Notes:
Total 115 minutes, kept 5 minutes as buffer. However, the presenter may tweak accordingly to own requirements.
Notes:
Let me quickly introduce myself.
I’d like to get to know you too. Let’s quickly go around the room, please tell me:
Your name
What do you do currently?
what do you do best?
Notes:
Go through the requirements what one needs to do to get setup:
A workplace (home office/coworking space)
A computer (preferably laptop, for portability)
Strong, reliable, and on-the-go internet connectivity (will help you work from anywhere)
A smart-phone, to stay connected with your clients via email/messengers around the clock
Power backup if internet is not too stable in your location
Equipment depending on your skill (i.e. as a designer, you may want to obtain a graphic pen. As a game developer, some testing devices.)
Notes:For the first, you can select your work hours according to your personal preferences blended with client requirements. As a freelancer, you will always have flexibility in deciding on your work schedule. However, at certain points, your clients may require you to have meetings or other works overlapping with their working hours
Notes:For the first, you can select your work hours according to your personal preferences blended with client requirements. As a freelancer, you will always have flexibility in deciding on your work schedule. However, at certain points, your clients may require you to have meetings or other works overlapping with their working hours
Notes:Once you have your budget ready, you can then plan on how much time you will need to reach break-even point (the point when you have gained enough to cover your investments), and start making profits.
For example, let’s say you have calculated next 3 months’ of budget, and you want that point to be your break-even point. Now, start calculating that how many hours of work you will need to have each week, and what hourly rate you should be paid to make sure all your investments are covered, and you can start making profits.
Reference: DEFINITION OF 'BREAK-EVEN ANALYSIS‘
An analysis to determine the point at which revenue received equals the costs associated with receiving the revenue. Break-even analysis calculates what is known as a margin of safety, the amount that revenues exceed the break-even point. This is the amount that revenues can fall while still staying above the break-even point.
Notes:
This slide is just a soft reminder that no matter how much flexibility of work is there when someone is freelancing; they should always check with authority whether there is any formal process they need to go through when starting their career and when starting to sell services to another entity.
In most countries, you may need to obtain a work permit or license before you can start practicing your work. So start checking with local authorities if you need to obtain any of these:
Trade license
Tax certificate
Vat certificate
Work licenses (especially applicable to lawyers, accountants, doctors, etc.)
Notes:
This slide is just a soft reminder that no matter how much flexibility of work is there when someone is freelancing; they should always check with authority whether there is any formal process they need to go through when starting their career and when starting to sell services to another entity.
In most countries, you may need to obtain a work permit or license before you can start practicing your work. So start checking with local authorities if you need to obtain any of these:
Trade license
Tax certificate
Vat certificate
Work licenses (especially applicable to lawyers, accountants, doctors, etc.)
Notes:
This slide is just a soft reminder that no matter how much flexibility of work is there when someone is freelancing; they should always check with authority whether there is any formal process they need to go through when starting their career and when starting to sell services to another entity.
In most countries, you may need to obtain a work permit or license before you can start practicing your work. So start checking with local authorities if you need to obtain any of these:
Trade license
Tax certificate
Vat certificate
Work licenses (especially applicable to lawyers, accountants, doctors, etc.)
Notes:
This slide is just a soft reminder that no matter how much flexibility of work is there when someone is freelancing; they should always check with authority whether there is any formal process they need to go through when starting their career and when starting to sell services to another entity.
In most countries, you may need to obtain a work permit or license before you can start practicing your work. So start checking with local authorities if you need to obtain any of these:
Trade license
Tax certificate
Vat certificate
Work licenses (especially applicable to lawyers, accountants, doctors, etc.)
Notes:
This slide is just a soft reminder that no matter how much flexibility of work is there when someone is freelancing; they should always check with authority whether there is any formal process they need to go through when starting their career and when starting to sell services to another entity.
In most countries, you may need to obtain a work permit or license before you can start practicing your work. So start checking with local authorities if you need to obtain any of these:
Trade license
Tax certificate
Vat certificate
Work licenses (especially applicable to lawyers, accountants, doctors, etc.)
