6 Things That Will Make You Look (and Feel) Like a Pro

Do you ever find yourselves looking at the work of other small business owners and wondering how they did it… how they went pro?

It’s so, so easy to be intimidated by other people in your field. To feel like you’ll never get where they are. To think you’ll never make the switch from amateur to pro.

There’s a lot of advice out there about the mentality involved with becoming a professional. Most of it goes something like, “Decide you’re a professional! Act like it! Congrats, you’re there!”

But when you’re floundering around, trying to find work and make a name for yourself, that sort of advice doesn’t help very much. In fact, it can leave you feeling less professional than ever.

How exactly do you act like a pro? How do you start feeling like one?

Making mental transitions has never come easy to me. I need actions to implement, steps to take, concrete things I can achieve to make me feel like I’m moving forward. And if you’re anything like me, than you’re probably in need of a few specific steps you can take on your journey to being a professional freelancer.

Six Things You Can Do Today to Look (and Feel) Like a Pro Freelancer

1. Get a website

Think about how you find goods and services: you search online, right? Well, everyone else is doing the same thing. If you want to land clients, you need to have a website.

Not only does this give them a way to search for you, but when you apply for work or send out a letter of introduction, you’ll have somewhere to direct them back to.

This makes you instantly look like a pro.

(Have a website but not sure it’s working for you? Check out my article, Why Your Freelance Website Stinks.)

2. Set up a professional email account

When you create a website, you have the option of setting up an email account at that domain.

Do it. Stop using that Hotmail or Yahoo address. Pick something professional and straightforward: yourname@yourdomain.com makes you look trustworthy and serious about your work.

3. Proofread everything

I critique a lot of websites, and one of the most common mistakes I see is bad writing. I’m not talking about the content (though that’s often troublesome as well) but the basic spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Making mistakes like they’re instead of their, having extra spaces between words, switching between title case and sentence case in the middle of a phrase… All these errors make you look unprofessional. If you can’t catch them on your own, you need to get someone else to proofread your writing.

But either way, these mistakes have got to go.

4. Have consistent branding

Your logo, fonts, color scheme, and taglines should be consistent across your site and any written materials you send out. Why?

Because it helps you build a memorable brand, which is key to developing a professional reputation.

Besides, having consistent visuals makes it look like you have a fancy professional designer working for you, even if you put everything together yourself in WordPress and PicMonkey.

5. Be relatable

Does your website use the royal “we”? Do you try to make yourself sound like a big corporation when you email potential clients?

Don’t do that! Trying to seem like something that you’re not is the mark of an amateur.

Being an individual can actually be a big asset to a freelancer because it makes you instantly personable and relatable. Capitalize on that and use it to develop deeper relationships with your clients and colleagues.

6. Say what you are, not what you want to be

When people ask you what you do, what do you say?

Do you tell them, “Well, I’m trying to be a freelance web designer” or “I’m hoping to work as a writer”?

If you are, cut it out! If you want to be seen as a professional, you need to act like it from the get-go. You don’t want to be a writer (or a designer, or virtual assistant, or whatever particular brand of freelancing rocks your socks).

You ARE a professional. You own a business. Tell everyone! You never know what may come of it.