27 April 2009 | Freelancing Tips, Tips | Guest Blogger

I can do that. No, really, I can! And I can do the job as cheaply as everyone else. I’m an every-man. Whatever you need, I can provide it. Whatever you want, I can do it. Whatever you say, I’ll jump to it. You and everyone else.

But hey, wait before you run away from me. I’m special! Different! Much more different than all the other different people, and more special than the most specialist. I specialize, you see?

Take a long, long, long look at what I specialize in. Can’t see what you want? Wait, I’ll add it to the list. Can’t you see how versatile I am? I’ll work exclusively on your project, and everyone else’s.

I’ll be available night and day, as long as I’m not doing my other job. I’ll answer your every query, as long as I’m not off learning other skills. I’ll deliver my work speedily, just as soon as I’ve read a tutorial on how to do it.

Does the above sound familiar to you?

It’s all too easy to fall into the trap of the fat kid in the free candy store, grabbing everything, and having no time to enjoy anything.

The internet has allowed us not only to reach a geographically greater audience, but also to be all things to all men. In seconds we can change our profile, or add something to our portfolio. We can be who we want to be today, and someone else tomorrow. And this might seem great, empowering even, but it’s not. If you say you can do everything, you will appear to be just anyone. A nobody.

I saw a sign written white van on the way to work today. It said: J. Bloggs, building foundations

I thought, “If I ever need to lay foundations for a house extension, I’ll go to them.”

So what did they do right that I’ve been doing so wrong?

By specializing they differentiated themselves from the rest. And that’s what we freelancers have to do on oDesk. The more we focus our profile and portfolio to just one thing, the more outstanding we appear to be in that area.

You may ask, “But won’t I lose out on lots of other work?”

The answer is this: How can I lose out on work I’m not getting anyway?

Narrow your focus and become outstanding!

Rob de Jongh is a freelance architectural visualization consultant based in the UK. He specializes in SketchUp and writes a blog about it at www.provelo.co.uk. He’s fairly new to oDesk, and like you, he has trouble focusing his portfolio to get most buyer interest. Check out his profile and leave some helpful comments below.