Can you imagine someone paying you 500 Naira for your well researched 1000 words articles?

This is what most freelancers in Nigeria have had to deal with.

It’s annoying that after series of promises of a changed life from marketers and online coaches, most freelancers only end up with lowly paying jobs after years of hard work.

Many of these freelancers have given off what they feel is their best. They’ve worked hard. But there’s no difference.

As someone that’s been in the system for years, I feel I know what goes. I know the amount if effort you’ll put in creating something substantial for your clients even against so many odds most times.

I know the sleepless nights we’ve had to go through to learn so we can give out something good. So I believe deeply inside of me, every freelancer deserves some decent paying jobs. ( You can take that to the bank).

Yes. We deserve it. But we can’t all get it.

And here’s the 7 reasons why most freelancers get lowly paying job.


1. They charge less than the job is worth.

So the number one reason most freelancers get lowly paying jobs is because they keep charging less. Because they want to get more jobs. But this doesn’t work.

Stop under cutting your stuff. It won’t drive your income. You won’t compete better with established competition.

Why?

Because you will need more reduction. And more reduction in price to stay in this market.

This is one advice I wished I ever had when I started out years back.

I get upset when creatives allow people treat them like “a piece of crap” Just because they want to increase their chances of making profit. This is deadly.

Imagine charging 500 NGN (Less than 2 USD) for writing one thousand words just because you want to survive?

That’s bunkum. You’re not a piece of trash. And you can’t be treated as such.

Stop under charging people for your hard work because you think you’ll lose out… Let me tell you. You will not die. Or what if they didn’t show up at this time? Won’t you still survive?

The moment you begin charging people pennies for your hard work, you’re setting a string of repeated lowly charges in motion.

This is different from trying to gain experience. Get yourself some standards.

You think they will want to pay more when you gain more experience? No they won’t.

They will keep asking for lesser charges because they are used to it. And the moment you try to increase your charges they will leave.

Instead of competing by beating down your charges. Get yourself some standard. Get a reputation. And compete based on the value you'll bring on board.

2. They allow clients disrespect their time and effort.

Another reason most clients gets lowly paying jobs is because they allow their clients mess up with their time and expertise.

It happens all over the place. A client will take too long to supply you with details of their project even when they’ve given you a deadline…

They will take too long to review the work for final updates even when they know you have to move to other things. That’s not good for you. It will hit back big time.

Over time they will begin to feel that’s the best you deserve. And the cycle will continue. Then you will be finding time to fix up a project you’re supposed to have finished up. I have been here.

Know when you have to help your client wrap his head around what he really wants… And when you have to take a walk from a clients that won’t respect your time.

3. They don’t have regards for what they do as freelancers.

When you don’t respect what you do, no one will respect it.

This is one other reason freelancers get lowly paid jobs. You don’t think your job deserves better. So how would others pay you more?

Preception rules the world. There’s a difference between real value and perceived value. So in the freelance market, you don’t really get your real value. You get paid your perceived value.

The perceive value of what you do Is what will set your pay.

Forget about whatever price you fix. No one will take your prices serious unless they feel you deserve it.

In the freelance market, you are worth nothing more than your perceived value. And you can increase your perception.

It doesn’t matter if you’re working from your bedroom or sitting room or a spacious office in the biggest City Hall. If you don’t respect, regard and take your hustle seriously no one will do it for you.

So start by creating changing your mindset from a petty freelancer to a business owner. Because everything starts from the mindset.

Create a certain level of excellence for your business. And make it distinguished for that.


Set a schedule for activities and stick to it. Show up when it’s time to show up. Stop giving excuses.

Don’t just stay in that niche. Decide to stand out.

4[b]. They focus on profit instead of growth. [/b]

Most freelancers keep getting lowly paid Jobs because they are not growing their skills.

As a freelancer, your skill is your biggest asset. That’s what gets you the job and the money.

The web for instance changes dramatically. Meaning most things that worked 2-5 years ago might not be working anymore. So as a freelancer you have to stay updated And get better jobs or keep getting lowly paid jobs.

