5 Unique Benefits That Freelancers Offer to Their Clients
Posted November 27, 2011 in Getting Clients, Marketing
Small businesses (and let’s face it, most freelancers are small businesses) really have it tough when it comes to competing with agencies and other large businesses. For one thing, the larger companies tend to have a much larger marketing budget.
Freelancers, on the other hand, tend to have a very small marketing budget–if they have one at all. Instead, they rely on networking and word of mouth.
But, does a small business or a lone freelancer stand a chance when competing with a larger organization for a client?
I think they do. Bigger isn’t always better. In this post, I ‘ll list five unique benefits that freelancers can offer to their clients.
Benefit #1. Eliminate the Middleman
Miscommunication is a huge problem in many business transactions. Often, miscommunication is caused because the client has to deal with a middleman–a company sales person, a team lead, or even a receptionist–who then conveys the client’s information to the person who actually does the work for the client’s project. In the worst cases (in very large organizations), a client may have to repeat his or her request multiple times to many different people before actually reaching the person who can help.
In contrast, when dealing with a freelancer, the client can often speak directly to the person who does the work. Not only does direct communication reduce the chances of miscommunication, but it also allows the client to answer any questions the freelancer may have directly.
Benefit #2. Consistency
Because large companies often have many different individuals who perform the same type of work, the odds of the client getting the same individual who worked on the client’s last project to work on their next project are slim. He or she may have already been assigned to another project. This inconsistency of workers can lead to inconsistencies of quality and style.
However, when a client deals with a freelancer they can usually expect greater consistency. Unless the freelancer regularly outsources their projects, it’s likely that they themselves will work on all of the client’s projects.
Benefit #3. Agility
Freelancers are often more agile when it comes to getting things done quickly and on short notice. While I’m not a big fan of rush work, the truth is that an agency or larger business is much more likely to have layers of managerial approval that a client must go through before a new project can be started. Getting all those approvals can take time.
In contrast, a freelancer may be able to take on a new project on fairly short notice. A freelancer needs no approval from their management before he or she can start working because they are “the management.”
Benefit #4. Cost Savings
A larger business may have more resources than a freelancer, such as more personnel and a nice office space. But remember that those additional resources add to the organization’s overhead. In the end, additional overhead usually means higher cost to the client.
Many freelancers, on the other hand, work from home. Their overhead is relatively low. Often this means that they can charge less than an agency or other larger business would for doing the same work and still earn a good income. (Note: I’m NOT recommending lowballing here–just making an observation on how overhead costs are usually passed on to the client.)
Benefit #5. Personal Relationships
Working with a freelancer gives a client a true opportunity to develop a one-on-one relationship with the person who will be handling their projects. A strong relationship between freelancer and client is beneficial to both.
From the client’s perspective, developing a personal relationship with a freelancer increases the odds that the freelancer really understands the client’s needs. In fact, the freelancer may actually become sort of an “expert” in providing superior services to the client. Also, because the client is dealing with the same person each time, they will learn to understand what to expect from the freelancer.
From the freelancer’s perspective, having a good client relationship means that the client is much more likely to give them additional business and referrals. Also, dealing with the same client over and over again means that the freelancer will start understand the client’s needs in greater depth, which will actually make the freelancer’s work easier.
Your Turn
It’s easy to become discouraged when competing for work with larger organizations and agencies, but don’t give up. As a freelancer, remember that you can provide some unique benefits to your client that a larger business cannot.
What did I leave out? Can you think of any additional benefits that a freelancer offers over a larger company? Share your feedback in the comments.
Related posts:
- The Packaged Freelance Writer: 6 Non-Text Forms of Content to Offer Clients
- The Value Of Networking – Offer A Wider Range Of Services
- 5 Other Services all Freelance Web Designers Should Offer!
- How to Find Your Unique Writing Style
- 7 Reasons to Consider Small Clients
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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23 Comments
stephanie
November 27th, 2011 at 8:55 amnice post…very true points to give to a perspective client.
crazywabbit
November 27th, 2011 at 9:11 amGreat article, I would love to learn how to get the big fishes out there. The biggest stumbling block is when a big company asks where is your office and you say I work from home.
