Consistency in work delivered is important

What is consistency in work? It is the ability to apply the same level of performance through out your work without any compromise on quality. Consistent excellence in work will benefit the freelancer. The time frames used for completion and the quality of the work benefits the freelancer getting him more and more work from his employers.

But, when it comes to freelancing why is consistency important? Many times the employers do not see you face to face. Hence, consistency in work is the only way, they can identify with you. They form opinions about you, based on the quality of work you deliver. There are no other measurement techniques applied. It is only consistency in work that will speak volumes about you and your professional capabilities.

Consistency also means accountability. So when there is no one to monitor your activities, you need to prepare your day to day work constructively and deliver results. This enables you to develop responsibility towards your work. Appropriate actions taken at appropriate time schedules will ensure success in work.

How can one develop consistency? Rewarding yourself for work well done is a method used to develop your own self –respect, and pride about the work you do. It takes a great deal of patience to develop the level of consistency that a client or an employer expects. The only way to achieve this is to have a super will power. Getting things done against all odds and rewarding yourself for each achievement will see you good towards your travel for perfection.

Another factor that helps develop consistency is the rules that you set for yourself. Every time you adhere to your set rules, you are accomplishing your set standards. Every time you accomplish, you are nearer to the point of consistency in your career graph. So, have rules that are accomplishable yet smart so that you can adhere to it and notch up the consistency mark.

Consistency also generates confidence in your mind about the work you do. This confidence will see you through many projects. Confidence helps you realize that whatever happens, you will scrape through well with the help of this quality called consistence. It will instill in you, the ability to survive adverse conditions at work.

Will power is also a quality that helps you with the consistency factor. When you have a strong will power to get things done when circumstances are adverse, it is consistency playing its role well. It helps you to do your work at a great speed. With consistency, you develop expertise in work. This means you are able to complete your work faster.

Hiccups are bound to occur while you try to be consistent at work. But these are only temporary. The harder you attempt overcoming them the greater is your success. Sustain on your attempts to be consistent. You may feel pressurized at times. But you will succeed with great will power. Once you have tasted success, you will want to continue being better.

Let us look at another aspect of being consistent. While being consistent is good, one has to be realistic about the goals set. Anything and everything is not achievable by just being consistent. There should be strategic plans that will guide you to doing a task. Such plans will enable you to know whether you will be successful in an attempt or not.

There are quite a few more things that could be written here on consistency. But the message is that while you work, focus on the job at hand, and also adhere to consistency in quality. This should be sufficient to help you run your business ethically and to earn good will of the clients. Keep your mark on the consistency graph and ensure that it peeks with experience. Do not allow your mark of consistency on the graph to go down at any cost.

Discounts, Deals And Free Samples: To Do Or Not To Do?

When a new product is launched in the market, the marketing company makes a marketing plan for the product. The marketing plan many contain discounts, deals or free samples or all three of them to attract customers and establish a base in the market. Similarly, when you are a freelancer you have to from time to time offer some enticing offers to attract clients. With more than 30% of the world population favoring freelance work over regular jobs the competition is tough out there.

Deals and Discounts are also a way in which you can keep your name in circulation. For example if your name is in circulation with deals or discounts for web designing then a client is most likely to hire you then go in search for freelancers whose names are not in circulation.

For freelancers the question of offering discounts, deals and free samples has often been a topic of debate. For some it is a great way to break into the market especially if they have just started as a freelancer. On the other hand, many believe that lowering your quote can harm their creditability as a freelancer. As a freelancer, it is very difficult to estimate the amount of work involved in a project. You can estimate but can never clearly define the amount of effort and time that will go into it.

So the question arises whether you should be doing it or not. The answer is it will depend on project-to-project basis. However, there are some good and bad points, which you can consider to make your decisions easy:

The Good

  • If you have very few clients or have just started then offering discounts and deals can bring you an influx of clients.
  • Free samples of your work will help the client judge your understanding of the project and therefore chances are that you might bag a long-term project.
  • Limited time discounts or one-time deals can get you some quick cash.
  • Discounts, deals and free samples are a great way to build a portfolio as a freelancer and gather some testimonials.
    They are a great way to get into a tight budget client.

The Bad

  • It may seem that you are getting desperate for work and therefore offering the discounts.
  • You might end up attracting clients who want to get a lot of work done by paying meager price, which might not look so good on your portfolio.
  • When you offer a discount, the client might think that you feel that your rates are not justifiable. This might come across as a wrong impression.
  • Of course, you have to use your judgment at times to decide the course of events. Consider the following factors
  • Your current client network
  • Amount of work that you can take on
  • Is it going to put you in loss?
  • Will it benefit you in other ways except monetary

I once had a client interview me for a writing job who wanted five free article samples before hiring me and the job was of a total of 10 articles! Needless to say, I had to decline the offer, as it was clearly a sham to get some free work done. In addition, you have to be careful of clients who do not release your payment until you do some extra work.

When you are offering any kind of deal or discount then make sure that you make all the terms and conditions clear to the client before starting. Remember the idea is to get them to offer you more work and not to think that you are willing to work for less.