Notes:
This slide is just a soft reminder that no matter how much flexibility of work is there when someone is freelancing; they should always check with authority whether there is any formal process they need to go through when starting their career and when starting to sell services to another entity.
In most countries, you may need to obtain a work permit or license before you can start practicing your work. So start checking with local authorities if you need to obtain any of these:
Trade license
Tax certificate
Vat certificate
Work licenses (especially applicable to lawyers, accountants, doctors, etc.)
Notes:
Simply go through the pointers above, and emphasize to the audience to write unique and relevant cover letters for every job they apply to. For additional pointers, these can be used:
Match the tone of the buyer or the project. Clients like doing business with people they like and they need to feel comfortable with him or her. The matching tones in the proposal help increase comfort level because it’s familiar to the client. The proposal should, whenever possible, address the client by name. Do some background research, look up the client’s website and past feedback on Upwork to see if their name is mentioned. It gives the impression you spent time on this proposal and in getting to know the client.
Demonstrate you’ve read the description by answering all the questions – asked and unasked. Freelancers often need to read between the lines to see what a client is really asking beyond what’s stated in the job post. For example, a client hiring for a website developer may not have included how many pages they need built as part of their job posting. Or, they may not have stated specifically what programming language is ideal for the job. A freelancer with experience should ask these questions in their proposal. By doing so, you’ll be reflecting your attentiveness to the project and showing you’re not simply copying other proposals you’ve submitted on similar jobs and want to assure the best possible outcome for this project.
Your proposal should quickly highlight the most convincing reason for why you’re the best fit for the job. Clients don’t want to spend a lot of time reading each proposal to find the main point buried somewhere – just make sure to start with it and show how you are unique and have the right set of experiences and skills to get results.
Discuss samples attached. Often freelancers don’t discuss the samples they’ve attached or linked to. Highlight the samples by telling the client exactly what those samples contain. It gives clients more reasons to open and read. Typically, three samples work best as attachments. You can also provide up to 5 links within the proposal.
Make your proposal easy to scan through. Upwork gives a number of formatting options for the proposal. Be sure to at least use basic paragraph blocks, proper punctuation, short sentences and bulleted points where appropriate. But don’t make it too long. A concise but complete proposal is most effective.
Finally, Proof-read: Although it may seem obvious, this detail is often over-looked in the haste to be the first to place a proposal. From the client’s perspective, a great proposal stands out, no matter where on the list it resides.
Remember: An Upwork cover letter is a project focused letter to the client in which you propose how you would complete the project and why you are the best fit for it.
Notes:
Go through each point and use the profile screenshot as an example. Also use the following as additional tips/information:
Under the “introduce yourself” bullet, tips should be:
A title that describes the type of work you would do, similar to a title you would have at a company
List the skills you offer, don’t flood your profile with a lot of skills though
Describe the type of work you do and the work you are interested in doing. Explain why you are qualified.
Under the “Take and pass some Upwork skill tests” bullet, tips should be:
Begin with the Upwork Readiness Test, because it teaches you about Upwork. Successfully passing this test increases your job application quota and includes your profile among other contractors who are Upwork Ready. Consider other free skills tests; there are over 340 of them. Most freelancers publicly display their test scores over 4.00. You can filter out low scores until you retake and improve your exam grade.
Also emphasize that they should add certifications, and include complete details, including explanations, for their work experience and education.
Mention as a "Pro tip" to create a profile video, along with these tips: https://www.upwork.com/blog/2015/03/stand-out-introduction-video/
Notes:
Go through every bullet point, and point out that these are some of the questions a person should ask himself or herself before selecting a job to apply on.
These pointers can be added to the discussion:
All jobs are not equal. And freelancers shouldn’t try and just blindly submit proposals on every job that comes up in their category. Think about the way you want to use your connects on the platform and which jobs you can complete in an efficient manner and with high quality results. Keep in mind that even if you can technically do the job, ask yourself if you really want to do that job. Ultimately, the want and interest in a job will have an impact on the overall results of the completed project.
