A lot of new freelance writers worry about being overshadowed by their competitors. Quotes like these are all too familiar (let me know if these sound like you, too):<\/p>\n
The thing is, if you expect your competitors to overshadow you, they will<\/i>.<\/p>\n
And the only way to stop that from happening is to quit stressing out about them, and focus instead on what makes your work unique and outstanding. After all, pending time fretting about your competition isn\u2019t going to help you get more clients.<\/p>\n
Once you know what makes your work unique and outstanding, promote the hell out of it.<\/b><\/p>\n
I learned this lesson though a painful, business-crushing experience. Lucky for you, I was my own guinea pig and you get to learn from my case study.<\/p>\n
My company used to operate as Write Ahead Consulting. The name was a little boring, corporate and formal, and so was my branding.<\/p>\n
But my happiest clients knew working with me was anything but status quo: I\u2019m a rule-breaker, I challenge my clients\u2019 assumptions, and I push their boundaries to help them grow as people and entrepreneurs. I give them business plans they\u2019ll actually use<\/i>. I do most of my work in yoga pants, because I use Skype, not in-person coffee meetings. I\u2019m a pot-stirrer who swears for dramatic effect.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s an approach to consulting that no other business plan writer or startup coach was using. The problem: no one could tell from my web site that I was doing it.<\/p>\n
For a few years, I tried to put on the same uber-professional face of my competitors, worried clients would choose them over me if I didn\u2019t appear as distinguished as they did. I went to stupid chamber of commerce events full of multi-level marketers and investment bankers who turned their noses up at me for being a solopreneur. I gave out business cards to everyone and only ended up on dozens of mailing lists of companies I would never work with.<\/p>\n
I even made branded pens.<\/p>\n
And it got me somewhere — to a profitable business — but it didn\u2019t shake my competition off. I was still concerned that prospects would hire them<\/i> over me<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Finally, I shook them off — by being like me, instead of like them. My brand needed to showcase who I was, rather than who I thought people wanted to see.<\/p>\n
After rebranding as Renegade Planner in 2014, my ideal clients could see suits and ties weren\u2019t part of my repertoire. New prospects were magnetized to my rebellious new brand, and I immediately began to attract more of the kinds of customers I wanted to work with. Prospects were finding me online<\/a> and seeking me out through referrals; I no longer had to search for leads at networking events. My sales cycle shorted from a month to just a few days.<\/p>\n Competitors? What competitors?<\/p>\n Ready to stop judging yourself against your competitors?<\/p>\n Mind your own business, find what makes you completely different, and celebrate it publicly.<\/p>\n When I meet a freelance writer and ask them what they do, most of them say, \u201cI write things for small businesses.\u201d If I can\u2019t tell you apart from another freelance writer, I automatically expect your work to be boring.<\/p>\n But if you tell me something like, \u201cI produce concise, impactful web copy for energy healers and yoga instructors,\u201d then I know exactly what kind of work to expect from you. And \u00a0even if I don\u2019t become your customer, I might refer another potential customer to you down the line.<\/p>\n4 steps to stop worrying about losing customers to the competition<\/b><\/h2>\n
Step 1: Stop trying to be a better version of your competitors<\/b><\/h4>\n