30 Spooky Freelancing Practices
Posted October 29, 2010 in Inspiration, Lifestyle
It’s nearing Halloween in the U.S. Halloween is that time of year when many folks are thinking about ghosts, goblins, and other really scary things.
However, some bad freelancing practices are scary all year round. A chill always goes up the back of my spine whenever I read about a freelancer engaging in any of these bad freelancing practices because I know that these practices can really harm a freelancing business.
Are you wondering what scary practices I’m referring to? Here’s a list 30 spooky freelancing practices for you to review. Are you scared yet?
Spooky Freelancing Habits
Are you engaging in scary freelance practices? Check out the following list:
- Not researching your client. You’d better believe that your client researched you before they hired you. Why wouldn’t you do a little work and research them?
- Not asking for a payment up front. For a new client, you should ask for at least 50% of money for the project up front. This ensures that you will get paid at least something.
- Starting work before there’s a written agreement in place. Contracts are important, but if you don’t get a contract at least get it in writing. Nobody’s memory is perfect.
- Starting work before you understand what the client wants. This one’s easy. Don’t agree to do something unless you understand what the client wants.
- Trying to be the lowest priced freelancer in your specialty. Let’s face it, really low prices are scary. It means that you’re going to struggle to make ends meet.
- Working for exposure or some other undefined future promises. How valuable is exposure, really? In most cases, a future promise is equivalent to working for free.
- Not checking over your work carefully before submitting it to the client. Too many mistakes are bad for business and can lose you a client.
- Not managing your time well. Find a time management system that works well for you and stick to it. You can tell if it’s working by whether or not you meet your deadlines.
- Not maintaining an online presence. In this environment, an online presence is really not optional. Get online and get involved.
- Failing to monitor your reputation. Do you care what your clients are saying about you? If you care about your freelancing business, take the time to find out.
- Taking an excessive amount of time to respond to a client. How long do you make a prospective client wait before you answer them? (Hint: Over eight business hours is too long.)
- Complaining or griping publicly. How do you conduct yourself online? Do you come across as being pleasant or grumpy? Would you want to work with you?
- Not investing in updating your skills. Technology is changing. It’s important for freelancers to stay current in their field by learning all they can.
- Working on outdated equipment. The machine you started your freelance business on will be outdated in a year or two. Budget for upgrades.
- Failing to keep track of your business expenses during the year. Business expenses are tax deductible (at least in the U.S.). Be sure to keep good records.
- Forgetting to take into account the amount of time a project will really take. Don’t try to cram too many projects into too little time.
- Not getting help when you need it. Whether it be from another freelancer, or another type of specialist, sometimes the best thing you can do is ask for help.
- Playing computer games and surfing when you should be working. Just because you work at home doesn’t mean that you can get away with slacking off.
- Not taking enough breaks or scheduling time for vacations. Everyone needs to rest from time to time, and that includes freelancers.
- Procrastinating. Avoid the scary habit of putting projects off. If you can, work ahead on your projects so that an emergency doesn’t catch you by surprise.
- Panicking. When something goes wrong in your freelancing business, stay calm. Panicking never solved a problem.
- Not following up on leads. It’s easy to let leads slip through the crack when you’re busy. Following up on leads could be the difference between feast and famine.
- Not negotiating an additional fee for services out of the original scope. Keep an eye on your project’s scope and don’t let it creep too much or the project could wind up costing you money.
- Not making time for your family. Your business is important, but you’ll wind it regretting it if you ignore your family and friends.
- Missing your deadlines. Deadlines are usually there for a reason. Try to stick to them and at least notify the client if you think you’ll be late.
The Really Scary Stuff
As if the scary list above wasn’t enough, there’s the really bad freelancing practices. These are scary mistakes that I’m sure no Freelance Folder reader would ever make:
- Bad mouthing a client (by name) in social media or on your blog. Unless you have evidence that the client is in fact a scammer you’re better off keeping your gripes to yourself.
- Plagiarizing someone else’s work. In a perfect world, every freelancer would realize that plagiarism is wrong (and illegal).
