The #1 Freelancing Mistake you should Avoid to Become a High-earning Freelancer

This is not the only mistake you need to avoid for a successful freelancing career, but it’s the foundation for every other one. 

First, some real talk …

Freelancing is a challenging endeavor.

It's a lot of work, and you're on your own to make it happen...

But if you're willing to put in the time, effort, energy, and passion for what you do—then the sky is your limit.

A Brush on the Mistake

From $800 $2,000

I had a client whose initial budget was $800, but by the time I finished onboarding her, we agreed on $2000.

A client contacted me last year to write copy for her email sequence, podcast, and ads.

It was a small project looking at it from the outside, and the client could say her thoughts in less than 30 minutes. I mean, it’s not supposed to be that complicated, right?

And in relation to the gig, she had a small budget because “the project is not that big.”

I analyzed everything and knew what it’d cost me to handle something of such.

But there was a problem...

She had a small budget, and it didn't look like she wanted to increase prices.

It was either I go ahead with the low budget or pass on the project...

But instead of telling her my price outrightly in contrast against hers...

I sat down and wrote a full project brief that told her what I’d do on the project, how, and when.

I showed her outcomes, future-paced her mind into the results I’d get her, and let her know how much value she’d miss out on if we're unable to go on because of price.

And when I finished, I told her the rate at which I’d handle everything. 

She negotiated a bit, and we agreed on $2,000.

I didn’t sell additional things to her. There was no upsell.

Instead, I sold value and focused on the transformation my service would bring to her business over price/rate.

NEVER SELL PRICES AND RATES 

This is where we get it all wrong as freelancers: selling price over the result.

And for that reason, you keep being paid less than you deserve.

How about we say bye to that in 2023?

I know it's tempting when the client mentions someone who’ll give him the same quality of work for half the price.

Think you can't compete with that?

Wrong.

Your clients hire you because they want the results they think you can deliver—not because they want a cheaper version.

They may come cheap, but at the end of the day, they all want transformation.

They're hiring you because they believe in your expertise and ability to help their business.

That's what matters to them.

So here's my advice: don't sell price; sell the transformation instead!

You’ll think your client isn’t ready to pay, but that’s only because they don’t know what they’re getting for the amount you’d like to charge them.

THIS ISN’T ABOUT CHARGING YOUR WORTH

Charging your worth has become a cliche. 

It's more like saying, "this is my worth, and your budget diminishes that, so I can't work with you."

No diplomacy at all.

Honestly, I’m not an advocate of charging your worth, especially if you’re a beginner with no portfolio and where you’d have to reach for the low-hanging fruits, which are the clients that pay less…

But even as a newbie who understands that you’re a bridge between where the client is and what they hope to achieve with your service…

You’ll leave a lasting impression on their minds, and they’ll know that being a newbie doesn’t mean you have no idea what you’re doing.

Your service is about what result you can get for your clients. Once you (and they) understand that concept, then the price is no longer a barrier.

To Understand How You can Do this better, you need to ask:

• What result do they want? 
• How could I help them get it? 
• How will working with me differ from trying to do everything themselves (or working with someone else)?

To be a high-earning freelancer, you must demonstrate the value of what you can offer.

This means understanding your client’s needs and showing them how they'll benefit from working with you.

It’s great to know that you can achieve a higher result even with a low-budget client, but the question is: how can you get there? 

Steps To Discover the Content For Your Brief

1. Listen to them during your call or chat

Here’s the thing:

Knowing the transformation to sell them is determined by how well you listen to your clients and how hard you work to understand what they want or need. 

This isn’t about listening to the services they need but listening to the RESULTS they hope to achieve with it.

That’s what they’re willing to pay for. 

2. Have a Productive Onboarding Process

This is not often discussed, but it’s a critical process.

Create an onboarding process that helps you connect with clients in a way that gets them excited about working with you.

It'll help build trust, foster professionalism, and keep your client at ease.

P.S...

Inflation is rising, things are going haywire in the financial world, and everyone wants a piece of the pie...

What can truly set you apart is being among the 3% of the 3% who listen to their clients and choose to be a bridge rather than be another service provider that is after the rates and price.

P.P.S. I’ll share other mistakes over the course of time, so stay tuned.

This is “The Game-Changing Newsletter” for Freelancers who Love to Dare.

Cheers,

Goodness.