Millions of freelancers have a skill set similar to yours, and in any marketplace, there will be winners and losers. If you want to win in the freelance marketplace, you have to stand out. This playbook will walk you through the process for creating your positioning cheat code.

As freelancers, we know where we’d like to end up, with more money and freedom, with a roster of respectful clients and rewarding work, but which turns do we take to get there?

What’s a beautiful, multipassionate, multipotentialite freelancer to do?

I recommend four things, and those recommendations are less of a playbook, per se, and more of an invitation to reflect and get clarity around them.

Messaging is perhaps the single biggest blind spot for freelancers. Potential clients are in pain, and the right messaging makes it clear that you’re in the painkiller business. This playbook will help you get super clear on your messaging.

Chances are, you’re already creating significant value for your clients, but that may be hard for them to see, especially for new clients who will make unfair comparisons between you and someone with half your talent, a tenth of your expertise, and a hundredth of your wit and good taste.

Juicy offers make a dramatic and exciting impact on your earning because strategic changes to your packaging communicate higher value to the client.

That was the case for my coaching clients and for me. Now, it’s your turn.

The single factor that makes the biggest difference in creating more effective proposals that sell bigger projects at higher fees is how thoroughly you unearth the client’s needs during the discovery phase and how many A-ha moments you spark for them. This playbook gives you a step-by-step process for doing that.

Asking a dozen different self-described freelance experts about the right approach to pricing is like asking New Yorkers about the best pizza in the city: You’ll get a dozen different answers.

Your goal here isn’t perfect prices but smart, strategic prices that bolster your confidence in your pricing. Once you’ve zeroed in on several key numbers, you’ll see clearly how the golden strings of your prices link up to your various dreams flying like kites.

Going through the steps in this pricing process will empower you to make better decisions, build a sustainable business you love, and reel in more of those gorgeous, hand-painted dreams.

The thing is, freelancers can have admirable work ethic, the right skill set, the right market conditions, ample opportunities, and impressive revenue and still struggle to get ahead.

The solution to spiky income is simple in concept: You must squeeze more value out of every opportunity you have. This playbook covers 6 specific ways to do that.