- Bad mouthing another freelancer (by name) to a client. Oddly enough, putting down your competition to the client winds up making you look bad.
- Dropping out of sight in the middle of a project. Nothing says unreliable like breaking off all communication with your client.
- Don’t have an emergency fund. You may be able to get by without an emergency fund if you never have an emergency, but why take the chance?
To Sum It All Up
If you’ve been reading Freelance Folder for a while, you probably know most of what I just listed. We’ve written posts on how to succeed and posts on how to fail. However, everybody needs a reminder from time to time (I know that I do). Look over the list above to make sure that you haven’t slipped into any scary bad habits.
What About You?
What bad freelancing habits would you add to the list?
Leave your answers in the comments.
Image by Paul Sapiano
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About the author: Laura Spencer is a freelance writer from North Central Texas with over 20 years of professional business writing experience. If you liked this post, then you may also enjoy Laura’s blog about her freelance writing experiences, WritingThoughts. Laura is also on Google+.
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50 Comments
aldrin
October 29th, 2010 at 9:20 amvery interesting.. and I must agree in most cases…
Chris @ SyracuseCS
October 29th, 2010 at 9:31 amLaura, great list! I can really comment on all of those point, but I’ll try to keep it short :) One thing that you should learn REALLY quick is to get some sort of payment up front. I do 50%, but I’ve seen others do 30% up front, %30 in the middle, and 40% at the end of a project. It’s all with what works best for you and your client…but at least get something. Having the client pay will mean that they are more invested in the project from the beginning. Also, get everything in writing. Either a contract, a detailed invoice, emails, or in a CRM. If you have a phone conversation with your client, follow up with an email stating all of the points that you just talked about. In 2 months when your client asks why you did something, you can dig out that same email and forward it to them.
Remember, clients are keeping you in business, not the other way around. If you don’t get back to them, then they will leave with their money. Customer service should be your #1 concern. Follow up and communicate in a timely manor.
Time management is also a huge point, and you have a number of items that point to it. Make to do lists and keep on track during the day. Especially if you work from home, get all of your work done, then you can play that new video game or surf the net and feel better about it. Save some time per week to work on your business and online presence. I’ve come across too many freelancers that do great work but their own websites are not very good. Spend some time on your business.
-Chris
Laura Spencer
October 29th, 2010 at 9:35 amAldrin,
Feel free to add any other spooky practices you can think of. Thanks for commenting. :)
Chris @ SyracuseCS,
Great additional tips! Especially about remembering who keeps you in business and getting the money up front. Thanks!
Travis Robertson
October 29th, 2010 at 9:39 amGreat post, Laura! #30 is my absolute favorite! I preach about that all the time to people. It saved my butt more than once!
Tagged on Delicious. :)
Cheers,
Travis
Laura Spencer
October 29th, 2010 at 11:03 amThanks Travis! :)
Lucian
October 29th, 2010 at 11:12 amGood points. Is still need to get that agreement in written. With my past clients I trust, just keep track of the projects requirements in the e-mail and provide a basic invoice.
Sometimes I do the contract, but it’s more work.
Angie Papple Johnston
October 29th, 2010 at 12:44 pmAnother one – track each and every client (and potential client) in some sort of database so you can look back to see:
What you charged (or quoted) them last time
How prompt (and accurate) they were with payment
Whether you’ve got any special notes you made at the time about working with them in the future
I started this because I was overzealous in the beginning of my freelancing career, but now I’m glad I did. When someone comes to me for a quote, I do a quick check to see if I’ve dealt with them before – and it’s happened a few times. I’m glad I had notes about what I’d quoted (and a few personal notes about why we did or didn’t end up working together) so I knew how to respond.
It seems like a lot of work, but it really isn’t – and it’s helpful when you just can’t quite remember the little things.
Adam Bluhm
October 29th, 2010 at 12:54 pmThanks Laura, I love that you incorporated the Halloween spirit in the post!
I think not getting a payment upfront or having something written in place is really scary!
