While you’re meeting with people on oDesk, you might as well expand your business opportunities. There’s more to freelancing than finding a job, doing it, getting paid, and rinse-repeat. You need to think of yourself as a business, and that business should be run with some foresight. Granted, it’s possible to live day-to-day searching for jobs, doing them, and never speaking to the buyer again. Do you really want to spend all of your time looking, though?

When you apply for a job, what do you look for? The money? Whether or not you can do it? How likely you are to get it? There are equally important factors to consider when applying for a job that few people look at.

Business Partnerships

When I look at jobs on oDesk, I don’t just look at the buyer. I look at who the buyer might know that needs work, what other services the buyer might need, and how I can benefit in other ways. Some jobs I’m willing to do for less money because they give me great exposure or the client would look great in my portfolio. It’s almost like doing gratis work except you’re still getting paid.

I like to know who my buyers know too. Usually, a buyer will come back to me if they need more writing done for a different project. That’s all fine an’ dandy. However, I also want to know who they know so I can get a referral to do more work for their clients and friends.

All it takes is a simple question: You happen to know of anyone else who might need (insert your skill here)? If you do good work, then they will be more than happy to refer you to some other work because it will look good. If they can save one of their business partners time by referring you, then that strengthens their relationship.

Another option is to form alliances with several businesses to do work as they need it. I’ll often offer web designers the following: the web designer offers copywriting as one of their services, and I’ll do the copywriting and collect the money. It’s a symbiotic relationship where their web design firm is more rounded and you get more business. If one of their clients can hire that web developer for both the design and the copy, then it makes it much easier for everyone involved.

Referrals

Turn the situation around. If you see that a buyer needs graphics done and you’re not an artist, tell them about your artist friend! The artist will appreciate the business, and you’ll be the first on the list to get jobs referred to you by that artist. Again, it’s a symbiotic relationship which allows you to both profit with minimal effort.

Also, the buyer will appreciate your consideration by making their life easier, so you will be the first one they look to when they have more work for you. It’s all about adding value above and beyond what is expected. Your network of fellow freelancers and buyers is a social currency which can be spent. If you don’t spend it, you’re wasting it.

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