Sadly, I read about a freelancer trapped working for a bad client on social media nearly every day. But, we freelancers often accept jobs that we really shouldn’t take. We need to learn to say “no.”

In this post, I list twenty-one situations where a freelancer might need to say “no” to a prospective client. I also provide a sample response (as well as some discussion) for each situation. At the end of the post, add your own tips on how to say “no.”

What to Say When You Need to Say “No”

Here are twenty-one ways to say “no” to a prospect or client:

1. The prospect asks you to work at a rate far below your normal rate. In this case, state your rate and don’t spend too much time on the inquiry. They may be asking about work, but realistically they aren’t a prospect for you. Try saying, “I never work for less than $X.XX”
2. The prospect asks you to work for slightly less your normal rate. Negotiate with this prospect. First, decide what to negotiate. Can you be flexible on price? Do you want more time? Do you want to reduce the scope? Then, respond by addressing that area. A sample response could be, “That’s a little less than what I normally charge, but I could do it if you could let me have an extra week.”
3. The prospect asks you to work outside of your specialty. Are you interested in learning about this new specialty? If you’re not interested, be up front about that. If you can, refer the client to another freelancer. For example, say, “I never write about medical topics, but I know that Jane Doe freelancer specializes in that area.”
4. The prospect asks for a deadline that you cannot meet. Prospects often throw deadlines out without understanding the true effort required. Again, try negotiation. Say something like, “I know that the project seems simple, but there’s more work here than meets the eye. I think that project would actually take x days to complete.”
5. You researched the prospect and they have a bad reputation. Run, don’t walk, away from this prospect. You don’t need to send out a detailed response. Your answer can be something like, “I’m not interested in this project, but thank-you for thinking of me.”
6. The prospect is excessively critical. Usually, you wouldn’t know this about a new prospect, but you might know it if you’ve worked with them before. Respond the same way as you would to a client with a bad reputation. If you want to make a point you could say, “I didn’t enjoy our last project together and for that reason I don’t wish to accept another project from you.”
7. A client asks you to do additional work that you didn’t agree to do. Most freelancers face this problem sooner or later. When it happens to you, estimate how long the additional work is going to take. If it won’t take long, most freelancers choose to just do the work. However, if the new work requires substantial effort, let the client know that additional work means a higher bill. Here’s a sample response, “Our contract specified six articles, but now you are asking for eight. The additional articles will add $X.00 to the cost of the project. Please let me know if you want me to proceed.”
8. The prospect uses foul language or obscenities. Some freelancers don’t mind foul language or obscenities. If you do mind, don’t feel that you have to take that sort of treatment (which can actually be a form of disrespect). Let the prospect know that their language bothers you. I say something like this, “I work from home and my children can easily overhear what is said in my office. I would appreciate it if you would keep your language clean when you deal with me.”
9. You are too busy to take on new work right now. Being busy can be a good thing. It means that you’re in demand. When I am too busy to take on a new project right away, I usually say something like, “my time is completely booked for the next two weeks, but after that I could get started on your project.”
10. The client wants you to do more work when they haven’t paid for the last project. Be frank. If the client is seriously late with an earlier payment, don’t start another project with them. Say something like, “You’ll have to bring your account with me up to date before I can start another project. Invoice #xx is 30 days overdue and you owe $xxx.00.”
11. The prospect has more work for you than you can realistically handle. See if the prospect will let you subcontract some of the work. Say something like, “That’s a lot of work, but I know that my team can handle it.” That way the client should understand that it won’t be just you doing the work. Be sure that you write your agreement in such a way that subcontractors can be used.
12. The prospect stands for something you don’t agree with. This is tricky. Be careful not to discriminate against anyone based on race, religion, or national origin since this would be a violation of the Federal Civil Rights Act. (Leanne Phillips has published a great article on this topic at LegalZoom.)
13. The prospect asks you to come in to the office and work. I face this a lot since many technical writing jobs require on-site work. I prefer to work at home so I always negotiate this by suggesting that I only come in occasionally or offering to be available during certain business hours. I say something like, “I’ve found that I get a lot more done when I work at home, but I’m willing to come in on Fridays to attend the weekly meeting.”
14. You suspect the prospect is lying to you. This is another tricky situation. While you can’t accuse your prospect of lying without proof, your gut feeling is probably right. When in doubt, it’s usually best to trust your intuition. You can say something like, “I don’t feel comfortable taking this project,” or “I don’t think this project is for me.”
15. You can’t find any information about the prospect. A lack of information could mean the client is a fly-by-night scam artist, or it could mean that he or she is simply very new to business. In this situation you can ask questions such as, “how long have you been in business” and “who are some of the companies that you do business with?” Be sure to charge a healthy percentage of your fee up front.
16. The prospect asks you to do something illegal or unethical. As a freelancer, never get involved with anything illegal. If asked to do this, refuse the prospect’s request and explain why. Stand your ground. You could say something like, “no, you can’t use that copyrighted image on your website without permission–that’s against the law.” It’s always possible your prospect doesn’t realize what they are doing is not allowed.
17. The prospect asks for something that’s not possible. Many freelancers eventually meet the prospect who wants something that just can’t be done. For example, consider the client who says something like “I want the audience to be able to smell the perfume that my website sells while they are sitting at home.” Again, it’s best to be straightforward with your client. Say something like, “the technology to do what you are asking doesn’t exist yet. Instead, I suggest that you offer a free sample instead.”
18. The prospect wants to barter for your services. Some freelancers don’t mind bartering their services. If that’s you, great! However, many freelancers prefer to be paid in cash. Try saying, “my policy is to accept only cash for my work.”
19. The prospect wants to pay you a portion of their profits. Since the prospect’s project may not be profitable, this arrangement can be bad news for a freelancer. Once again, fall back on your policy. Say, “my policy is to charge a fee for my services, due when the work is complete.”
20. The prospect is a friend or family member. Working for a friend or family member can be stressful. Many freelancers don’t like to do it, but it can be hard to say “no” to someone you’re friends with or related to. Try saying, “I value our relationship too much to mix it with business.” Or, you could simply say, “I think (another freelancer) would do a much better job for you.”
21. A charity asks you to volunteer your services. Don’t let anyone “guilt” you into doing work for free. If you love the charity and you want to volunteer, fine. There’s nothing wrong with that. If you’re not committed to the charity or if volunteering will set you back, say so. Try saying, “I can’t afford to do charity work at this time.”