For the offered rate evaluating part, tips should be:
Never undersell yourself, set a rate you are comfortable earning and would feel proud of
You can always bid on jobs at a higher or lower rate than what is on your profile
A higher rate indicates higher quality
Notes:
On hourly jobs, you get paid by the number of hours you bill, calculated by multiplying your billed hours with your hourly rate
On fixed price jobs, you get paid based on project completion and deliverables (often broken down by milestones)
For contracts where you may need to spend quite some time on brainstorming, creative thinking, etc., fixed price contracts may be a better choice. Some of the example works could be designing, creative writing, application development, developing business/marketing plans, etcFor contracts where you may be working on shifts or fixed hours, with less emphasis on creative thinking, may be suitable for hourly contracts. Examples would be customer service, virtual assistance, consultancy, etc.However, some of the creative jobs can still be suitable to hourly contracts, especially when certain parameters such as deadline, revisions or approval process are not set.
Notes:
Go through every bullet point, and use the screenshot to describe what they are about.
Choose your category: a freelancer should always focus on what they are good at, and only go for the jobs that are in their skill category
Fixed price vs. hourly: refer to our discussion from previous slide, and encourage freelancers to choose based on their comfort level
Experience level: emphasize that this is a crucial filter to use. Freelancers should always be honest about their experience level, and apply on jobs where their experience level match with client’s requirements
Project duration: freelancers should select project duration based on their availability and preferences. While some freelancers prefer long-term work relationships, many freelancers also prefer working on short contracts.
Hours per week: freelancers should never over-commit themselves, and search for jobs that will not require more workload than their present availability.
Notes:
Simply go through the pointers above, and emphasize to the audience to write unique and relevant cover letters for every job they apply to. For additional pointers, these can be used:
Match the tone of the buyer or the project. Clients like doing business with people they like and they need to feel comfortable with him or her. The matching tones in the proposal help increase comfort level because it’s familiar to the client. The proposal should, whenever possible, address the client by name. Do some background research, look up the client’s website and past feedback on Upwork to see if their name is mentioned. It gives the impression you spent time on this proposal and in getting to know the client.
Demonstrate you’ve read the description by answering all the questions – asked and unasked. Freelancers often need to read between the lines to see what a client is really asking beyond what’s stated in the job post. For example, a client hiring for a website developer may not have included how many pages they need built as part of their job posting. Or, they may not have stated specifically what programming language is ideal for the job. A freelancer with experience should ask these questions in their proposal. By doing so, you’ll be reflecting your attentiveness to the project and showing you’re not simply copying other proposals you’ve submitted on similar jobs and want to assure the best possible outcome for this project.
Your proposal should quickly highlight the most convincing reason for why you’re the best fit for the job. Clients don’t want to spend a lot of time reading each proposal to find the main point buried somewhere – just make sure to start with it and show how you are unique and have the right set of experiences and skills to get results.
Discuss samples attached. Often freelancers don’t discuss the samples they’ve attached or linked to. Highlight the samples by telling the client exactly what those samples contain. It gives clients more reasons to open and read. Typically, three samples work best as attachments. You can also provide up to 5 links within the proposal.
Make your proposal easy to scan through. Upwork gives a number of formatting options for the proposal. Be sure to at least use basic paragraph blocks, proper punctuation, short sentences and bulleted points where appropriate. But don’t make it too long. A concise but complete proposal is most effective.
Finally, Proof-read: Although it may seem obvious, this detail is often over-looked in the haste to be the first to place a proposal. From the client’s perspective, a great proposal stands out, no matter where on the list it resides.
Remember: An Upwork cover letter is a project focused letter to the client in which you propose how you would complete the project and why you are the best fit for it.
Notes:
Throw this question to the audience. Take a few random, brief answers. Then progress to the next slide for a broader discussion.
Notes:
Define the concept of personal branding.
