How to be the hustler (freelance style)
The bad news about freelancing is simply existing doesn’t get you work. The good news is a little hustle can go a heck of a long way when it comes from securing a slice of the work pie.
Hustling makes a lot of us feel awkward. Part of the issue most of us have with hustle is the idea of the traditional sales person. You know the guy- he’s too slick for words, supporting the overly white teeth, and the faint whiff of deceit emanating from his clothes. Or the gal who is so money orientated she measures all things in life in terms of popularity and profitability it makes you vaguely ill-at-ease because it feels like she’s sizing you up in a mental column in Excel somehow.
YUCK!
Thankfully, you don’t have to mirror these styles. In fact, considering the cynicism and marketing weary nature of our world, you’re probably better off giving them an exceedingly wide berth.
No- you have to find your own version of hustle. And here is the groundwork that will allow you to work out exactly what that is (or refine it if you’re already a hustler).
Identify the problem you are solving
Hustle is not about backing people into corners, it’s about identifying how your unique set of skills will enhance another person’s life. You are in essence in the business of offering pain relief to someone else’s problem. They choose you because they may not be able to do what you do, they may not have the time to do it, or they need a fresh take on something they’ve been attempting to tackle alone. You’re the Mumma’s kiss to that big old ouchie.
Every time we part with money, we are solving a problem. It doesn’t matter how trivial or important, there is a problem lurking beneath a sale somewhere.
As a freelancer, you are a product. So you need to know how you as that product can identify your client’s problem and be the solution they were looking for.
Journal exercises:
Get your head around the purchase for problems concept by using your customer self as an example.
Write down what you buy between now and next lesson
Now ask yourself what problem you were trying to solve with each purchase
Dig! Think! Break them down and go beyond the surface level.
Even a movie ticket can be curing boredom. A coffee could be giving you energy or it could be a way to give yourself 5 minutes off from the kids or work. Even the “why the hell did I buy that?†items could be solving an emotional issue such as feeling sad, frivolous, trapped and so on.
Look for the way problems and solutions come together. Start mentally making the connection between the two. (Incidentally, it may also help you stop spending on items you don’t need, another thing that helps freelancers stay stress-free!)
Exercise 2:
Now put your clients in the hot seat. Draw 4 columns on a page and:
Write down the most common problems your clients come to you with
Write down the problems you anticipate your clients will have in the future
Write down what you offer as a solution that relieves the pain of those problems
Write down the emotional triggers those issues may have that lie underneath
The big tip here is to focus not only on the service, but the rationale behind the service. For example, a client may come to you to solve their lack of website but they also come to you to solve their lack of customers or to lose the jealousy they feel towards a far more web-savvy customer. It’s the underlying motivation that counts.
An agency may come to you because they need additional labour for a contract, but the problem they have is probably more that they take on too much work or have promised the delivery of an item they don’t have the skills to service.
Ask yourself- how are you Superman (or Superwoman) to their Lois (or Lewis) Lane?
Identify your strengths
You need to work out what your strengths are in order to craft the kind of hustle you want to engage in. Hustle needs to be genuine and sincere otherwise you just look like yet another jerk trying to make a cheap buck off marketing. Nobody wants that.
So how do you identify the hustle?
Answer the following questions in your journal:
What kind of networking do you like to do? (e.g. online via forums and answering questions, adding to the conversation on social media, through your own social media and/or blog, at business drinks, by volunteering, attending educational events, by inviting people to coffee for a one on one chat, meeting through mutual contacts – and so on)
What needs to happen to make these sorts of networking opportunities happen on a regular basis? (e.g. set aside times for social media, find more events to attend, ask contacts to introduce you to people, perform 4 coffee dates a month, get a professional membership or join a specific group, produce more content etc)
What are your core personality traits that endear you to people? (e.g. can you write a persuasive argument or are you better presenting it in person, are you a great listener, do you enjoy helping people, are you funny, do you know how to calm a situation down- what do people go to you for on a regular basis?)
How can you mirror what people love about your personality in your business hustle? (you should know this with these 3 questions)
Add this to the work you did about identifying where your leads come from and ask yourself where you need to be to create more of that kind of fortune? Make a list of places you need to be seen online and/or off in the next 4 weeks
The broad strokes of different ways to hustle are:
Being the “go-to†person for advice online
Having a recognisable presence as a presenter or person of authority
Writing convincing cold call emails and introductions
Picking up the phone to sell your services to potential customers
Volunteering and using it to build trust
Leveraging existing relationships you have to build more of the same (through flattery, staying close, gifting and asking for help etc)
Giving more than a business card at a networking event by answering questions and making follow up contact
Instead of waiting for the jobs to be posted, contacting the clients you want to work with directly to offer help
Instead of waiting for the jobs to be posted, introducing yourself to the agencies that have the work you could do
Being the places where people can find you on a regular basis online and off
Publicising inventive solutions and ideas we have to common problems on a regular basis
You get the idea. It’s about pro-activity and combining that with natural skills you possess. Working the room without physically having to work the room is just as effective as being the person who can.
But always play to your hustling strengths.
Next time, we’re going to design your hustle message so you have a template for emailing, calling, talking, web copy and whatever. So make sure you do this homework please!