Freelance Talk

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

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?

It is more likely that they see this freelancer walking up in jeans and a t-shirt as someone who is unprofessional, brazen and cocky, or just plain sloppy

Entering a conversation with a potential client unarmed with answers to commonly asked questions will always leave a discouraging first impression.

Keep a list of your personal policies and procedures so you’re not caught off guard, and add to it when new questions are brought up. Know your business better than anyone else, and clients will walk away confident that you know what you’re talking about.

Reports or White Papers–Have you written a report or white paper on a topic that would be of interest to your target audience? If so, this can be a powerful nurturing piece. Here again, reports and white papers give you credibility while offering value to readers. Don’t have a meaty report you can share? Not a problem! Try assembling one with previously published articles that touch on a common theme.

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).

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.

Maybe you don't understand good design? Oh wait. I read you regularly. I know you don't understand good design. You're still thinking about things as pretty or not, not well designed or not.

Mark Wieman does a great job of taking you straight to his best work by having a featured case study on the homepage. 2. Explain your work Unfortunately many portfolios show work in isolation. Design operates in context, and the business and work of design even more so. Who was the client? What was the brief? What problem was it solving? How did your work solve their needs?

Ask yourself, what type of work does this agency or company do? What projects can I show that best illustrate how I would help them with their business. Remember, your potential employer is looking at you as someone to work within their existing team, culture, and practices.

Unsure of their needs Not every lead knows what they want—even if they do, they may not know what they could have. Using your portfolio site to educate your clients about the services you offer and how they might benefit will demonstrate you know what you are talking about, while also helping them get a better grasp over how it all works.

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

On the other hand, if you define your freelancing business as a fairly priced, highly skilled and experienced alternative to the competition, with all the benefits that an individual can give and a corporation cannot, your clients will come to you with the confidence and trust that you deserve.

Does the fact that I work much faster now mean that I should charge less for what I do? No. If anything, I should be charging more (I’m able to meet tighter deadlines than I was before).

Does this mean I should undercharge for my work because it comes natural to me? No. I price my work based on the value it brings to my client.

A renowned painter once told me that he “didn’t sell art by the square inch.”