Notes:
ACTIVITY (5 mins):
Divide the group into 4 groups. Give each group a personality to discuss based on the questions on the slide
Give the groups 5 mins to discuss each
Give the groups 2 mins to present each and discuss
Make notes on the Flip chart for each personality
Try and pull out key points that relate back to the characteristics of a brand
Total time not more than 12 mins
Notes:
34% of the US workforce is already working independent according to a study Upwork did last year together with Freelancers Union.
Emphasize the importance of the changing world of work and how freelancing is the work world of the future. Let the group know they are ahead of the curve but still there are a lot of people there with them already
Many freelancers will be competing one way or another in the same pool as you
If you do not differentiate yourself now, through your own branding exercise, you will be lost in this pool
You can do this by solidifying your own Brand
Notes:
The aim of this slide is to explain that all of those three components need to go together in order to differentiate yourself from the crowd.
Branding is how clients remember you (experience).
Marketing is the microphone and how you market your brand.
Sales is how you turn this into cash.
In order to have a successful career and business, those three components need to be considered.
You can have the best marketing approach in the world, the best sales techniques, but if your brand is not of value, your target audience will not engage with it.
Basically your brand is your promise and marketing and selling supports this promise.
“Whether you like it or not, you have a personal brand. When you come in contact with people, they will “brand” or typecast you based on the image you project.
Why? Human brains are wired to do this as a “shortcut” to make sense of the world. Without short cuts, life would be too confusing, complicated, and in some cases dangerous.
It is useful to think of branding as having two components - the lock and the key. The lock refers to the target audience that has a need, and the key is the image of the product you create to fill that need. In the case of your personal brand, you are the product.
You have more control if you create your own brand key (image). If you don’t, others will create one for you. More often than not, the image they create will be unflattering or harmful because too many people have a negative agenda, lack branding expertise, or have a natural inclination to compete with you by highlighting your weaknesses.”
Read more in this article: http://www.businessinsider.com/brand-yourself-before-brand-you-2012-4#ixzz3fUargIO6
Notes:
Ask the group what they think “vision and mission” means?
A Vision is a picture of what success looks like to you and what you want to achieve in your life or in your career. It is a guide or map to navigate you on your journey. It is long term. This is your dream.
A Mission gives people an understanding of who you are and what you stand for. It is the “how” when it comes to achieving your personal vision. This is the present state and explains really ‘what you do’ to ultimately achieve your dream.
Before being able to establish your personal brand it is critical that you are clear about your Vision and Mission.
Why does this matter? Think about what you value: If you find yourself doing something that goes against what you value, will you be happy? Will you be successful?
By not starting your personal branding journey with a deeper understanding and ‘formalisation’ of who you are - you might find yourself (the vegetarian e.g.) consulting to a butchery
Notes:
This chapter is a chance for the group to work through designing their own personal brand - it is a very practical and interactive session and you should ensure that you are assisting the group throughout.
Now that you have your foundation it is important to unpack the factors that will support or hinder your personal vision and mission. Go through the 4 key brand factors:
> SWOT analysis
> Key focus areas
> Target market
> Differentiators
Notes:
Go through the points on the slide for the audience to know which items are critical to keep in mind when managing their brand.
Additionally, emphasize the following:
You, as an individual, are not alone in managing your brand. Your clients do that for you as well - positively and negatively.
Clients are key to the development of your brand on and offline.
Make sure that your clients see consistency in your online and offline brands and keep a watch out for what they are saying
Remain true your values and promise by providing exceptional services. Only then can you maintain your brand.
Notes:
At the end of this section you should be able to build an effective environment with the appropriate business tools for your business model.
Facilitator notes → Not for sharing:
Tapping into the freelance market can be tough, as roadblocks you never thought to imagine arise. Limited time and budgets, absence of clients can all be a factor as the workload starts to pile up and the bills come rolling in.
Freelancer is the one who is not working hard, but the one who is working smart. Luckily we live in the Technology Era and we have access to the variety of tools which can support you to be productive and to reach your business potential. Productivity is the name of the game for freelancers. The good news is that there are thousands of amazing tools out there, designed to make your life easier. The bad news is that you don’t have time to try thousands of them. Which ones are worth your time?
