The most important thing to learn/know is the mindset of the buyer. Applies to pretty much any industry, but for freelance development it's even more important.
Business owners, project managers and the like hire experts who fit their needs and here's the part to take note of "solve their problems."
Their problem might include some Ruby, PHP, C# or whatever language work, but that's not what they are interested in. They want to know you can get the job done and solve their problem in a reasonable amount of time, within budget and without causing them extra headaches.
I have never, ever sold anyone on 'php'. Always on their needs (solving a problem).
Business owners, project managers and the like hire experts who fit their needs and here's the part to take note of "solve their problems."
Their problem might include some Ruby, PHP, C# or whatever language work, but that's not what they are interested in. They want to know you can get the job done and solve their problem in a reasonable amount of time, within budget and without causing them extra headaches.
I have never, ever sold anyone on 'php'. Always on their needs (solving a problem).