We all know we have to set goals. In fact, many of us know that we have to set SMART goals. The acronym stands for:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Timely

This formula can also be applied to bidding for freelance work (I’ve been writing about that recently on my other blog). Here’s how.

Specific

Clients aren’t always as focused when providing a brief as freelance writers would like them to be. However, that doesn’t excuse us from stating clearly what we can provide. Whether you are sending a query, making a bid or writing a proposal, be specific about what you will do for the client and how you plan to achieve it. This makes it easy to see whether you are on the same page, and will help the client to clarify the brief.

Measurable

The next question is how you and your client are going to measure success on your freelance writing project. This might involve setting milestones for completing sections of the project. If it’s a ghostwriting book project, these milestones may also correspond to payment points, so it’s in your interest to get them right. With article projects, milestones often consist of a number of articles to be delivered in a given period. For a recent 50 article project I worked on, the client wanted at least five articles every business day.

Attainable

Sometimes you might stretch yourself a little by taking on a different kind of project or writing about a different topic. This keeps it interesting for you and expands your portfolio. When you bid, tell the client why this is something you should do. Highlight projects which show similar skills to the ones required. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone a bit; you will be all the more thrilled when you achieve success.

Realistic

That said, it’s important to make sure that you can actually do what you promise. There’s no point in promising the client 10,000 words in two days when you know that it will take four days to write and proof them. If your client has a schedule that is at odds with yours, then negotiate. Sometimes I bid for several projects and they all come in at once. If they do, then it’s obvious that I can’t do them all at the same time. My approach is to offer the clients alternatives. Either I can start the project later or I can outsource. I don’t often lose project because of this.

Timely

Deadlines, people, deadlines. Meeting these is the key to successful freelancing. As I mentioned above, be clear about when you can start and finish a project, and about what you will provide along the way. If you can, deliver early. That always makes the client happy and leads to repeat work.

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About the author: Sharon Hurley Hall is a born again blogger who has been writing for more than 20 years. She is a freelance writer and ghostwriter who specializes in ebooks, SEO articles and blog posts. Sharon runs the freelance mentoring blog, Get Paid To Write Online.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 22nd, 2008 at 5:06 am and is filed under Freelance Writing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.