Laura Spencer
November 27th, 2011 at 9:29 amThanks Stephanie!
crazywabbit–Working from home doesn’t have to be a drawback. Try saying something like, “I have a distraction-free area in my home dedicated to getting your work done. I’ve actually found that I get more done there than just about any other place.”
crazywabbit
November 27th, 2011 at 9:55 amgood point. Still looking for an article on how to get the big fish to sign up :)
Morgan & Me Creative
November 27th, 2011 at 10:19 amI think the best part is the ability to forge great and lasting relationships. That has always be the mantra of our business. Although yes, it would be nice if it could be that way with everyone of them but that would be in a perfect world, though I must say over the years, we have forged great ties with more than a handful of beautiful clients who offer us tons of referrals and on-going work after.
Anne A
November 27th, 2011 at 11:22 amPersonally, I love freelancing as a Transcriptionist. I am able to offer better rates than most companies that hire independent contractors and the personal contact with the clients is invaluable. It leaves much less room for error when you’re not going through a third party when accepting an assignment.
The negative side is when it comes time to get paid. Usually when you’re contracted through a company, they pay you whether or not the client pays them. However, when working directly with a client, you have little or no recourse when they don’t pay you.
Ruth - The Freelance Writing Blog
November 27th, 2011 at 1:34 pm#3 and #4 seem to resonate the most with my clients. Even large companies with an experienced marketing team tend not to have the scalability to churn out content to the extent that they need. Hiring a freelancer allows their internal staff to focus on strategy and frees up resources to get the job done more comprehensively. It definitely makes them more agile.
Laura Spencer
November 27th, 2011 at 2:05 pmcrazywabbit, we have several posts on approaching big clients on Freelance Folder. Here’s a link to one by James Chartrand: http://freelancefolder.com/how-to-approach-big-clients/
Morgan & Me Creative–So true! Relationships are key. :)
Ruth – The Freelance Writing Blog & Anne A., Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Keep the comments coming.
Megan
November 28th, 2011 at 1:50 pmNice list!
Annika
November 29th, 2011 at 9:17 amGreat list, Laura.
I also think that there’s something to be said about the different social environments occupied (and length of time spent in those environments) by the freelancer vs a staffer at a massive agency.
Because, as you mentioned, most freelancers work from home, I notice there is often a different perspective of the home environment so when working on a project that revolves around a home-based product/service, I think the freelancer is at an advantage because they spend much more time in that space and therefore see/know it better.
And I would think this applies to whatever other environments freelancers frequent. Because no part of the day is spent in a cubicle in some high-rise studying data sheets, I find their perspective on a whole range of social issues (that are often very relevant to the content the client is looking for) gives them yet another advantage over a huge firm.
Jitendra Shah
November 29th, 2011 at 12:09 pmReally puts things into perspective
Kate Robins
November 29th, 2011 at 3:26 pmFreelancers also have no one to blame or credit but themselves which makes them a smart place for customers to put money. Massive corporate layoffs created a gzillion hungry lone talented practitioners, all competing to keep their own track records in fighting shape.
Anne A
November 29th, 2011 at 5:24 pmRe: Kate’s comment – So True! It’s one of the things I mention to potential clients. Because I’m an independent contractor I am acutely aware that the success of my business depends heavily on my reputation and word of mouth. Therefore, I always have to do the best job possible which sometimes makes me a better bet than a company that subcontracts the work to third parties.
Good point!
Anne
Jeff Schoolcraft
December 1st, 2011 at 11:09 amI included this post in my latest issue of Freelancing Weekly: http://freelancingweekly.com/issue-3
Caitlin Kelly
December 2nd, 2011 at 8:45 pmI especially like Annika’s comment. I think freelancers always offer a fresh perspective, which in itself can add value.
Annika
December 2nd, 2011 at 11:31 pmThanks, Caitlin! Fresh perspective sums it up perfectly.
Tomas
February 16th, 2012 at 6:02 amMany people insist on big businesses benefits, but forget the benefits of freelancers. It can´t be explained better. Regards!
Mariano Cortes
February 23rd, 2012 at 7:17 pmWow! Great read!
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