Freelancers -- where do you find most of your work?

I love this thread too!

Daniel was brave when he asked somethingthat some of us were wondering, and weren't sure that it was related toArticulate or to designing better courses.

I think that there’s a component that is missing inthe formula of success that Bruce, Kevin and Holly explain so well: they seemto be very self-confident.

They show clearly what things they know and whatothers they look for experts who know. The image I get from you is like you allare trustable, that you understand, that you know… even if in some areas you just know someone who knows.

I looked up for TEFCAS and it reminds me to NLP, asresults are only that, results, and not negative events to be avoided.

Thanks to the discussion Daniel brought, I’ve beenchanging my website and I’m proud of what I’m getting. Of course it isn’tperfect but… does perfection exist?

So many good takeaways from you all:

1. Focus, man, focus.

2. Sometimes you need to turn down a contract, so something better can come along.

3. Determine what you do better than others and be (sort of) loud about it.

4. If you hate cold calling, than have customers come to you.

Regarding 2, I'd sort of forgotten that I write better than 99.3% of IDs -- I taught writing and rhetoric for 10 years and publish a fair amount, so I SHOULD be better. I'll start selling that harder.

Back to mastering Storyline...Daniel

Kevin - you are too kind my friend

Bruce - thanks for TEFCAS, it's new to me...

Belen - yes, we are probably exuding self-confidence, but you could "fake it before you make it".

Daniel - you have a knack for synthesizing what we seem to take paragraphs to do!

I've just spent several months working on redesigning an entrepreneur bootcamp program (which incidentally I took for both subject matter interest and connections more than money). One of the critical things that tech start-ups do in this program is establish their positioning statement, which I find is a really powerful exercise for any business (including freelance ID).

You distill down the following:

1. Who your product/service is for - be really specific: "state/provincial government agencies"
2. What their "pain" is that your product/service fixes: why they would need your service: "who have many regulatory training requirements"
3. By what key features: what you actually offer "we have a rigorous process to pinpoint the quickest way to provide training to dispersed teams"
4. Contrast what you do to what your competitors do or what the alternative is: "unlike inhouse teams who are always juggling many different projects"
5. Highlight you key differentiator: "we complete projects on a fixed price basis within 6 weeks"

Whatever you would fill in the blanks is how you focus on your best fit client/project. I just made one up to illustrate. Just thought I'd put it out there in case it helps. 

Holly

PS - it's not a bad framework to look at a course design either

Holly: Quite helpful points regarding positioning. Whose pain are you gonna solve (be specific) and how are you gonna solve it? And btw, what makes you different? I wonder if you need that last point (5)? 4 and 5 seem similar, but I think I see why they are both in there. I can also see why you took this project on.

And Holly--I've got an honest question for you? What do you do better than most IDs?--i.e., how do you answer qs 4 and 5. Of course, I wouldn't mind hearing Bruce and Kevin's answer to this question (and whoever else wants to engage).

I call it "How I say I'm the best without seeming like an arrogant ____________." --Daniel

You know I have actually have received a couple gigs requests simply by word of mouth; no advertising on my end. They read my posts, looked at some of my examples, and offered me the gig.  I think the biggest thing people need to remember is to create an e-learning portfolio and keep it up to date. I'm in the progress of creating mine and if people can see what you can do, it goes a long way. I remember one person a while back who use to respond to people offering gigs here in these forums with a link back to a website that honestly had so many broken links it made question this persons ability as a designer. In my opinion, if a person says they can do something, it had better be reflected in their work that they display and if I look at a website that is hard to navigate and is full of broken links, that person would be crossed off the list. As I have always said, "Honesty is the best policy." If you can honestly do something put it on your resume; otherwise leave it off. In the long run if you are honest, and you do a great job, you will get gigs coming to you.

Hope that helps,

James

@Daniel - to answer Holly's #5, I've never given it much thought...until now. Most of the time I look at what's out there and do something totally opposite.

I differentiate because I can help with the needs analysis and front-end design work, actually do the ID if needed (although not my strongest area), create any graphic or illustration on-demand, develop just about any solution, and have extensive experience in delivery methods and environments. So what? Lots of folks can do that. The difference is the visual narrative across the entire spectrum and helping the client "see" their own vision from concept to reality. 

Again, lots of folks do that and do it better than me, but I'm one guy - meaning I can hopefully guide a client from cradle-to-grave (including LMS testing) without passing off pieces and parts of the project.

There are gobs of skills involved in a single elearning course. Toss in multi-media, audio, and SFX and you've got to have either a bucket of people you can reach out to or be confident in your skills to design AND build anything a client throws at you. Not to mention the ever-so-painful perishable skill of project management. I think Bruce mentioned it earlier that over time he's discovered quality artists who can not only interpret his idea but have quick turnaround. Having a set of partners who you can cover your weaker skills is an ideal state to achieve.

