𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗧𝗢 𝗠𝗔𝗞𝗘 𝗣𝗘𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗘 𝗦𝗘𝗘 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗔𝗦 𝗔 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗙𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟.
- Praise Ohanwe
- Nov 24, 2020
- 6 min read
Two months ago, I onboarded an international client. His company was in search of a professional content developer/ghostwriter, so they reached out.
Long story short, our contract kicked off and during one of our conference calls, I asked him why he was convinced that I was the right person for his company’s needs. His response got me thinking, and that is what has inspired this post.
If you are a professional in any field (or you would love to be seen, related with by potential clients, and be paid as a professional), this article is for you.
It is easy to slap on “𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹...” in your Facebook bio and your CV. However, being perceived as a professional involves a lot more than taking up complicated names/paraphernalia. It is an interplay of many things.
If you want to be perceived as a professional in any niche and attract better clients while at it, take these 8 tips seriously.
1. SKILL UP
The first question you MUST answer is the question of whether or not you have a skill that is RELEVANT in the marketplace.
Then the NEXT question is if you are competent enough.
P/s; If your skill is only perceived as valuable by people in your world, you may want to make it a point of duty to get back to the drawing board and do a thorough brushing up.
Skill up, and while you’re at it, find a profitable niche to settle in.
2. WORK ON YOUR MINDSET
Here’s a backstory;
At the beginning of this year, I had an opportunity to connect with and work for a high-ticket client. At some point in our interaction, he mentioned that he was looking out for quality and that funds were not his problem.
His excitement was palpable after we worked on his clarity session. According to him, the experience so far was awesome.
Everything was going well until my mindset (at the time) happened.
He asked for an invoice and as I compiled it, I battled impostor syndrome. For some reason, I felt as though I wasn’t deserving of the fees I was charging.
I began to evade him, and long story short, I lost him to only-God-knows-where.
Pick out the lessons in this story, but add this to whatever lessons you pick; you need a healthy mindset to thrive.
𝟯. 𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗔𝗡 𝗢𝗡𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘 𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗙𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗢 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗗𝗢.
If you want to be perceived as a professional, and for people to trust you with their projects (and their money), you have to prove to them that you have the skills/capacity/track records to handle their projects.
Here’s a pro-tip; clients are more likely to trust you if they are convinced that you are capable of what you say you are and if you have a place where they can access the work you have done before (this is the whole idea of having an online portfolio).
Check out these portfolio building tools and find those that are best for you.
A. WordPress, Medium, Wix, Google Drive/Dropbox (unconventional, but can serve if you need to display non-written content). 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡.
B. If you’re a video creator, why not start a Youtube channel?
This way, you can kill two birds with one stone. You can solve the problem of visibility (if you play your cards right), and also have a portfolio that you can refer potential clients to.
C. At the top of this list, 𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗛 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞.
There are many options to explore. Find out which one works for your career path.
𝟰. 𝗚𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗕𝗜𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦.
Credibility boosters help you by increasing your perceived value in the marketplace. As a professional (or one in the making), you need as many of them as are relevant to your pursuits and career.
A. Internationally recognized certificates. B. Memberships of relevant and internationally acclaimed bodies. C. Endorsements by successful people in your field/niche. D. Publications by relevant industry media outlets.
These and more all play a part in making sure that people perceive you as a professional in your field/niche.
I digress;
Please don’t be a part of the people who argue that sabi-ficate (knowledge) is more valuable than relevant certificates.
Why? You don’t graduate from college and leave your certificate for the school. You take it along and present it to potential employers. On the strength of this certificate, you get the opportunity to display your expertise.
𝗜𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁, 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀/𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 (𝘀𝗮𝗯𝗶-𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀) 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗱. 𝗗𝗢𝗡’𝗧 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗭𝗘 𝗘𝗜𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗠.
𝟰. 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞 𝗢𝗡 𝗚𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗩𝗜𝗦𝗜𝗕𝗟𝗘/𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗖𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗘.
Let me give you a simple hack you may not find on Google.
Sometimes, the most rewarded person in the marketplace may not be the most VALUABLE, but the most VISIBLE.
Here’s a quick one for you.
When last did you conduct an incognito search for yourself on Google? [If you haven’t, please do so].
Take notice of what shows up when you search for yourself (on Google), and begin to optimize from there.
𝗣𝗿𝗼-𝘁𝗶𝗽
A. Youtube, LinkedIn, and Medium rank high on Google’s results pages. If you are active and discoverable on these platforms, you should see your handles on top of the results page when you Google your name. [Do with this knowledge what you will].
Also, you may want to take this step seriously if your bio isn't yet on platforms like Wikipedia.
B. Another thing you may want to try out is to sign your business up on Google’s business listing service (Google My Business) - if you can.
C. As an e-commerce merchant, you may not want to rely completely on organic traffic to your website (unless you have a lot of people who visit and buy your stuff). In addition to this, why not sign up for major e-commerce platforms like Shopify, Jumia, Amazon, etc? Conversely, you could run ads to your website.
All these make you more discoverable, and take you one step closer to the place called “global.”
𝟱. '𝗡𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥' 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗘 𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 '𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬' 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗩𝗔𝗟𝗨𝗘 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗗𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗥
In the last article on this blog, we dealt extensively with delivering value consistently.
If you want to be seen as a professional, never compromise on the subject of value.
𝟲. 𝗕𝗘 𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗦𝗢𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 𝗠𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗔 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗦, 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗣𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗜𝗭𝗘 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗦𝗢𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟𝗦.
I won’t over-flog this, but there are social media platforms you cannot NOT be on - if you are a professional and your business caters to professionals.
I digress;
Please, don’t be a teens’ coach who tries to build an audience (of teenagers) on LinkedIn. (How many teenagers are on LinkedIn, again?)
Find the platforms your ideal clients are on, and build your online business using those platforms.
When you have found the right platforms, optimize them so that you can begin to attract the right kinds of people who need your services, and can pay for your time/skills.
𝟳. 𝗜𝗡𝗩𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗜𝗡 𝗙𝗜𝗫𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗣𝗛𝗬𝗦𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘.
I literally lifted this line from one of John Obidi's posts.
If you want to be seen as a professional, related with as a professional, and paid like you are someone who is worth his weight in gold, please do not skip this step. You need to look like the person who is worth the time and the attention of the people you want to work with.
Whenever you are making a public appearance, dress appropriately (at least).
There may be some things you may not be able to change about yourself, but start with this one that is completely under your control.
𝟴. 𝗕𝗥𝗨𝗦𝗛 𝗨𝗣 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗬 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗟𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡.
After one of our conversations about the project at hand, my client asked me if I have lived abroad. According to him, I speak well and the ease of communication enhanced our work experience.
As a person who wants to be perceived as a professional, you should invest in making sure you are fluent in communication.
A. Get better with your writing. B. Improve your speaking and verbal communication skills.
Don’t be of the school of thought that these don’t matter. You may pay heavily in today’s world for lapses in these aspects of your social life.
As I said at the beginning of this post, many things go into building the right perception of yourself. The perception that you are a professional in your field is vital if you will have a successful career.
Apply these tips, and note the differences you will begin to see.
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Also, stay safe.
CIAO.
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