The Art of Overperforming

Once, a freelance writer friend of mine asked me how I always seem to land long-term gigs, while she’s stuck trolling the job boards for one-time projects. This friend isn’t a bad writer. In fact, I would argue that she’s well above average when it comes to the pool of freelance writers on the Internet. In such a competitive field, though, that’s just not enough. You have to actually Overperform.

In other words, give the clients MORE than they expect. At the end of a project, you want your client to think, “I can’t possibly find a better freelance than this person. What else can I give them right now?” When you do a good job, clients won’t want to let you go.

So how do you makre sure you overperform, rather than just doing the job? Here are some tips:

• Send in the project before the due date, or at least on the morning of the due date, not at 11:59.
• Do revisions quickly and without argument (as long as they are within reason).
• Make sure that all of your articles are formatted the same way.
• For ebooks, send a pdf file along with the .doc file.
• Include a table of contents for free with any longer work.
• Be a one-stop shop. Offer other services, such as photography, web design, etc. Of course – you can charge more for these services, but it is important to offer them.
• Give clients multiple options for paying you.
• Send an invoice, rather than relying on them to track how much the owe you.
• For longer projects, check in regularly just to tell them that the project is going well.
• Respond to emails within 24 hours – sooner if possible.

Give the clients more than they want, and they’ll offer you more projects. Even if you don’t really like the project you’re doing, make sure you overperform. After all, you want to be able to pick and choose how you spend your workdays. The next project they have might be more interesting to you.