Kavyansh
October 29th, 2010 at 12:56 pmMost scary for me are
–>> Trying to be the lowest priced freelancer in your specialty.
–>> Plagiarizing someone else’s work.
Really helpful article. Happy Halloween
TheAL
October 29th, 2010 at 2:47 pmGreat article. One thing I am still struggling with is requiring deposits or pre-payments. Clients seem to be easily spooked themselves. While I don’t mind when people run away scared when I quote a fair price (experiencing this is getting old, predictable, and I don’t mind losing work from an unrealistic penny pincher) I’m still in that zone where I don’t wanna frighten away lots of clients.
Most people I know who do it are clear about it being non-refundable; therefore, most of them usually don’t ask for more than about 25%. I guess ’cause most “deposits” are the kinds of things people expect to get back in the event that things don’t work out. Would you say the 50% you recommend be non-refundable?
Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach
October 29th, 2010 at 3:24 pmCan I just say I LOVE this list? It’s definitely a must-read for ALL entrepreneurs online.
I think #24, not taking enough time for the family, is the worst. I’m really trying to ensure I don’t make that mistake again….
Chris @ SyracuseCS
October 29th, 2010 at 3:37 pm@Angie – I totally agree with you there. The more systems like that you have in place the better. When you learn things like that when you are starting up the better you will be when you have a successful business. I’m currently using BatchBook for contacts/leads. It has a lot of great options within the main site, but it can also connect to other services like Google and Mailchimp which is a huge help.
Laura Spencer
October 29th, 2010 at 3:39 pmWow!
How great to stop by the site while I’m traveling and find so many comments. :)
Lucian, Good advice…
Angie Papple Johnston, A database sounds like a good plan. It’s so each to forget to follow up with a lead or former client. Plus, as you point out, it is important to be consistent with a client or prospect.
Adam Bluhm, Thanks for the vote of agreement!
Kavyansh, Those are scary indeed.
TheAL, I do understand where you coming from, but I’d say just state it as a requirement for doing business and don’t be apologetic about it. A partial up front payment is standard in many fields, not just in freelancing. A few years ago, we hired a contractor to do some work on our home and he required an upfront deposit. Of course, once you have an ongoing relationship with a client and trust them to pay in a timely fashion, you can lift the upfront payment requirement.
Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach, Thanks so much for the praise! It means a lot. #24 is very important to me too.
TheAL
October 29th, 2010 at 5:19 pm@Laura: I guess the ‘apologetic’ part of me has lingered a bit longer than most people. I genuinely do feel guilty sometimes when I do things I know may make a prospective client cringe. Ultimately, however, I need to stand my ground. I’ve become better at requesting deposits.
So I guess my major curiosity is still…what is everyone’s take on the ‘refundability’ of said deposits? You need something to show for the work you did, even if they decide not to go with it in the end. So are deposits in most all cases traditionally non-refundable?
Angie Papple Johnston
October 29th, 2010 at 6:31 pmThanks, Laura!
TheAl: in my case, deposits are 50% and certainly non-refundable. I can’t speak for others, though. It says right on my website that’s what they need to come up with – and I’ve actually never had anyone balk at it. However, since it says it on my site, maybe the balkers leave before they call me. :)
Just toss it into your contract and if it hasn’t come up in ordinary conversation (I introduce it when I’m giving the quote if they haven’t already asked because they saw it), say something like, “And I do require a 50% non-refundable deposit before I can begin work.” Say it confidently and matter-of-factly, like there’s no question in your mind that they wouldn’t be amenable to that (because in all reality, they won’t be if they intend to pay you the full amount anyway). Hope that helps!
TLC
October 29th, 2010 at 10:56 pmI would add: Not taking care of yourself when you’re sick. It’s easy to think you can work when you only “commute” down 10 steps to your office. But somedays you just need to do a quick e-mail check, then shut off the computer and go back to bed.
