Doing the Little Things to Please Clients
Posted August 19, 2010 in How-To, Managing Clients
Read any post on this site and you’ll find a million dos and don’ts of how to treat clients and how to go the extra mile to please them.
In my experience, I’ve noticed something strange–clients are more likely to notice the little extra things you do for them than the big ones.
I’ve always been a strong supporter of not doing any spec work and I always charge the client for work outside of the contract. But, we can offer our clients other little extras that they’ll appreciate just as much.
So what are some little things you can offer your clients?
Smile in Your Conversations
I prefer to speak with my clients through email. Unfortunately though, it’s tough to convey your personality or mood through email. What may sound normal and business-like to you might come out as terse and short to them.
I’ve found that by simply including a few smilies and making sure I’m in a good mood while typing has really made a difference in the way the client perceives my communications.
Potential clients who email me often feel at ease with me after only a few emails. The more comfortable you can make your clients feel; the more likely they’ll be to come to you with more work. Often the reason clients choose freelancers over agencies is because they receive more personal attention.
Delivery Early…Every Time
I normally promise my clients a delivery date of one week from the scheduled date. Then I try to deliver one or two days ahead of time. Clients appreciate the fast services they receive and it gives them some extra time for content and revisions before launch.
If I feel the project is going to take two weeks, I promise it in three. Not only does this cover you in case something goes wrong with the project, but it makes you a superstar in their eyes when you deliver early.
Take Initiative
The other day I blew up a website. Apparently, my client made several changes to the CSS live, which I didn’t realize at the time, and I didn’t download the newest version before making changes to it. By the time I realized that I lost all of his work, I was away from the office in a several hour appointment.
As soon as I got home, I gave my client a call and spent 30 minutes letting him walk me through the site so I can replace everything I messed up.
Instead of arguing with the client or putting off the fixes until it was convenient for me, I apologized first thing and cheerfully made the fixes.
Clients know you’re human and that you’ll make mistakes from time to time. It’s how you handle the mistakes, however, that determine whether you’ll have a happy or angry client.
Answer Emails Promptly
Most clients are on somewhat of a deadline and hate waiting two or three days for an email reply. On the other hand, if you’re a busy freelancer it can get tough to answer them quickly.
What I try to do is answer all time sensitive emails as soon as I get to the office in the morning and then I answer the rest in the evening after work. This helps you not to lose productivity, but still allows you to reply promptly to clients.
Take Extra Time
Not all clients are good clients who deserve a ton of extra time from us. But, those who are great ones, do. I love working with several of my clients and never get frustrated when they ask for help, advice or even a small coding change. Normally, I’d charge for most of these kinds of services, but not for these clients.
A good way to reward your favorite clients and let them know how much you appreciate them is to just be there. Make sure when they have a problem or potential project in mind, you’re the first person they think of. These clients are hard to find and you want to make sure you don’t lose them.
Let Them Know ASAP
One of the biggest pet peeves clients have with freelancers is the bad habit of not telling a client as soon as a problem arises.
When I’m quoting a project, if there’s something I’m not sure of how it can be coded, or it can be done in the exact way the clients wants it , I’ll let them know that upfront. After all, it’s tough to know exactly how something will be coded until you actually try to code it.
If it turns out something can’t be done, I let the client know as soon as possible, instead of waiting until the end of the project. This is a courtesy that many freelancers forget to offer, and it allows the client enough time to think of an alternative plan.
Forgive, Smile, Do…
We’ve all read horror stories about clients. But, clients are people too and they can make mistakes just like we can. It’s easy to get angry or offensive when a client changes course in the middle of a project or forgets to give you important material until the end.
If it’s a large change, then by all means charge for it since it’s out of spec. But, if it’s something that would take less than five minutes, let them know it’s no problem to change it. They’ll be happy to know they’re not inconveniencing you, Plus you seem like a hero.
Scratch Each Other’s Backs
One of my all-time favorite clients is working on a cool personal project and wants me to code it. Since it’s a personal project and not one for his clients (he’s an agency), he’ll be paying for it out of his own pocket.
This client has donated a lot to my own personal projects, so I want to pay them back. I’ll probably end up doing the project for my lowest fee, even though it’s a very large site and would normally cost much, much more.