This is what it is. The moment your skill set gets mediocre you begin to lose money. Because the more skills you get, the more you sell. The more you sell, the more your money comes in.

Profit is a result of growth. So more growth and expansion equals more profit. So grow your skills my friend.

5. Most Freelancers are scared of selling.

Because selling is not sexy. That’s why these freelancers keep getting lowly paid jobs.

I have been stuck here. I can’t lie to you. But the truth is, how can someone buy from you when they don’t know what you do? It’s not possible is it?

So selling is the unavoidable if you must live better as a freelancer. You can’t afford not to sell.

There are ways you can use to sell your stuff without sounding like a scam marketer. Learn it.

6. They don’t have a why.

This one is deep. Most freelancers get lowly paying jobs because they don’t have a WHY.

Your why is the one reason that gets you out of bed. The one reason that gets you on the grind even when your limbs scream No.

Your WHY is the reason you would give up anything to do just this because you want to succeed in this.

Most people don’t have a WHY. And it’s very disturbing. That’s why you feel inspired to work today. Tomorrow you don’t.

And when you don’t have a strong convincing reason for doing what you’re doing then you’re just like any other person.

Meaning that as your client, I can choose you or I choose anyone else. Afterall you’re not doing anything special or different. So I’ll still get the same services.

Butwhat if you had a reason I can relate to as a client? What if you had a strong WHY that made you different from others which I can distinctively see?

See friend, your why is what sets you apart. Take a look at Apple Inc. What do you think makes them stand out in the midst of a highly competitive electronics Industry?

That’s because while others are creating mobile phones and electronics, Apple is finding a way to challenge the status quo. To create a paradigm that will give their clients a whole new experience.

That’s their why. That’s what sets them apart. That’s what makes clients line up to buy Apple even when their products are more expensive than most products with same utility.

This is why as a digital agency, at Victor Winners Digital Services here, we don’t just build websites we Inspire people to connect with their dreams. That is our WHY. That’s our essence. It differentiates us from the competition. It inspires us. Our why gives us a distinct path to pursue.

So Your success or failure as a freelancer all boils down to your why.

From the way people will perceive you, the way you relate with your clients and even the amount you will get paid. So fix your why.

7. Expand your network.

Networking is one of the hallmarks of freelancing. Unfortunately, most freelancers don’t realize this. So they keep getting a cycle of lowly paid jobs.

As a freelancer, A good chunk of your work will be based on recommendations. So most of the time, you will need someone to recommend you to someone that needs your services.

This is why you’ll want to network with people. Let them know what you do. And how you do it.

Network with your fellow freelancers too. Especially those ones offering complimentary services.

Let your family and loved ones know what you do. Tell your friends. Exchange complimentary cards and contact details at events. You never know who will need your stuff out there.

Commit to excellence. And you will find your space.

https://www.victorwinners.com/reasons-why-most-freelancers-get-lowly-paying-jobs/

Wow. Nice one.

Best post of 2018 on nairaland, this is the only reason I stopped writing for clowns on this forum, what a bunch of nut job

Great write up op. Lalasticlala front-page please

The problem really is those that call themselves writers but don't really know their worth. They'll beat down their price to a very low amount just so they can get clients.

But let me tell you, you don't have to be cheap before you get customers. Making your services very cheap will even make you loose customers because they'll feel you're not a professional or you won't give them quality.

To be sincere, this is very annoying. Stop making yourself look cheap. Know your value and self worth. It doesn't only happens with freelancing. Even web design, and we can see many of such people here on Nairaland.

How will you be begging people to let you design a business website for them for 10k... Haba! Ní gbà ti ẹ ya wéré.

Someone posted here few days ago that he needs a business website... Na so wahala start. All these our Nairaland web designer started lobbying... "I will help u do it for 10k" another one said "I will do SEO, responsive pages, many many features like that... just pay 5k" Ha! Ní bo? One Even said he should just pay for data that he'll do it for free. Can you imagine the nonsense.