Laura Spencer
October 30th, 2010 at 9:34 amHi Again TheAL,
Well, it IS up to you to deliver and you are sure you are going to do the work required. Your contract should stipulate specifically what it is to be done. So, as long as you deliver as agreed you are entitled to payment, even IF the client changes their mind. In fact, the purpose of having a contract and requiring a deposit is to protect you in such instances. If, for some reason, you don’t deliver at all, then I would say refund the deposit. Speaking personally, I’m a stickler about deadlines and getting my work done so I’ve not had to refund a deposit, but I guess it could happen.
TLC,
You are so right. As a most freelancer your most important tool is yourself. You need to make sure you are in good health. :)
Maddy — Wonderful Media
October 30th, 2010 at 10:16 amGood post, Laura — very timely!
“Trying to be the lowest priced freelancer in your specialty.”
This is scary also because it means you’re not bringing anything special to the table — price is your only differentiator. So the cause for this practice is as dismaying as its effect.
“Taking an excessive amount of time to respond to a client.”
You don’t make the distinction between prospects and clients here, which I think should matter. I try to get back to my clients within one business day. Prospects can take longer, though. There’s only so much time I have each day, and I prioritize working on my current clients’ projects over back-and-forth with prospects.
“Working on outdated equipment.”
I wholeheartedly agree. My productivity soared after I upgraded my computer and switched to Windows 7 from XP.
“Not following up on leads.”
Although I agree with this in theory, it’s so much harder to do in practice. I often delay my follow-up tasks when I’m fully booked. It just feels strange to know that if I follow up and they say “Let’s get started,” I have to respond, “Great! Let’s start in three weeks.”
#26 to #30 are really terrible. Yes, I’m sure no Freelance Folder reader would do them!
Maddy — Wonderful Media
October 30th, 2010 at 10:22 am@Chris
“Save some time per week to work on your business and online presence.”
I feel like you’re talking directly to me! I wish I had more time to write and design my new website. I’m working on it, slowly but surely, and I’m proud to say it will be done sometime in 2025.
@TheAL
I did some research on your question, and I found that there’s a difference between “deposit” and “down payment.” It might be safer to use “down payment.” You could also have a clause in your agreement saying that if the client decides to cancel the project, they forfeit the down payment and may be billed for extra work hours and expenses incurred.
Chris @ SyracuseCS
October 30th, 2010 at 11:30 am@Maddy – yes, it is pretty hard to put time aside for personal projects when you have a lot of (paying) work, but it’s really important to do. If potential new customers come to your site and see that it hasn’t been updated/changed in the last 6 months or more. How will that make them feel? That’s why blogging is great. You have fresh content on each week.
Tim the Drupal Developer
October 30th, 2010 at 12:43 pmTrying to be the lowest priced freelancer in your specialty – this is my favorite tip here, really, there are so many people outhere who charge for bread only, this is horrible.
As for the paperwork, does anyone have a good template for web development services agreement?
Web Designer Houston
October 31st, 2010 at 12:16 amRemember, clients are keeping you in business, not the other way around. If you don’t get back to them, then they will leave with their money. Customer service should be your #1 concern. Follow up and communicate in a timely manor.
Great article. One thing I am still struggling with is requiring deposits or pre-payments. Clients seem to be easily spooked themselves. While I don’t mind when people run away scared when I quote a fair price I’m still in that zone where I don’t wanna frighten away lots of clients.
A real eye opener!!!
Simona
October 31st, 2010 at 1:33 amWhile we all know all of these, and try to follow, i find your list extremeley well built. It makes so much sense, in such a nice flow! This gets printed and posted on my sticky wall *runs to refill cartridge… grrr…* Thank you!
TwoHats
October 31st, 2010 at 10:04 amGreat list.
I am a freelancer AND someone who hires freelancers.
So from that two-hatted perspective, here’s something else to add:
Arguing with clients and not following their instructions. (If a client asks you to code a subhead with a figure 1, don’t code it with the letter A and argue that your way of coding is the way your client’s predecessors asked you to do it.)
Barbara
October 31st, 2010 at 12:49 pmHaving primarily freelanced for small companies, I recently made the mistake of not contacting the Accounts Payable department of a major corporation directly. The person who gave me the assignment, the “buyer,” said he would take care of submitting my invoice to them.
