How Genuine Is That New Prospective Lead?

For all freelancers, any kind of incoming client lead is good. But not always do these leads transcribe into actual clients. In my case, I have had so many leads lose their shine when they turn out to be in quest of one single aim- free advice. I have had this happening quite often especially when I started out as a freelancer. It is not that I am against providing advice but you shouldn't’t add all that value for free — whether for a client who wants more than they’re willing to pay, or one who isn’t really serious about the project in the first place.

There have been times when I was contacted by prospects expecting me to do all their marketing panning as well as suggestions towards structuring the content of their websites for free. Scheduled meetings to ‘discuss’ the projects have often turned into the same.

So how does one differentiate as to if this new lead you are in touch with is another of these free advice seeker or is a genuine prospective client?

Imagine a situation wherein you get in touch with a new prospect and start talking with him regarding the project. The client seems genuine and you share with him some good conversations and laughs. Conversations with that client leave you on a high and you simply feel the rush to start to work for him. But when you start discussing the actual modalities of the project including the budget and the deadline, the client seems to be at his indecisive best. My advice here, BACK OFF!

In 95% of the situations I have seen that such clients do not end up giving any work and all they seek is an estimate for the project and like in the previous case, free advice!

So this leaves us with the same question. How does a freelancer decide if the client is really just another pretender? The following rules that I always abide by work for me:

Enquire about the project budget: If the prospective lead is serious about the project and are actually on the lookout for a specialist then they’ll have a budget. On the other hand, the pretenders will either completely try to skirt this topic or else will start tossing out unrealistically low figures.

Ask for the project deadline: An inconclusive and sketchy answer here simply spells trouble. If they don’t value a project enough to schedule it, then don’t expect to get paid for it too!

Ask for mutual contracts to be signed: There is nothing more that pretenders get scared from than legal bindings on paper.

Insist for an advance payment: Prospective clients meaning business would understand your need of saving your interest with an initial payment and very often agree for the same. Pretenders on the other hand would stop their communication right there!

As a freelancer you really need to start understanding that there is truly nothing called as "free lunches". The lunch meeting that you might have to go for right now with a lead just might not be the expected free lunch offered by him but one of the tricks up his sleeves to try and play around with your experience. BEWARE!

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Payment Options Beyond PayPal

For any service provider it is very important that they have in place the right kind of payment machinery to facilitate easy and safe payment towards their services. As a freelance writer I had till now made use of the services of PayPal to receive payment for my overseas assignments. But due to the recent developments at PayPal as a result of which they temporarily suspended their India operations I was left looking for option. It was then that I realised that there might be some others like me who too would be looking for alternative options to receive their payments from abroad. Listed below are some of the major options that you can consider:

1. By cheque: Your client can mail you the cheque for the required amount. Once you get the cheque you can deposit the same in your bank and get the amount credited in your account. The biggest pitfall for this mode of payment is the time duration. The time taken by the cheque to get cleared by your bank is usually very long and if you are in need of funds immediately then surely this method would not work well for you.

2. Wire Transfer: If waiting for your cheque to get credited is not what you would ideally want then the next best option here would be to opt for a wire transfer. You would be required to share your bank information(including your bank account number) with your client who can then make the payment. This method also entitles a fee in order to get the money through.

3. Credit card: If you have in place a merchant account then you can go ahead and ask your clients to pay with a credit card too. Not only is this convenient in today's time but also appeals to most clients. 2Checkout.com is one such website which allows you to open a merchant account and move ahead smoothly.

4. XOOM: This online payment option allows you to send and receive funds from any country to any country in the world. Albeit coming with a small fee to send money this online payment option has recently caught the liking of many. All that you need to do here is to to create an account with xoom and then send your details to your payer. He will then use your details and send across the money either using his credit card or directly from his bank account. The money then reaches the bank partner in your country from where you can have access to the same.

5. Moneybookers: Another good option to have access to your online payments. Working on the lines of PayPal, moneybookers requires you to open an account with it and send/ receive funds. The major drawback here is that owing to legal restrictions the services of this website are not extended to the United States Of America.

