn your vision into reality.

Who Offers These Grants?

While the federal government generally does not give out grants except to small scientific ventures or non-profit organizations, there are various state development agencies that provide such grants to entrepreneurs and small businesses in order to start or expand.

You will need to check if your state has such agencies in place. You can check your local government website for details on agencies that offer small business grants.

What Role Does The Small Business Administration [SBA] Play?

While the SBA does not provide business grants, it does offer loans at very attractive rates of interest.

While the SBA itself does not make the loan, it acts as a guarantor for loans taken out from banks or lenders that it is associated with.

The SBA also offers invaluable advice in starting, expanding and even selling your small business.

Who Can Qualify For A Business Grant?

If you are over 18 years old and need money to start or expand a business, then you can qualify for a small business grant.

Grants do not require any collateral, deposits or credit checks and you can get a business grant from $500 to $50,000 from state agencies.

If your state has an agency that provides small business grants, then you should prepare a professional proposal and submit it to them.

If you qualify for a business grant, then this could be your best opportunity to start or expand your small business.

Original post by Buzz

As a freelancer, modesty will get you little. Unremitting self-promoters need only apply.

Expressing inadequacy or uncertainty can cost you precious time and money. Clients just want their job done. All they want to know is that you can do it. And you can!

We all have different levels of self-confidence and this changes throughout our lives. With age and experience, people tend