Dear Readers,

Two years ago 31% of global leaders believed that climate change would soon be the focus of public policy and its future. Since then, according to a recent McKinsey survey, this percentage is now more than 50%. This growing awareness is a consequence of the increasingly intense debate about the business and related risks of global warming. Today, 60% of the world´s business leaders surveyed believe the issue is important enough to influence their own corporate strategy. According to Global Agenda.org, another McKinsey study shows companies are reacting to a change in consumer awareness. This confirmed an ever-clearer trend: For consumers, the issue of environment and climate change is no longer just a question of how much confidence they have in a company but determines whether they buy their products or not.

A recent worldwide survey of 7751 consumers that focused on the oil, food, and beverages, retail and high-tech industry found that consumers tended to trust some sectors more than others. The difference was determined by the company’s social responsibilities. Climate change appears to be playing an increasingly important role in influencing personal choices and buying decisions. About 50% of all respondents stated that they would appreciate companies in the oil sector making strategic investments in renewable and alternative energy sources. With a quarter even being prepared to pay more for clean energy products. There are also striking differences between various regions. While the oil industry in the U.S. and Europe suffers from a negative image, 70 – 90% of respondents in Brazil, China and India started a more positive view.

The high-tech industry enjoyed the highest levels of trust with 75% in France to 96% in India nominating the sector. But even here, the respondents were clear that their willingness to purchase would increase if the organization showed increased social responsibility. Topping the wish list of Chinese and German consumers was for business to take resolute action to reduce energy consumption. In the United States, however, a seventh of all respondents placed the same level of importance on energy reduction. Ironically, if strategically managed, all business leaders agreed that climate change would also bring opportunities. Whilst 70% of respondents felt that strategic dialogue so far had little or no future.

You can find free documents and interesting information in areas contracting, personality, outsourcing and other topics on Zealancer docs. Focal points of the documents include template contracts and non-disclosure documents, tax commentary from the ATO and interview tips are all freely available.

For example, there is information about best practice in managing outsourcing agreements, how to best manage the interview and the tax office’s commentary on the 80/20 rule and how it affects contractors and consultants. Through our document facility, you have quick access to relevant documents. Please send us a quick note if there is a specific category of document you are interested in us providing.

More than two-thirds of all German companies (68.5 percent) use electronic procurement solutions in the purchasing process. This according to Salesbusiness.de, is an increase of more than 20 percentage points to the previous year. Also on the rise are electronic order catalogs with only 57 percent of all respondents using e-catalogs used in 2005, whereas today 96 percent are using them.

Dear Readers,

Like any customer-oriented company, we want to learn from our customers. Accordingly, last May we interviewed 38 active customers with valuable feedback being received. Typical suggestions for improvement include better assignment of contractor categories, better contractor qualification review and improving the user-friendliness of the search functions.

Among other things, we asked the question as to whether they planned to use the service again in the future with 35 answering yes. The 3 who said they would not use the service again did so as they had no future requirements.

We aim to continually improve the Zealancer service. Your suggestions or comments are therefore very welcome. Simply mail them to info@zealancer.nz.

According to a thesis by Christoph Becker of the University of Pforzheim, working in cooperation with the Zealancer.nz, it emerged that the number of self-employed workers continues to steadily rise. In 1992 only about half a million workers were self-employed whereas, by 2007, this number doubled to just under one million.

Within the group of self-employed, the number of freelance contractors has greatly increased. A good example of the increased demand is the IT industry where according to Becker in February 2007 some 20,000 positions were not able to be filled or were filled after a considerable delay. Contractors, therefore, filled the gap.

Researchers, such as Michael Horx, looking at future employment patterns, assume that the labour market is continuing to move in the direction of the flexible workforce and thus in the direction of independence contractors. In the Spiegel interview, he said: Presumably, if this trend continues, by the year 2050 30/40 percent of all workers will self-employed.

This trend is also supported by taxation trend. For example, the taxes for self-employed have decreased 6% since the early ’90s whereas full-time employees have only received a 3% reduction. In Germany, full-time employees pay an average of 26% of their income in tax. The self-employed on the other hand are paying an average of 15% on their total income.

Dear Readers,

According to Global-Agenda.org, rising oil prices and limited sources of raw materials are casting doubts on the long-term stability of an economy primarily dependent on fossil based energy sources. Peak Oil theory produces a pessimistic analyses postulating that in a world of increased demand peak oil production has been reached and is now on a steady decline. If the peak-oil theorists correct difference strategies are necessary.

Five possible consequences deserve consideration:

• Oil exporters: The largest oil-exporting countries attract capital and influence. If their national interest are threatened they may be forced into take taking radical measures. Iran could; for example, interrupt the oil deliveries from the Persian Gulf strengthening its political and negotiation position, i.e. Iran´s current nuclear agenda.

• Oil Importer: For the countries highly dependent on importing oil to maintain their commodity production, there is a growing risk of economic stagnation. Is the current price surge in oil due to growing gap between supply and demand or a result of deliberate price manipulation by oil producers? It is increasingly likely that productivity will be measured in the future as a function of primary energy consumption.

• State decay: In some developing countries, increases in energy prices run the risk of driving the economy to a standstill. This increases the likelihood of political instability. This is especially true for countries in which government institutions are already weak and could result in neo-feudal conditions in which warlords, private militias and rich entrepreneurs dominate.

• War for resources: Resources shortages drive armed conflicts. This is especially true where oil is concerned resulting in military interventions or intergovernmental warfare, (as in Darfur). In addition new alliances are forged for the purpose of energy security which also result in new conflicts. In Central Asia, China and Russia everything possible is being done to limit the influence of the U.S. military through bilateral agreements and the formation of regional blocs such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization countries.

• Nuclear risks: There is a growing danger that the depletion of oil reserves will result in a dramatic increase in the use of nuclear energy - and the associated risks (nuclear accidents). Every country that operates nuclear reactors, sooner or later, will get access to weapons-grade plutonium. This increases the likelihood that is will fall into the wrong hands.

The future of individual countries is now less dependent on their military capabilities than their economic independence from fossil fuels. Only those countries that are energy efficient will have economies that will survive and prosper. Like climate change this challenge is too great for individual countries to solve alone. To ensure long term stability, international co-operation is necessary especially in a world of international economic integration on the one hand and the particular difficulties faced by standalone underdeveloped countries on the other.

DEAR READERS,

Thanks largely to Australia’s strict banking regulations; the Australian market economy is in remarkably good condition especially given the instability of the global markets in recent weeks. We are still enjoying one of the lowest unemployment levels of the last three decades with the majority of Australian businesses having healthy balance sheets backed by solid profits. Our finance institutions also don’t have the heavy leveraging experienced by many of the international banking community.

Gerry Harvey, from Harvey Norman fame, is on record as stating that he doesn’t believe Australia is going into recession. Despite the doom and gloom scenarios projected in much of the media, many business and academic commentators tend to agree to expect continued GDP growth. Few however being prepared to nominate a percentage.

We are likely to see significant sector-specific fluctuations in employment levels but given the overall demand, redundant personnel should be readily absorbed by more buoyant sectors. The employment market is therefore expected to stay relatively stable in the near future. In the end, however, the state of the Australian employment market will be determined by market psychology and consumer confidence. The government’s $10.4B cash injection should go a long way to bolstering this. There is also a strong likelihood that we may see increased demand for freelance contract personnel as corporations, seeking to gain greater flexibility over their cost base, increase their contractor to FTE headcount. In fact, Gary Wright, CEO of UK based BISS Research, argues that skill shortages could actually impede the recover “with a dearth of experienced employees in the finance sector”. He argues that “enormous pressures are put on too few knowledgeable senior people to ensure operational efficiency”. This all means continued, and growing, demand for quality contract freelance specialists of all kinds.

