The Art of Stealing Customers for the Ethical Freelancer
There’s a reason why you have to do double time this year to becoming a freelancing lead magnet. As the growth on the number of freelancers rise, the competition can be close to brutal. If you’ve come your way out of being a newbie, you know how it’s very tempting to steal clients from your competitors who are making top bucks. Irresistible, yes, but it can be done ethically if you want to put yourself to the edge of competition and win more freelance projects.
How Freelancers Can Ethically Steal Business from Their Competition
Stealing is bad… and it’s a no-brainer either! The economy may just be slightly recovering and businesses are looking to cut down costs – BUT.. having a nice break doesn’t mean breaking down your freelancing rate. Think of it this way: Lower your value now at the first point of contact and your customer will always ask for your ‘discounted rate’ whenever s/he does business with you. So, how can you win clients over from the other side of the fence, without devaluing your weight in gold?
Know Your Competition
It helps to identify just who your competitors are, so you can benchmark your services with theirs. Who are their client base? Plenty of freelancers have public profiles in many freelancing sites and professional networking sites like Linkedin. It’ very easy for you to take a quick look that’s totally harmless. You may even learn a few tricks on how they are selling themselves on the Web. That doesn’t mean you have every right to copy their profile, verbatim. It’s not only plagiarism; it’s tasteless..
Flaunt It!
What’s the use of ratings and testimonials if you are not showing it for the whole world to see? If you’re new to freelancing, you can ask reviews from your previous employers who are connected with you in social networks. Word-of-mouth is still a powerful tool these days and peer recommendations can come in handy if you’d like to attract your competitors’ clients. Again, it’s not really a numbers game, but of relevancy and quality – it’s what people write about you that will win trust; not the number of stars or ratings you get.
Sell Something Better
Now that you’ve got an intel on who your competitors are, where they get their clients, and how they present themselves – you can simply sell on the benefits of your service… and sell something better than what your competitors are currently offering. Yes, sneaky, but as long as you do it without stepping over anyone else’s shoes, you will just create that winning bid that meets the needs of your customers.. and did I even mention ‘going beyond their expectations’?
Create a Buzz
Freelancers are always in the business of marketing themselves these days on social media platforms. It is not enough anymore to have a brochure website. Are you current? Are you recognizable? Can you make it easy for potential customers to find you on the Web? If you haven’t blogged, perhaps, now is the time to consider doing so. Whether you wish to participate in online forums about your niche, answer questions that showcase your expertise in Q&A sites, join real-time twitter chats in your industry, keep a brand page in social networks like Facebook or Google+, upload a vlog on YouTube ( and the list goes on ) – it’s all about widening your reach.
Bank on Trust
If you are running a freelancing business with a physical location, you may have yourself accredited and listed in trusted review sites like Yelp and BBB (Better Business Bureau). If there’s one truth I have learned from freelancing is that pushy sales tactics are the thing of the past. Creating trust may simply mean genuine interest in your client’s business, so you can focus on listening to their needs and be confident enough to help them win.
Attracting new customers and convincing them to hire you is a tough job and this is why it’s important to keep your communication channels open. Stealing your competitors’ clients may just mean learning from your competition and continuously improving yourself. Set your goals right then and snag the right kind of clients ( and for heaven’s sake, don’t just go about stealing for fun ).
What About You?
What gives you a competitive edge in freelancing these days? Share your thoughts!
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Something Interesting:
How to Handle Competitors Asking for Inside Information
Freelancing Competition–Friends or Foes?
How to Secretly Find Out What Your Competitors Charge
How to Freelance Your Expertise