Your Turn

What freelancing situations have you faced where you’ve had to say “no?” Share your stories in the comments.

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So, it stands to reason that negotiating skills are also important. In this post, I identify five common negotiating mistakes that freelancers often make. Read the post to make certain that you’re not guilty of making any of these errors yourself.

Mistake #1: Being Dazzled by a Large Dollar Figure

A large dollar figure can seem enticing. If you’re offered one for a project it’s easy to forget to take into consideration the amount of effort that the project will actually take. This is especially true if it’s your first really big project.

But a large dollar figure is no bargain at all if the amount of work required is out of proportion to the amount of money being offered. Always take the time to make an estimate of the number of hours you think a project will take you before accepting the project. If you don’t, you may wind up sorry later on.

Mistake #2: Accepting Rush Work

Many freelancers accept or even encourage rush work (work with an extremely short deadline). One reason is that rush work often comes with a bonus.

However, over the years I’ve come to the opinion that accepting rush work is usually a mistake for most freelancers. Here’s why:

• Once you accept a rush work project, the client is likely to expect you to always be available for rush work.
• You are much more likely to make a serious mistake when hurrying to complete a rush assignment.
• Taking on too many rush assignments can lead to freelancing burnout (and we all know where that leads).

The fact is, many deadlines can be negotiated. This is often true even of so-called rush deadlines.

Mistake #3: Assuming the Client Wants to Pay Less

Freelancers often assume that the client is most concerned about lowering costs, when in fact they may not be. Consequently, some freelancers lower their prices at the first sign of any resistance from the client/prospect.

This is not a good policy. If you’be been doing this, stop it right now. Instead, take the time to find out what the client really cares about. Then, you can go about discovering a way to provide what is really most important to the client.

Mistake #4: Not Being Specific Enough

It’s not good to be vague, especially if you are a freelancer. Being vague can lead to misunderstandings.

Make sure that all of your client agreements contain specific language, even down to specifying exact due dates and identifying differences between the client’s time zone and the freelancer’s time zone. Here are just some of the details freelancers frequently forget to include:

• Number of revisions included in the price–While it’s a matter of professional courtesy to provide some revisions (especially if they are minor), consider setting a reasonable limit on the number of revisions included in the cost of the project. You don’t want to get stuck doing the same task over and over.
• Cost of updating or supporting service provided–This point is similar to the one above and applies specifically to web developers. A limited amount of customer support is reasonable and expected, but providing support does take time. So, after a while, it’s reasonable to begin to charge for support.
• Payment details (PayPal vs. Direct Deposit vs. snail mail vs. …)–Never take on a project without knowing how (and when) the client intends to pay you. Even if you have specific payment preferences (as many freelancers do), you can’t assume that your client will adhere to them unless you spell them out.
• Penalties for late payment–Nearly all businesses add a fee for late payments and there’s usually no reason why you shouldn’t also. You may want to check with your attorney to get the language right, but don’t be shy about adding a late fee to your client agreements.
• Details of delivery–When will the client consider the project to be complete? Make sure you know the answer to this important question since it can make a real difference in when you get paid.

Mistake #5: Not Negotiating at All

This last mistake is perhaps the biggest one of all. Many freelancers fail to negotiate at all. Instead, they let the client totally dictate the terms of the agreement without any negotiation.

This is a mistake because the client doesn’t always know what’s best. They may not understand the amount of work involved or even what they really need. Remember, the client contacted you because of your expertise in your field, so don’t be afraid to use that expertise and make a few recommendations.

Your Turn

Did I miss any negotiating mistakes? Add them into the comments.

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It should come as no surprise, then, that losing a long-term client can be traumatic for a freelancer and devastating to a freelancing business. Losing a client that you were counting on for regular work can take many of us from feast to famine in no time.

In this post, I list some of the most common reasons why freelancers lose clients. You can use these reasons to help determine if you are about to lose a client. Also, I invite readers to share their own advice and experiences about losing (and retaining) clients.

Reasons Freelancers Lose Clients

You may not be aware that your client is about to dump you. Unfortunately, most clients won’t broadcast that they are unhappy with a freelancing relationship. They just get fed up and leave.