As they compete in the market for the talent necessary to drive their business, many employers now routinely appoint contract staff in specialist positions. The flexible workforce model allows them greater flexibility in managing special projects and the associated risks. A recent study by Unisys Australia/NZ found that staff turnover will significantly cost Australian businesses over the coming 12 months. At a time when the skills shortage is squeezing the Australian economy, staff turnover is turning into a major problem that is already costing the country´s businesses more than $A100 billion a year. It costs more to continually replace staff, and in a tight labour market each new hire drives up wage levels for the same job role without a corresponding increase in productivity. When good staff leave, intellectual property and the valuable relationships they established with customers and business partners, go with them. All indications are that this has gotten worse in 2008, said Steve Parker, managing director of Unisys Australia and New Zealand.

Unisys´ analysis showed the cost of replacing a worker is around 1.5 times that person´s yearly salary. Based on ABS figures, 1.2 million people changed jobs in the 12 months to February 2006. Using average weekly earnings, that potentially ended up costing the Australian economy more than $A100 billion a year. A study by the Australian Chamber of Commerce found that 69.9 percent of businesses were concerned about wage levels increasing without a corresponding increase in productivity. The Australian labour environment is challenging: We have the lowest level of unemployment in more than 33 years, around 21 percent of Australians have a bachelor degree or higher, and almost one in five aren´t in a traditional full-time role. In other words, employees are qualified, they are getting younger, they are on the move and they don´t expect to stay with the same employer for the life of their career, Parker said.

DEAR READERS,

A recent study by the UK’s Professional Contractors Group (PCG) has shown that there are 1.4 million freelance workers in the UK. This represents a 14 percent rise in individuals leveraging the benefits of this alternative working lifestyle since 1998.

The study indicates that 62 percent of contractors are male and 38 percent are female. John Brazier, managing director of PCG, said the study provided a credible outline of the size and characteristics of our dynamic freelance workforce, something he claimed had not existed until now.
Referring to contracting in general, he added: The freelance community has grown over the last ten years and all the signs indicate that it will continue to grow

Kerry Packer once told a parliamentary committee in 1991; “Now, of course, I am minimizing my tax and if anybody in this country doesn´t minimize their tax they want their heads to read because as a government I can tell you you´re not spending it that well that we should be donating extra.” Truer words were never spoken! So how do we go about living up to this objective? The answer? Keep detailed records of expenditure!! The analysis shows that many self-employed workers are not maintaining their financial records in a manner designed to optimize their tax deductions and are potentially paying way too much tax.

The Australian Tax Department has made available free of charge a superb software product called e-record. This is an excellent spreadsheet driven record management facility providing cashbook management, BAS processing, reconciliation of daily sales, cash flow management, tax invoicing, inventory management and many other very useful features. The system is easy to use and provides full backup facilities ensuring you never lose the data and has excellent on phone support.

We strongly recommend that you run through the tutorial provided. You can find e-record at here!.

Project Scheduler:

Java Developer:

DEAR READERS,

Who are the customers of freelancers? The Zealancer group analysed its recent project introductions. The majority of inquiries are made by industrial enterprises (19%), followed by the construction sector (11%) and agencies (9%). Other key requesting industries are engineering firms, consulting companies, start-ups and HR. Our economy is more diversified than most of us think, which is reflected in requests for freelance work coming from many different sectors. The biggest seven market sectors together make-up just two-thirds of all project introductions.

Industrial enterprises

Agencies

Engineering firms

Consulting firms

Start-Ups

For companies with a minimum of 50 employees, a new law allows employees to ignore emails outside working hours. The individual companies, however, may themselves decide how to specifically implement the new law. The reason for this law was a French study, which resulted in 37 per cent of the interviewees emailing during evenings or weekends, leading to additional illnesses like burn-out and depression.

Managers and freelancers often end-up working in a new city in or outside the country for short or medium term. Sometimes they have free time there, but that is not much fun without friends. The project is often over before a local circle of friends and acquaintances can be established. In this article, we are giving you some tips on how to get quickly connected to a new place, instead of sitting alone in the hotel bar.

Perhaps you have contact databases of your networks, for example, international clubs (Rotarians, Esperanto, Dance Association, Toastmasters, BNI, ...) or your university´s list of alumni (great examples here are the European Business School and the International Space University). Many international companies also maintain a database of their former employees (McKinsey for example) or the ex-employees themselves are managing an extensive alumni network, as for example Gemini Consulting. As these contact lists (which are mostly online) usually show position, experience, interests, etc., they help you to connect with people with whom you have most in common.

In addition, there are also national and international Internet platforms where you can find business functions or events in your professional areas, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Meetup, Xing and Internations.

Hopefully, our tips help you to quickly get in touch, so you may already be on a networking event in your new city on the day of arrival, even before you check into the hotel.

Our registered service providers can introduce themselves with an article in this Zealancer-News. In this issue, we present our freelancer in the category of Marketing Expert. Among other things, this freelancer produces periodical customer and company newspapers, all the way from the idea, writing the individual articles and design to the final printed copy.
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It is standard for large corporations to regularly publish their own corporate magazine. They normally have a separate department for public relations, which is also responsible for issuing the company newspaper. However, small and medium-sized companies are often hesitant to issue their own company newspaper, due to additional fixed staff costs.

To know whether an own company newspaper is worthwhile at all, the benefits and costs for a medium-sized company should be compared beforehand. Such a review is always recommended, even if it results in a decision against an in-house magazine. Maybe issuing a more cost-effective newsletter turns out to be the better alternative. If necessary I will create also a benefit/cost analysis for your company, where I give a specific evaluation for your customers or staff newspaper vs. a regular newsletter.
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DEAR READERS,

Due to rising demand for IT-specialists, we have decided to divide the existing contractor category “IT-Expert” into following six individual areas: “IT-Administrator”, “IT-Network”, “IT-Programmer”, “IT-Project Manager”, “IT-Tester” and “IT-Others”. Thus, it is going to be easier to find a suitable expert.

Freelancers in the “IT-Network” category deal with network administration, protection of data privacy and information technology security and resolution of data network issues.

The specialists from the area of IT administration deal with system maintenance and solving of hardware and software problems. IT administrators can work both remotely and at the client location.

Programmers cover writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining source code of computer programs such as HTML, Java, C++. Some also specialize on some aspects of the development and design of web and mobile applications.

Project managers plan, monitor and coordinate projects in the areas of information technology infrastructure, software consulting, e-business, e-commerce, shop systems and SAP.

IT-Testers focus on testing of software, analyzing information technology systems and computer code, usability tests and software bug identification.

In the category “IT-Other” you will find various service providers from the information technology sector, which are not covered in the previous sections. The freelancers listed with us are specialized in enterprise applications.

With the introduction of these new six new categories, we have now 27 types of services categories at Zealancer.nz, from accountant to gardener...

According to the Doing Business 2018 Report, New Zealand again remains the top spot for ease of doing business. This study was compiled from the input of over 13 000 experts from all over the world (in total different 190 economies).

