Being your own boss has many benefits, so maybe you have decided to abandon your secure traditional work, which included regular revenues, to become self-employed. Now, you can decide on what you work and how you work… except with some clients that bring undesirable conditions. If they get to rule over you, what are the true benefits of doing freelance work?
No matter how prepared and knowledgeable you are about finding and working with good clients, you will have to face bad situations once in awhile. Even if it is one of the drawbacks of being your own boss, it is not something that can be avoided entirely during a career. It is, however, a matter that you can manage.
What really creates a problem is working with a bad client on a regular basis without realizing the problem and fixing the relationship. If a client or a situation caused by a client raise your stress levels to a point where it affects your personal life or makes you dread going to work, you need to act.
Basically, you need to identify what is not working and fix it. If working for someone does not bring you enough profit, simply raise fees. If unexpected requests keep demanding more work hours, request a deadline extension. The relationship with your client has to be mutually beneficial. If it is not, you are the one in charge of fixing the situation.
Know your client
The first step you can take towards a healthy relationship is learning as much as you can about your client before accepting the contract. Take the time to discuss with them every important subject and have a face to face meeting at least once. That encounter will allow them to ask any question they might have and you can cover the important topics they did not ask about.
This first meeting is also an opportunity to get to know your client’s perspective on the expected result as well as on what priority the project has for them. Through the questions they ask on the project, you should get the feeling that they are interested in getting an understanding of who you are and how you work. A good client will recognize your abilities and the accuracy of your point of views.
There is some crucial information you should ensure to get about your client: their past experiences, the market they are in and their current activities. If they have been working with other web professionals, ask about what went wrong and assess their answers, especially if the professional severed the tie with this client. Some subjects are more sensitive, so be tactful when asking about them. For example, learn about their finances by asking a general question when talking about the project’s cost.
Handling your client
Once you have decided to work for a client, you need to define very precisely every aspect of the project with them, especially regarding the timeline. Identify when and how changes in the project and its pricing can be made. Clearly determine the services and establish a calendar stating both parties’ responsibilities in terms of delivery dates.
Get enough contact information about your client to ensure you can get a hold of them when it is required. You should ideally deal with more than one person and always have different ways to contact them. You can get phone numbers, e-mail addresses and a physical address for example.
When a client seems hesitant, ensure that they will not delay the project due to their difficulty to make a decision by making their deadlines clear and unmovable. To make the process easier, help your indecisive clients with advices and suggestions.
The contract
Having a contract is absolutely necessary if you want to increase your chances of having a good relationship, as well as ensure basics like getting paid. If a client is trying to escape his financial obligations, the contract will be the legal document proving how much he owes at a certain point in time.
The contract has to be redacted before the project has started and it should include all the relevant information defining your project as well as its timeline and cost. As such the following subjects should be written down: the nature and scope of the project, the expected schedule and things that will be delivered, the chosen characteristics of the project and the approximate total costs.
A well-written contract should define possible changes to the project and how they will be dealt with. For example, it should explain how and when the client can request new features, how their pricing will be determined and what happens if the client wants to end the project before it is completed. By agreeing in advance to possible changes, you lessen the chances of having problems later on.
Contract templates
Contract Killer
AIGA Standard Form of Agreement for Design Services
Sample Web Design Contract, Budget, Timeline & Proposal
A Contract Template
Logo Design Contract of Agreement
Collaboration is simply not possible? Consider firing your client
No one likes conflict. However, if the relationship does not become mutually beneficial even when you have been trying to manage its negative aspects, it is a sign it might be time to consider firing your client. Evaluate the impact of the bad client on your business and on yourself as a worker and a human being. If you feel the client has a bad impact and that issues cannot be resolved, it is better to move on to something else.
The discussion where you will be firing your client is not an easy one. It will most likely go more smoothly if you are able to be objective and to keep your emotions out of it. Do not make it personal and try to make it as simple as possible to avoid possible objections and more conflict. A statement like “I consider that I am not able to fulfill your requests” is enough. Do not add explanations as to why you are unable to continue to relationship – if you have tried to fix it, both parties are already well aware of the issue – because it will open the door to an unnecessary discussion.
An important part of firing your client is to make sure that the remaining obligations are clear. Indicate what you still need to deliver if the client has already paid for something that has not been completed yet and what the client owes you for the work that has been done. If the possibility of ending the project early had been considered in the contract, it will definitely make this step a lot easier.
Issues post-firing
Some clients will not make it easy for you to fire them. They can get emotional or delay the process. Putting a term to a project can require a few meetings. However, if you have a contract, the client is legally liable for any amount he owes you. Before involving lawyers, though, it is better to try to simply pressure the client into paying the amounts owed. For example, you could refuse to hand off an important part of the project until you get the client’s payment.
No matter how bad the relationship has been, do not try to destroy your past client’s reputation. Do not talk about it in social media or with other clients. It would make you look unable to handle difficult situations and it will damage your image. If you are asked for references, stick to the fact and allow people to make their minds for themselves.
Getting good clients
Ask for referrals
Referrals from good clients are really important. You can simply ask your clients if they have potential referrals to give you or take a more aggressive approach, where you reward referrals with a commission, a discount on next orders or a special bonus. Giving a small incentive can sometimes have a very profitable impact, so it is worth considering.
Create partnerships
When your work is doing contracts for various clients, usually there are times when you are overloaded and times when you do not have any to do. That can create cash flow difficulties for anyone. Especially if you had to refuse a contract when you were busy because you simply did not have enough time to do them, no matter how dedicated you are to your work.
A solution to that inconsistency problem is to create a partnership with another designer or with a design firm. They might not have the same down times than you do, so you can work for their clients when your business is slow. This way maybe you can earn a few good clients.
Conclusion
As with everything in life, dealing with a client is a question of balance. It is normal to get to know your client before starting to work for them and it is normal to plan ahead when redacting a contract. However, make sure you are not so strict that potential good clients decide to do their business somewhere else.
Clients will bring challenges of different natures and learning to deal with them can only help you grow as a self-employed contractor. To increase your chances of success, focus on good communication and planning – even when it comes to details. Most of the time when things go wrong, it is possible to discuss with the client and come to an arrangement that satisfies both parties. So, do not fire clients too easily, but do not let one make your life a nightmare either.
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