How to get more jobs as a freelancer in programming
Today, there are countless outsourcing platforms that give full-time freelancers and part-time earners access to a variety of technical projects around the world.
On some websites, however, freelancers are expected to already be able to provide a detailed estimate based on a nebulous project description. Worse, as a domestic freelancer, you may still have to compete against international rivals who often haggle over rock-bottom prices.
To save you time when winning orders, we have put together a few tips for you. These should also help freelance programmers to avoid some critical mistakes.
Find your USP
You should start with an analysis of profiles with similar skills and experiences that already belong to the TOP earners. Many specializations are already saturated with a large supply of freelance developers. The purpose of your competitive analysis is therefore to determine the strengths and weaknesses of competing bidders. This allows you to find out what you need to offer in order to best differentiate yourself from the competition.
Identify a place in a profitable niche and improve your positioning or message to your target audience. If you are not yet able to keep up with the top earners, offer special skills or services that others cannot or do not want to provide.
Don't be a discounter
Don't waste your time with clients looking for the best price. We recommend not bidding on projects that are marked with dumping prices, but rather deal with the motivation or the needs of your future customers and their project tenders. If you want to build a lasting customer relationship, focus on prospects who value Set quality and constantly put projects out to tender.
Good preparation
Read the client's project brief carefully and show your understanding by creating a custom and personalized response. Freelancers must be willing to do some preliminary work to increase the chance of getting a project order. In any case, you need enough information to be able to make a suitable offer.
You should explain to the customer how you can implement each requirement of their briefing. Many bidders make the mistake of not reading through the requirements at all and fuel the market with ready-made answers in a scattering of ways. As a freelancer, you need a professional portfolio to demonstrate your skills. Since no customer wants to look through your entire collection, adapt your work samples according to the project assignment and customer needs.
Turn bad leads into good leads
If the project specifications are unclear or unrealistic, take the opportunity to personally contact the client. Preferably you do this via video chat or over the phone. In the preparation and follow-up there are many credits that you can easily earn. A precise needs analysis can create trust and set you apart from the competition. You can score points with a high level of communication skills. In direct customer exchange, you can impress with your specialist knowledge and pick up the actual goals and needs of the customer with stimulating and specific questions. You may also have a chance to suggest better alternatives to the prospect, or to further define the scope of work once you have a better understanding of the mission, requirements, target audience, etc.
Build customer relationship
Be sure to formulate your offer from the customer's point of view. The more focused you are on helping the client achieve their goals, the more bids you will win. For example, personalize your responses by placing the customer's name as often as possible. Also, eliminate jargon and buzzwords, especially if the prospect is non-technical. Always end your communication with a call to action that encourages calling or chatting. Don't be afraid to show your human side either, because whether you meet in person or through an online portal, people still hire people. If you use the online bidding process as a way to build client relationships beforehand, you will be able to win many projects without having to go through the actual bidding process.