However, you may be about to lose a client if you’ve noticed one or more of the following:

1. Communication has slowed way down. We freelancers complain about clients who don’t communicate enough. Sometimes a lack of communication is just a particular client’s work style, but other times lack of communication is an indication of trouble. This is particularly true if a client’s communication style changes for the worse. Your client may have lost interest in the project, or they may be hesitating to contact you because they dislike confrontations.
2. Payments are late. Most freelancers hate late payments and with good reason. We depend on those payments to pay our own bills. Late payments are more than just annoying, though. Slow payments could also be a sign that your client is in financial distress and is having trouble keeping up with his or her bills. Yours may not be the only bill that this client is late in paying.
3. Client is too critical. Many clients won’t come right out and terminate a client/freelancer relationship. However, their dissatisfaction may make them overly critical. They may even be trying to get you (the freelancer) to quit. That’s why it’s important to try and discover the real reasons behind any criticisms you receive. Above all, avoid reacting to criticism in anger or defensively.
4. Client is too complimentary. Sometimes a client’s words are just too kind to be true. They may compliment you for doing something that you know was not deserving of a compliment or they may lavish praises on a job that was just okay. If you’re receiving compliments from your client that don’t seem sincere, perhaps they aren’t.
5. Client runs ad for work that looks suspiciously like your project. One of the biggest giveaways that you might be about to lose a client comes when you are looking for additional projects and notice that your client has placed an ad looking for a freelancer. On closer inspection, the ad seems to describe the work you are doing now. You may be able to discretely ask your client whether they are expanding their business to get to the truth.
6. You goofed up. Sooner or later nearly every freelancer makes a mistake. If you do make a mistake, your client is bound to be unhappy, which is quite understandable. If you don’t make the extra effort to smooth things over, your client may decide to replace you with a more careful freelancer. Also, put measures in place to make sure that the mistake is not repeated.
7. Your gut feeling. Sometimes everything seems to be going right with your client, but you have a gut feeling that something is wrong. Gut feelings shouldn’t be discounted. Your subconscious intuition may have picked up something about your client that your conscious mind has failed to notice.

If your client slows down their communication with you, make sure that you make extra efforts to check in with them regularly. If they are critical, make sure that you address each criticism. If you make a mistake, own up to it and offer to make it right for your client–even if it costs you some profit. The sooner you do these things, the better.

The best thing to do if you suspect that you are about to lose a client is to bend over backwards to provide unparalleled service. Do your best to become indispensable.

Of course, losing a client isn’t necessarily the end of the world. If it happens to you, then you can take measures to win the client back or you can move on.

Your Turn

Have I left out any reasons why freelancers lose clients? Without naming any names, share your thoughts about losing clients in the comments.

Have you ever won a client back after they left? If so, share what you did to get them back.

Image by Mr. Thomas

Nearly every freelancer eventually faces a communication problem with a client. Even those of us who specialize in clear communication sometimes have problems.

In this post, I’ll describe some steps that every freelancer can take to avoid miscommunication.

How to Avoid Communication Problems

Here are twenty-five ways that freelancers can dramatically reduce client communication problems:

1. Be proactive–Research and learn everything you can about your client and your client’s business before you meet with them. Find out what some of the common problems are your client’s industry.
2. Manage your expectations–Every client and every project is unique. While we can learn from past clients and projects, it’s important to understand that this client and this project may be different from what you’ve experienced in the past.
3. Listen carefully–Pay close attention to what your client says. Take notes if you need to, especially during a long meeting or a confusing discussion.
4. Pay attention to non-verbal signals like tone of voice or body language–Often words are not the only way that your client is communicating with you. Pay attention to their posture and facial expressions. If you are meeting by phone, listen carefully to your client’s voice for clues as to what they may be thinking.
5. Ask questions–If you are unsure about something, ask. It is better to ask a question now than proceed based on an incorrect assumption.
6. Repeat your understanding back to the client–It’s often a good idea to put what the client said into your own words and repeat it back to them. This can insure that you really understand what they mean.
7. Don’t forget about cultural differences–Different cultures communicate differently and may have different ways of conducting business. If your client is from a culture that is different from your own, make sure that you learn about the cultural differences before you meet.
8. Park your preconceptions at the door–It’s easy to jump to conclusions about a project or a person. Even if you suspect that this will be an easy project or this will be difficult person to work with, try to put those feelings aside until they can be confirmed. Preconceived notions can keep you from understanding what is really going on.
9. Be open to new ideas–You’re probably an expert in your field. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be as successful in your field as you are. But even experts can sometimes learn from their clients. Make sure that you are willing to learn new things.
10. Avoid emotional words–Being a freelancer is a lot like being a diplomat. Some words are just too emotionally charged to have any place in a business conversation. Avoid those words.
11. Be understanding, not critical–As a professional, sooner or later you’ll probably be called in to fix somebody else’s mistake. Whether it be something the client did wrong or the mistake of a previous freelancer, don’t immediately start criticizing it. After all, anyone could make a mistake.
12. Don’t communicate when you’re upset–If you’re angry or hurt, then now is not a good time to talk with a client or send an email. Many freelancers have fired off an angry email, only to regret it later.
13. Check for typos and grammatical errors–Grammar and typos can cause your client to misunderstand you. If you do believe me consider that there’s a huge difference in agreeing to do a job for $10.00 and agreeing to do it for $1000. A misplaced period CAN make a difference.
14. Pay attention to your tone (especially online)–There’s something peculiar to online writing. You can type one thing and your client can perceive something that you did not intend. That’s why it’s important to check all emails to make sure your tone is appropriate. The best way to do this is to get someone else to read them before you send them.
15. Get it in writing–While this is true for all freelancing projects, getting something in writing is especially important for long projects. When a project drags out it’s just too easy for you or your client to forget the details of your agreement.
16. Better yet, get a contract–A great means of avoiding misunderstanding with a client is to get a signed contract that outlines the details. A signed contract also gives you some legal advantages if you have serious problems later on.
17. Get a partial payment upfront–A client who pays upfront is usually more committed to a project’s success than one who hasn’t invested anything yet. A client who doesn’t make an upfront payment may try to cancel before the project is finished, while the client who made the advance payment will want to recoup his or her initial investment.
18. Keep good records–Some miscommunication is due to sloppy recordkeeping. Don’t let this happen to you. Make sure that you document everything including: client meetings, original project scope, scope changes, and any other factors that affect the project.
19. Stay in touch–This is especially important if you are working on a long deadline. Don’t let too much time pass without touching base with your client. Often, just a short status to let them know that the project is on track is enough to keep them from worrying.
20. Be reachable by email or phone–You can’t be communicated with if you can’t be reached. Make sure that your client has a working email address and/or phone number that they can use to reach you.
21. Don’t make it personal–If your client criticizes your project or complains, remember that it’s not about you. Don’t take negative comments personally. Rather, try to find out if the situation can be resolved.
22. Share problems you are having–Too many freelancers wait until the last minute to let a client know that they are struggling or having problems. However, clients don’t like last-minute notification of problems (especially if it means the project will be delayed).
23. Ask for feedback–Your communication with the client is not over when the project ends. Instead, ask the client for feedback on your work and on the process. You may able to learn something from this project to help you with your next project.
24. Keep your materials (such as your website and marketing literature) up to date–Out-of-date marketing materials can also create miscommunication. If you’ve changed anything about how you do business, such as the rate you charge or the type of work that you do, make sure that your materials reflect those changes.
25. If necessary, find a mediator–In the most extreme situations, when a large sum of money is involved, you may need to turn to a professional mediator or arbitrar to resolve your differences.

