Do you have samples or testimonials of your Work? As you begin your work at home career, you may find yourself stuck between a rock and a hard place. You don’t yet have any samples to show potential clients. However, nobody wants to hire you until you can show them samples. What is a new freelancer to do?
Before we get into the finer details of organizing your samples, here is the some advice I can give:
Create Your Own Samples
For example, if you are a freelance writer you could create a sales letter for a product that you have purchased yourself. Along with this, you can write a feature article on a subject that interests you and send it to them. You can also start a blog on a topic you are interested in.
Not only will this give you some samples to use as you prospect for new clients, but it will help hone your writing skills. Talk about the best of both worlds!
Now that we have that out of the way, let’s take a closer look at how to manage and organize your portfolio:
Only Include Your Best Work
Why would you want to send something to a prospective client that you don’t consider to be one of your best projects? If you do this, you are lessening your chance of impressing the client and receiving the contract.
Variety is Important
This holds true no matter your industry. A web designer would be best suited to include everything from a blog design to an ecommerce store to a static website in his or her portfolio. By doing so, you are showing clients that you have a lot of experience with a variety of projects.
Keep Samples in Files That You Can Easily Send
Let’s face it: most prospects will request that you send samples via email as opposed to meeting in person. Not only is this easiest for them but it will be easiest for you as well. After all, not all your clients will be local.
It is essential to save and organize all your files on your computer. When you know where to find a file it is simple to attach it to an email and send it without delay.
The More the Better, As Long As the Quality is up to Par
This is not to say that you have to send every sample to every prospect, of course. However, it is nice to have a large stable of samples to rely on when needed. Believe it or not, some clients will request one sample after the next as a means of verifying your competency and determining if you are the right person for the job.
Add a Portfolio Section to Your Website
By doing this, you are accomplishing three things:
- Adding more quality information to your website
- Giving visitors the ability to review your work before contacting you
- The ability to avoid sending multiple emails with attachments
With the five bits of advice detailed above, you should be able to organize your portfolio in a manner that will increase your chance of closing more deals.
Now to You
Have these worked for you? What other ways have you shown your potential customers you are the right person to work with?