In this study, the ranking is being determined by the Ease of Doing Business Index which rates countries according to 11 factors. These indicators cover varieties from starting a business to getting electricity. The ranking shows us how difficult or easy it is to start a business or to get electricity in different countries.

In the report, New Zealand is ranking number one. With a score of 86.55 points, we have the highest overall distance to the other OECD high-income economies. The report is based on these ten factors, with the ranking of New Zealand in brackets:
1) Starting a business (1)
2) Dealing with construction permits (3)
3) Getting electricity (37)
4) Registering property (1)
5) Getting credit (1)
6) Protecting minority investors (2)
7) Trading across borders (56)
8) Paying taxes (9)
9) Enforcing contracts (21)
10) Resolving insolvency (32).

From the rankings, we can see the main reason for New Zealand being at the top is that New Zealand is great at providing official permissions and permits of registering a business, approving to build a warehouse, approving of property registration, protecting the interest of minority investors and having easy access on getting credit.

Another reason for New Zealand being at the top is as of its reforms on paying taxes. The main points of these reforms are about the introduction or improvement of systems for filing and paying taxes online. In addition, time is needed for complying and receiving back value-added tax and completing a tax audit in the new criteria.

In case you want to see the whole report in order to obtain more information, here is the link for downloading this report.

Zealancer is happy to announce that Omer Can has joined our customer administration team. Omer will help us to improve the quality and responsiveness of our customer service and will also work in marketing to improve our perception in the New Zealand market.

“I have a passion for self-development which helps me think of good ideas. By observing the problems and brainstorming solutions, I will bring them to life. I am looking forward to apply my skills now to help freelancers and their customers in New Zealand to cooperate successfully”, says Omer.

At the moment, he is sharing his insights and marketing knowledge during his current on-boarding. Right now, Omer is learning the customer admin processes under the supervision of CEO Rainer Kurz. Omer will initially focus on freelancer activation before taking over full responsibility for our contractors. He will also support our marketing and social media activities.

Omer Can has a B.Sc. in civil engineering and worked for construction companies such as TAV Construction where he was employed as a data analyst and timeline controller. He also started his own online retailing business for mobile phone accessories. Omer’s hobbies include travelling, sailing, and outdoor sports.

We wish him lots of success in his new role in the Zealancer team.

From Amor Dhaouadi
In my coaching sessions with freelancers and executives, we discuss different sales methods that employees should use in their sales activities. It is fascinating to see the different success rates of the different sales methods, depending on the industry segment (B2B or B2C) being considered. Below is an overview of the most commonly used sales channels and methods:

Networking:

Email:

Telephone:

Print media:

White papers and case studies:

Fairs:

Social media:

Digital marketing:

DEAR READERS,

According to our research, freelancers profiles who display a portrait picture get significantly more client requests. The reason is that a persons picture is key to create a first impression.

Our detailed study shows that people who have a portrait picture are twice as likely to be requested as freelancers with the same skills but no portrait picture.

In medieval times, some mercenary warriors in Europe who were not sworn-in to any lord or king. Warfaring lords could hire these medieval mercenary warriors for their services.

As they freely owned their own weapons (like lances), term “free-lance” was used for them. Early mentions were in Sir Walter Scott novel Ivanhoe, published in 1820: “I offered Richard the service of my Free Lances, and he refused them...”.

With the development of trade and technology, the term freelancer nowadays is used for self-employed “business warriors”. The weapon arsenals of freelancers nowadays consist of computers, tablets, and smartphones.

Every day there are more Kiwis who decide to become freelancers, taking advantage of their talent and skills, without having to meet the narrow work schedules of the typical employee. There are currently more than 300 000 Kiwis who are solo entrepreneurs, ie. being self-employed without having employees of their own.

If you are considering to start your own business, remember that besides the many advantages that this lifestyle offers, you should also consider its challenging aspects to achieve lasting success.

At the beginning, many freelancers feel lost and they do not know how to go forward or deal with the daily challenges. It is normal to have doubts about this new, wide and competitive world. These tips will help you to take off and to leave the fear aside:

1. Build your own brand

2. Sign up on various job platforms and project recruiters

3. Make your offer is the most attractive in the market

4. Offer reasonable rates for the market

5. What is your best time of day?

6. Do not be afraid to say no

7. The key is in communication

8. Go out and see the world

Service providers can present themselves with a short article in the Zealancer-News. In this issue, we present a marketing expert focusing on branding.
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Brands have determined my life for years - professionally as well as privately. Consistent brand management requires a fundamental analysis and a good strategy.

It is necessary to understand and grasp the brand in its entirety instead of targeting a group-oriented view. The brand must be adapted to your company structure and should be determined and managed according to the desired customer effect. Only by a holistic view, the success modules of a strong brand can be discovered and strategically planned.

On the basis of a holistic brand analysis and consulting, every company can increase its added value by certain strategic measures. As a freelance brand researcher and consultant, I am looking forward to your assignment!
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A programmer, a designer, and a process consultant argue over which is the best computer.

The open-source programmer: Real programmers work with a Linux PC and let their children play with the Windows computer.

The designer: Real designers work with an Apple and give the Windows computer to their children to play.

The process consultant thinks a moment, smiles and says with a calm voice: Real professionals let the computer work and play with their children at home!

DEAR READERS,

Day by day people are becoming more interested in co-working spaces. It is a common fact that when we hear the word “co-working”, the first people that come to mind are entrepreneurs, freelancers, and digital nomads. However, these areas are a growing trend, not just for freelancers but for a range of small businesses.

Co-working was first introduced by iconic programmer Brad Neuberg, who launched his co-working space in San Francisco to replace less productive home offices of “small businesses”. In New Zealand, co-working became a real trend in the 2010s. According to Lorne Somerville, a leasing specialist at Barfoot and Thompson commercial, “The co-working spaces provided in New Zealand total 13,900 m² in 2016, and is expected to increase extensively this year”. He was not wrong as by the end of April 2018, co-working spaces expanded into around 20 operators and almost 30,000 m² of space. In New Zealand, the demand for co-working offices currently surpasses those such as Smales Farm, Generator, BizDojo, Thinkspace, and Regus.

Many freelancers working from home sometimes find it difficult to work due to interference from children, noisy activities taking place within the surrounding. The availability of co-working spaces can overcome these home-workplace frustrations and act as a creativity boost.

For example, Virginia Adams is a digital marketer who has been handling her freelance projects from home. Virginia thinks she is never able to complete tasks at the right time but soon realizes that her husband and children have been distracting her while she was working. “When I chose to register to an office in Auckland, I became more productive and attentive at my tasks. I can now submit my work before the deadline,” says Virginia.

Co-working offices tend to unite the entrepreneurs so they can operate and interact as a community. They share WiFi, servers, boardrooms, cafe, and toilets under the same roof. This soon extends to sharing ideas, advice and even business contacts.

Inevitably, this trend has strengthened the connection between the people using the co-working spaces and helped them to expand their networks. You never know who you are going to meet in these co-working hubs. If you are a freelancer working from home, do not hesitate, it is time to join the trend!

Service providers can present themselves with a short article in Zealancer-News. In this issue, we showcase our freelancer 13450 from Wellington who is an event manager focusing on branding.
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Has this happened to you? A customer event is about to take place in your company and “someone” urgently needs to take care of it? Most companies consider events more as a burden than as a benefit since it has to be organised by employees during extra time or overtime. What is your next action when you are informed about a scheduled event? What if you want to contribute and ensure that everything is handled smoothly during the event?