What About You?

How do you avoid client communication problems?

Share your answers in the comments.

Image by Clemson

However, some customer requests are just plain unreasonable. This post describes some “hoops” that aren’t worth jumping through–even to make a client happy.

Unreasonable Client Demands Before a Project

Often, unreasonable requests from clients begin before the project even starts. Sometimes, they begin before the client even officially hires the freelancer. Here are three examples:

• Asking for free samples–While it’s not unreasonable to want to see an example of a client’s finished work, under most circumstances the freelancer’s portfolio should be sufficient. Unfortunately, a few troublesome clients want more. They’ll ask a freelancer to create a sample without offering to pay for the sample work. In nearly all cases, this winds up being a bad deal for the freelancer. If you think about it, a website owner who asks 100 applicants (not an unreasonable number in today’s economy) to each create a writing “sample article” without pay may receive dozens of articles at no cost.
• Scheduling endless interviews–While requesting one interview, or even two interviews, is a reasonable client request–scheduling four or five interviews in an effort to find the best freelance candidate is not reasonable. For one thing, interviews take a freelancer’s time. And for freelancers, time is money. It’s certainly understandable to want to learn more about potential candidates, especially if the client will be investing a lot of money in a project. However, the client also has the responsibility to filter out as many possible freelancers up front so that the number of interviews needed can be minimized.
• Asking for a low introductory rate–You’ve probably heard this one. I know that I have. A “client” approaches and asks if you’ll take on his or her project at a low rate–with the promise of future work from that same client that pays more. Sadly, this promise of additional work rarely materializes. The freelancer who agrees to this arrangement usually finds themselves working a single project at well below their market rate.

If you’re asked to jump through any of these hoops, your best option is usually to just say “no.” Remember, clients who are unreasonable before you are hired are not likely to suddenly become more reasonable once they’ve selected you.

Unreasonable Client Demands During a Project

Sometimes, unreasonable client demands don’t materialize until after a freelancer signs a contract with a client. Here are some examples of unreasonable demands that occur during a freelancing project:

• Asking for endless revisions–While it’s customary to make minor revisions to keep a customer happy, endless revisions are unreasonable. A client who demands revision after revision–even to the point of changing the scope of the project–is being unfair. Worse yet, multiple demands for a revision can delay billing, which often means that the freelancer doesn’t get paid when they expected to get paid.
• Demanding the freelancer be continuously available–The majority of clients don’t pay enough for a freelancer to dedicate 100% of their time to the client’s project. This means that most freelancers juggle several projects in order to make ends meet. However, some clients act as though their project is the only one the freelancer is working on. They may call multiple times each day for status reports, make sudden rush demands, or become upset if a freelancer doesn’t answer an email instantly.
• Not holding up their part of the bargain–The flip side of the client who wants a continuously available freelancer is the client who is never around themselves. They don’t return drafts on time. They don’t answer questions or provide information as agreed upon. They can’t be reached by phone or email for days at a time.

The best way to avoid some of these unreasonable situations is to make sure that you have a well-written contract with your client before you begin work. The contract should specify how many revisions and meetings you’ll be responsible for as well as list deadlines for both freelancer and client.

Unreasonable Client Demands After a Project

Even after a project ends, some clients are still making unreasonable demands. Here are some examples of that:

• Asking for additional time to pay the freelancer–Let’s face it, freelancers have to eat too. A client who doesn’t pay on time as agreed upon negatively impacts the freelancer’s cash flow. It also takes the freelancer’s time, since they must now make extra efforts to try and collect the money that is due them. From my perspective, a client should not hire a freelancer unless they have the money to pay the freelancer in hand.
• Complaining about work even though it met the requirements–Some people just can’t be pleased–and that goes for some clients too. No matter what you do, they aren’t going to be happy with it. In this situation, minimizing the client’s unhappiness is sometimes the best a freelancer can do.

Your Turn

When you find yourself jumping through hoops for an unreasonable client, remember you can choose not to work with them.

Have I left out any unreasonable client demands? Have you ever dealt with an unreasonable client? Share your answers in the comments. (Please don’t use specific company or individual names–be creative.)

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Maybe you have experienced this with a client while setting up plans for a project or service. It’s possible that at the time you felt the communication about what you are going to do and provide went well and that the communication was very open and successful.

