Earn more

All industries and markets are extremely saturated nowadays making it more difficult to be unique and differentiate yourself from others. Social media allows anyone to showcase their work and get exposed to millions of users each day. Clients have more choice as they have access to likes of Behance, Dribbble, Instagram and others alike. Furthermore, they can literally pick anyone from a pool of hundreds and thousands so how do you get noticed and earn more?

Don’t be Jack…

Don’t be Jack, unless your name is Jack of course, then being Jack is just who you need to be. Being a  ‘jack of all trades…’ can be a positive thing as you are able to do many things to a competent level. However, the second part of the phrase is where I want to focus on – ‘…master of none.’ The way to stand out is to be a master or expert in something. Having the expertise that a potential client is looking for will give you an advantage over the “jacks.”

Become an expert

What does this mean? If you become an expert in a particular area in your field, your value increases. You can focus on one area and do it to a world-class level and in turn, you can market your services in a specific way that allows you to attract the clients you want to.

Don’t tempt me…

As an expert, you no longer fall into the category of an order taker (someone who lets the client dictate how you should do your job). This isn’t the position you want to be in. Where it could be tempting to be all things to all people, it can also bring a lot of unwanted attention from the type of clients you aren’t seeking. These clients often ‘know’ what they want and need you to make it for them. Be aware and learn how to detect these clients. By specialising and being an expert, you can lead the engagement and implement the processes that you need to complete your job, ensuring the client gets your best work.

If you are an order taker you may get clients like this:

Client A – I need a logo and I want it to be green and blue with a circle and a coca-cola type font.

If you are an expert you may get clients like this:

Client B –  I need to be able to attract more customers to my website and create more brand awareness…can you help me?

In other words, you wouldn’t find Bill Gates taking orders from me about computing. He may just earn more than I do! An expert knows their specialised area inside out and continues to learn and adapt. Keep ahead of the curve in this ever-changing environment.

Make a decision

Decide now if you want to be an order taker (controlled) or an expert (takes control). FYI an expert tends to earn more than an order taker. #justsaying