When you’re a freelancer, or if you have just thought of a small company, it can feel like you just won’t be taken seriously. It can be hard to pitch for work if you feel like you aren’t getting anywhere. But you are just a small organization, so how can you present yourself as more prominent without lying about it?

The chances are that you don’t have a lot of cash to sink to your appearance, but you likely have time to work on it. Ensuring you have a professional-looking ‘shop window’ means you’re much more likely to nap those clients sooner, rather than later. Here are a few things that you can do to look bigger and better.

Portfolio

Having an online portfolio will tell people who you are, what you do, and how good you are acid. And depending on the kind of service or product that you supply, people can order it straight away. It would be best if you didn’t put everything you have ever created there, though.

Instead, spend some time to curate work that looks pleasing together, but has a flow, and tell a story about you and your business. Everything should be very clear to understand, and your style should be obvious.

Remember that you all the work you have done in the past unless it was for a particularly prominent client, might not be as relevant as your current work.

And, it may lack some of the skills that you now have.

Testimonials

Every time you work with a new client, ask them for reviews and testimonials about your work. This goes for if you sell products too. Having a review tracking software implemented will make this a little bit easier for you.

For outside viewers, this will show that you have work, I will give prospective clients a better view of what you are capable of. You don’t need to have glowing reviews, but they should talk about your work ethic, how the value for money is and did you deliver on time.

When people are looking for freelancers and small companies to work with, it is all about the deliverables; if you don’t have any testimonials, don’t be tempted to fabricate something. Instead, you can reach out to people that you know and offer a small piece of work, or one of your services, in return for some testimonials.

Design

All of your logos and imagery on your website, your stationery, and your social media should be slick and interesting to look at. When logos get over-complicated, they get confusing to look at. Even if they are beautiful. If you need to create your own logo, then use some software like Canva. The free membership gives you access to a lot of tools that will help you design everything you need. In fact, you can create e-books, YouTube covers, PDFs, and everything for your social media too.

This means everything will be completely cohesive, giving you a very professional look.

When it comes to looking professional, much of it is about putting the time in to creating a cohesive and beautiful brand. Always present yourself in the best light, and people will be much more likely to hire you and more than happy to recommend you.