It is needless to abandon your official duties to organize an event while there is someone out there who is specifically equipped with event management skills. Opt for Plan B to save your time and resources! When you engage the services of a professional planner, everything will be conducted quickly and neatly. I can assure you that you will harvest success at the end! It has to be conducted systematically - where all tasks are assigned based on necessity, and the documents from the past year are secluded skillfully. There is no more time to research new ideas and certainly no more time to get offers and compare them.

Remember, a customer has entrusted you with this service. Use every minute to justify the trust and uphold your reputation in the industry. To be considered a continued business partner, you must professionally organize the event.

The success of an event doesnt end at preparation but extends to the event day. Take your time and visualize how you want the venue to look, and source some experienced workmen to wear the hat. Who will be on the site at an early stage and who will be the contact person for the incoming service providers? Who places the artists and takes care of the technology? Who controls the service personnel and keeps an eye on clearing the plates and emptying the ashtrays? Is the schedule still right? Is the music too loud? Are the toilets clean? Are the trophies, microphones, and presenters ready in time for the award ceremony? Who keeps calm when something goes wrong and who coordinates the dismantling? Ideally, the person who made the arrangements should also be in charge of the site.

Today, event management is a special field in itself, which profits from experience, successes, survived crises and solved problems. Even if you have an event department in your company, there is a possibility of defeat if several events are to take place at the same time. It does not pay off to hire another specialist for individual out-of-sequence events.

Before you interrupt the running operations, let your employees do their jobs and get professional support. Then you can calmly devote yourself to the purpose of your event and above all to your customers.
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What are the biggest challenges for companies to find a suitable freelancer? This question was recently presented to Rainer Kurz, the Managing Director of Zealancer.nz, during a blog interview. Here is his answer:

It is a challenge to choose a freelancer with matching skills and experience. Of course, you have to consider the hourly rate, location, language, and availability. In any case, you should take enough time to find the optimal service provider with provable experience and not only hire based on educational background. A marketplace like Zealancer.nz, which clearly compares the features of freelancers, can be of great help to your virtual hiring process.

Even if you have found a contractor who matches the specifications of your job post, there is still the problem of mutual trust between freelancer and client. Can the freelancer really do what they promise? Is the client reliable? Should the freelancer deliver something first or receive upfront payment before submission? This is where the escrow payment services offered by Zealancer.nz helps to build trust between the freelancer and the client (“escrow” means payment via a trusted third party). As Zealancer tries everything to help the contractor and the client, this secured transaction method is provided free of charge.

DEAR READERS,

Zealancer has now published the first comprehensive overview of coworking spaces in New Zealand. The New Zealand Coworking Directory

The New Zealand Coworking Directory

It is important for us to improve the business services we give to you - our contractors, freelancers, and clients. Our Facebook page helps achieve this by keeping you informed about the freelancing industry and our services. For example, we currently wrote about our newcomers, our published articles and our comments about the news in New Zealand.

As you can imagine, we have also launched this “page” to further increase the popularity of Zealancer and reach out to more freelancers like yourself. You can now send us a Facebook message whenever you need, follow our articles, share your comments or even provide an article for us to share via the Facebook page. We appreciate your support! Please have a look at our Facebook page below and share your thoughts with us:
www.facebook.com/Zealancer.nz

DEAR READERS,

As a freelancer or as a business owner, it is advisable to use different methods for finding clients or employees. One method for this is social media. Therefore, in this article, we are going to show you how to do it and how important social media is in our country.

Social media has become an inevitable part of our lives. According to the statistics of Statista.com, in 2017, daily social media usage of global internet users amounted to 135

Suggestions for freelancers

1) Groups:

2) Create a content:

3) Invest in advertisements:

4) Review your clients’ and competitors’ accounts:

Suggestions for business owners

1) Set your social media goals and objectives:

2) Try to learn from your competitors:

3) Decide which platforms are right for you:

4) Know your audience:

5) Create a calendar:

There are approximately 144,000 New Zealanders working as self-employed contractors according to the published Stats New Zealand figures (07/2019). This number equals to over 5 percent of all employed people in New Zealand.

“There is considerable interest in contracting, given the perceived trend towards a ‘gig economy’ where people increasingly work on short-term contracts or freelance jobs,” explains Labour Market Statistics Manager Scott Ussher.

“However, the challenge in identifying how many people work as contractors is that the distinctions between employees, self-employed contractors, and other types of self-employed people are not always clear-cut.”

Therefore, the survey asked service providers whether or not they worked as contractors in their main job or not in order to create a distinction.

According to the survey results, 7 percent of employed men and 4 percent of employed women are working as contractors. Even though those identifying as self-employed make up a small amount of the total New Zealand workforce, they are more common in certain industries.

New Zealand’s top four industry for self-employment:

How do I prepare my discussion partners for the goals of my presentation? What do I want to convince them of? How do I achieve a common basis? How do I establish communication with the participants? How do I react to objections and critical questions? And what should I do about my excitement?

First of all, the correct attunement of the participants is just as important as the content of the presentation itself. For example, a decision about opening up a branch in Australia could be introduced with success stories from well-known companies, or with quotations from recognised authorities. Great examples of success are cases where calculable risks were accepted. This way, the participants are prepared for entrepreneurial decisions by taking courageous risks and calculating the underlying high opportunities.

Second of all, a convincing presentation should not be a performance in which you dance up front and the audience watches and applauds. Rather, it should be a conversation with the participants. It best begins with questions that involve the participants and are not only rhetorical phrases.
- What are our (strategic) goals and priorities?
- What are the reasons to look for a decision right now?
- What happens if nothing is done or decided?

The third secret is to focus on the immediate conversation with the participants, not a fixation on a particular outcome. The presentation and better conversation should not be a challenge to be won, but an opportunity to ask the right questions and discuss them. You should be open to new ideas in the discussion while not losing sight of the common goal.

The fourth secret is to forget Yes, but... and to force yourself to respond with Yes, and.... It signals to participants that you have been listening and accepting other views. The best way is to repeat the argument back in your own words. The questioners think you understood their point of view, therefore they accept your perspective more seriously in return.

The fifth secret is that quick answers are rarely good answers. The best answer is: It depends.... This gives you time to think about the answer and what this answer might depend on. This is certainly true if you know the answer directly. When do we reach the breakthrough? What budget do we need for the launch? How many walls can I paint with 10 litres of wall paint? - And the answer: It depends...

The sixth secret is that critical questions and objections should not be understood as a personal attack, but as an opportunity: Thank you very much for this question. It gives you the opportunity to address the Let us consider.. context and in any case, you should avoid getting involved in a confrontation and instead, you take the side of the questioner and find a solution together.

The last secret is that nervousness is normal. If you notice that you are nervous, accept your nervous side and use the extra adrenaline in a positive way for yourself. A good lecturer will always be nervous at some point. A positive attitude is always vital here.

And finally, every presentation, every difficult negotiation and every pitch has a benefit for itself, even if the result is sometimes different than desired. It is always a learning experience to improve your presentation skills and negotiating strength.

Freelancers can present themselves with a short article in the Zealancer-News. Today we present you a service provider who specialises in career coaching.
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I have been offering professional support for personal change processes since 1995. My focus spreads from the rediscovery, further development and self-presentation of individual potential with connection to the optimisation of individual self-management. It is all about learning to better control one’s emotions, to reduce conflicts and to implement new target strategies for success in both professional and personal contexts.

