What I learned in freelancing as a self-taught developer.

 

This is a 5 part series I am gonna share so follow to stay updated.

Hi, my name is Saifullah Usmani. I am a Programmer and a Graphic Designer. I have been programming for almost 5 years now. And I have worked with several freelance clients.

If this topic sounds like a thing that will add value to your life then consider following my blog because I keep creating quality content for you.

My story:

You have read my introduction. I started programming as a hobby when I was 13. I wanted to create a game and now I can make that game and also I made many but slowly my passion drifted towards web development. And right after 3 months, I got my first order for $5 on Fiverr. This gave me great confidence but then it stopped. Stopped for so long that I lost interest in it.

Why you don't get orders in freelance marketplaces (like me when I was a beginner):

Well, the answer is pretty basic and simple. You may get frustrated or confused to hear this same reply over and over again.

The answer is Communication Skills.

Why communication Skills(what does it really mean):

It is not just talking or writing. It is more than that. So much more than that.

I would say a person with strong communication skills may never die because of financial problems(hunger). That's what I believe.

Explanation of communication skills:

Well, let me clear up the question of which kind of communication skill is needed for Freelancing.

You must be thinking, are there other types of communication skills?. Well yes. There are a lot of areas where communication skills can come to benefit.

But I will not talk about them in this post(Let me know if you want to learn about others.).

So let's get started.

Sales Communication Skill(The skill you need for freelancing):

You want to know the power of this skill. Let me tell you. You can get a job with this skill without even having the skill of freelancing.

Now you may ask why would you do that? why would you take a job you cannot do.

The simple answer is YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO IT YOURSELF.

You can hire other people to do it. Be a broker and earn money by just handling management. You are now a millionaire in a few years:)

Well, this may not be the route you desire. So, you want to be a programmer and a freelancer as well.

How to do freelancing as a programmer:

Four things you must remember in freelancing on small scale:

1. Start-ups run after the latest technologies. They shift to the latest tech without thinking.
2. You have to stay updated(I will tell you how to get out of this rat race of learning everything every time.)
3. Money does matter. If you don't value money, the money will not value you. You cannot attract what you don't desire.
4. You must be good in everything(sadly yes. We will talk about it as well on how to get out of this kind of rat-race in freelancing).
5. You mustn't do it alone after reasonable success.

What does communication skill really mean(specifically in freelancing):

As I said sales communication skill is kind here. So let's understand it much better.

A customer comes to you. He is looking for a website. He has been talking to multiple people. Some are experienced and some are not.

He also comes to you to see if you can be the best fit for his job.

What will you do?

Getting confused? losing thoughts? getting panic? googling? don't know why he didn't choose you for the job?

Well, all of this is happening because you are lacking sales communication skills.

This skill will teach you how to react, what to say, and most importantly what not to say.

Now you understand what is the use and benefit of sales communication skills and why you need them so let's dive deeper into it.

How to learn sales communication skills:

I learned it from those who know it. I learned it from YouTubers who are good at it.

Even if you are learning online, learn from those who have done it. Who failed once and now is successful.

"Dan Lok" got the best playlist for it, but he is just to the point. That is not enough to be able to come up with what to say at the moment. You need to learn from other sources too.

Learn the theory. Try to be able to come up with what to say at the moment.

Have as much information as possible to get good at it. It takes time but it is worth it.

You will never ever regret it.

Why I didn't provide a sample message to send to clients?

The reason is I don't want to make you dependent on this independent world.

I will not give you a fish but I will teach you how to catch one.

I know this is not complete, let me know what should I cover next.

Stay blessed and Happy.

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