Today we are going to go through the classified list of tools that successful entrepreneurs utilize:
Project Management
Project Acquisition
Sales and Marketing
Time Management
Communication
Other
Notes:
Facilitator notes → Not for sharing:
a) Google Docs: Many freelancers already have a gmail address, but not everyone knows about the power of Google Docs. By working with Google Docs, you can create and share documents, spreadsheets, and presentations that can be commented or edited by any colleague. No need for Microsoft Office programs on in PC version. Take that “track changes”!
b) Asana: At times, project management can feel overwhelming. Asana is a cloud-based project management software that helps you keep it together. It is a team-oriented task management tool which was developed as a productivity tool for employees at Facebook. It is no longer exclusive to Facebookers and enables teamwork without email. Each “task”, or “subtask”, can be associated with a larger “project” and “department.” In addition, you can even assign recurring tasks to yourself or team, which makes life so much easier. Stop trying to remember all the things you’re supposed to do and let Asana structure your life.
c) Kanban Flow: The tool offers a bunch of well-made unique features, including time tracking and build-in pomodoro timer. The Kanban board gives you an excellent overview of your current work situation. When working in a team of people you can instantly see what other people are working on right now, what has been done and what is coming up. It’s intuitive user interface will get you up and running in a few minutes.
d) JIRA: is the tracker for teams planning and building great products. Different teams use JIRA to capture and organize issues, assign work, and follow team activity. JIRA should helps your team get the job done.
e) Wunderlist: This is free task manager provides collaborative workplaces and syncs with iPhones, Androids, and iPads in addition to its software version and web app.
f) g) Basecamp: A web-based project management system with an integrated chatroom space. The beauty of the chatroom is that it provides daily connection for people working across different timezones to catch up on conversations that happened while they were offline.
g) Trello: Incredibly easy to use. Trello keeps track of everything, from the big picture to the minute tasks.
h) And many more…
Notes:
Facilitator Notes → Not for sharing:
Time Management:
a) Google Calendar OR Paper Planner
b) iPhone Reminders
c) Grid Analysis: This tool is designed to help you make decisions more effectively. It allows you to list your options in a table format and then various factors as columns. The application lets you score each option and then helps you make the best decision based on the factors you input.
d) Mind42: Mindmapping is a great productivity technique. Mind42 is a collaborative browser-based online mind mapping tool. Mind42 allows you to manage all your ideas, whether alone, twosome or working together with the whole world. It helps you to get more organized by focusing your thoughts thereby gaining clarity on what needs to be done.
Communication:
Skype, Joinme, Bluejeans, Gotomeeting, Google HangOut etc.
Other:
Outlook
Evernote OR Paper Notes
WeTransfer: Need to send gigantic files (up to 2gb) quickly? Try WeTransfer.com. You don’t even have to create an account. I use it almost every day.
Slideshare
And many more…
What are your favorite tools?
Notes:
Facilitator Notes → Not for sharing:
1) Do Your Homework
Gather information from the client, have it all in written form for future reference. That way, if there are any misunderstandings, you and your client can refer to the proposal to clear up any missteps.
Set your deliverables.
Also, ask what their preferred method of communication is and then USE it.
2) In Emails:
Be specific and succinct. Proofread your emails before clicking ‘Send.’ Substitute pronouns “it” and “this” with nouns like “the proposal” or “our launch date” so all is clear for the other party. If the client keeps replying with questions to your emails, you’re not communicating effectively.
Set email autoresponder when going out of town! Let your clients know in advance (I usually give at least a week’s notice). When you leave, set your autoresponder with the dates you’re gone, whether or not you’ll have access to email and client files, and when they can expect to hear back from you. This also helps if a potentially new client emails you while you’re out of town.
3) Phone Call
…..
4) Face-to-face meetings
Face-to-face meetings allow the participants to accurately observe both Verbal and nonVerbal communication of others. Subtle but important nuances such as voice inflection, hand gestures and facial expressions. Pay attention to all of these aspects.
