No Track Record? No Problem!
If you’re an aspiring freelancer (or new to freelancing) and you’re down in the dumps right now, what I’m about to tell you will hopefully change the way you feel about the tough road ahead.
Here it is: When you’re starting out, what you lack in experience and track record you can make up by working hard on other controllable factors.
When I began to understand this basic concept a few years ago, my world began to change for the better.
I first heard about the idea in Brian Tracy’s audio program, “The Luck Factor.” In this program, Tracy describes a scene where someone who’s had too much to drink is taken to a dark room, blindfolded and given a set of darts to throw at a dartboard.
Tracy asks, “What are the chances of that person hitting the dartboard?”
Obviously, they’re not good. But what if this person is given an unlimited number of darts? Will she EVENTUALLY hit that dartboard?
Of course. That’s the beauty of the Law of Averages.
And what if she sobers up, removes her blindfold and turns the lights on? Will her chances of hitting the dartboard increase? You bet.
Let’s take it one step further. What if she then takes lessons from a professional? And what if she commits herself to practicing dart throwing for 2 hours a day for the next 4 weeks? Will she hit the dartboard then?
You better believe it. Not only that, she’ll also hit a few bulls eyes.
It’s no different when you’re starting out as a freelancer. You can ALWAYS make up what you lack in experience and track record by improving other controllable factors…much like the dart thrower.
You can try harder. You can be more persistent (think unlimited supply of darts). You can get specialized training or a certification in a specific skill that’s in high demand. You can send out more lead generating letters. You can network more aggressively and consistently (both offline and online). You can make more cold calls.
You might not land marquee clients at first. But you’ll get clients that are willing to overlook a lack of experience for lower fees. Or folks who will appreciate your persistence, sincerity, personality, professionalism and enthusiasm (another set of factors you can control).
The road ahead won’t be easy. It’s not supposed to be. But try to stop thinking about it in a negative way. And start working on the factors that you CAN control.
If you do, you can’t help but succeed. I promise.
Seasoned freelancers: Tell us your story. What were those early days like? How did you overcome obstacles to get to where you are today?
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Ed Gandia is the co-editor of The Wealthy Freelancer and publisher of the biweekly newsletter, The Profitable Freelancer. To get a free copy of his report, 7 Steps to Landing More Lucrative Freelance Projects visit www.TheProfitableFreelancer.com.
Michael Temple says:
July 30th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Ed, I completely agree with your post. Very timely topic. I did not enter the freelance profession in the easy way by working at it part time until I had a portfolio and clients before giving up my day job. I sort of jumped into the deep end all once with no portfolio and no clients (not a way I would recommend) however it has worked out over time.
For me the first step was having a little bit of a portfolio to show some clients that might hire me. I made the portfolio items myself for me just so I would have something to show. Next I joined a business networking group called BNI and started networking in other places. This took a bit of time, but eventually I had a few paying clients and leveraged them in a big way by asking for testimonial letters, referrals, and of course they paid cash. I used their projects in my portfolio to have more work to show. I kept going this way for a while piece by piece. The projects and clients I work with kept getting bigger and more lucrative as well as coming more frequently.
Once the finances improved I added some very nice marketing pieces, began a branding campaign, added some direct mail and web marketing and grew even more. My practice over time has kept improving and as more money comes in I invest in another marketing project. I continually take personal development and training and use that to grow even more.
I am very happy with where my business is at today and can say I started simply putting one foot in front of the other and built on every little success I had in the early days. However personal development is a big key to all of it. I would highly recommend everyone plan on life-long learning as a business growth strategy. It works.
Ed Gandia, Editor says:
July 31st, 2008 at 9:49 am
Hi Michael.
You make a great point. And that is that, basically, when you’re just starting out, you should take stock of where you are and draft a plan to help you get to where you want to be as quickly as possible (this actually applies to all of us, no matter where we are in our careers, but it’s especially critical when you’re getting started).
While I’m not a big fan of BNI, sounds like you found a way to make it work and leverage your successes there to breed more success. You went about it in a methodical fashion, and I’m sure you adjusted your strategy based on what was working and what wasn’t working.
Which brings up another point: The specific plan you put together will vary depending on your specific goals and how fast you need to get to where you want to go. For instance, I’m not a fan of cold calling or lead clubs like BNI. But you better believe that if I found myself in Michael’s situation (and had a family to feed), I’d be cold calling all day long with a smile on my face. And I’d be at every BNI meeting in town, working those leads like a champ!
Thanks for your great comment, Michael. Always inspiring to hear a great success story!