You may be an exceptional designer or a gifted developer, but it does not guarantee that you will be successful as a freelancer. This is because freelancing necessitates much more than just design and development. You'll have to deal with a pile of paperwork and the never-ending fight of bringing in new projects, not to mention keeping your clients pleased. Freelancer Tools.
There's no reason to panic, thankfully. Not only are there excellent tools for developing websites, such as Shopify, but there are also solutions for handling non-chargeable activities. Tools to assist you to deal with admin and sales tasks as effectively as possible, so you can focus on what you do best: designing great websites.
So let's take a look at five distinct sorts of tools that are critical to every freelancer's success. We'll start with the most terrifying aspect of freelancing: dealing with money.
Are you in the process of prototyping fantastic websites? See our post on the best prototyping tools for more information.
1- Financial tools
Finance is one of the major challenges for many people considering becoming freelance. Even when people take the plunge, many rapidly lose control due to unanticipated tax obligations and unpaid payments.
However, there are several excellent solutions available on the market that may help you avoid these issues. FreeAgent, Xero, and Freshbooks are examples of accounting software.
Freshbooks, for example, may help you save money on accountant costs while also putting you in charge of your finances.
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In certain circumstances, these instruments might eliminate the need for an accountant. Even if this isn't the case, it will lower the amount you must pay them.
Most importantly, they will empower you to take charge of your finances. You'll be able to analyze your profitability at a glance, identify any potential cash flow issues, and figure out how much tax you'll need to set away. You'll be able to automatically invoice clients, accept payments, and chase late payers for only a few dollars each month.
Of course, you must first win some jobs before you can invoice. That usually entails putting up a fantastic proposal.
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2- Proposal software
Responding to tender invites is a necessary but time-consuming activity. Each document must be meticulously prepared, and in many circumstances, it is also expected to be visually appealing.
Of course, spectacular proposals may be created without the use of any specific software. However, there are benefits to utilizing an app like Qwilr or Proposify, the most notable of which is the time savings.
Using specialist software like Qwilr, you may quickly design great-looking proposals.
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These programs offer a variety of design templates that may be customized to make your proposals seem their best. They also allow you to store copy parts for reuse in other documents. When copying between proposals, Proposify will even change items like client names, saving you the time and effort of discovering and changing every instance of the previous customer name.
But, in addition to saving time, these applications have additional advantages. They'll also let you know when a customer views your paper and provide you data on which parts of it they looked at the most. They will even allow clients to officially accept the proposition and pay for it.
Both Qwilr and Proposify contain sophisticated capabilities that would be hard to achieve in a Word or PDF document. They feature interactive price tables, for example, that allow the client to specify the deliverables they desire.
When work begins, having a defined statement of work signed by the customer, as well as a good project communication platform, will make life a lot simpler.
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3- Project collaboration tools
To be successful as a freelancer, you must be in charge of your work. Not only can clear communication help you stay profitable, but it will also comfort clients and give them faith in your capacity to deliver.
There is a plethora of project management software available, the most well-known of which being Basecamp. However, numerous alternatives are now accessible, ranging from Citrix's Podio to programs like Trello.
Project collaboration software increases project profitability and improves client communication.
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You may use these tools to keep track of projects, assign tasks, and manage all of your project assets in one place. But, most crucially, it will centralize all client communications.
However, exercise caution. Some clients will have particular working methods. Forcing customers to utilize a product with which they are unfamiliar might lead to misunderstandings and strained relationships. Before beginning a project, always check with your customer to see if they are pleased with your app of choice.
Although solutions like Basecamp are useful for organizing project materials, you need also think about the paperwork that pertains to your organization.
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4- Document repository
From tax certificates to meeting notes, a firm creates an astonishing amount of data. This information is frequently dispersed across the organization, from old notes to file cabinets to emails.
This data should ideally be stored in a central location and searchable promptly.
Fortunately, some instruments are specifically designed for this purpose.
There are tools like Bear or Notion for folks who primarily work digitally. Both programs are excellent at organizing digital stuff, but they fall short when it comes to arranging traditional documents. Evernote is unrivaled in this regard.
Bear is just one of the numerous applications that might help you keep track of your paperwork and notes.
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Evernote is still the finest tool for dealing with papers, even though it has grown obese in recent years. It's simple to convert paper material to digital using its scannable app. There are even pens developed exclusively for capturing material in Evernote.
Most crucially, Evernote not only makes it simple to transfer paper-based material into the program, but it also makes it searchable. Even if the documents are handwritten, you may search inside them.
Having all of the company's documents in one location and making them searchable would make life much easier. The same may be said for information on potential clients.
5- Customer relationship management systems
With any luck, you'll be inundated with sales leads. Leads that need to be pursued and managed. Prospects that might take months, if not years, to materialize into projects. It's difficult to keep everything straight in your thoughts.
When you've been after individuals for a long time, it's difficult to recall why you're chasing them. Sure, you could use a task app to remind you to follow up with individuals, but then you'd have to rummage through your emails to remember where the discussion ended up. A customer relationship management (CRM) system can help with this.
Most people associate customer relationship management (CRM) with huge corporations with thousands of clients. But not all of them are like that. CRMs are also available for small enterprises.
A tool called Pipedrive is one of the greatest. Pipedrive helps you to keep track of all of your prospects as well as any potential agreements. It also allows you to set up reminders for when you need to follow up on those leads.
Pipedrive helps you to keep track of incoming leads and plan out forthcoming tasks.
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Pipedrive helps you to keep track of incoming leads and plan out forthcoming tasks. However, the most essential feature is that it connects with email, allowing you to view all correspondence related to a sale. If you choose, it can even connect with your contacts and calendar.
Essential tools or a luxury?
When you're freelancing, it's important to keep track of every penny. Signing up for all of these various services may appear to be an unnecessary expense. However, you must consider how much time they may save you. You may be working on paid projects or bringing in new leads instead.
