Independent web workers face a linked pair of challenges when it comes to hunting for clients: we have to find them, and we have to tell them why they should hire us. Like it or not, when you’re working for yourself one of the hats you have to wear is “marketer.” If potential customers can’t find you, they can’t hire you. If they don’t know why they should hire you, they won’t. It’s that simple.
The net, of course, makes finding clients easier than ever. Many of us have adopted a strategy of being very visible (even in the pre-web days) to maximize the chance of being tripped over by those who might hire us. Speaking at conferences and user groups, writing books and articles, and giving training courses were traditional parts of this strategy. In recent years, many independents have added blogging, social networking, and things like Twitter to the mix.
When you find a potential client, the second part of self-marketing kicks in: positioning yourself as the person they should hire. Tools for doing this include the traditional résumé (online or off), personal web sites, brochures, and even just chatting. Whatever the medium, you need to refine your personal pitch into something that’s compelling, interesting, and fast to deliver.
But this is an area where none of us are perfect yet (or else we’d be rich and retired, right?). So – share your tips! How do you connect with clients? What and how do you pitch as your skills? Any advice for the prospective web worker who wants to make the leap but is afraid of that first step?
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