See abeg, let's stop downgrading ourselves.

And for you guys that needs to get a job done, be it writing or web design, do NOT go for CHEAP. Go for QUALITY.

OP, thanks for the wonderful piece.
I don talk my own

Thanks

Thewhizzkid1:
Wow. Nice one.

Gbam! You can say that again.

Most times this thing is caused by the freelancers themselves. And it's really annoying how these guys reduce themselves and their work to nothing for peanuts after years of learning and hard work.

Even when one is just starting out, there are decent ways to build a portfolio and gain recognition for your stuff without embarrassing the industry charging peanuts.

How can someone decide to pay ordinary 500 naira for 1,500 words and think he'll get something of high quality? Or is it the laughable 5k for website design?

These things makes cringe. Sometimes we're the ones doing ourselves.

Recently I was shocked when a fellow web developer another Nigerian based in UK charged one of his clients 1000 USD for designing a simple wordpress website. So I decided to find out how much the website was different from the industry standard for him to have charged such w huge amount and I discovered there was not so much difference.

Instead what I discovered there was the unusual confidence the guy built into his brand. The marketing strategies he used and how he positioned himself for the kind of clients he needs.

He was able to charge decent fees because he believed he deserves more based on the value he's providing not just because he did something outstandingly different.

Sadly, we're yet to get here or even closer in Nigeria.

I believe it's high time Nigerian freelancers understand the professional aspects of what they are doing and request for the respect they actually deserve.

Julius2214:
The problem really is those that call themselves writers but don't really know their worth. They'll beat down their price to a very low amount just so they can get clients.

But let me tell you, you don't have to be cheap before you get customers. Making your services very cheap will even make you loose customers because they'll feel you're not a professional or you won't give them quality.

To be sincere, this is very annoying. Stop making yourself look cheap. Know your value and self worth. It doesn't only happens with freelancing. Even web design, and we can see many of such people here on Nairaland.

How will you be begging people to let you design a business website for them for 10k... Haba! Ní gbà ti ẹ ya wéré.

Someone posted here few days ago that he needs a business website... Na so wahala start. All these our Nairaland web designer started lobbying... "I will help u do it for 10k" another one said "I will do SEO, responsive pages, many many features like that... just pay 5k" Ha! Ní bo? One Even said he should just pay for data that he'll do it for free. Can you imagine the nonsense.

See abeg, let's stop downgrading ourselves.

And for you guys that needs to get a job done, be it writing or web design, do NOT go for CHEAP. Go for QUALITY.

OP, thanks for the wonderful piece.
I don talk my own

Amazing, most mods will not push this piece to the front page, only lame Tonto dike topices

Lalasticlala

Vickwinners:
Gbam! You can say that again.

Most times this thing is caused by the freelancers themselves. And it's really annoying how these guys reduce themselves and their work to nothing for peanuts after years of learning and hard work.

Even when one is just starting out, there are decent ways to build a portfolio and gain recognition for your stuff without embarrassing the industry charging peanuts.

How can someone decide to pay ordinary 500 naira for 1,500 words and think he'll get something of high quality? Or is it the laughable 5k for website design?

These things makes cringe. Sometimes we're the ones doing ourselves.

Recently I was shocked when a fellow web developer another Nigerian based in UK charged one of his clients 1000 USD for designing a simple wordpress website. So I decided to find out how much the website was different from the industry standard for him to have charged such w huge amount and I discovered there was not so much difference.

Instead what I discovered there was the unusual confidence the guy built into his brand. The marketing strategies he used and how he positioned himself for the kind of clients he needs.

He was able to charge decent fees because he believed he deserves more based on the value he's providing not just because he did something outstandingly different.

Sadly, we're yet to get here or even closer in Nigeria.

I believe it's high time Nigerian freelancers understand the professional aspects of what they are doing and request for the respect they actually deserve.

1000 what! That's about 30k short of 400 thousand naira... 400k...

The most I've ever been paid for web design is 60k. I even charge as low as 30k depending on the features requested by the clients.