Because of this you were even more frustrated and surprised later on while touching base about the progress of the plans to find the client unsatisfied. What went wrong?

Often it is a problem with the client’s expression of what they want, his or her visualization of their idea, the client’s understanding of the logistics of what is possible and of your field of work, or maybe a combination of all three.

Expression

To avoid the pitfalls of miscommunication that can later on lead to disappointment and disagreement making sure both sides fully express themselves openly and completely is a key. Don’t ever leave a meeting feeling that a topic has not been covered or that there are things that have been left unsaid.

Never assume that you understand what your client means by what they say. It is better to take a little longer and perhaps be slightly repetitive than to glide over topics leaving room for confusion and a less than complete understanding on both sides. This is true not just with clients, but with family and friends. People in general will often tell you what they want, but it is not always a complete picture of their desires and expectations.

Sometimes people are not good at accurately expressing their wants or needs and not only does that affect the ability to build a relationship where both sides understand one another, but as a freelancer it will directly impact your ability to successfully satisfy your client with your services. You should keep this in mind while talking to a client and use some or all of these tips to help keep the communication flowing:

• Ask specific and pointed questions not just about what the client wants, but about what results he or she expects from the completion of the task or service.
• Don’t be afraid to repeat back to the client in your own words what you understood of his or her expectations to assure that you are both on the same page.
• Some clients will feel uncomfortable talking about money and maybe will shy away from this topic being unspecific and vague. Feel confident expressing exactly what the project will cost to complete in the way the client wants and give him or her breakdowns and options to best meet the service and budget goals he or she hopes to meet.
• Pay attention to body language and don’t be afraid to probe deeper asking him or her to elaborate or to be more specific on what they say.

This leads me to the next major component of the communication breakdown…

Visualization

The canvas inside everyone’s head is unique and completely different. If you asked ten people to draw something simple like a tree or the sun or a house you would get ten, although similar in topic, completely different drawings. When it comes to your client and how he or she visualizes the finished product or service, the important word to remember is details. Here are some tips to make sure that you and your client are on the same page:

• When asking the client in depth about what they expect out of the project try asking specifically what they expect it to look like or ask him or her to describe his or her visualization of the results of plan.
• Your client’s visualization of the project is especially important when the service is one like design, photography, painting, catering or anything with a predominant visual aspect. Grab a pen and paper or a whiteboard and have your client roughly sketch out what he or she sees in his or her head.
• Seize upon and investigate the details. Delve deeper beyond any vague, general or broad descriptions avoiding words like large, big, medium, small, fast, clean, sharp, soft, or any other non-specific descriptor. Use actual sizes, measurements, and scales whenever possible.
• If applicable show the client a color palette or spread of several similar colors you are thinking of using and have him or her pick several favorites.

Sometimes you realize your client has in his or her mind something that is just not feasible for whatever reason. This leads us to our next big communication breakdown…

Comprehensive Understanding

You are good at what you do. You know more about what you do than the average person. These are facts that helped you get where you are as a professional freelancer.

Do not forget these facts when consulting with your clients. If you can execute the first two points successfully and gain a complete picture of what your client wants and expects, then you actually know better than your client what it takes to execute the plan. You alone have the comprehensive understanding of how to best accomplish the goal at hand.

Here are a few points to use when dealing with a client who is enthusiastic and wants to be deeply involved in the planning, but maybe is not familiar with your field or is unrealistic when it comes to the plan:

• Sometimes clients are unrealistic or out of touch with what it actually takes to make the project come to life in the way that they had pictured in either a monetary or timeline sense. Keep in mind the logistics of executing the plan and your limitations, be honest about what you can accomplish within your time and budget parameters and what is just not feasible. Offer the client more than one option, maybe you can meet his or her budget limitations but not the time limitations or vice versa. Be honest and specific about what it will take to complete the project as closely as possible to the client’s specifications.
• Your client does not have the in-depth understanding of your work that you do. Clients often get lost in the details while you can step back and see the big picture. Recommend alterations to the plan to more closely achieve the finished product you know your client will be happy with. Explain to your client why certain options would work better than others to achieve the overall goal. Be confident and remember that this is why the client came to you in the first place, for your expertise.
• And finally, although this is something none of us likes to do, sometimes you may just have to say no. Sometimes for whatever reason a plan will just not work in the parameters the client wants and whether it is for budget reasons, timing reasons, or another unrealistic expectation it is best to just walk away from a project that is not going to work out best for either you, or the client.

So just to recap, whether it be due to a faulty expression of expectations, discrepancies in the visualizations of those expectations, or an overall lack of comprehensive understanding–there are many miscommunication pitfalls that can affect your interactions with your clients. Following several or all of the tips we went over will help to keep you and your client on the same page and will help to build good client relationships.

Share Your Thoughts…

How do you deal with a client that had unrealistic expectations either monetarily or otherwise? Did you ever turn down a job because of this type of unrealistic expectation? What are some pointers you use to help make sure you communicate well with your clients?

Image by Brett Jordan

If a freelancer tells you they are up against a deadline, then you know that it’s time to back off and give them some space so that they can get your work done.

We all have deadlines, but we rarely talk about them. Yet, there’s quite a lot to talk about.

In this post, we’ll look at deadlines from various angles including types of deadlines, how to negotiate a better deadline, how meet your deadlines, and what to do if you miss a deadline. I hope you’ll also chip in with your own experiences and tips about deadlines.

