This may seem like an odd request, but I’d like you to imagine a Lucky Dwarf. Any of those Lucky Dwarfs you’ve seen or met before. Got it? Good.
Now, quickly come up with a number between one and ten.
Let me guess: were you thinking of the number seven?
Don’t worry, I don’t have telepathic powers to read your thoughts. I was simply employing a psychological technique known as priming to trick your subconscious mind into thinking of the number seven by using two simple words “Lucky Dwarf,” both of which are commonly associated with the number seven (eg: lucky number 7, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs). I learned this trick from Nick Kolenda’s book, Methods of Persuasion.
Did you know that 90% of your decisions, actions, emotions and behavior are initiated by your subconscious mind?
That book piqued my interest in psychology and the workings of our subconscious mind. As a result, I read a number of books on the subject, including Influence Science and Practice, Brain Rules, The Social Animal, and many others.
I’ll let you in on a little secret: I’m now using some of the tricks I learned to increase my chances of landing big clients, and it’s working great.
Do you want to know how? Then continue reading.
How to Influence Your Clients
Why do you think I use the color yellow for the theme of this website and my social media branding?
Did I just pick the color I liked best at random? Nope.
I chose this color because, according to color psychology, yellow has a strong effect on instilling feelings of confidence and optimism.
I wanted my visitors to feel optimistic about their freelancing careers and confident enough to take on the challenge of working from home.
I used some of these techniques when creating my profile on freelance sites.
“Blue is the most popular color among both men (57%) and women (35%), though men prefer it more. Men dislike brown the most while women dislike orange the most.”
If you plan to offer your services through a GIG site, such as Fiverr, Zeerk, or Envato Studio, you can use the same color psychology effects to establish trust and influence in your clients, causing them to choose you over other freelancers.
Another effective psychological technique is to explain what you can do for your clients.
“I will design a brand logo for your company,” for example. It’s something hard-coded into the Fiverr platform. Each Fiverr gig begins with “I will” and ends with “for $5.”
Most clients search websites like Fiverr without knowing exactly what they want, so explaining it to them in your service helps them narrow their search. This is why Fiverr has become so popular among small businesses.
Make Your Prices More Attractive
Imagine you’re in store for a textbook. A 160-page book costs $5, a 200-page book costs $7, and a 250-page book costs $10. Which book would you choose to buy?
Because people tend to compare before making decisions, you are more likely to choose the 200-page book. In this case, the $7 option appeared to be a steal in comparison to the others.
I’m not suggesting that you lower your rates. Absolutely not. If you price your services lower, this will have a negative impact, and clients will believe you are a swindler.
However, you can use pricing psychology to outperform your competitors and stand out from the crowd of freelancers. For example, if someone offers to design a logo for $5, you could offer to design a logo + free revision for $5. It’s the same price as before, but with more value.
Persuade Clients To Give You The Job
The statements below are from two different freelancers. Which one would you hire if you had to hire one of them?
“I’ve designed over 30 websites for major brands and run my own web design agency, but I only have one year of experience,” says Freelancer #1.
I only have one year of experience, but I’ve designed over 30 websites for major brands and run my own web design agency,” says Freelancer #2.
Both of these statements contain the same words but are arranged differently. However, Freelancer #2’s statement sounds more confident and trustworthy because it does not end on a negative note.
Remember to avoid the common error of explaining your skills first and your weaknesses later. The order of your words in your pitch can make a significant difference.
In your pitch, use strong words that elicit positive emotions, such as success, free, unique, instantly, and effective.
Just be wary of overselling yourself. Clients are constantly bombarded with pitches from freelancers pleading for approval. Playing hard to get is sometimes the best way to get a client’s attention.
Because, even as adults, we still yearn for something we can’t have.
Show Off Authority
Have you ever wondered why popular business websites display a list of site logos on their homepage featuring blogs they’ve been mentioned in or awards they’ve won?
It has something to do with displaying authority. You are more likely to trust a company that has been mentioned in the Wall Street Journal than a competitor with no mentions.
The same rule holds true in the world of freelancing. A client is more likely to hire a freelancer with 100 positive feedback reviews than one with only five.
So, regardless of which freelance platform you select, do everything you can to establish your authority on the platform. Request reviews from your clients, show screenshots of large websites you’ve designed and include links and names of blogs you’ve written.
Exude Confidence
“I think I can do this job. If you can give me the job chance I will try to do my best .”
What are your thoughts on that statement? Do you believe that guy is confident in his abilities and skills? Would you commission him to create a high-profile brand logo?
No client wants to waste their time and money on someone who “thinks” he can do the job or wants to “try.” Building trust requires confidence.
Having a strong personality with a little ego will assist any freelancer in capturing the attention of their clients and increasing their chances of getting approved each time they send a pitch.
Keep in mind that while these psychological tricks may help you land more clients, they will not last long if you lack the necessary skills to complete the job. So, before you start freelancing, you should work on improving your character and expertise.
“Our subconscious mind, which is largely formed before the age of six, controls our thoughts, and you cannot change the subconscious mind simply by thinking about it.” That is why most people will not benefit from the power of positive thinking. The subconscious mind is analogous to a tape player. It will not change until you change the tape.” – Developmental biologist Bruce Lipton