6. Western Union: This is another very popular means to have access to your funds from abroad. You can send and receive money from any part of the world using Western Union. The major drawback here is that you need to personally go and collect funds from the Western Union agent near you.

7. Payooner: A relatively new concept, Payooner provides you with a debit card through which you can send money abroad or receive money on it.

These were some of the major options which I had listed out when I was weighing my options. Though I am yet to finalize on one of them but at least I am a little less anxious now knowing that there ARE options available.

Would love to hear from you all too if I have missed out on some other options and as to what is your preferred mode of receiving payments.

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How To Price Your Work

The most common issue with most freelancers is the process of deciding the price for a project. All of us wish to get compensated adequately for our efforts towards a project. The right strategy forward should be an ideal combination of adequate compensation to the freelancer as well a happy client.

My way forward is simple. I base my projected calculations for all projects keeping in mind the amount of work desired by me and the time it would take for me to complete the same. If the project includes comprehensive research then that too is taken into account. I consider it to be a good trick to divide the entire project into smaller projects. Once done with that you can move on and see the time that you would take to complete all of these smaller projects.

Combine the hours of all the small projects together and multiply it with your hourly price rate and voila you have a price ready to be quoted to the client! :) If you foresee that you would be needing to stay in regular touch with the client on the telephone during the due course of the project then you could include the expected charges for the same in the total estimated cost for the project.

It is also a great idea to regard the future prospects that you could be involved in with the client. If you foresee good and regular work from the client you can always go ahead and reduce the price you would have otherwise quoted.

What I have mentioned here is my way of arriving at a solution. All of us have our own ways, what is important is that we, the freelancers, are paid for our hard work at the end of the day.

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Take Your Freelancing Career From Good to Great

Being a freelance writer is a career option that anyone with a flair of writing can get into. You could make it your part time jig or you could opt for it as a full time career. It is in the latter case that you really need to put things into perspective. If freelance writing is your full time job option then you need to treat it as one.

Most of us in the line of business fail to generate this sense of seriousness and therefore find themselves fighting deadlines and working overtime. This should not be what you should be facing ideally. As a freelance you do have the liberty of working at your own will but one needs to be clever enough to make the most of the time.

I too faced similar situations when I started up as a freelance content writer. As I was working from home I had to handle my work responsibilities as well as the responsibilities back home. and believe you me this was not easy. The mantra which worked was ROUTINE.

• You might be working from home but you need to follow a routine, something that you follow in the office. Till the time you do not infuse a generous amount of professionalism to your freelancing it will not succeed. Try and set a time schedule for yourself. Waking up at a fixed time, getting dressed, eating your breakfast and sitting down for work at an appointed time. This will tune your body and allow it to get into a routine.
• Prioritize your time. You could designate a time slot during the day for checking mails and replying back, similarly a time slot for rest.
• Since you are working from home you should also be prepared for unforeseen activities which you might have to cater too. Getting some repairs done, picking up or dropping guests or maybe having to pay a visit to the bank or post office. what is important is not to get irritated by these small changes. A bad mood could lead to a completely unproductive day at work!
• Be regular on your blogs and websites too. You need to update your portfolio regularly as this is what your clients will look at when they visit your website. Any casualness here can result in clients turning back.
• It is a good idea to have some personalized stationary printed for yourself. business cards, letterheads can add the needed touch of professionalism to your freelancing.
• In freelancing it all boils down to networking. Make ample use of forums and blogs to interact with fellow writers. this would help you increase your base.
• There could be no better advertisers and marketing options than your old clients. Once you are done with the project for your client does not mean that you do not remain in touch with them. It is always a good idea to maintain a regular follow up with them.
• If you are in your initial stages of starting as a freelance writer and you are being offered to do some notable work for free then it would be a good idea to take it on. Building up a portfolio is what you should be concentrating on initially and for that you need to regularly keep on adding work. This does not imply that you take up any free project that comes your way. If you feel strongly towards a project and sense that it could help you to showcase your creativity then only opt for it.

These pointers might sound to be very basic and simple but they can do wonders to help you establish your self in your choice of field.

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