Types of Deadlines

There are several different types of deadlines that a freelancer may be faced with:

• Rush Deadlines. These are those jobs the come in with the client mandate that they be done as quickly as possible–yesterday if you can manage it. Since there’s almost always additional pressure built in to this type of work, most freelancers charge extra to take on a rush job.
• One Time Deadlines. A one time deadline means you turn in all of your work to the client at once on the agreed upon date. These jobs can also be risky. If you’ve gone off on a tangent and missed the client’s objective you won’t find out until you’re done.
• Phased Deadlines. Many jobs come with phased deadlines. Basically, this means that you turn your work in to the client in phases. After each phase is approved, you move on to the next. Since many clients pay for each phase separately, this arrangement can be good for long-term or large jobs.
• Recurring Deadlines. A recurring deadline is good news because it probably means that you have a long-term client. An example of a freelancer with recurring deadline would be a writer who is assigned to turn in a new article each Monday.

Once you’ve figured out what kind of deadline you’re dealing with, it’s time to decide if it works for you. If it doesn’t, it may be time to negotiate.

Negotiating Your Best Deadline

Many freelancers don’t realize it, but deadlines are often negotiable. You’re not necessarily stuck with the first deadline date the client mentions. Sure, sometimes the client has a hard and fast date that absolutely must be met. But most of the time he or she is willing to adjust their deadlines (within reason, of course).

Here are some guidelines to follow when negotiating a deadline:

1. Be enthusiastic. Emphasize that you are really excited about the work and do want the job. You don’t want the client to get the idea that you’re not interested.
2. Suggest a reasonable adjustment. Many clients are willing to adjust the deadline by a day, or so. However, if you are suggesting an adjustment of more than a week you had better have a good reason.
3. Be flexible. Consider whether you are also willing to make an accommodation for the client. For example, if they extend the project deadline by a few days would you be able to take on additional work?
4. Be prepared for the client’s answer. If they say “no,” consider whether you can realistically meet the original deadline. If you can’t, you may have to refer them to another freelancer.

Once your deadline is negotiated, it’s up to you to make sure that you deliver on time.

How to Make Sure You Meet Your Deadlines

Once the deadline is set, you need to do everything in your power to make sure that you meet it. Here are some tips for meeting deadlines:

• Break a large project into smaller pieces.
• If the project will span several days, have daily goals.
• Schedule a specific time for your work.
• Plan to turn the work in early rather than in the “nick of time.” If you plan to turn it in early, that gives you a buffer if something goes wrong.
• Work smart.
• Make sure your office is neat and organized.
• Back up your work.
• Get plenty of rest to make sure you are at your maximum efficiency.

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you do miss the deadline. If this happens to you, you’ll have to deal with it.

Dealing with a Missed Deadline

Nearly all freelancers miss a deadline sooner or later. It may be due to a family emergency, an unforeseen circumstance like an extended power outage, poor estimating, or even personal illness. Whatever the cause, you need to take some immediate steps to try and preserve your client relationship. Here’s what you should do:

1. Notification. Tell the client that you are going to be late as soon as possible. If you can, let them know that you will be turning the work in late before the deadline actually happens.
2. Let it go. If the client needs you to, be ready to release the project. Refer them to another freelancer with similar skills who is available to meet their deadline.
3. Discount. In extreme cases, you may need to discount your work to help offset the missed deadline. The need for this is very rare, though.

If you’ve been reliable in the past (or if you have an excellent reputation), most clients will understand the rare emergency and you won’t lose the work. After all, your client is a person too. They understand that things beyond your control sometimes happen.

Your Turn

Do you stress out over deadlines? What is your biggest problem concerning deadlines? Do you have any tips dealing with deadlines?

Share your answers in the comments.

Then we wouldn’t need to hem and haw about our quotations, worrying if our fees are too high or that our clients can’t afford them. Or too low so that we look like sub-par freelancers.

Neither would we second-guess our work, wasting precious minutes and energy wondering if it’s good enough.

If we could read our clients’ minds we would know what to say so every project proposal we submit gets approved.

Every project we complete would be a huge success, and our clients would thank us for changing their lives forever.

Unfortunately, all this is not possible all the time. But we can get pretty close. With a little extra effort, freelancers can get a clearer understanding of our clients’ needs, problems, and desires–so our work can go as smoothly as possible.

How to Read Your Client’s Mind

Let’s begin by looking at ways we can better understand the whole population of people who could become our clients–our target market. Hopefully, you have a pretty laser-focused profile of your Ideal Client, rather than trying to target everyone with a wallet. You see, these strategies only work if you have a clear and focused target client profile in mind.

If so, you can get an idea of what’s inside your target clients’ minds by using some of the next few techniques in this post.

Hang Out in Relevant Online Forums

If you know your target client well enough, you’ll know where they hang out online. It could be an online forum, a LinkedIn group, or maybe even a weekly Twitter chat. Go to these watering holes and find out:

• What questions do they ask most frequently?
• What problems and challenges do they complain about?
• What solutions excite them and make them happy?
• What words and phrases do they use to articulate their needs and desires?

Research in Amazon.com

Amazon.com, the largest online bookstore, is another great place to research your target market. Identify a few books your target clients read. Go over the reviews of those books, keeping an eye open for:

• What problems or predicaments lead them to reading those books?
• What do they like or dislike about the books?
• What other books do they recommend and why?
• How do the authors and publishers captivate the audience’s attention? (Read the book’s blurbs and product descriptions to find out)

Read Their Magazines and Trade Journals

Chances are, there’s a magazine, newsletter or trade publication for your target market. If so, read those materials to learn:

• What are the recognized challenges in the industry?
• What solutions and strategies are trending?
• How do advertisers position their products? What problems do they address? What benefits do they promise?
• What is the tone and personality of the material?

