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For something called "common" sense, why is there so little of it around?
 
Institute of IT Trainers - Freelance Trainer of the Year 2006 & 2009
Liverpool Business Connect Member
  Maximum Impact Solutions Limited - Reporting Solutions, Creating Answers
Reporting Solutions - Creating Answers, Crystal Reports, Dashboarding (Xcelsius) & SQL Reporting Services

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17
March

A - Z of a Successful Freelance IT Trainer: K is for Keep Going

As freelancers we face many challenges both training and non-training related, that at times can lead one to asking “Am I doing the right thing?”, “Am I good enough?”

The life of a freelance IT trainer is very uncertain, especially in today’s climate, and although there are many advantages, when things are quiet, things don’t go to plan, or things just go wrong.

Over the last 12 months, I have been constyanly asked the same two questions

The first question is “How do you deal with the rejection of not getting a training assignment?”

To which I replied you have two choices:
  1. Contact the supplier and ask for some feedback as to why you didn’t get the assignment, or
  2. Remember its just  business it’s not personal, and it was not meant to be, and move on.
If you take the former approach, then you have a better understanding of how to pitch for work with that particular client in the future.

If you take the latter approach it frees you to pursue other opportunities out there that you may have missed, whilst you are navel gazing.

After years of bookings provisionally holding dates that would later be cancelled, I have taken the simple approach of accepting all the opportunities that help to grow my business and brand, but I inform all parties that there other parties interested in those dates.  Only when I have a confirmation of the training assignment, do I commit it to the diary, otherwise I just work on a first confirm first delivery rule.

The second question I get asked a lot, is “What do you do when things are quiet, and the phone does not ring, and I start to ask “Am I doing the right thing?””

Whenever I find myself asking this question, I usually pick up the phone and talk to one of my full-time employed friends.

When I hear their stories of frustration due to office politics and other issues that stop them from doing their jobs, this reminds me why I became a freelance IT trainer in the first place.
It motivates me to reassesses my position, count my blessings, get proactive and start connecting with both my current customer and potential customers.


I would like to hear your comments, experience, opinions and thoughts about this subject, please drop me a line or two below:

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