Freelancing isn’t always about making money and sometimes it’s just as important to make relationships. Doing small thing for clients shows you really care and they’ll often return the favor. I’ve even had clients pay me an extra $50 or $100 just for being so helpful!
Your Thoughts
What are some of the extra little things you’ve done for clients?
Image by Search Engine People Blog
Related posts:
- Ten “Little” Things That Can Keep You from Getting Your Dream Gig
- What To Say To Your Low-Balling Clients
- How to Give Yourself a Bonus Day (and Get Clients to Love You)
- Know Your Clients: How To Build Loyalty With Customer Surveys
- Do Lower Rates Mean More Clients?
About the author: Amber is a freelancer with over 10 years of experience and specializes in clean, semantic and valid HTML5, CSS3 and Wordpress development. She also writes a web development blog at www.amberweinberg.com and just launched a web app for developers at www.codesnipp.it.
The Unlimited Freelancer is Now Only $19
Unleash the true potential of your business. Get The Unlimited Freelancer and start transforming your freelance business,
now only $19.
Try searching "Getting Clients" or "Productivity"
Free Report
Sign up for our product discount list to get a free copy of Why Some Freelancers Thrive and Others Barely Survive. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Forum Discussions
- Want to sell Apple iPad 3 (Wi-Fi + 4G) 16GB : $450
May 24th, 2012 - 8:27 am - Apple iPhone 4S 16GB US$ 359/per unit --- sample
May 24th, 2012 - 8:26 am - Buy Now Apple iPad 3 (Wi-Fi + 4G) 32GB : $500
May 24th, 2012 - 8:25 am
Popular Articles
- SEO Techniques All Top Websites Should Use
- When a Client Can't Afford You: Why It's Still Better to Bid High
- How To Stop Scrambling For Clients And Get A Steady Stream Of Paying Gigs
- A Simple Way To Stop Clients From Rejecting Your Proposals
- 3 Reasons Your Rates Are Still Low (And How To Start Raising Them)
57 Comments
Jason Gross
August 19th, 2010 at 8:40 amI can definitely vouch for answering e-mails quickly, I have gotten a lot of positive feedback from clients and peers alike when I respond to them quickly via e-mail. I can understand why too because I hate waiting 2 days for someone to get back to me on a simple question.
Another thing I would add to the list is patience. Many clients appreciate a designer/developer/writer who takes criticism well and provides revisions with a smile. This is a huge part of being easy to get along with in terms of a freelance project.
Jordan Walker
August 19th, 2010 at 8:43 amAnswering the phone when they call.
Simon Duck | Profit Duck
August 19th, 2010 at 8:50 amI always try and respond to emails when I get them, twitter messages etc. Even if it gives me less time to do other parts of my work, its important that I come off as really trying to engage with the client. I’ve recently written a post about a client I’m working with at the moment and they are terrible with communication which is really holding me back and te be honest, its getting quite stressful!!
Freelance FactFile
August 19th, 2010 at 8:50 amI’m always prepared to be flexible. If a client has an urgent job then I’ll tell them I’ll work over the weekend so they can meet their deadlines.
Saad Ibrahim
August 19th, 2010 at 9:30 amBrilliant as ever :)
Ameet
August 19th, 2010 at 9:42 amnice tips Amber…i love such motivational posts
Craig Braham
August 19th, 2010 at 11:16 amAdding smilies to your email communication is a great way to show you don’t have the skill of crafting sentences to convey meaning, but instead have to rely on emoticons to do it for you.
Web design portfolio
August 19th, 2010 at 11:31 amgreat pointers, nice article.
Rafael Braga
August 19th, 2010 at 12:16 pmI think we should take care delivering the project too soon, it can easily become a problem.
Because if you said that 3 weeks would be enough and you make everything in 2 … the client maybe thinks that you are pretending that the job would be more difficult, and spent more money than the necessary.
But 1 or 2 days I think its ok.
By the way.. great post.
shelly
August 19th, 2010 at 12:27 pmHi Amber,
Great article and do agree 100 percent with you and faced same situations in my journey of creativity. Keep writting and loved your website, i do miss at times when creativity is overpowered by ego:-) but i gues our personal website can suffice all the creative ideas and your site somehow speak a lot about you.