Do some research into your target market and you’ll soon have a pretty good idea of how they think.

Specific Clients

How about your specific clients? After you’ve signed them up for a project, you’ll need to continue getting to know each client. After all, while we may each belong to a demographic, we’re still unique individuals. My next tips will help you get inside the mind of a specific client.

Ask

Never be afraid to ask questions to clarify agreements and expectations. Simply ask:

“Is this what you mean? Is this what you’re saying? Is this what you expect?”

This simple step can save you from miscommunication, which often leads to unhappy clients and unhappy freelancers.

Read What They Write

If your client publishes his or her own content, make sure to read them. Sign up for their newsletter, visit their blog, read their articles, and look at what they publish on their social networking profiles. Yes, it feels like stalking, but it will pay off, believe me!

You’ll discover a lot about your client’s personality, the circles they move in, what things interest them, what earns their admiration, and so many other things by doing this simple step.

Ask Someone Who Knows Them Well

If you and your client have a mutual friend or associate, they can be a source of valuable insight into your client.

However, tread very carefully. Don’t do this instead of discussing issues with your client directly. Instead, do this to confirm whether a certain approach you’re taking makes sense, or if there’s a better way you may not know about.

The Bottom Line

The moral of this blog post is: Never assume you know what your client wants.

Ask, dig deeper, find out.

By knowing, really knowing, what’s inside your client’s mind and heart, you’ll be able to provide the services they’re willing to pay for.

What strategies do you currently use to get to know your clients better? Are there tips you’d like to add to the ones I’ve mentioned in this post? Which ones have worked for you in the past?

Do share them in the comments below.

If you’ve freelanced through a holiday season before, you may already be asking yourself, “what am I going to do about the holidays this year?” That’s right. It’s that time of the year! We’ve reached another year-end. (I hope your freelancing business did well this year.)

I’ve written about this topic before, but these problems are real, so the topic is worth revisiting.

Even freelancers who don’t normally celebrate at this time of the year are affected by the year-end activities. In this post, I’ll discuss seven dilemmas that freelancers face during the holiday season.

Dilemma #1. Should I Send a Gift to My Clients?

Many business gurus will advise freelancers to send out holiday gifts or cards to their strongest clients as a way of saying “thank-you” for their business during the year. In fact, gifts can be a good strategy and may serve to keep your name in front of a client.

What’s the problem, you might ask? Well, there are two main problems that freelancers face with sending out gifts.

• The first problem is that not everyone celebrates holidays during this time and some may even be offended by said holidays. Many freelancers may not even be aware of their client’s feelings about the holidays. In most cases, however, a gift tied to the end of the year and not to a specific celebration won’t be offensive to anyone.
• The second problem is finding the right item to send to a client. It’s important to send something that fits within your budget. A client gift should be something the client can really use as opposed to something cheap that happens to have your business name printed on it. Choosing the right client gift can be particularly challenging because most freelancers have at least one client that they have never met face to face.

Dilemma #2. Should I Work on the Holiday?

Another freelancing holiday dilemma concerns taking time off.

Many freelancers desire to take off time during the holidays to be with friends and family, but for some the holidays can be a busy time of work. Some companies will assign projects to freelancers during this time so that their regular staff can take a break.

If you’ve decided to take some time off during the holidays, how do you break it to your clients? If you’ve decided to work through the holidays, how do you break it to your friends and family?

Plus, if you do take time off at the end of the year your income will likely be affected, which brings me to the next freelancing holiday dilemma…

Dilemma #3. What About Lack of Income?

Freelancers are paid when they work. When a freelancer doesn’t work, they don’t get paid. It’s just that simple.

If you haven’t been saving all year for a year-end vacation, a holiday break may seem out of reach. However, you still may be able to take on extra projects so that you can take off later. Also, remember that many retail stores hire extra part-time staff during the holiday season–you could moonlight on your freelancing with a part-time job.

Also, remember that even if you have decided to work through the holiday, your client may have decided to take it off. Unless you know otherwise, plan for them to be unavailable during this time period.

Dilemma #4. Should I Publish a Post on the Holiday?

Most freelancers have blogs to help promote their services and to establish themselves as experts in their field. (If you don’t have a blog, why not?)

If you’ve been publishing regular posts on your blog all year long, you may wonder whether you should publish a post on the holidays. If you do, will anybody read it?

I can’t tell you whether you should publish on the holidays, but I do think that most of your readers will understand if you don’t. I’ve noticed that many large blogs just put up a greeting at certain times of the year.

Dilemma #5. How Can Avoid Holiday Stress?

Volumes have been written about holiday stress, so I’m not going to go into detail about that here. Social workers and mental health specialists have documented that the holiday season (and the period immediately after the holidays) is one of their busiest times.

If you suspect that your holidays are going to be stressful, you can take some steps to make sure that your business isn’t affected. First of all, be realistic about how much work you can handle. This isn’t the time to overload yourself. Even if you are busy, be sure to take adequate breaks. Finally, don’t hesitate to get professional help to deal with your stress if you feel that you can’t handle it yourself.

Dilemma #6. Am I Really Ready for the Year-End?

The end of the year is an important time for any business. Freelancers should make sure that their record keeping is up to date and that they have supporting documentation for major transactions such as major purchases, and so on.

By this time, you probably have some idea of how much income your freelancing business took in. If you had a particularly good year, did you know that there are some year-end steps you can take right now to reduce your tax liability?

Investing in a retirement account, donating to charity, or accelerating the purchase of a capital asset are all actions that may affect your 2011 tax liability. Check with your accounting professional to determine the best steps for your business to take.