5) Don’t be afraid to ask your client questions:
Some people are afraid to ask questions for fear of looking unknowledgeable. But in fact, it’s just the opposite. Asking about details that may arise during the course of the projects makes clients appreciate your attention to detail. So, ask away! Just try to keep the questions contained to an email or two instead of sending question after question individually to the client.
Notes:
Facilitator Notes → Not for sharing:
“When in Rome, do as Roman’s do” not always works. Don’t adopt negotiation style of other culture, BUT if adopting to the negotiation style of the other side, do it in knowledgeable, respectful manner.
Memorable Example of a Cross Cultural Negotiation.
Notes:
Facilitator Notes → Not for sharing:
1. Be honest. (Do not lie.) In a negotiation, whenever you are ethical and honest even though it costs you something, you gain points. If a counterpart makes an invoice error that is to your advantage and you inform him of it, that costs you something - but it also earns you respect. A client recently called to inform us that we had not sent an invoice for services we had performed for her. That one telephone call let us know that this client is honest. That fact will undoubtedly affect all our future negotiations with her.
2. Keep your promises. In your eagerness to put a deal together, you may sometimes make promises and concessions you hadn't planned to make. You demonstrate your ethics when you fulfil those promises long after the desire to do so has left you.
3. Have multiple options. Going into a negotiation with multiple options will help both you and your counterpart achieve your goals. If someone proposes an option you feel is unethical, you will be ready with another, ethical option for accomplishing the same goal. Sometimes you may encounter negotiators who are unilateral thinkers who have only one option. With them, it's their way or the highway. If their way is unethical in your opinion, you have only one option - to walk away from the deal.
4. Be willing to say "no." Some negotiators are quite comfortable looking a counterpart in the eye and saying "no" when they feel something is not right. Others worry that saying "no" seems confrontational, even when a proposal does not seem ethical - then later they regret agreeing to the proposal. Being willing to say "no" to something that is not right is a great strength.
5. Be familiar with the law. Ignorance of the law is not a good excuse for unethical behaviour. When in doubt about the law governing some aspect of your negotiation, check it out.
6. Follow the Golden Rule. Treat others as you want to be treated. Keep in mind that fairness is very important to the other side.
Notes:
Facilitator Notes → Not for sharing:
Dealing with conflict
Fortunately, you can address conflict in a number of ways. It is important to learn these methods, as you never know when you may need to call on them.
1. Focus on the Client’s needs
Acknowledge that the client is always right.
Do your best to settle the client’s problem
2. Don’t react, respond!
Keep yourself calm in the present moment.
Breathe deeply to compose yourself.
Maintain your composure; be receptive.
Keep track of your emotions, reactions and body language.
3. Let your position go
Don’t be defensive.
Respect the other person’s need to express how he or she feels.
Move aside from your position for now.
Be prepared to be flexible, and consider options.
Ask, “What would it take to solve this issue?”
4. Seek clarity
Check, clarify and confirm by asking open and reflective questions.
Honestly explore problems, effects and possible causes.
Look for opportunities in what you are hearing.
What would they like? What would they not like?
See the problem in a broader context.
5. Look for a win-win outcome
With a “win-win” outcome, both parties’ needs and concerns are respected.
Identify areas of “common ground” and build from there.
What will help achieve solutions that are mutually satisfying?
Would more time or information help?
Identify and work on the issues causing the “blockages.”
If possible, work together for change, or you may agree to disagree.
Get commitment and agreement on the next steps.
6. Maintain the relationship
Review progress and follow up.
Take time to maintain and strengthen the relationship
As you can see, conflict resolution is a big issue—but there are tools and techniques for dealing with it. The relationship with your client is an important one and has far-reaching consequences. By gaining a better understanding of conflict, and ways in which to handle it, you will be better able to cope with these situations if they arise, and continue a satisfactory relationship with your client.
Notes:
Go through the bullet points to talk about what it takes to become a top rated freelancer on Upwork.