Offer that little extra

The competion among self-employed people, freelancers, consultants etc. is often fierce. There are a lot of people who think, they can do the job for you, and as self-employed you’re up against every single one of them. At least until you have built your reputation.

Reputation is key here. Because it comes in many shapes and forms. Most important is of course the reputation you get for the results, products or services, you deliver. But your reputation for how you go about your business, your attitude to customer service, your flexibility etc. also preceeds you and may swing a decision in your favor.

More importantly it may be those little things that’s the difference between you competing on price and going poor - or even broke - as a result and competiting while maintaining decent prices. It’s about the intangibles, as Seth Godin clearly states. Go read his lists for pointers of what you should consider in order to offer that little extra.