So you want to be a freelancer. It's a great life. You set your own hours, your hourly rate, and work at something you believe in. But it takes more than talent or a great idea to make a good living as a freelancer.

You do want to make a good living, don't you?

Thought so. This three part series will show you how.

Your Business Image Can Make or Break You

You can have the best product since the invention of the internet. You can be cheaper that your competitors. And ten times better. But if your prospective clients don't trust you, they won't give you any money. No matter how good you are.

If you want to earn trust" ?and a hefty paycheck" ?you need a professional image. This is what separates you from the bum on the corner asking for change. It turns prospective clients into customers who gladly pay for your services. And tell their friends about you.

How do you build a professional business image, do you ask? It's easier (and less expensive) than you think.

Build a Better Business Image" ?On the Cheap

" Get a Dedicated Phone Line- This can either be a second line into your home or your cell phone. Put a professional-sounding message on the answering machine or voicemail, and ALWAYS answer it professionally.

Be aware of background noise when you are on the phone. If you have children or pets at home, don't allow them into the same room when you are talking. Just think about how you would feel if you were trying to discuss something with your credit card company, and there were children screaming in the background.

" Get a Website- A website does two very important things. 1) It makes you look established" ?even if you started two days ago. 2) It gives prospective clients a no-pressure way to check you out. $50 and a couple of hours of work will set you up for the year.

Most people make a big mistake on their first website. They spend a whole lot of money to make a whiz-bang site with Flash, music, and other goodies. But go look at a website like http://barnesandnoble.com or http://www.microsoft.com. The sites are very simple.

This isn't because Microsoft can't afford a flashy website. It's because they know that customers want to get to the exact information they require as quickly as possible. Your website needs to answer one basic question" ?why should I give you my money? Include examples of your work, and testimonials from happy clients. If you don't have any clients or previous work, go do some work for free.

" Get a Professional Email address- Sending your clients to a free email account (yahoo, gmail, hotmail) is a good way to lose business. Why, do you ask? It's because you're reminding the client that you are a person and not a business. This is a bad thing. Don't do it. tom@morgagemagic.com will get more money and respect than tom@hotmail.com. And earning money is the whole point, yes?

" Get a Professional Business Card- If you work completely online, then your website is your business card, sales brochure, and storefront all in one. But if you do any work offline, you need something to give to your clients.

It doesn't have to be fancy" ?unless you are in the business of making business cards. But it does have to have all of your contact information on it" ?including your website and email account. Sites such as www.vistaprint.com will let you choose from 42 different designs and give you 250 copies of the business card, and all you have to pay is the shipping. That works out to around $10" ?and the results are better than printing out business cards from your printer.

" Have a Professional Sales Pitch- The biggest question you need to answer is "Why should I give you my money?" ? "Because I'm really good" ? isn't an answer. Figure out what makes you different, and then boil it down into two or three sentences. Repeat them to yourself so you can deliver your pitch smoothly.

Building a professional image isn't hard" ?but it requires some thought. You aim is to make every point of contact with the client smooth and business-like. This builds their trust in you" ?and makes it more likely that you will be the one they call when they need work done.

In the next article, we will talk about the most common mistakes almost every freelancer makes" ?and how you can avoid them.