My way of training is appreciative, transparent and systemic-solution-oriented. The coaching and training start, after a detailed analysis of a client’s current situation, as well as clearly defining those facets of yourself that you specifically want to change. The focus is on using your own strengths, finding new perspectives and becoming aware of your individual behaviour, patterns and attitudes. In this process, you will find your unique solution in a series of steps. Success is also based on the fact that your entire environment, as well as the interweaving of communications, actions and relationships, are all integrated into the process of achieving your specific aims. Ultimately, you will achieve maximum success in achieving your goals.

I approach this creative process neutrally and guarantee you absolute confidentiality. My way of working is independent of ideologies or religions. My services focus on both out-placement and new concepts, career planning, job application training, assessment centre training, start-up coaching, potential analyses, soft skills analysis, mental training (emotional competence) and training in self-confidence and self-motivation.
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DEAR READERS,

The current hourly rate analysis of freelancers from 14 different categories listed on Zealancer has just been released. And the conclusion? An hourly rate comparison is actually always worthwhile!

On average, a freelance service provider costs $64.60 NZD per hour. A comparison of different service providers is always worthwhile, when deciding who to work with. This is due to the fact that the hourly rates do not only depend on the service and the service provider’s qualification. Other factors also play a role, such as gender and the age of the service provider, amongst others.

Surprisingly, even the hourly rates of comparable freelancers can differ by more than a factor of two. Additionally some freelancers even charge different hourly rates depending on the client and the scope of the project or their personal interest. The selection amongst equally qualified service providers can therefore save an average of 30 per cent in costs.

Let´s discuss the influencing factors on the hourly rate and examine them in more detail.

As expected, remuneration depends strongly on the type of the service. On average, a freelancer in the Secretary/Admin category charges $28.20 NZD per hour while a consultant charges $129.90 NZD per hour. Predictably, services requiring academic qualifications are better remunerated. Interestingly enough, the ability to deal with people is paid at a higher rate than pure professional knowledge. Thus engineers at average charge $65 NZD, while it is $69.70 NZD per hour for trainers.

The age of the service provider also plays a role. Older service providers are generally more experienced and are, on average, three times as expensive as young people. The average 18 to 29 year olds, charge a rate of $24.60 NZD, while for those over 50 the average is $76.00 NZD.

Gender has only a small influence on the requested hourly rates. Although men demand an average $65 NZD, which is more than women ($54.80 NZD), this could be due to the fact that women are more strongly represented in the less well-paid services. For example, 80 per cent of all secretary/admin providers are female, while business consultants have only a female share of 23 per cent.

Within a service category, the differences in remuneration are therefore small. For example; male graphic designers at an average of 28 NZD, are slightly below the from female graphic designers charge (average of $33 NZD).

Pricing on the basis of clear market criteria is only a partially happening in New Zealand. For example, very different prices are paid for comparable services without there being any qualitative reason for the disparity. We found that hourly rates vary widely within a type of service - there are IT experts, for example, from $15 NZD to $150 NZD per hour. Interestingly, this range also applies to comparable qualifications and experiences. Thus, when we compare IT experts with 10 years of experience and similar skills, the hourly rates can spread between $50 to $100 NZD.

A lack of market transparency can be contributing factor for the large spread of hourly rates. Both suppliers and customers are often poorly informed because they know only a few market participants. With the growing importance of electronic marketplaces in New Zealand, however, the information deficit is shrinking. Thus the service providers listed at Zealancer often orient themselves according to the hourly rates of fellow providers. A flexibility in determining the hourly rate is surprisingly high for many freelancers. If service providers discover that they are rarely selected, they often reduce their prices by up to 30 percent. Likewise, service providers who are in high demand in the marketplace often increase their hourly rates significantly as a result.

However, there is often more than just one hourly rate for a specific expert. Depending on the customer and sales channel, some specialists charge different hourly rates. In individual cases, the hourly rates that can be found on the freelancer´s website are twice as high as those listed on Zealancer.nz

It is therefore worthwhile for companies to compare the skills and hourly rates of freelancers. As our statistically selected samples showed, one saves on average, 30 percent if the cheapest service provider is selected out of five instead of resorting to the first available one. In addition, a larger pool often leads to the discovery of the most suitable expert. The classical way to compare providers is to ask for quotes from several service providers. While this process is time consuming for both requesters and providers, this selection can now take place in a few minutes thanks to the existing internet marketplaces. Therefore, there is no longer any reason to not compare the freelancers and their offers.

Zealancer is proud to announce that we are a media partner at the Negotiation Deep Dive: Advanced Techniques to Succeed in Business event. This will be taking place on 23rd October in The Workshop Auckland Coworking and Shared Office in the Auckland suburb of Ponsonby.

Entrepreneurs, contractors, freelancers, team builders, self-employed individuals and game changers can benefit from this workshop. You will learn negotiation techniques while getting experience honing your new strategies with real life scenarios and role play. In this workshop, the instructors will build on the foundations of a negotiation strategy by using a negotiator´s mindset, understanding your counterpart, and practicing purposeful empathy to further develop a more refined set of tactics.

In Deep Dive, participants will learn to get serious and up their game. They will be giving 1:1 support, real life role plays and coaching to help them implement these tools confidently. This approach to negotiation focuses on building relationships, communication, empathy and understanding others. According to the organiser, these tactics will help you answer the questions below:

What would your business and life be like if you were confident and powerful in any negotiation?

How much more money would you make this year?

How much more quickly would you reach your goals?

How much more would you love your life and business?

If you would like to attend to this upcoming event, feel free to use the discount code ZEALANCER for %15 discount.

Defining goals and successfully implementing them is usually easier said than done! One of the reasons for this could be that your goals have not been well documented or concretely formulated. Lack of discipline can also be an important factor in the implementation of the success in your planned goals.

The bestselling author Alan Weiss proposes the iconic One-Percent-Rule. With this approach he encourages readers to aim to be better every day by simply just one per cent. Purely mathematically, your own abilities will double itself every 70 days. Imagine if you could build up such a clear advantage in your business! You are probably asking yourself how to do something like this. Well, you must be open to learning, and use every opportunity to experience something new. This can be done in different ways, for example, an article in a trade magazine, a tip from a colleague, an important note in a blog or newly acquired skills from a seminar. The possibilities are practically endless, you simply have to be attentive and take every opportunity to learn something new or innovative and try it out.

In addition to your actual subject area, there are many other areas where you can improve further. Just think about how you could better negotiate agreements with your customers, how you could make presentations more successful or how you could stay motivated every day despite setbacks and stress. Or perhaps it is how to optimally prepare for customer meetings, how to develop your leadership skills, or how to improve your innovation skills? The list can be continued indefinitely and there are infinite ways we can improve our business expertise and knowledge.

The one per cent approach helps you to continuously improve and stay one step ahead of the competition. This can also lead to innovative product and sales ideas. For example, freelancer Amor Daouadi offers his customers a 10 per cent discount if they pay the total amount at the beginning of the project, and he guarantees professional and high-quality consulting work. This way, he is able to achieve a completion rate of 75 percent. This method is particularly successful with large companies, as many department heads and managers know that their project could no longer be overturned by any cost savings.

From Amor Daouadi

Every success story starts with a thought or an idea. In order to achieve the hoped-for success, the idea helps very little if the thought is not followed by action, inspiration, enthusiasm, passion, sacrifice or devotion.

