With the IT sector booming, there are more and more freelancers in this field, and to succeed it is important to be well prepared, and in particular to set yourself clear and precise objectives to make a difference in the market. Here are 6 tips to help you prepare as a Freelancer.
Take stock of the past year
The first step is to take stock of the past year. This will enable you to learn from your successes and failures, and set more ambitious goals for the coming months.
To carry out a full assessment, ask yourself the following questions.
All this soul-searching is part of the process of achieving your new goals. On the other hand, we advise you not to overload yourself with projects and goals in the first month. The mental load shouldn't be too intense so that you don't give up on your new resolutions in the first few months. Plan your projects over time - remember, this isn't a race, it's a marathon. Instead, we advise you to refine your strategy every quarter, to maximise your performance throughout the year.
Get ready! Define your objectives for the next 6 months
Once you've taken stock of the past months, you can start to define your new objectives. We advise you to choose the SMART method, in order to set effective goals:
Admittedly, it may be more complicated to set goals using this method, but it's well worth the effort if you want to prepare yourself effectively. In fact, it's not enough to define your objectives; you need to integrate them into your action plan. This roadmap will give you greater clarity in coordinating your projects, and will make it easier to monitor performance indicators for your long-term strategy.
"Clean up the administrative side of things
The administrative side is important for the smooth running of your business and to avoid unpleasant surprises. At the start of the year, take stock of your accounting and administrative obligations. Make sure that your invoices are paid on time and numbered correctly, that your tax returns are up to date and that you have managed to put in place good time management tools.
To help you with these often redundant tasks, we at Malt have selected the best tools and services and negotiated the best rates with our partners to help you with various administrative tasks.
To help you plan ahead for the coming months, we recommend that you draw up a forecast of your administrative expenses.
Work on your personal branding to make a difference
Your personal branding is the image you project to your customers. It will help you to develop your visibility and reputation across the various channels (social networks / customer contact platforms, etc.).
You can organise your personal branding by preparing a range of editorial content in advance, highlighting your previous projects/experiences and customer feedback.
LinkedIn is an important platform for developing your personal branding. Be active and visible! Create your content on what is most important to your customers and think about how you can adapt it to your own story, personality and ambitions.
For effective personal branding, you need to keep up the pace. By commenting on and reacting to your prospects' content, you can stand out from the competition by making yourself visible and available.
A new term that rhymes with performance: get trained!
The world of work is changing fast. It's important to keep up to date with the latest market trends. And, of course, to make a difference! In fact, training is an inherent part of the success of your freelance activity. And there are various sources of funding available to you as a Freelancer.
To identify the training you need, ask yourself the following questions:
Training is a good way to regain energy and be more creative in your business. A real boost to start the new term.
Relaunch your existing network and find new customers
Your customers are the most valuable "ingredients" in your self-employed business. That's why it's so important to maintain long-term relationships with your prospects and customers as you develop your business. We're not telling you anything here! But to improve your relationships with your customers, you can implement new, effective communication and collaboration processes.
As a first step, it's a good idea to take stock of the projects completed or in progress over the past year with each of your customers. Especially if they are regular customers. A face-to-face meeting can be a good way of strengthening your relationship with your customers.
During this meeting, you can discuss the communication between you, the tools used to exchange ideas and set up your project, the work itself, in-person or remote working requirements, etc.
For the prospects section, you can take stock of your target customers: who might be interested in your skills? What needs does your expertise meet?.. But also consider your prospecting methods: which channels should you use? How can you stand out from the competition using the tools at your disposal? It's vital to maintain your network and look to the future.
Bonus: maintain your relationships with your network of Freelancers
As a Freelancer, you tend to be more independent and might not consider the importance of developing a network around you.
However, talking to your peers is key to success if you want to develop your business further. Whether you're in the same sector or not, by meeting other freelancers, you'll have access to a real pool of opportunities, as well as sharing good times away from your day-to-day independence. This year, to develop your Freelancer network, you can take part in professional events such as webinars, our events, etc. These will help you expand your network more quickly.
