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laura marquez

10 "Nos" for Freelancers - 0 views

  • I would recommend1) Keep your timetables realistic and stick to them. People don't mind if work takes a bit longer, but they do mind if nothing has been done by the finishing date.2) Don't be tempted to take on too many contracts at once. If there are people who want you to do work for them, let them know when you are currently booked that you will be happy to do their project when your schedule opens up. As an added point, tell them that you will be as conscientious when working on their project.3) Answer emails. If you don't have time to write a lengthy response, simply say that you are working on the project and will contact them as soon as time allows. Clients get extremely frustrated when their emails don't get a response. Most of the time, clients are just happy to know that you got/read their email.
  • 1) Can you show me a mock-up to help us choose a designer/developer?Yes, for a small fee.2) Can you give us a discount rate?Yes, you can get a discount rate, but not here. XYZ Designs (whom we secretly get commissions from, and vice versa) does very economical work, and I have a coupon here, which will discount the price even further.3) Will you register and host my site?Yes, for 5000 dollars... or(see 2 above)4) Can you copy this site?Yes, within reason. We can even use the same images, CSS files, providing you contact the copyright holder and get his/her permission.5) Can I pay for my e-commerce site from my website sales?Yes, providing we receive a deposit and providing you are aware that we charge higher rates for this payment method because of the risk. 6) I have a great idea. Do you want to...?No, a younger firm would probably be more interested in this type of thing. Let me give you a few names for the newer designers in town. Tell them I referred you (warm fuzzy, maybe the new firm will send some folks your way to)7) Do you have an IM account?Yes, we have a special company IM but please be aware that we are unable to check it with all the work we are doing. Make sure you get our main number, which you can reach us more easily with.8) Can I just pay the whole amount when it's done?Yes, but not until you have done business with us for five years (or something equally limiting).9) Is there any way you could get this done tonight or this weekend?Yes, for a additional fee10) Can I be sure you won't use this work in anything else?Yes, for a additional fee
  • I disagree. Although your reasoning is dead-on, it depends on how and why you offer hosting. Registering domains doesn't make much profit, but it saves the headaches of having to deal with some labyrinthine DNS control panel from some fly-by-night registrar out of Germany (or whatever). Similarly, when a client utilizes my own web hosting services (as a reseller), I'm always confident as to how the server is set up, what platform it's on, what type of databases, scripts, etc are supported, and so forth. I don't have to play a guessing game as to where the CGI-Bin directory is, whether I'll have to tweak the .htaccess file, default chmod settings and so on. Plus, most smaller clients are looking for a one-stop shop, so these services go a long way towards winning them over. It's a matter of convenience for both the client *and* myself more than the profit angle.
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  • he key is to make sure that you include "support time" in your hosting rates. I bill $200/year for a hosting package that GoDaddy or some other big outfit probably would charge $60/year for, to make up for the inevitable support calls when it turns out that their cable modem is the culprit. The client can take it or leave it--and in most cases they take it because they still like the convenience of having one person to call. Just make sure to include "aggravation time" in the fees
  • The other way around this is to make sure to bill for any time spent doing hosting/server stuff that the client should be able to do themselves. For instance, my clients often ask me to set up a new email account for them, which takes all of 2 minutes via the web control panel. Since I showed them how to do this when I set up the hosting, if they want me to do it for them, I bill for my minimum time (1/4 hours, or $20). You'd be amazed how many people are willing to spend $20 rather than log into a control panel and fill in a couple of form fields.
  • Best advice I've ever taken? Get 30 to 50% up front, then offer customers 6-12 month payment plans beginning after a job is completed AFTER the price has been marked up to include the interest rate you would get if that money invested for that time. Offer them that much as a discount if they pay on completion. Most customers are eager to take the discount and pay in a timely manner. Those who don't take the bait even out your cash flow with affordable monthly payments.
  • #10 is perfectly right.It works very much like wedding photos. You buy "copies" of the photos, but the photos are not yours to sell, the photographer owns the copyrights.Likewise, the low pricing paid to have a website done, with recycled code, entitles the client to only use the site for their own purposes, they can't re-sell it (except with the business). In other words, if we code a dating site, the client, can't turn around and sell 10,000 copies of the site for distribution on eBay. If the "want" to do this, then that is setup in another contract with additional pay or royalties.
  • Yes I would, but you should ask your client to pay for the mock-up before doing anything. And in turn if the client choses you, give your client a deduction of that amount he paid for the actual project cost. "Mock up" shouldn't be that complex... you could do 1 mock up design in less than 1 hour or 2 hours max. Many clients nowadays are meticulous in picking designers/developers.
  • getharvest.com
  • the art of project management' by scott berkun.
  • Repeat after me:1. Project Scope2. Contract3. Payment4. Work Begins 5. Work Finishes6. Final Payment
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    When you freelance you usually face one or many of these tricky questions from your clients. Sometimes no is the best answer (when you're starting it's difficult to say it -i know-), but with experience you can come with even clever answers. I recommend reading people's comments, they have good walkarounds.
laura marquez

