When telling potential clients about yourself, don’t oversell or make promises you can’t deliver, Bauman warns. Don’t lie on your résumé, and be honest about your skills and knowledge.

“You need to be up front about what you can do,” explains Bauman. “If you can work in any aspect of video production, be sure to say that and not just say that you can edit video. On the other hand, for example, my reel has some high quality 3D animation on it that I cut. I have to make it clear that I did the editing, not the animation.”

3. Be Persistent

Nelson says it is perfectly all right if a post house or potential client doesn’t have any work for you when you call. The point is that work may come up in the future and the call is a way to get your foot in the door. Remember, the goal of a cold call is to introduce yourself and get to know the key people in area facilities. This is assuming, of course, that you actually get a human on the phone.

“You’ll find that people generally won’t return your voice mail messages, not because they don’t want to talk to you, but because they are busy,” explains Nelson. “Returning phone calls is not at the top of their list of things to do. It’s very important that you keep calling, even if they don’t return your calls. I’ve found that maybe one in 10 people — if that many — will tell you to stop bothering them. The rest are perfectly fine with it.”

The good news, according to Nelson, is that the longer you work as a freelancer, the less time you’ll have to dedicate to making sales calls. “You’ll never completely stop making cold calls, but as more people get to know you, you’ll find that you won’t have to do it as much,” he says.

4. Be Quick With The Resume

Nelson advises freelancers to always keep a stack of current résumés, reels and video shipping boxes with the right postage on them on hand for quick mailing. The trick is that whenever a potential client expresses interest in hiring you for a project, offer to send your professional information and then do it right away — preferably the following morning.

If you fail to get your portfolio out to people who express interest on a timely basis, it could translate into lost revenue, Nelson warns.

While it is very important to keep your résumé as current as possible at all times, keeping your reel up-to-date is actually less vital. Freelancers first starting out will discover they need to update their reel on a regular basis, Nelson says. However, as they gain more experience and become better known, they will find they won’t have to update their reel as often.

“When you’re first starting out you want to update your reel as often as possible because you are gaining experience, the quality of your work is improving and you are refining your technique,” explains Nelson. “As you become better known and more experienced, it’s less important to do that. For example, the reel I have is now three years old.”

As for a cover letter, while it is nice to put one together, Nelson finds that a quick handwritten note can be just as effective. “If you don’t have time to type out a cover letter, don’t be afraid to attach a handwritten note on personalized stationary instead,” recommends Nelson. “You’ll find that a lot of people actually view it as a nice personal touch.”

5. Believe in Karma

People who remember people they work with may well become the luckiest people of all in the freelance game, according to Nelson, Wong and Bauman.

“I absolutely believe that what goes around comes around,” declares Nelson. “I have a list of editors’ names that I keep handy. If someone calls me and I’m too busy to take the job, I will recommend people off the list and ask that if they hire someone I recommended that they tell that person who provided the reference.”

Nelson adds that his caveat is actually meant as a common courtesy for his peers, since most freelance editors like to know who is sending them clients.

Wong goes one step further. She says that she can broaden her network beyond her fellow editors by remembering and recommending people in related fields. If a client asks, she is willing to recommend directors, producers, camera people, lighting people, Web site designers, graphic artists and others.

“The ability to network is one of the most important skills you can have,” stresses Wong. “The network you build can be as broad as you want. I try to keep track of different people that I come into contact with. These people are not just potential clients, but also people that can help me build my career and I can help them build theirs.”

Bauman notes that your network can also extend to the Internet. Editors that spend time on email discussion lists and Web boards can offer technical and career support and advice. In addition, Web sites geared at the post-production industry may offer editors the opportunity to post résumés or search job listings.

6. Get a good accountant... and a copy of Quicken

Keeping up with the financial paperwork is a huge headache for most freelancers. That’s why it’s important to have a good accountant who can advise you on business matters and a software package to help you keep track of your finances.

“People don’t realize how quickly you can get into trouble if you don’t have someone to work on your books and help you keep on top of finances,” says Nelson. “An accountant or accounting service, preferably one that has other clients in the same field, is absolutely necessary. They are the ones who can tell you what things you can safely write off on your taxes under the heading of business expenses or research.”

Aside from helping you with taxes and business expenses, a good accountant can also help you make important business decisions. For example, Wong says her accountant works with her on business strategy. “For example, we’re now discussing whether I should incorporate or continue working as an independent contractor,” she explains. “That’s the kind of advice you can get from an accountant.”

While an accountant can help with the big picture, there are still plenty of things a freelancer must do himself or herself, such as invoicing, billing and bill collecting. For that, it helps if you have an accounting software package, such as those offered by Intuit’s Quicken line.

“Software is a must,” stresses Wong. “It helps you keep track of the hours you work, your costs of doing business and what you bill clients. I simply couldn’t live without these things.”

But all the software in the world won’t help if you aren’t disciplined about getting your financial paperwork in order, Wong warns. “I’ll be the first to admit that it’s tough to go out and work on a job all day and come home only to type up invoices,” she comments. “You also need to check your schedule, look at your billing and check to see if you need to follow up on any bills.”

The hardest part, Wong adds, is that the more successful and busy you are as a freelance editor, the easier it is for the financial paperwork to pile up. “There are some days when I drop my daughter off at school and then go back home only to spend the rest of the day on the computer,” she says. “It’s not editing and I’m not on a job, but getting that work done is still vitally important for my financial well being.”

Read part one of this article.

Beth-Ann Marchese is an AvidProNet.com staff writer. (this may be an outdated email address)