One thing that a buyer really likes is to have their work done well and quickly. Let’s say you’re writing a manual for a new piece of software. Everything is done except for your part, and they’re willing to pay you $500 to get it done. You can spend a month of doing two hours a day and send it to them to check, or you can pump out a decent manual in a week. Now, just because you pumped it out in a week doesn’t mean it’s the final product, but at least they have something in their hands to look at and give you direction on. To get it out that fast (and make a good impression), you have to work several hours out of the day. But you want to always be looking to the future to secure more jobs.

Another thing to consider is the amount of work you are taking on at one time. You can probably handle multiple projects, but if it gets to the point where you have to delay the completion of a project for an unreasonable amount of time, then the buyer gets cheated. But if you throw out a copy of that manual with a note attached saying that it’s not the final copy and you’re just letting them know where you’re at, then they will be impressed with your work and know that you’re revising and adding to it.

Another pitfall to avoid is sacrificing quality for quantity. When I was scanning through the jobs on oDesk, I noticed that a lot of people stressed that desire. They don’t want shoddy or adequate work. They want you to take their project to the next level. If producing good material means not working fast, then you have to work longer. As you do more work, though, your speed will increase. So it’s a winning situation for you and the buyer.

Note for Hourly Freelancers

If you’re working hourly, then you need to talk with the buyer about what they expect to be done in a time frame. Usually, they will ask for a quote to get a specific thing done. It’s a bad idea to tell them that you just don’t know. That doesn’t make the buyer feel secure. Instead, give them a quote to the best of your ability but then add on, “but it could swing a little either way.” You’re saying you don’t really know, but at least you’re putting forward an effort. Once you agree on a reasonable time frame, then use that time. If you finish hacking out that code or getting a workable website together and you have a little time left over, go ahead and edit like crazy. Try to give them an amazing product with the time you’ve been given. But don’t go over the time if you finish early. Show the buyer what you have first, and then tell them you can make it better if you have a little more time. That way, they can decide on whether or not to pay for that time to get a better product. If they don’t want to pay for that time, then you both got what you came for and should be happy. Anything else is extra.

If you can throw out that material at a machine gun rate, you can get a lot of projects under your belt. As long as the work is good (I can’t seem to stress this point enough), you will find more work coming your way. You have to think about it in the long run: Do I want to stretch out my hours for this job by going and taking that coffee break, or do I want to get a whole bunch of future jobs where I can potentially be making more money? If you work quickly, then your time is more valuable. If you’re making more money per hour, then it evens out.

But that’s just the beginning. Eventually, your pay not only catches up–it exceeds what your income would be if you were working for less and slower.

In summation, exceed the expectations of your buyer, and you will succeed at freelancing. It’s all about the rep.

ShareThis

• Volume Writing and Bulk Articles
• Open Office 3.0 Beta Released
• Ending a Job
• I Get Paid for Working in My Pajamas, and You Can Too.
• How oDesk Works for You