Dilemma #7. Slow-down and Extra Time

Some businesses slow down at the end of the year. Your clients’ businesses may be among them.

If you find yourself with unexpected down time during the holidays, you may be wondering what to do. Of course, you can always spend time with family and friends–but there are also some steps you can take to improve your business.

Use any extra time you have to organize your office and your files. Won’t it be great to start 2012 with everything in order?

Another year-end task you can tackle is to revisit your 2011 goals. How many did you achieve? By evaluating last year’s business goals now you can get a head start on next year’s goals.

Your Turn

Did I miss any freelancing holiday or year-end dilemmas? How do you handle the holidays?

Share your answers in the comments.

Image by judsond

You start by building a website, and showcasing your work. But you don’t have any traffic, so you make your way over to the online freelance boards like eLance, oDesk and 99Designs.

And finding work for decent pay is a lot harder than the online job boards make it out to be.

Sure, you’re really good at what you do, but you don’t have much of a portfolio to show, and in the online world, most prospects don’t know you from Adam.

Not to mention the enormous amount of online competition, and that most business owners are very hesitant about trying a new freelancer on for size.

But eventually, you get a gig. The key is not to blow it…

My Flaky Freelancer Story

I was inspired to write this post by a recent “flaky freelancer” experience.

I wrote a book called Engagement from Scratch!, about how super-community builders create a loyal audience. I got 30 big-name community-builders to write chapters.

Since I’m self-publishing, I needed a cover design.

I set up a design contest, and received a bunch of design submissions–some good, and some not so good. There was one design in particular that I thought had potential. I asked for revisions, and the designer agreed to make them, so I awarded the project.

That’s when things started going off the rails. The freelancer wasn’t responsive, and would take days to reply to my emails. Every round of revision, that was supposed to take days, ended up taking weeks.

After a few rounds, when we were 95% of the way there, the freelancer flaked out, and disappeared. She didn’t give me the latest design, so I was stuck with an early-stage concept, and I had to recreate all the work that she had already done (and I’m not much of a designer!).

I was able to salvage the project (as you can see), but I’d never work with her again. And unfortunately, I’m a lot less inclined to give new designers a chance, because I’m afraid of the risk to my budget and timelines.

What lessons can freelancers learn from my experience?

It’s Not About the Designs!

The biggest mistake that freelancers make is thinking of themselves as artists, instead of service providers. They believe that what matters most is the quality of their work, and the creative process that makes their work as good as it possibly can be.

Well, unfortunately, that just isn’t the truth.

Sure, design matters–but there are a lot of designers out there, and while some are exceptionally good and some are exceptionally bad, most of them are more or less the same in terms of design skills.

What differs, though, is their communication, work ethic and reliability–that’s what the client experiences on a day-to-day basis, and that’s what creates the vast majority of frustration that clients experience with freelancers.

The biggest risk of hiring a freelancer isn’t that the design won’t look good–the freelancer won’t be responsive, will be difficult to work with, and the process will drag way past the deadline.

So… how can you make sure you don’t fit the stereotype, don’t flake out on your client, and do wind up with a lot of repeat business?

It starts with attitude…

It’s Business, Not an Art Project

The first ingredient to creating a positive experience for your customers is to treat your work as a business, rather than as an art project.

This is particularly difficult for freelancers who are just starting out, because for them it really is a side project, that they do after work, and on weekends. And of course, life happens–you always have to deal with friends, family drama, the kids, etc.

But if your freelance project is at the bottom of your list of priorities, then your client will know it, and won’t be happy. They’re paying you to do a job, and they expect the job to be done–professionally, and in a timely manner. They expect you to be responsive, and communicative.

So make a mental shift–this isn’t a project, it’s a business.

And in a service business, if you want to keep your clients happy, you need to remember the 3 Cs…

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

In real-estate it’s location, and in services it’s communication–that’s what it’s all about.

You see, the tricky thing about services is that while you’re off working hard, the client sees… nothing. They don’t see you working, and they don’t see all the steps of the process that aren’t ready for client consumption.

Which is fine. They shouldn’t see any of that–all they need to see is a finished product, right?

But along the way, they need to know that progress is being made, and that their project is in good hands. The way to give them that confidence is through communication–both responsive, and proactive.

Responsive communication is about answering your clients’ emails and phone calls promptly (meaning definitely within 24 hours, and ideally faster than that), and thoroughly (answering all of their questions, addressing all of their concerns, and going the extra mile to make sure that they are 100% comfortable, and know exactly what is going on).

Proactive communication is the same, except that you don’t wait for the client to email you and ask what’s going on for you to get in touch. Email them on a regular basis (one to two times per week) to keep them in the loop, tell them how things are progressing, and what they can expect to happen next.

Assuming you do all of that, all that remains is to deliver (you can’t just communicate excuses all the time). Deadlines have to be met, and revisions have to be made graciously, and quickly.

Remember, I’m the Customer…

Some of what I’ve written here may seem a little unfair to freelancers.

After all, many freelancers do see themselves as artists, and life is happening all around them–they have jobs, and families, and all of those things are more important than the random freelancing gig that they got on some website.

But the fact of the matter is that I’m the customer, and I get to decide what my expectations and priorities are when I’m hiring a freelancer.

So if you’re serious about your work, and about your freelancing business, then I hope to have the opportunity to work with you.

And if you’re some flake whose freelancing hobby is making real freelancers look bad, then get out of the market already.

What Do You Think?

Am I being unfair? Are my expectations unreasonable? Does it matter, if I’m the customer and I decide who I want to be working with?