Five steps to a successful freelance career

If you want to make more money from your freelance career in 2008 (or if you're currently considering going freelance), here are my five steps to help you. These are a distillation of what I've learned in my 8 years of freelancing at companies around the world - from start-ups to global corporations.

Step One. Firstly, get clear on the kind of work you enjoy doing. When you enjoy doing something, it's usually because you have a natural ability for it. And it feels a lot less like hard work to become successful at something you enjoy. If you have genuine passion for your work, you will stand out from the competition and naturally attract new opportunities to you.

Step Two. Identify your target market. What kind of people or business do you have a natural affinity for? What interests you? What do you have expertise or experience in that will help sell you to clients? What group has the money to pay you? Describe your market in one sentence without using the word "everyone". By choosing to narrow yourself to a particular niche, you may reduce the size of market you are speaking to but you massively increase your appeal to that market.

Take time to consider your ideal client within this market. What are they like? What are their values? Your aim should be to sell to people you like to spend time with.

Step Three. Most important of all, identify the problem you solve for your clients. Here is the simple secret to freelance success: Build a business that solves the problems that are at the top of your target clients' list of concerns. This means that they will have a pressing need for your services. Too many freelancers offer services that are a "nice to have" not a "must have". Convincing a client they should buy from you is enough of a challenge without having to convince them they need what you're offering in the first place!

When a client doesn't buy your services, it's not necessarily because they don't want them. It's often just because they have something more important to deal with. This is usually something causing them some pain (whether financial, psychological, emotional or physical). Hence the marketing phrase "Sell to the pain" or "Sell to the problem".

If you don't know what your clients' most pressing problems are, ask! Call them up or go see them and ask "What's the greatest issue for you in your business/life/health today?" (depending on the services you're offering).

Step Four. Create a product, package or service that solves this problem for them. Rather than offering an open ended service with no fixed cost, consider packaging up your services into a named solution which has a specific price. Clients are often much more willing to buy when they can see a set price for a service that delivers a clear set of outcomes.

Step Five. Market it loudly and clearly. When describing your freelance offering, start with the problem you solve, then describe the results of your solution, and lastly describe how you achieve this. Most freelancers talk far too much about the details of how they do their work. While this may be very interesting to you, it's not that interesting to your clients, at least not when they've just met you.

Describing your client's problem is the best opener. If you're a nutritionist, instead of saying "Eat well and feel great" ask "Want to eat more healthily but never find the time to start?". Web designers should, instead of talking about how good they are or what technology they use, first ask "Do you apologise for your website when prospective customers ask to look at it?" or "Have you spent money to build a website only to find it brings you very little business?"

Follow these steps and you'll find freelancing is less of a struggle, more lucrative and a lot more enjoyable.

John's Freestyle Accelerator Programme starts soon to help freelancers make a better income from the work they most enjoy doing. See www.freestylesuccess.com/makeitpay