I recently read an inspiring, motivating and excellent speech that I recommend to anyone who has set themselves special goals in their lives. This speech is over 100 years old and was given by Theodore Roosevelt in Paris. It is titled The Man in the Arena and reads:

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

I advise you to read this text, again and again, every day if you have to. You can draw many parallels between The Man in the Arena and any other person who goes his own way, into a better life and a better future.

I am interested in this speech from the freelancer´s point of view, who has to fight his way through every day – against difficult customers, difficult working conditions, new competitors or new technologies. But the freelancer´s biggest battle is against his critics and his inner soul, which prevent him from developing and testing new and better methods.

If you want to achieve something special, you also have to do and perform much more than most in your field. Even if you don´t have a lot of talent, resources, or relationships, your most important path to success is to go the ways others don´t dare. You will certainly suffer failures, but that is also part of your success because through setbacks you learn what is not possible and you can refine your skills, expertise and working methods. But it is important not to doubt yourself and to get up again and continue fighting.

Because top athletes are my favourites, I also like to take examples from the field of sports for such comparisons. I remember the gifted and brilliant Cristiano Ronaldo. He wouldn´t have become the multiple world football player of the year if he hadn´t walked thousands of kilometres, spent thousands of hours in the gym, tried thousands of free kicks or practiced thousands of dribbling techniques.

Only through perseverance, hard work and failure can you achieve top results. You simply have to have the courage to go your own way with all consequences.

As some of you know, registered service providers can present themselves with a short article in the Zealancer-News. In this issue, we present a multiple book author with a doctorate who has almost 20 years of first and second level management and leadership experience in medium-sized corporations.
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Coaching is a process clarification aimed at reviewing existing activities, behaviours and assessments in the client´s field of work. During the coaching interview, it is decided if adaptations of existing activities are necessary or if completely new activities emerge as more productive. Following from this, it is then found out together how this can best be done. In principle, the various components of the situation and its implementation should, therefore, be analysed, evaluated and solved.

The to-do lists summarise the coaching session and contain a future picture of the activities and the expected results. A to-do list is designed in such a way that future situations can be dealt with successfully and the client can go into her reality in a stabilised way. The to-do list also includes the objective in the sense of a personal agreement on objectives, the description of the strategies and measures for achieving the objective, the persons involved and the underlying business or action processes.
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We are happy to announce the newest feature of our website. This feature can be seen in categories which have more than twenty freelancers.

There, you will see the button “Show the closest 10 freelancers” below the map. Once you click on this button, a new map will appear which lets you select a location where you need a contractor.

After the selection of the location, freelancers will be shown below for you to choose the closest freelancer. By adding this new feature, we aim to save time to our clients in their search for a freelancer next door and support their local community.

In their latest IT freelancer study, market research company Lunendonk asked the ten leading freelance brokers about the sales impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. They expect a decline in sales of three per cent in 2020. Compared to other B2B services markets, this is a rather optimistic forecast, says Jonas Lunendonk, describing the situation. It would not be surprising, for example, if sales shrank even more in 2020. For example, some service companies are reporting a drop in turnover of more than 30 per cent drop for the second quarter of 2020.

In some areas, however, the Corona crisis also led to increased demand. For instance, experts in cloud technologies were in high demand during the pandemic.

However, revenue expectations for 2021 are again considerably optimistic. For the period after the Corona crisis, digitisation, IT modernisation, cloud and transformation projects will likely result in an increasing number of projects, many requiring freelancers.

Before the pandemic, many companies suffered from a lack of skilled workers. Although this shortage is currently less severe, it will become noticeable again when the economy returns to a growth path.

Our current reports show that there has been a massive increase in the number of Kiwis who have started to earn independently due to COVID-19 crisis.

According to the Survey of Working Life in 2018, about 144,000 Kiwis work as self-employed contractors or freelancers, which is just over 5 per cent of the workforce. Moreover, it is predicted that self-employed workers will increase further during the pandemic. The proof to this can be seen in the latest reports taken from Intech, a company that deals with financial administration for self-employed, contract and freelance workers, states an impressive 260 per cent increase in sign-ups to their services compared to the same three months in the previous year.

Due to this unprecedented pandemic, businesses became more likely to be open to using freelancers. After seeing how people were able to work from home with such success during the lockdown and there is not so much fear of people working remotely anymore. In addition to this, the perception that if someone works far from the office, they cannot do their job has also ended.

It is considered to be a well-known fact that the independent earners make up a large part of the New Zealand economy, more than ever now. According to Payoneer’s latest report, in a survey of over 1,000 global freelancers, they found that 60 per cent of freelancers experienced a decrease in demand for their services during the pandemic. However, the future for freelancing remains bright as 23 per cent reported that business has remained as usual and 17 per cent stating that demand for work has actually increased.

Due to the increase in the number of freelancers and the decrease in the demand for freelancer services, we have prepared some tips that are of particular interest to our readers.

1st tip:

2nd tip:

3rd tip:

4th tip:

5th tip:

Registered service providers can present themselves with a short article in the Zealancer-News. In this issue, we present you a freelancer who specialises in brand management.
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Brands have been determining my life for years - both professionally and privately. Consistent brand management requires a fundamental analysis and a good strategy.

Contrary to the widely held opinion that brands are geared towards specific target groups, it is necessary to understand and grasp the brand in its entirety. The brand must be adapted to your corporate structure and should be determined and managed according to the desired customer effect. Only by taking a holistic view can the success components of a strong brand be discovered and strategically planned.

With the help of a holistic brand analysis and consulting, which can also be done online, every company can increase its value-added power using strategic measures. As a freelance brand researcher and consultant, I look forward to your order!
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Teleworking has become inevitable as a result of the corona pandemic. The current Gartner study showed that three-quarters of all CFOs expect that at least 5 percent of previously on-site employees will continue to telework permanently after COVID-19.

After initial doubts about teleworking, companies noticed that this new form of work will continue to remain in the long term. McKinsey mentions the example of a pharmaceutical company with more than 10,000 sales representatives: In February, it switched from on-site work to practically 100 percent remote working. Due to the end of the corona restrictions in New Zealand, remote working could disappear again. However, the company is planning to introduce new models in order to take advantage of the newly developed online capabilities of its field staff. These models include a 30 percent online work model with only 70 percent on-site work on a permanent basis.

Many employees learned to telework in the first phase of the crisis either by trial and error or by resorting to spontaneous training methods. On the other hand, for those who have completed their advanced training, teleworking can become a permanent task. For example, sales teams can use video conferencing to effectively manage customer relationships in remote locations.

Organizations are now increasingly developing their employee´s online skills as executives now systematically search for the best ways to digitally manage teams. This transition is often smoother and easier for long-standing employees who have built relationships and understood their role than for new employees who have yet to get to know the company without informal office interactions.

Additional collaboration tools and new work culture will be available when companies return to normal working practices. Individual companies are already creating new collaboration locations in suburban centres and downsizing their central offices to reduce commuting times for employees. As entrepreneurs seek remote working skills such as the ability to self-motivate and strong time management, recruitment processes are also being affected at the same time.

The current challenges will make employees think about whether they want to work from home in the future. According to Gartner´s research, up to 80 percent of the employees also want to work from home.

According to the figures of Figure.nz, 56 percent of female New Zealanders and 49 percent of male New Zealanders would like to work from home. Luckily, the number of opportunities to work remotely has grown 159 percent since 2005.