How to Get More Work Done In Less Time | FreelanceFolder - 3 views

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    Introducing the Pomodoro Technique: 25 minutes of focused uninterrupted work on a single task. Would it work?
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    When you're a freelancer, you usually don't get paid by time but by tasks or products delivery. And also, the more work you get done, the more work you can get into. So why wasting time, traduced in money?. Try this technique and let me know if it worked for you (i'll do the same)
austinrae

Tips for searching Freelance SEO Job - 0 views

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    Freelance online SEO jobs are a great way to make extra money. Anyone can become an SEO freelancer and find out how to do SEO. But becoming an SEO freelancer takes a little bit of time and hard work.
  •  
    Freelance online SEO jobs are a great way to make extra money. Anyone can become an SEO freelancer and find out how to do SEO. But becoming an SEO freelancer takes a little bit of time and hard work. 
laura marquez

Ten Plus Ways to Help You Get Paid | FreelanceFolder - 0 views

  • I don’t think one should worry about calling a client for a late payment – and you can take steps to making sure that it won’t happen – other than what’s described here. In the contract that I have, there is the option to have the client pay a certain percent up-front (maybe 25%), another percent once the design is done (25%), one when the programming is done (25%), and one when the project is implemented (25%). If you go by this payment guide, the client will be forced to pay, otherwise their site doesn’t launch on time, all the while you still have 75% of the payment, waiting on the small 25% chunk that’s left over. I feel like getting paid after-the-fact (not knowing when you’re going to be paid) is the cousin of doing spec work – since the client can walk away at any time for some BS arbitrary reason (though I doubt that happens much).
Nicole Smith

An Exciting Time for My Wife and I - 3 views

My wife and I were really excited buying our first home. However, with so many loan products in the market today, choosing the most suitable one for our requirement is quite a challenge. Thanks to ...

started by Nicole Smith on 02 Dec 11 no follow-up yet
laura marquez

10 Sure-Fire Ways to Make Your Clients Love You | Design Shack - 0 views

  • Then, if you have the time, put in a little extra effort to deliver a day early. Odds are, this will make an amazing first impression with your clients as they will be comparing you to designers they have worked with in the past who probably never attempted to beat the due date and might have even struggled just to finish by the agreed upon deadline
  • One easy way to blow your clients away is to stop emailing them simple jpgs of whatever you’ve created. Instead, throw the jpgs on a nice background, toss in their company logo and spend a few minutes creating a quick writeup for each concept. Present your thought process and logic behind everything you create. You’d be surprised how few designers put in this extra effort and how impressed many clients will be with it. Beyond simply making a good impression, this technique helps you sell your ideas to your clients. A simple static thumbnail leaves a lot of interpretation hanging in the balance. This could result in a complete misunderstanding of what you were trying to accomplish and ultimately an unchangeable dislike for your design. However, if they see that you’ve thought through the concept, they’re more likely to accept the design or at least make suggestions without destroying the integrity of the idea.
  • Beating deadlines, over delivering, answering calls and emails at all hours of the day and night, and coming through in a bind are things that your client should know are optional actions you perform to make sure they’re completely satisfied with your service. These methods should be noticed and appreciated, not abused
laura marquez

Seven Tips to Keep Your Clients Coming Back for More | FreelanceFolder - 0 views

  • Do you finish your tasks on time? Is your work always your absolute best? Do you show professionalism and courtesy in your client communication?
Nicole Smith

The Best Mortgage Company in Adelaide - 1 views

I am so thankful with ACQUIRED HOME LOANS. They helped me get the dream house I always wanted to have. They helped me acquire a home loan that suited my needs. Their expert mortgage consultants wer...

home loan adelaide

started by Nicole Smith on 03 Oct 11 no follow-up yet
Nicole Smith

The Best Mortgage Company in Adelaide - 2 views

I am so thankful with ACQUIRED HOME LOANS. They helped me get the dream house I always wanted to have. They helped me acquire a home loan that suited my needs. Their expert mortgage consultants wer...

home loan adelaide

started by Nicole Smith on 03 Oct 11 no follow-up yet
laura marquez

Are You a Trendy Freelancer? | FreelanceFolder - 1 views

  • The following questions can help you evaluate whether you should follow a trend: Is this guru/advisor qualified? Is his or her experience typical? Is the advice practical? How much will I have to spend? How much time will it take? What benefits can I expect to receive? Have others successfully followed the advice? What else can go wrong when following the advice?
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