#1 Rule in Freelancing!
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- ohhhhhsnap0
"Don't be a bottom"
- ...with the client i mean.ohhhhhsnap
- power bottom?MHDC
- what's that look like for freelancing?ohhhhhsnap
- Beeswax0
#1 There are no rules in freelancing
- sothere0
make sure its always a positive experience. somewhere you've always wanted to work or you might learn something or people you like working with or even I need the money so I can holiday like a mofo is enough. but soon as it's shit. walk away.
- formed0
On the 'hiring freelancers' side (everything else is covered):
1. Do what you say you are going to do. Sounds obvious, but at least 50% (probably a lot more) of those that I have hired over promise, under deliver and decide mtn biking or snow boarding is more important than professional behavior.
2. Return ALL messages/calls promptly. Even if you say you can't get to something immediately. COMMUNICATION, dammit.
3. Be professional, see #1 and #2
4. Don't burn bridges. If you bit off more than you can chew, figure it out or be honest, don't just leave things hanging. You won't ever get work again and you'll build a bad reputation.
- breadlegz0
Another Rule...
Networking (when done correctly) is one of the quickest ways to get new clients.
"When done correctly"
1. Having a plan of which events will have you ideal clients there.
2. Having a plan of what to say to people to have the right conversations when you get there.
3. Knowing who's going to be there before you get there.
4. Getting invited to high value networking where the people there actually have some money to spend.
- whatthefunk0
1. Learn to spot a trouble client in advance b/c turning down work is often more valuable in the long term compared to taking on a trouble client.
2. I ask for 50% in advance (payable by company check, cash, paypal (+ paypal fees) or wire transfer (and provide my bank info) - yes, make sure your contract and kill fees are crystal clear.
3. Never quote a project based on the dangling carrot - ("we have a ton of work, if you give us a break on this one we'll have more work") focus on the project at hand and others will invariably come.
4. Remember that you CAN cut off trouble clients mid project but only after you've hit mid project. A legal term called "expectation measure" applies to a project where a client expects 100% of the work and you expect 100% of the pay. If you've received a 50% deposit and you can prove that you're half way through a project you can walk away. When their attorney calls/emails explain the issue and the fact that you've received 50% of the $ and they've received 50% of the work - you can fire clients! (only in extreme cases of course)
5. You don't always need an attorney. If you find yourself in hot water you can drag out the communication with a client's attorney for months before anything happens and 9 times out of 10 it never goes to court.
- Douglas0
Don't be a pain in the ass.
Hit your deadlines.
- rascuache0
Some awesome stuff in this thread. I'm new-ish to freelancing so it's pretty helpful. At the moment I'm trying to:
1. Not freak out when work gets quiet, accept that there will be an ebb and flow to my first couple of years while I build my clients & reputation...
2. Know when to say no (or: know what I'm worth), and not be afraid to turn work down or withdraw from/decline invitations to pitches if the conditions aren't right/money is shit etc.
3. Develop routines for the boring/less fun stuff - bookkeeping/banking/admin blah blah blah. (not doing tooo great at this).
4. Update folio regularly. (Totally failed at this for the last 6 months).
5. Show my work - be able to explain why I've taken every creative decision in a particular way makes it harder for clients to disagree for the sake of it. Same principle applies for itemised estimating & invoicing.
6. Talk to my peers as often as possible - contacts at subcontracting gigs, other friends in the business etc.
7. Generally, just be more like Mike. http://typotalks.com/video/2012/…
- Terrible advice - point 1... If quiet DO freak out and get more work!fadein11
- Hah, I'm not saying to just sit and wait for work to turn up, just not to panic when it goes quiet.rascuache
- #5 don't do this. it takes forever, and if the end product isn't right, no amount of process will make it right.monNom
- ...sometimes you just miss the mark. ask more questions next time. don't try to sell someone something they don't wanna buy.monNom
- ...buymonNom
- Of course. I agree with you about asking questions, and establishing as much as you can beforehand, I suppose this mostly refers to...rascuache
- ...mostly refers to the smaller individual details rather than an overall idea, and it's definitely not used to..rascuache
- ...push clients into something that's not right just for my own sake.rascuache
- uan0
'solid time-based strategy'<- I need to get there.
- identity0
Back up your work and strategic decisions with applicable case-studies and examples of those who have done it well. Clients like to feel like they're not setting Off across the Atlantic for the first time in search of the new world.
Most of my advice comes down to a solid time-based strategy, and a reputation that clients new/old trust.
- breadlegz0
babaganush - absolutely. If you ever hear any of the statements like "if you do this cheap, there's more work in it for you", then you're going to get treated like crap for the whole process.
I've been there in my early freelance years and it was a painful experience.
The best way to get people to respect your opinion and skills though, is to first respect yourself.
It's likely that you know way more than the client about design, creativity and marketing (and sometimes how to actually run a business).
So keep working hard on your skills and have the confidence in yourself that working with you is one of the best decisions they can make!!!
Then double your costs ;)
- babaganush0
^
Great point. NEVER let a client give you the:
'Well so and so, said they will do it for x'.
or
'My nephew can do this on his home PC' crap.
It just exposes idiots that are going to beat best disrespectful and doubtlessly wasting your time.
A friend of mine had something like this with some big shit - I mean *shot banker...
The friends retort was:
' Yeah, I know what you mean. I do all my banking online now. Don't really see the point in paying people in banking'...
- cannonball19780
Dont let them stack fear on your reputation. Aside from advertising, it's much harder for them to find you for the work than vice versa. As lOng as you can demonstrate quality and business value it's a professional's market.
- yurimon0
Make sure your sword is sharp. Chainmail is a must. I usually wear armor and chainmail.
freelance (n.)
free lance, free-lance, "medieval mercenary warrior," 1820 ("Ivanhoe"), from free (adj.) + lance (n.); apparently a coinage of Sir Walter Scott's. Figurative sense is from 1864; specifically of journalism by 1882.
- CALLES0
Always try to get intimate with your client.
- Hombre_Lobo0
Mine are -
1) Always get a deposit up front. I like to split my total fee into thirds (one third up front, one third half way, one third before the handing over of final files), but naturally depends on the client, if its a studio they'll have their own terms.2) Even if you're busy and a dealine isn't for a while, read the entire brief and have a think about it as early as possible. Then even if your not working on it, it will be working it self out in the back of your mind. *high five subconscious*
3)reply to client emails ASAP, even if you can't do what they have asked for another week. I think it helps clients to know you are reachable and active.
Great thread guys, some ace advice in here.
- This. I follow these rules religiouslyMHDC
- I'd be happier if the freelancers I hire would follow #3formed
- I follow these even working in house.monospaced