I often tell the story of a freelancer I know who, before making any kind of cold call – from his freelance work area at home – dresses up in a suit, makes sure his shoes are polished, and strides confidently around the room for a few minutes until he feels ready to make the call.
By making himself look and feel powerful, he finds he had far greatest success with his calls. His prospect can’t see he is wearing a suit, and standing while making the call, but he can.
I also advise my coaching clients, when starting out on their freelance careers, to imagine how successful they could be three years from now. I ask them to imagine their workspace, think of how much money they are making, think about the kinds of clients they have and the projects they are working on, and envision what their websites will look like. And I then tell them to start behaving like that right now, three years in advance of achieving that goal.
In other words, behave as if you are already as successful as you plan to become.