Thirty days went by; the buyer told me my invoice was “in the system.” Inquiring further of A/P, I found out that I needed to be set up as a vendor before payment could be made. They emailed me the appropriate paperwork, which I promptly filled out, scanned, and emailed back to them, along with the copy of my invoice that had been approved and coded by my buyer.
Coming upon sixty days, I again contacted A/P, who told me that yes indeed, I was in the system, but my invoice had not been approved by the buyer! For the second time, I emailed the “approved” copy of the invoice to them, copying the buyer. A/P also emailed the buyer to fill out whatever form was needed, and copied me. I intend to inquire weekly until I get my payment. This outfit must be taking lessons from the government!
Chris @ SyracuseCS
October 31st, 2010 at 2:32 pm@Barbra – That’s a great story to learn from. When I talk to a new client/company I always ask who the decision maker is and the bill payer. It’s one thing to have a primary contact, but the other important people also need to be involved in the process to some extent. This will save a lot of time in the long run. It might seem silly to ask a one person client, but you never really know if they have a partner or their spouse is working with them too. It might not be something they think to bring up, so it’s always good to ask.
Mike Wevrick
October 31st, 2010 at 10:39 pmNice list but re #2: none of my clients pay anything upfront. I can ask all I want but its just not going to happen. I get paid once the work is submitted and approved. Thankfully, I have never been stiffed.
Spence
November 1st, 2010 at 9:55 pmA common sense post. I’ve emailed your blog to my sister. She does some freelance writing and this would be a great reference for her.
iPhone App Development
November 2nd, 2010 at 2:04 amAn eye opener. Nice presentation and a great piece of advice for freelancers.
Issa @ Ajeva
November 2nd, 2010 at 11:59 amI think this is scarier than the latest Paranormal Activity flick, haha. I believe you mentioned it all, but then, there goes another scope creep trying to drain you of your creative blood like some vampire in a horror film. I guess we all have those scary moments and what made us great is that we are still standing tall as freelancers. Now, anyone cares for a happy ending? ( I love this list I’m printing it and posting it on my home office wall to remind me everyday, thanks! )
Lizzy
November 4th, 2010 at 6:49 amA well deserved reminder for me….I never ask clients for upfront payment because I fear the loss of the project….Also I agree communication is really something that takes you far in Freelancing
Caitlin Kelly
November 9th, 2010 at 7:40 amGreat list! I’ve been a freelance writer for many years.
TLC is smart to remind us all of this — I worked through a cold into flu into pneumonia and into the hospital for three days. I changed my work habits after that for good — I avoid PITA clients and am much more cautious with my health. It is wise indeed to take regular vacations to protect it; I just returned from two weeks’ away and feel fully refreshed.
Step. Away. From. Technology. Turn off all work-related activity at a regular hour — 5 or 6 or 7pm and have a life! Your health, family, pets, partner and friends need you.
I’d add — it’s scary keeping lousy/PITA clients. You need to cull regularly, even in a recession so you’re not being bled white by too much work for toot little money and too much drama.
And…it’s scary if you do not regularly raise your rates. Staffers get raises and our costs are rising dramatically, at least here in NY where I live. You don’t ask — you won’t get.
janice sullivan
November 9th, 2010 at 4:04 pmLoved this…to the point!! I had to post/link your info on my facebook site ;)
David Radovanovic
February 25th, 2011 at 10:46 amOther additions to your VERY good list of no, nos:
1. Talking politics, religion, sharing tasteless jokes or sex with clients.
2. Having a contract that does not include reuse, derivatives and licensing agreements.
David Jay
December 20th, 2011 at 4:07 am“Spooky” is a bit intense! I find that one problem I have as a freelancer is that I “undersell” myself. I find negotiating the details of the contract / payment really hairy and I probably give away a bit of lack of confidence – and that leads me to getting paid less. Would love to see an article around that topic.. “how to negotiate for freelancers” or something like that.
Thanks!
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