How repetition can make you a more marketable freelancer
I’d like to start this article of by telling you a story which illustrates exactly why repetition is the best way to build a name for yourself. I will break down what this means for your freelance business afterwards.
I have a neighbor who moved in a little over two months ago. He comes outside first thing in the morning – every morning – and sweeps the garbage, debris and leaves from under everyones carport.
He doesn’t have to, its not in the lease agreement as a requirement for living here, but he does it anyway.
In the short time he’s lived here he has built a reputation for himself as the guy who sweeps the leaves.
After a while I asked him why he does it and he said that it keeps him busy and out of the house. He mentioned that he served in the United State Marine Corps and that he had some surgeries after his time in Vietnam so he doesn’t get to do much.
Sweeping up every day kept him active and gave him a sense of accomplishment. “Plus” he said, “sitting inside all day doing nothing seems like such a waste of a good life”.
I smiled and thanked him for sweeping. Then I went back inside, knowing he is still out there continuing his daily routine.
So what does this have to do with your freelance business?
There’s magical powers in repetition
Most things in life require you to put in some effort on a consistent basis in order to see results and your freelance business is no different. Just like professional athletes train for years to become great (see Michael Jordan, Mike Tyson, Anderson Silva, etc) you need to build up your repetitions in business to grow your skill set and more importantly your reputation.
How much better are you right now at your craft compared to a few years ago? That’s due to practice and repetition. Do you want to speed up the process of getting great? It’s all done through constant repetition – every day for an entire year put in as many hours as possible to improve your skills and see how much growth you experience.
Building a name for yourself
My neighbor is forever going to be known as the guy who sweeps outside every day. You need to build a name for yourself, creating a unique selling position that makes your clients remember you over anyone else they’ve ever talked to in your field.
A ridiculous work ethic is one great way to stand out because your competition will generally follow a 9-5 schedule, so by keeping your hours open longer and being easier to reach at hours when your competitors aren’t you’ll burn an everlasting image of awesomeness in your clients minds.
Doing great work consistently pays off
Are you surprised that people who work the hardest tend to get the luckiest? It’s hard to believe but a lot of people overlook this simple technique because they’ve been overwhelmed by the dream of living free as a freelancer; following the 4 hour work week, checking emails only when you feel like it, etc.
Besides the obvious benefit of building a name for yourself, you can also benefit from repetition in different ways. So what other benefits are there from doing great work consistently?
- Your skills increase and when your work becomes well known you are able to market yourself as an expert in your field.
- Your rates increase because your skills are being sharpened and by being considered an expert, you are able to charge expert rates.
- Your clients will love the work you’ve done for them and will become Word Of Mouth marketers for your business. The better you work, the better your clients feel and the more they want to talk about you.
What are you doing right now?
Are you spending an hour or two reading through your RSS reader? Are you browsing Twitter or Facebook and looking for something to inspire you?
Stop looking for inspiration and go inspire yourself.
