As a freelance worker, a huge part of your job will come down to managing your clients. Ideally, you want to be able to find regular clients who can provide you with steady work and a steady income. This means building strong relationships and developing a reputation as a trustworthy worker.
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If you're a freelance worker, here are a few tips to help you win clients, make deals that are fair for both parties, and then to retain loyal clients.
Creating a Portfolio As A Freelance Worker
For many freelancers, the hardest part of their career is when they just start out. Most clients want someone who can prove their experience, as they want the best person for the job. This is understandable, but when you’ve just started out, it can be hard to win those early clients.
If your industry requires certain qualifications, getting the right education under your belt is a great first step. But many clients also want demonstrable experience. This is where a portfolio can help.
As you work with more people, you can build a portfolio from past projects with their permission. But you can also prove your skills by crafting a portfolio. How you do this largely depends on the type of work you do.
If you work as a freelance writer or graphic designer, you can create writing samples or mockups of artwork. Even if these ideas are never sold, they’re a useful way to show off your skills.
Setting a Price For Your Services
Another tricky thing about being a freelance worker is figuring out what to charge for your services. You might reason that lower prices will equal more jobs and, while you might be right, undercharging can cause issues as well.
There’s the obvious problem of earning less money for the work you do, and finding it difficult to raise your prices as you gain more experience. But some clients might assume that you’re worse at your job than you are simply because you’re cheap.
As a freelance worker, remember that they are paying for your skills and experience as well as your time. If you want more high quality work, you’re better off charging a reasonable amount.
Work out how long it will take you to complete a project and figure out an hourly rate from that. You can start a little low until you build up experience and a good reputation, but make sure you increase your rates as time goes on.
Finding Clients
An appropriate price, the right qualifications, and a solid portfolio are all great starting points to help you find and win over clients. But you might need to actively search out appropriate jobs as well.
Job board sites like Upwork and Fiver are great ways to get started, because they can connect you with clients. You might not always get the best jobs and the best prices, but you can build experience and relationships.
You can also use a business website to advertise your services to a wider audience. If you want to work with other businesses, always look for networking opportunities. Join local events and online groups like LinkedIn for more opportunities.
Even as a freelance worker, you can still be picky with your clients. When you’re short on work, a few low quality jobs won’t kill you, but the idea is to build up your client list. You might even need to fire clients as you need more time for high-quality work and contracts. Again, try to find long-term work for a steadier job.
Starting Contracts and Working With Clients
Once you have a client, you need to work out a contract that’s fair for both parties. A statement of work template will help you keep everything above board so you’re both covered legally. This also presents a professional image, which is sure to make you seem more trustworthy to your client.
As a freelance worker, be upfront about any questions you have and keep the lines of communication open. Different clients have different preferences when it comes to communication, so this requires a bit of thought on your part.
Ideally, you should start off fairly formal and follow their lead. If your client becomes more casual, you can relax and be more friendly in turn. The same goes for how often to communicate. Some clients like to just leave a project with you and check it when you’re finished, while others prefer constant communication.
Set boundaries early and give yourself and the client the respect you both deserve. While happy clients are ideal, remember that you have the right to end a contract as and when you need to.
