To succeed at making an income providing freelancing services, you must be confident in your abilities to get results and demonstrate professionalism in every interaction with prospects and clients. If you second-guess yourself, you may find clients try to take advantage of you by micromanaging tasks, demanding work above and beyond the project scope, or asking you to cut your fee. Here are a few tips to manage that perception.

• Be professional. Be conscious of the image you present when meeting in person, speaking over the phone, or responding to email.
  
  
• Be competent and confident. Do whatever it takes to gain the experience and skills to be competent in whatever you do. Know your value and be able to demonstrate it with results. If you feel a client is taking you for granted, don’t be afraid to have a frank conversation about compensation.
  
  
• Learn marketing. Get good at attracting clients. Most service providers get the bulk of their business from referrals, so join industry associations and network. Build a solid referral base and keep in touch regularly.
  
  
• Don’t ignore the business side. While it is tempting to focus on serving clients and doing what you love, don’t ignore things like client communication, project management, and finance.
  
  
• Ask for an initial deposit before work starts. Don’t be afraid to ask for a deposit of a percentage of your fees plus any anticipated out-of-pocket costs before you start working together.
  
  
• Have self-discipline. Learn how to best manage your time so projects are completed within deadlines. Devote time each day to client work and to marketing your services, and have a way to separate work from your personal life.
  
  
• Create a safety net. Before you go full-time, save enough money to cover at least three months of expenses as a buffer.
  
  
• Be willing to walk away. No one likes turning down paid work, but if a client is rude, disrespectful, or unwilling to engage in a two-way dialog, you are better off spending your time on other projects.
  
  

By keeping these tips in mind, you can create a rewarding, high-income career as a freelancer.

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