Although the statistics are heartwarming, it is, however, not easy to find a remote working position, especially if your desire is full-time employment.

So, how is it possible to be successful in this remote working job hunt?

1) Do your research, limit the companies known for having a remote workforce:

2) Add “remote position” to your keyword section:

3) Networking:

We are happy to share the details of the conversation between us and Priscilla who is an Auckland-based freelance writer, experienced in writing both SEO targeted articles and compelling advertorials for a range of websites and publications across New Zealand and overseas. She loves working with brands to improve their copy and relay their message and tell their stories.

Last month, she gave an interview to Zealancer-News. You will find the details of this interview below:
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1) Tell us about yourself; how did your freelancing journey start?

Registered service providers can present themselves with a short article in the Zealancer-News. In this issue, we present you a freelancer who specialises in online marketing, content marketing and SEO.
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People spend more time online than ever before. According to a survey by the National Statistics Office, they are mostly looking for products and services. For you, this means that your prospects are looking for you online. But do they find you?

The entries are mostly done via search engines, like Google in online searches. If you are not found there, you leave the business to your competitors. Therefore: Become visible online with search engine optimisation!

As a copywriter specialised in SEO:
1) I can analyse your website and define technical and content-related measures to improve your search engine ranking.
2) I can create texts for you that will inspire your readers and search engines alike.

I would be happy to carry out an initial SEO analysis of your website for you - without obligation and free of charge. Talk to me!
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Dear readers,

You may be the most talented freelancer in the world. However, if you just sit at home and let no one know you exist and how great your work is, you will struggle to land jobs and secure contracts.

The truly successful freelancers are not actually the most talented ones. More often than not, it is the people who tell the world what they can do and therefore consistently gain new clients. After all, being a freelancer is largely a people´s business. Even in times of COVID-19, the best jobs come from contacts in your own network. So if you want to advance your career as a freelancer, you should learn to network. Our eight tips are a good place to start:

1) Choose the right event:

2) Do not necessarily think of it as networking:

3) Pursue a clear goal in networking:

4) Stay in touch:

5) Work in a coworking space:

6) Keep in touch with former colleagues and clients:

7) Be prepared for opportunities:

8) Give speeches and run workshops:

There are many suitable and useful podcasts for freelancing and self-employment. Here we present to you our podcast pick for this month: Side hustles that don´t suck by Frances Cook and her guest Christopher Walsh from MoneyHub in Auckland.

This particular episode gives their listeners tips about the side business. If you are thinking about earning some extra money, It is easy if you have a high valued, specific talent and are trustworthy. Additionally, the good thing about a side job is that you do not need much money to set it up. Keep in mind that nowadays people are more helpful than they used to be with plenty of information available to guide you.

Who could have thought that one can earn NZD 7800 a month by dog-walking? Well, most people can walk a dog and that one could have been you too so find what you are passionate about and turn it into your side business.

Some advice from this episode of the podcast:

Registered service providers can present themselves with a short article in the Zealancer-News. In this issue, we present you a freelancer who is expertise in financial and also a certified accountant.
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My focus is on sustainable profitability increase in small and medium-sized enterprises. In the course of more than twenty years of independent work as an accountant, I have specialized in cost monitoring, cost reduction and thus increasing the profitability of small and medium-sized companies in connection with the preparation of accounts.

By setting up a full-fledged controlling system and integrating it into the processing system of the accounting (strategic accounting), I can save you the otherwise usual additional costs for independent controlling systems, since the necessary controlling data is provided directly via the accounting. The running costs for such a strategic accounting system require only a small additional expense compared to conventional accounting.
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Dear readers,

Zealancer´s latest study has compared the numbers of freelancers who live in different regions of New Zealand. New Zealand is divided into sixteen regions (Ngā takiwā) for local government purposes (see number 1 to 16 in the table below).

Based on our own database of freelancers listed on Zealancer.nz, we have analysed where the different freelancers are located and compared the results in order to find the highest density ratio.

As our analysis shows the Auckland region has the highest density ratio to find a freelancer in the comparison between the other regions. Wellington stays on the second place with 10 per cent which is two times more than the Bay of Plenty region while the Canterbury region comes in at third place.

Most of the freelancers are located in Auckland’s CBD. It is not very surprising as the population of the Auckland region exceeds 1.5 million. One of the reasons the freelancing population is so high in Auckland could be correlated to the number of universities in this region. On the other hand, it is very surprising to see that the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions are in the 4th and 5th place despite their population which is not more than half a million.

There might be additional reasons why most freelancers are located in the Auckland region and the least in the West Coast. For instance, broadband speed and cost, availability of freelancing jobs and coworking spaces may contribute to many freelance Kiwis choosing to reside in Auckland.

Although freelancers often only need a small starting capital for the implementation of their business, the first step into self-employment is always risky. The risks are, for example, the workload, acquisition costs, lack of capital reserves and inability to make payments on time.

If this risk is too much to take in one go, one can also try starting self-employment step-by-step in order to minimise this gamble. After all, no one is obligated to plunge head over heels into cold water!

Being self-employed on the side means slowly approaching your own independence without the fear that you will not be able to pay the rent. Becoming self-employed while keeping your current job is particularly suitable for people who attach great importance to financial planning and security. After all, employment can still be terminated as soon as the appointment list has been filled. Starting self-employment on a part-time basis is also a good way to find out whether you feel comfortable in the lifestyle of a freelancer.

In the beginning, stage, since you are not yet dependent on the income from self-employment, you can also take care of the necessary administrative tasks more easily, from visiting the tax consultant to creating your own website. The part-time self-employment is, therefore, a good way to try yourself out in the entrepreneurial role and to achieve initial success without too much pressure and a good prerequisite for long-term success.

P.S. Whether you’re considered to be part-time or full-time depends on how many hours you have to work. Employment legislation doesn’t define what full-time or part-time work is, but full-time work is often considered to be around 35 to 40 hours a week in New Zealand. For statistical purposes, Statistics New Zealand defines full-time as working 30 hours or more per week. You have exactly the same employment rights and responsibilities if you’re a part-time or full-time employee. This will also be an important factor when it comes to your annual taxes.

In the past, freelancers have complained about introductions with professional project brokers. Less than 10 per cent of their enquiries lead to a project, which is well below our success rate of 37 per cent. Many project brokers are also in the habit of negotiating for lower hourly rates in order to increase their own profit margin. Since the freelancers pay the introduction fee with us, most of them do not want an introduction to other project brokers and subcontractors.

Having said that, project brokers who are genuinely interested in an introduction with a freelancer at Zealancer can, however, bear the introduction fee in place of the freelancer. The introduction fee is two-hourly freelancer rates plus GST.

Normally our freelancers introduce themselves in a short article. This time, however, we have a contribution from our client who has been introduced to one of the freelancers in the trainer category within the Zealancer-Group. She is specialised in training, coaching, time management and job applications.
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After 15 years of working for the same company, I stumbled across a job advertisement that eventually motivated me to apply. However, my last application was a long time ago, so I had difficulties preparing convincing application documents within a few days, especially since the application should also be in line with current practice. Then I came across the Zealancer Group in which I was able to contact a trainer in a very short time.