Like I said earlier, I can do the ID work but it's not my strongest skill. It takes me twice as long because I over think it. Since going solo, I partnered with a solid ID who has similar design methodologies. They are better at client management and communication than I am and knows how to ask the deeper questions during the needs analysis phase. We work in tandem initially so we're both on the same page with what the client wants, and then they go off and design the course and I start building the UI and other graphics. Over time we've constructed a storyboarding process to fit Storyline and when I get that document, it's as clear a day to read. As a developer, that's a huge time saver. It reads like an instruction manual and I just go to town developing! Here's the bigger thing - working with others you learn new styles and techniques, too.

I'll say it again, Daniel. GREAT question and hope others who are reading this thread can pick up some tips to take the jump. I've been where you're at and can't think of a better community to share my experiences - and mistakes - in order to help others.

That said...In terms of honing your craft, I started writing this a month ago but it's been sitting on the shelf since. This thread inspired me to finish it up and post it.

An Archer's Analogy to Goal Setting

Geez, Bruce, you're making me feel inadequate.

Kidding (mostly). Two things you said that especially strike home: 1.elearning isn't the solution per se  2.when people rave about you, they are not so much raving about the product (the course), but the process of working with you.

Seems a good idea for freelancers to stress how working with them is a pleasant process. Totally makes sense, because even though clients may not know it beforehand, creating elearning is a laborious process.

Thanks, James: Good writing depends in part on honesty -- perhaps successful freelancing as well. Be honest and do a good job. Pretty simple and delightfully so. --Daniel

I enjoyed the post, Kevin. Sort of reminds me the "Zen and the Art of Archery Book." Glad you wrote it. --Daniel

Daniel - my background is similar to Bruce's - I managed training departments, so I know the business side and I also speak "conversational" tech, so I can help translate between what the IT dept says and what it means and vice versa - when my client talks about what they want, the IT dept doesn't get it, so I can help fill in the gaps or at least ask questions to help them find mutual understanding. I also focus on the business outcomes and find ways to fix the problem, not build e-learning. I am steeped in the HPT philosophy and separate out the analysis phase from everything else and do the analysis before we decide to build a solution, so projects are always two-phased. Most times we move ahead, but every once in awhile I'll find that it 10% training and 90% other, so we build something else, or I tell them to save their money and not continue. So, when I answer the question they see that I truly understand their pain and I have their best interests at heart. (Also, differentiate by segment, so what makes me different to a gov't client is not the same to a start-up).

Bottom line: I fix business problems, I don't (just) build e-learning courses. 

BTW - The #4 is there to help you understand what you are competing against (inhouse, big firms, offshore options, etc) so you clearly differentiate yourself, even if it's for your own frame of reference. It's a good exercise, even if it just forces you to follow your own logic. You need to know why they would hire you. If you can't answer that, then you spend a lot of time chasing bad leads or working with the wrong clients. 

A point to James' comment - your reputation is a constellation of different things - if you say you are helpful and speedy to a client, but that isn't reflected in public forums (even places like this), then it will give prospective clients reason to pause. So, if you see this forum, or Twitter, or your local business publication as a place where your prospective clients or referrals might be, then make sure your message matches your actions. So portfolio is huge if you are selling e-learning development services, but I think it goes beyond that.

If you look at Kevin, I'm sure he got noticed through his online presence, even if it wasn't directly, it was indirectly, by someone saying "hey, this guy is really talented". When I see how helpful he's been on the forums, I think: wow, there's a guy I'd like to work with or someone I would recommend. Some of that is his work, some of it is how he comes across.

My own example - I write and stay involved with my local HR association, so whenever someone has a training question (of any kind), and they introduce me, refer me, whatever, it is someone new that I haven't met, but they have already seen my blog posts, articles, attended a webinar I did, etc, and that gives me a platform to draw upon and they feel like they know something about me (and I must be legit, as the HR Association lets me write for them). I answer their question, even if it means I do some free research. They will have an impression of me that I'm helpful and who will be the first person they call when they have a training project? Me. Well, at least I hope its me!

Bruce said it best:  

I have been asked to lunch tomorrow to provide some advice to someone who runs a sales organisation in one of the World's largest companies. That's not because I told him all about Triggers, Variables and Layers - it's because previously I delivered an entire package, at a good price, worked effectively with his staff, and got great feedback from users. THAT's how you find work as a Freelancer.

Good conversation and I'm learning lots too. How would you answer your own question Daniel?

Holly