Being proactive is one of the most important traits you should have to succeed as a freelancer. Today I’ll briefly talk what this means. I’ll throw in a couple of examples how to do it, too. Watch the video or read the transcript below.
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What does being proactive mean?
Too often I see starting freelancers who create a LinkedIn profile, maybe a website to host their portfolio, a profile on Upwork, and then they sit around on their computers, waiting for the perfect client to knock on their door.
It doesn’t work like that. You need to be proactive. Do your homework – research the market and your competition. Develop your skills. Experiment. Be brave.
Being proactive means creating opportunities for yourself. Don’t wait around – instead, put yourself in situations when you can shine and stand apart from the crowd.
How starting freelancers can be proactive.
If you are just starting as a freelancer, be perfectly clear that nobody will find you and tell you how great you are at whatever you do. You need to proactively look for new clients and projects.
If they have a job opening – good. Craft your proposal and send it over. If you don’t see an active job post but you really think you are a great fit for their team, craft a proposal and send it to them anyway.
Be proactive when improving yourself, too!
Many times starting freelancers email me with questions. There was this one guy, who contacted me through LinkedIn. After we exchanged a couple of messages, he had a pretty good action plan what to do before he comes to me for feedback and further guidance.
Guess what happened! He never got back to me again…
I see him online, alive and kicking, and posting the same questions and pleading for help over and over again in various group discussions. So apparently he didn’t like how much work he had to do.
Being proactive means asking for help but also, following through on the advice you get in return.
Being proactive with existing clients
Even if you have plenty of freelance experience and clients, you can still win new business by being proactive.
Say, you are a professional email marketer. A new client just hired you to analyze their email marketing efforts from the past year. You do that, you get paid, and your contract is over, right?
Well, not necessarily.
Be proactive and suggest to your client how you can further help them. Maybe you can help them plan the strategy for the next year? Maybe you can write the copy for their autoresponders? Maybe you can handle their monthly email campaigns?
Don’t be shy and offer your help, whenever appropriate. That’s being proactive.
Hi Diana,
Excellent post.
And this is so true.
When I came online last year to start freelancing, I was overwhelmed by just how much work there is available. Then again, coming from a sales and business development background, I’ve grown accustomed to creating opportunities, too.
But for someone without the drive to start conversations, grow, and put the “sweat equity” into build their business — the internet can be a scary place.
Being proactive often means doing the stuff we’d rather not do. As the saying goes, entrepreneurs will do what others won’t today so they can live like others can’t tomorrow.
Also, I believe this is my first time commenting on your blog.
I plan to return in the future, so allow me introduce myself. 🙂
My name is Brent Jones and I’m a freelancer. I offer writing and social media management services and have earned my full-time living that way for the past year or so.
I’ve also spent the last year building an audience through my own blog…
But it’s only in the last month or so that I’ve really figured out who I want to serve through my blog — other freelancers!
There are a ton of people in the exact same spot I was just over a year ago… people wanting to leave their full-time career positions to begin building online service-based businesses. And I want to help.
So I guess you could say that my own blog is going through a bit of a transformation at the moment.
In the meantime, I thought it would be a good idea to start connecting with other freelancers, such as yourself. Pleased to virtually “meet” you and I intend to keep in touch!
All the best,
Brent
I remember you, we’ve “met” through the leading bloggers group. You are so right, Brent, when you say “Being proactive often means doing the stuff we’d rather not do.” – leaving our comfort zone is the tough, but that’s the price one should pay to get proactive and succeed, right? 😀
Thanks for stopping by and sharing a bit about yourself. I am looking forward to getting to know you better. I hope my blog will be helpful to you in your freelance journey. 😀
~Diana
Ah! Yes! I knew your name / face looked familiar! That’s right… we’ve crossed paths on that LinkedIn group before! Awesome!
Well, I’m really pleased we’ve connected. And as promised, I’ve returned to your blog.
And nothing good ever happens within our comfort zones. Reminds me of the story of the butterfly… the butterfly has to struggle exiting the cocoon, otherwise it will shrivel and die.
Best,
Brent
Hi Diana,
Another great post, so true! I think the biggest issue I have faced and am still fighting is the amount of great posts, advice and widgets/programs etc. that are out there and you think or feel you should ‘also’ incorporate. Truth is, of course, you just have to start doing rather than planning. Someone smart helped me along that path ;o).
Besides proactive I think it also is a case of realizing it’ll take a while before you have figured out how things work best for you.
2016 here I come, armed and ready (so to speak).
Thanks
Mariken
Someone smart, huh? 😉 You are right, Mariken – one can easily get lost into the planning stage while at some point, they should simply stop planning and start doing. One will never ever be absolutely ready… and yes, being proactive does have a lot to do with having the patience (or being brave enough?) to test, and fail, and then test some more, until you figure things out.
Thanks for a lovely comment!
~Diana
Diana — excellent advice. I’ve had so many people I know who have left the corporate world — voluntarily or not by choice — and they toss out they are going to become “consultants.” The first question I ask them is, “how are you going to get business?” Most times their answer is to stare blank faced.. They don’t have a clue how hard it is to be an entrepreneur. The business doesn’t come to you — you’ve got to after it. That’s distasteful to a lot of people who have spent their careers working for a company and they were doing the hiring of outsiders. They are embarrassed and too shy to ask business colleagues for business. But you’ve got to get over that to succeed.
Right, I totally agree, Jeannette – many think being a consultant is a fancy profession when you just sit in your office and people fight for your attention at the door. While it can be like that some day (ha-ha!) – it certainly doesn’t start that way…
~Diana