The secret to being a successful freelancer | The Way We Work, a TED series

Transcriber: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Camille Martínez

I used to be really bad at earning money.

翻译人员: Frank Wang 校对人员: Justin Li

我曾经对赚钱几乎一窍不通。

Early on, I was a junior financial planner,

当时，我还是一位 初级理财规划师，

and my job was to help people manage their wealth.

我的职责是帮助人们 进行财务规划。

But my salary was so low that I started riding my bike to work

但我本人的薪水很低，

以至于为了省下汽油钱， 我只能骑单车上班，

to save money on gas,

and I started a garden to save money on food.

为了节省餐费， 我还自建了一个花园。

Now I run a bookkeeping agency

如今，我经营着 一家代理记账机构，

that specifically serves creative businesses.

专门服务于那些创新型的企业。

[TED: The Way We Work]

[ TED: 我们的工作方式 ]

[Made possible with the support of Dropbox]

[ 由 Dropbox 赞助呈现 ]

This might sound strange coming from a former financial planner,

这番话从一个前理财规划师口中说出 可能听上去有点奇怪，

but I'm not a fan of capitalism.

但我并不是资本主义的拥趸。

Almost everyone I work with and know and love is an artist, including me.

几乎所有与我共事、相识或相爱的人 都是艺术家——我自己也是。

So I know, the way the system is set up,

所以我很了解 整个体系的运转方式。

freelancers and artists are too often way underpaid.

自由职业者 和艺术家往往收入过低，

They often feel like focusing on money will corrupt their creativity,

他们要么认为 “钻进钱眼” 会破坏创意；

or they think they're just not that good at making money anyway.

要么心想 “我就是赚不了大钱呀。”

But the truth is, we can be good at it,

但事实上，我们可以赚大钱，

and in fact, we have to be,

也必须赚大钱，

because our freedom is at stake:

否则我们的自由将面临威胁：

our freedom to create, to influence

发明创造的自由、 影响周围的自由

and to use the power of money

以及艺术家们有钱赚、有钱花、

to change the very exploitation that keeps artists broke to begin with.

不必为 “一斗米而折腰” 的自由。

I'm not struggling anymore,

我已经解决了生存问题，

and I've learned a lot since being a financial planner,

而自从成为理财规划师开始， 我也学到了很多，

and I just wanted to share that knowledge.

现在我想和大家分享一下。

以下就是我学到的经验 和采取的行。

So here's what I've learned and done.

One: what you do.

第一：你的业务核心是什么？ [ 突出你的特点 ]

When it comes to your offer,

当机会出现在你面前时，

你必须能够回答下面的问题：

you have to be able to answer the following question:

Why would anyone hire you over your competition?

为什么人们要选择你， 而不是你的对手？

If you can't answer that question, neither can your potential clients,

如果你无法回答， 那你的潜在客户也无法回答。

这就意味着，即便你有过人之处， 你的收入也无法增加。

which means you can't charge more for the thing that makes your work special.

Price becomes a differentiator, and bidding becomes a race to the bottom.

此时，唯一的区别就是价格， 而出价也只能是越低越好。

真正可以让你与众不同的， 是你能做什么、为什么和怎么做：

What sets you apart could be what you do, why you do it or how you do it:

a string quartet that arranges and plays hip-hop medleys

比如说，这支弦乐四重奏乐团 能改编并演奏嘻哈歌曲 ；

or a branding firm that has a unique way of marketing technology to Baby Boomers

比如说，这家品牌公司能 把科技产品推销给婴儿潮一代；

or a prop and set designer

又比如说，这位道具设计师

who's known for crafting beautiful papier-mâché miniatures.

能制造出美丽的纸制微缩模型。

Two: who you do it for.

第二：你的目标客户是谁？ [ 定位你的客户 ]

After you determine what sets you apart,

当你确定了你的与众不同之处，

position yourself for your ideal customer.

你就要调整自身定位 来吸引理想客户。

In order for this to be effective, you must narrow your focus.

为了有效调整定位， 你必须将目光聚焦于一点，

Without focus, you try to be everything for everyone,

否则，你就会尝试 为所有人做所有事，

and you end up being nothing for nobody.

最终却发现 你无法为任何人做任何事。

Then, use the kind of language that appeals to your target customer.

然后，你需要学着使用 能吸引目标客户的话术，

Create the kind of marketing materials or the kind of portfolio that attracts them.

并创造出能吸引客户的 宣传材料与代表作品。

Then be in the real-life and virtual places they are.

最后，让你的产品 活跃在现实与虚拟之中。

For example, if you're a videographer

假如你是一位摄影师，

and you want to work with mission-driven companies

你希望与那些 致力于为缺水地区

that bring clean water to places where it's scarce,

带来洁净水源的公司合作，

那就拍摄一条视频，来呈现 影片的力量是怎样促使人们行动的。

create a video trailer that shows exactly how the power of film moves people to act.

Three: when it's time to talk money, understand the real value that you create.

第三：你能创造多少真正的价值？ [ 了解你的价值 ]

You're not just being compensated for the time that you work on a project.

你的工资所补偿的不仅仅是 你为这个项目所花费的时间，

You're being compensated for everything you've learned

更是多年以来你所学到的

and everything you've done over the years

以及你所付出的，

that make you excellent at what you do.

帮助你在今天有所成就的一切。

Ask yourself questions like:

问问你自己：

How does your service impact a customer's bottom line?

你的服务会怎样影响客户的盈亏？

How do you create efficiencies that generate cost savings?

会怎样提高客户的效率， 从而节约成本？

How much money can your customer make

你为客户打造的产品

from a product that you helped them create?

会给客户带来多少收益？

For example, if you're a freelancer that helps YouTube creators

举个例子，假如你是一位 帮助 YouTube 博主

develop merch like T-shirts and dad hats,

开发 T 恤和老爹帽的 自由职业者，

mention how much money you've helped your clients generate.

不妨谈一谈 你帮助客户创造了多少财富。

Or, if you've created a diversity and inclusion training program

又或者，假如你为企业开发了 一项多样性和包容性的

for corporations,

训练课程，

talk about how much time and money a company saves purchasing your product

那就谈一谈你为那些 购买你课程的企业节省了多少

instead of developing their own.

开发课程的时间与金钱。

Four: make sure your price includes your taxes, your overhead and your profit.

第四：确保报价包含税费、花销和利润。 [ 报价应包含成本和利润 ]

When you're a freelancer, you are your own business,

作为一名自由职业者， 你就是自己的企业，

so you're responsible for marketing,

所以说，营销、会计、

accounting, taxes, legal, insurance,

税务、法务、保险、经费

overhead and profit.

以及利润—— 这些都得你自己负责。

If you price too low,

如果你的报价过低，

you've already negotiated against yourself.

那说明这个价格你可以接受。

And if a potential customer balks at your pricing,

如果潜在客户认为你的报价过高，

don't apologize.

不要道歉，

Just say that you're running a business

就说你是在做生意，

and you can't afford to do the work for less.

如果再降价，你就难以为继了。

Instead of corrupting your creativity,

你不用牺牲自己的创意，

focusing on making more money could actually enhance it

但要牢记，你赚的钱越多， 你的选择就越多，

by giving you the freedom of choice.

你的创意也会越来越精彩。

Because when you earn enough working with clients that value your work,

因为，当你与伯乐共事， 并赚了足够多的钱之后，

you don't have to compromise by working with clients who don't.

你就不需要再屈尊 为不欣赏你的客户服务。