In the United States, working as a creative could help you attract roughly $61,084 in annual incomes as a freelancer or fully employed in a 9-5 job. Based on that, it is easier to conclude that the money is good. However, your income could be high if you apply a few additional tips. Primarily, you should display your professionalism for all clients to see. Professionalism is evident in how you carry yourself from the way you pitch clients to handling the work and sending invoices. To this end, you need a tool as powerful as the creative quotation template to help you stay in the straight and narrow path of the freelancing world.
1. Pricing by the service rather than the hour
Clients would always want to know the kind of services that you offer as a creative. After that, they would be interested in your experience and qualifications. Then, the next question they ask often has to do with your rates. Top freelancing creatives understand the importance of quoting a price based on the service offered rather than the hours worked. Charging by the hour is a non-strategic decision that could make you appear unprofessional. Moreover, charging by the hour sets you and your client on opposite sides because they would like you to bill for fewer hours. On the other hand, you probably desire to bill more hours!
2. Slow down
You may be wondering if slowing down has anything to do with your professionalism as a creative freelancer. Here, slowing down refers to the how, when, and who you hire as clients. There is no doubt that freelancers need as many clients as possible. However, some clients are not worth the trouble. Your creative quotation template should guide you to sift the best from the worst clients. A quotation template helps you to inform clients what you expect from them. It allows you to sit back and confirm if the client you are negotiating with understands you or your terms. To do this would need establishing a proper procedure for hiring clients.
3. Injecting value
Next, you have to consider injecting value to your clients. Your creative quotation template should not lean excessively on the price. Instead, it should pinpoint or highlight the value that you are about to offer your freelance clients. As long as clients see the value of paying for the value that you bring to the table, they will have no trouble paying the highest rates you charge. Charging more for crap is the quickest way to kill your budding career as a freelancing creative. On the other hand, charging more for the precious value you offer is the fastest way to enhance your career as a freelance creative.
4. Charging what you’re worth
It is important to use the creative quotation template to let clients understand that you know your worth. They probably know nothing about your worth, especially if you are working with them for the first time. However, you can draft a quotation that does not leave room for doubt. Charging what you are worth is all about changing your mindset. Not all creative have the right freelancer mindset. A freelancer’s mindset involves knowing how to hustle for work and being aware of the costs of each project based on time and money. It also revolves around knowing your “why” for working as a freelancing creative.
Therefore, use the quotation template as a powerful weapon to propel your career as a freelancer to the next level. As 2020 has clearly demonstrated, your world can change quickly without any advance warning. For this reason, it is imperative for you to take charge and be on the lookout for new opportunities. More importantly, never stop working on your professionalism. Whether or not you are hired depends on many factors. The more prepared you are, the higher your chances of being hired by your regular or prospective clients. Set the ball rolling by learning how to draft a creative quotation template today.
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