The Top 5 Habits Of Highly Successful eLearning Freelancers

The Top 5 Habits Of Highly Successful eLearning Freelancers
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Summary: eLearning freelancing isn’t the easiest career path, but it can be one of the most rewarding. To ensure that you achieve success as an eLearning freelancer, it’s wise to take a closer look at others who have accomplished the same and follow suit. In this article, I’ll highlight the top 5 habits that you may want to pick up or fine tune to become the best at what you do.

Highly Successful eLearning Freelancers Top Habits

eLearning freelancing requires commitment, dedication, and mental focus, especially if you want to make it a long-term eLearning career.  It also involves its fair share of second guessing. Am I pricing my eLearning services properly? Are my marketing strategies really effective? Should I be taking a different approach when I submit my proposals? It’s difficult to know whether you’re on the right track or need to change your eLearning course. Thankfully, there are 5 habits that you can develop in order to take some guesswork out of the process and improve your chances of success. Highly successful eLearning freelancers know how to:

  1. Sell their skills.
    Promoting yourself can be one of the most challenging aspects of freelancing. This is especially true for introverted individuals who may be uncomfortable with self-marketing. However, if you want to make your eLearning freelance business a success you'll have to sell your skills to potential clients and show them why you're the perfect person for the job. In most cases, this involves identifying your strengths and weaknesses, as well as figuring out what sets you apart from the crowd. Create a winning eLearning sales pitch that succinctly sums up your talents and skills, focusing on what you will bring to the eLearning project. If there are areas that you need to improve, find out how you can build the necessary skills or expand your knowledge base to grow professionally.
  2. Develop a strong business mindset.
    Handling business matters is yet another area where many eLearning freelancers struggle. eLearning professionals tend to be more creative, by nature, which means that we would rather focus on designing a stunning eLearning course than sending out invoices and contacting clients. Unfortunately, at least a small portion of your day should be devoted to taking care of business, literally. You must ensure that your books are balanced, emails are answered, and your eLearning marketing strategy is running smoothly. The business side of your job should be a top priority, instead of an afterthought. You may even want to schedule time at the end of each work day to handle all of the essential tasks. If you feel like your business skills may be lacking a bit, such as in the areas of communication and negotiation, you might want to consider taking eLearning courses or attending seminars that can help you fine tune these abilities.
  3. Network with other eLearning professionals.
    Who has time to network? There always seems to be another task to tackle or a pressing business matter that requires your attention. Though networking may seem like a luxury for most eLearning freelancers, successful freelancers understand that it's absolutely necessary if they want to drum up new clients. It also allows them to meet other eLearning professionals who might eventually become collaborators. If you aren't able to attend events, such as trade shows and networking meets, there are plenty of online platforms that can help you connect with like-minded individuals. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, online forums, and a wide range of other networking sites give you the opportunity to reach out to other professionals and participate in meaningful online discussions. The key is to remain active and post consistently. Ask questions and don't hesitate to offer tips when someone is soliciting advice.
  4. Stay organized and focused.
    It's relatively easy to make a mess in this profession, especially if you have a number of different eLearning projects running simultaneously. This is meant both literally and figuratively. Files can pile up and become misplaced, just as your thoughts can become jumbled and chaotic when you are juggling several tasks at once. What differentiates successful eLearning freelancers from those who struggle is that they know the importance of organization and mental focus. They understand that it's essential to maintain balance in life, and to create a solid plan of action before they take on any new eLearning project. This usually involves keeping a structured schedule so that they can stay on track. Being able to set your own work hours is a double-edged sword. You can either go overboard and work for hours on end, or get into the habit of taking more time off than you should. A schedule can help you fall somewhere in the middle so that you remain productive without becoming too overwhelmed or stressed.
  5. Find the right support eLearning team.
    Nobody can do it all alone. Freelancing is usually associated with flying solo, but it's important to have a team of talented eLearning professionals on hand when you do need a helping hand. You can start growing your eLearning team by taking on subcontractors who work on as-needed basis or partner up with other freelancers who have complementary skills and abilities. Eventually, you may be even up with starting your own eLearning firm and employing a full staff. The secret is to seek out those who are going to contribute in a meaningful way and have personalities that mesh with yours. This is also where networking can come in handy. Even if your direct contacts might not be interested, they may know someone who is.

Keep in mind that Rome wasn’t built in a day, and that these habits can take time to hone. However, focusing on your eLearning professional growth and devoting just a fraction of your day to the endeavor can yield amazing results. So, identify your strengths and areas of improvement so that you can create a development plan that works best for you.

If, as an eLearning freelancer, you believe that there just aren’t enough hours in the work day, read this article 8 Ways Busy eLearning Professionals Can Improve Their Time Management Skills to learn how you can improve your eLearning time management skills.