Five Most Common Mistakes Done by Freelancers

It is often said that we learn from our mistakes, but sometimes it's better to learn from other people's mistake than on our own. 

Every freelancer has a story, but here is mine. I hope it will be useful, and you will share your thoughts in the comments.

1. Undercharging

Most of us suffer from this. Money is a difficult subject for many people. While it is easier for me to talk about money than before, I still think it is not quite a convenient theme. While talking about is not easy, it is extremely important. 

You have the right to receive fair payment for your artwork. How do I know that you have decreased your price? 

If you are doing a good job, and there are an endless stream of customers, the prices are too low. 

Be careful when measuring the value of your work by hours, when it is not necessary. If you charge by hours, when work is done faster than expected, you are actually punishing yourself. Some jobs require considerable experience and expertise with little time to implement. Like one old carpenter explained, when his client had complained about the price for the repair of his squeaky floors:

There is $1 per nail, and $500 for knowing where to nail it. 

2. Overexploited 

No customer has a right to dispose of your time, even if it's well paid. When a customer pay to occupy your time, he/she becomes your owner or boss, which is unacceptable in a freelance job. Remember that in addition to already existing work, you need time out to offer your services on the market and cooperate with clients in order to obtain work in the future. Permitting the client to tell me the amount of time I had to work on the project was worst of the mistakes I've made, because when the project was done I had obsoletely nothing else to do. Ideally, it is good to have four or five parallel projects, plus time for some break. It doesn't worth letting one project force you to get behind life. 

3. Inability To Sell 

I think that for freelancers, the next in importance after the financial issue is the positioning and selling your services. The fact that in most cases the client will know that he needs your help, but will not know what he wants. Sell does not mean cheating people. If you really can help someone, offer your services  in a way so that it is easier to accept than to refuse. Learn everything about the client: their needs, problems and goals. And analyze what you can give him. Most importantly:

listen more than talk

4. Always say "yes" 

Fear can make us do a lot of nonsense. It took a lot before I started to decline. Some requests have been easier to reject than others. Requests to work for free still come, but I have succeeded in refusing them also. It is pretty difficult, but I can do it now. You must remember that a bad deal or a bad client can hurt you much more than the loss of a single project. Be prepared not to accept everything that comes your way, and know that you can be pleasant and friendly without agreeing to everything! 

5. Lack of follow-up 

Former satisfied customer can become your biggest source of new orders — both through hiring you again, and by providing you with good testimonial. Therefore, always ask for at least a little feedback, when the customer is satisfied with the result. It is better if you can get recommended to someone else through his/her good worlds. And don't worry, you not gonna get hurt just by asking. It may also be useful to send former customers birthday greeting, holiday cards and just simple "hello." You never know, maybe they were thinking of a new project.

Like most of us, I still have much to learn in freelance, but I get pleasure from doing this, making mistakes, and learning along the way.