This freelancer, who specialises in the preparation of application documents, was able to work out the most suitable application documents with me immediately. Thus I received an invitation for an interview only 5 days after sending my application. We used the remaining days to develop a strategy to master the job interview. With success! This is how the Zealancer Group has helped me to reach new shores.
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Dear readers,

One of the few positive things that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the professional environment is the implementation of flexibility in the workplace. The pandemic forced companies, small and large, to adopt remote-working. At the same time, It has also allowed new freelance jobs to emerge. As a result, there was a 22 per cent increase in freelance earnings in 2020 compared to that of 2019, according to CNBC. Inspired by this significant increase, the Zealancer team has researched the latest reports to find out the most popular and profitable categories for 2021.

Our latest research involved a detailed analysis of our full freelancer database. According to the analysis, thirteen categories have been identified as the key areas where businesses are looking for the most freelancers.

In short - no. On average, freelancers receive six introductions per year, whereby the frequency depends on the individual freelancer profile. In the profiles of the individual freelancers, you can see directly how often they have been introduced.

Even if freelancers are never introduced to a client, they do not run any financial risk by registering. This is because Zealancer does not charge monthly fees, but only fixed fees per introduction.

From Bert Logan

Small businesses waste an enormous amount of money on marketing. People have to make mistakes to learn and more often than not, small business owners are not qualified in the same way as most larger corporation owners. We are here to help, these are our five ways small businesses waste money on marketing.

Target advertising

Giving up too early

Paying for expensive branding

Not knowing how to track

Not knowing when to change

Registered service providers can present themselves with a short article in the Zealancer-News. In this issue, we present you with a freelancer who is an expert in information technology strategy.
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According to a recent study, more than half of all IT projects fail. The reasons for this are manifold. As an expert for ERP/PPS systems, I, therefore, accompany and support small and medium-sized enterprises in business process optimisation, neutral IT-supported selection and introduction of comprehensive information systems as well as the integration of IT security internally and externally.

My particular advantage, apart from my extensive experience, is the IT-supported approach. The use of neutral questionnaires guarantees absolute neutrality. The database, developed and maintained by independent experts, includes over 600 providers with over 500 software solutions.

Using a 6-step method, I find the most suitable system for my client’s requirements at the lowest possible cost. Due to my experience and approach, the typical errors that normally occur in such a selection process are eliminated.
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Dear readers,

Although freelancing provides a fair bit of freedom from the “rules” of a traditional job, there are still a lot of significant challenges freelancers face on a regular basis. A new study by Skynova, ‘Overview of Invoicing: Exploring Invoicing Habits and Woes of 1,000 Freelancers’, has revealed exactly what these challenges can be.

The biggest challenge that freelancers face is meeting unrealistic demands. Over 43 per cent of respondents labelled it as their most significant obstacle. Fighting to win new business closely followed with 43.5 per cent. According to the participants, new business is their biggest challenge, which may only get harder since the demand for freelancing has increased significantly in New Zealand.

Many of the other challenges are embedded in the model of freelancing: Ensuring on-time payment (40.4 per cent), having to do it all (35.5 per cent), distractions (27.4 per cent), long hours (25.0 per cent), loneliness (22.8 per cent), and not having coworkers (22.4 per cent).

Almost a quarter of all freelancers (23.3 per cent) face the problem of people thinking they are unemployed. While freelancing can be a type of work that people do in between jobs, it is increasingly becoming a full-time career for tens of millions of people around the world. With flexible working becoming more mainstream, full-time freelancing is no longer considered out of the norm.

From Sara Woods

Today, video is the most popular media consumed on the internet. Every second, roughly one million minutes or 17,000 hours of video are uploaded online. In other words, if your brand is not creating and sharing videos, you are missing out on a massive opportunity to connect with your target audience in New Zealand. Below, we have outlined a few of the most important things to keep in mind when creating effective and engaging promotional video campaigns.

Keep it to the point

Optimize The Size And Placement Of Your Video

Create an engaging script

Speak to your target audience

Low cost and effective promo videos

Do you know why customers would prefer to stay away from salespeople? It often happens to us (and we certainly believe many of you too) when entering a store. We do all can to avoid the salespeople in the store. Even if we are sometimes looking for something specific, we do not want to be advised by a seller. Unfortunately, sellers still have the reputation of being forceful hard-selling salespeople, for it is widely believed that sellers do not act in clients’ best interests, but in those of their own.

A few weeks ago a colleague of ours asked his client about their level of satisfaction with the service of a freelancer that they requested. The client wanted to express their displeasure but held back and only commented briefly, The freelancer did not want to be involved with my ideas for building my house. For some context, the freelancer was an architect.

Often businesses, freelancers and service providers make the mistake of believing that the customer knows a lot less than they do. They do not let customers have their say, both to impress customers, as well as to inform and train them.

In the world that we live in today, it is no secret that customers make use of the Internet and many other sources to gain knowledge. Some customers could be even more aware and informed than “the seller in the store” (freelancers and other service providers). They certainly are more aware of their needs.

Especially with important projects such as building a house, most customers spend a lot of time choosing the location (transport links, leisure options, neighbourhood, etc.), design (environmental compatibility, energy efficiency, comfort, etc.), material and much more. In most cases, customers already have an exact idea of ​​what their house should look like when they engage an architect. And unless a freelancer or service provider knows what customers think about a product they will not be able to respond effectively to customers.

As a result, one of the most important tips in better client communication is to use questioning techniques rather than close-ended techniques. This means more insightful questions, which cannot be simplified with ‘yes’ or ‘no’, and usually require more elaborate replies.

Amongst the plethora of open-ended questions, there are two questions that we believe to be more important and more significant than other forms of questions.

The first question is: ‘Why?’. More often than not, customers have not fully thought through their reasons behind a particular decision. If you, as an expert, ask them specifically about this, you will learn the reasons, goals and motives for this decision which can better inform the service you provide.

Let us take the case of an architect as an example. As specialists in their field, they could chat with customers about many things, such as the environmental compatibility and energy efficiency of the materials used. But the customer may not want to hear that because they have already made their selection. But if the architect asks why they prefer this particular material they could then learn the reasons for their choice. And if their answer is not enough (like an answer such as, ‘This material is better because of its energy efficiency’) - then you can always say: ‘Would you please tell me more about it?’

The second type of question that I recommend for customer discussions is: ‘What else?’. This type of question is just as important as the first question. It allows you to extract more information from your customer. It actually builds on the first question. With this question, you will learn more and more about the motives and goals of the customer and can position your answers and your arguments accordingly.

Do you have more tips on how to communicate more effectively with customers in New Zealand? We would love to hear from you!

Registered service providers can present themselves with a short article in the Zealancer-News. In this issue, we present you with a consultant who is specialised in the recording of care services.
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I have specialised in the ´recording of care services´. Thus, I accompany and advise outpatient care services and inpatient care facilities and support their establishment and further development of quality management and risk minimisation.

Care institutions are among the companies that are busy with day-to-day business and are subject to increasing demands. The dangers for such companies are foreseeable, especially when quality management is incomplete. For example, incorrect classification of those in need of care reduces income and thus the scope for action.

My professional services are characterised by direct, speedy and active assistance in the field of care documentation. After an as-is analysis of all documents related to care documentation, my clients receive the necessary implementation assistance on site. At the end of the project, the valid requirements are fulfilled and the client returns his room for action.
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At the gate of heaven stands an electrician, only 35 years old.

‘Why did you let me die so young?’ he asks Peter, the gatekeeper, reproachfully.

Peter looks in his register and then says, ‘According to the hours you charged your customers, you are 95 years old, so we thought it was time for you now.’