When people hire a freelancer, they are making a judgment based on very little. They’ve looked over your website and had an initial conversation on the phone but their decision about whether to hire you or not is largely based on first impressions. That’s why professionalism is so important. You need to send the right message to prospective clients but, unfortunately, a lot of new freelancers make mistakes that give the wrong impression. These are some of the things that can make you look unprofessional as a freelancer.

A Slow Internet Connection

There is nothing more irritating than trying to get work done while you’re sitting in front of a slow internet connection. Slow internet connections are the biggest cause of lost productivity for freelancers and they can make you look incredibly unprofessional. Missing deadlines because your internet is down or cutting out in the middle of a video call will leave clients with a very bad impression. If you often have problems, you should find out if you’re in range for faster internet with this broadband coverage checker and switch provider. You can’t afford to live with slow internet if you want to be a professional freelancer, so update your service right away. 

Your Wardrobe 

When hiring a freelancer, clients are making judgments about their personality and professionalism already. They want to feel like they can trust you with work that matters. In an ideal world, you wouldn’t be judged by the way that you look, but people will be put off if you are dressed in scruffy clothes. So, make sure that your freelancer wardrobe is updated and you have lots of professional office clothes for meeting clients. 

A Badly Designed Website 

A lot of new freelancers are tempted to cut costs by designing their own website. You can design a simple site with free or cheap tools and it will look great, if you know what you are doing. But if you aren’t great at that kind of thing, it may be worth getting a professional to do it for you. A bad website means that clients will think your work isn’t good enough and they’ll be put off by your unprofessionalism. If you’re strapped for cash, a paid template will look a lot better than a free one and it could give your business the boost that you need.

Bad Phone Manner 

Your telephone manner can really make or break your business. You need to make sure that you sound friendly and welcoming on the phone. However, don’t be overly casual because you still need to come across as professional. For example, don’t use abbreviations or slang. Also, try to sound enthusiastic at all times and you’ll come across as someone that is fun to work with. When clients are talking on the phone, they want to feel like they are in control of the conversation so it’s important not to interrupt them. These initial phone calls with clients are so crucial, so make sure that you practice your phone manner. 

If you are going to make it as a freelancer, you need to avoid these common mistakes and always present yourself in the right way.