Solo Professionals Ideas

Freelancers hate to say "no." Many of them dread marketing and live in constant fear that work is going to dry up at any moment, so no project, no client, no request or demand is ever turned down.

Being able to say "no" to certain things probably inspired you to go to work for yourself in the first place. It is ironic, then, that one of the first things many freelancers give up is their ability to say "no" to anyone.

That's a shortcut to a lot of low-paying projects, doing work that is not terribly satisfying for clients who are more trouble than they are worth. To be successful in your freelance business, whatever the service or market, make "no" one of your favorite words!

Here are just a few places where a good "no" will contribute more to both financial success and personal satisfaction than a weak "yes":

• Say "no" to clients that aren't really appropriate for your services. Your target market is defined just as much by whom you won't work with, as by whom you will.
• Say "no" to projects that you know will not produce the desired results for the client, or you will be blamed for the project's shortcomings and take a hit to your reputation.
• Say "no" to products and services that limp along, month after month or year after year, without producing revenue commensurate with the effort it takes to deliver them.
• Say "no" when too many of your colleagues want to use your time for brainstorming, support, and networking. If you spend more time networking with people just like yourself than you do with people just like your clients, you are not getting a good return on your networking investment.
• Say "no" to prospects who are fun to talk to and are really enthusiastic about your work, but who cannot afford you or never seem to get a project going. You can have just as much fun talking to real customers.
• Say "no" to "magic pills" that will supposedly organize your life, double your productivity, or open a huge new market to you overnight. Freelancers, even more than employees, have times when they feel desperate for quick solutions. Go back to the basics and follow through on them more consistently, instead.
• Say "no" to one or two of your most annoying, or lowest paying, clients each year. Keep pruning the bottom of your list and planting new, better clients in their place.
• Collect as many "noes" as you can from your marketing efforts, whether via direct mail, phone calls, or some other marketing approach. If you can't stand to hear "no", and rarely do, you aren't working hard enough to sell yourself.

It is especially hard to say "no" when you are starting out, and you may have to be a little more flexible in the early going. But remember that of one of your primary business goals is building more opportunities to say "no."

In other words, one of the signs that your business is growing, that you are building a strong reputation and good demand for your services, is that you either have to turn down business, because you have too much to do, or you are able to turn down business that isn't rewarding, personally or financially.

"No" your way to the kind of work, and kind of life, you were looking for when you decided to turn freelance. You will be surprised at what saying "no" a little more often will do for you!

(c) 2007 Will Kenny/Best Training Practices