Amber Weinberg
August 19th, 2010 at 1:32 pm@Craig I disagree. You can’t always convey emotion through words. Smilies help show you as more personable.
Adam Bluhm
August 19th, 2010 at 1:35 pmThanks Amber, great tips!
I’ve found that answering emails promptly and “with a smile” often causes the client to respond in a similar way.
I also agree with Rafael that delivering the project too soon too often can lead to unreasonable expectations with some clients (although many just appreciate it).
Stucky
August 19th, 2010 at 2:03 pmWhat you’ve written express exactly my actions… I’m very glad… I mostly give mine freebies… For instance…They’ve asked for brochure, flyer, banner and cd label… I give the cd label for free for example… Money is harsh for everyone to get nowadays…so, I do my little part…Thanks for your words and xxx from Rio.
Behzad
August 19th, 2010 at 2:39 pmNew clients have to be reassured that they are in good hands. A personal meeting does the job, even talking on the phone helps. I am not crazy about keeping it just to email. Emails can be interpreted the wrong way. Always be respectful of your clients and thanks them. Also there is nothing wrong with using the word please.
Tuncay Demirtepe
August 19th, 2010 at 4:40 pmI’ve my own web servers and I offer 1 year free hosting as gift. that makes them my hosting clients too.
Zoe Blessing
August 19th, 2010 at 5:43 pmI disagree with Craig as well. Smilies often help prevent your message being perceived as criticizing or harsh when you were only trying to provide information. It lightens the tone the same way you would when doing the same thing in a conversation. Tone and inflection makes all the difference, yet these things can’t be conveyed with the plain written word. And if you’re worried about smilies making you look less professional, then you’re taking yourself way too seriously. The service you provide should speak to your professionalism, and your communications reflect your personality. No one wants to deal with a boring, always-serious person.
Stucky
August 19th, 2010 at 5:48 pmAgree with Amber and Zoe… I totally think that smiles, used properly is as important as smile on the phone…
Stephanie
August 19th, 2010 at 8:46 pmI love this article! Putting smilies in my emails, answering them promptly, and updating clients about the work that’s been done are little things I do to make things easier for them and they always respond positively. I especially make sure to make answering emails promptly a habit since I myself get annoyed when people don’t answer my emails soon.
The Freelance Geek
August 19th, 2010 at 11:27 pmI work a lot of a night so I can’t answer the phone of a day if I’m asleep. I was missing a lot of calls! So I got a call answering service. Although they can’t help the Customer at least they can take a message. It’s really helped.
TLC
August 19th, 2010 at 11:37 pmMy clients appreciate it when I give them ideas to expand or enhance what they’re doing. They see me as the expert and expect me to guide them through the creative process.
My clients also like it when I try to head off potential problems. When I look down the road and point out possible obstacles, then suggest how to deal with them, they feel more confident and prepared.
Finally, some of my clients know just how frugal I am at home, and they know that translates into me working as efficiently as possible for them, which saves them money.
Mauro A. Litsure
August 20th, 2010 at 4:07 amGreat article. Great tips for when I eventually gather bag full of clients, still will apply with my current clients. I’ve noticed that clients want to feel at ease when dealing with me, so I’ve adopted the “It’s like I’ve known you for a while now” mood. Has worked for me so far.
Ross
August 20th, 2010 at 5:04 amI seriously suggest contact by phone during the design process.
I know too many people rely only on email. But that voice contact is so important.
Peach
August 20th, 2010 at 8:01 amGreat post mate. I don’t think these qualities applies to only Freelancers. I am working as a full time web developer in the Client Technical Service department in an E-commerce Solution company and I find these points very useful.
All the situation you gave as an example, I have almost experienced it all. I’m totally agree with you about giving extra stuff to your favorite clients, but sometime if it’s too much, your favorite clients may turn into worst clients instead. They usually get spoiled easily when it comes asking us for changes. So basically give them free stuff and also let them know your limits.
And I have to say, Delivery Early…Every Time is a must! I have to agree with this.
Overall, Great article! Retweeted! :D
Dainis Graveris
August 20th, 2010 at 8:32 amGreat tips! :) Responding to emails is the most important thing to please clients!:)
Ian Cylkowski
August 20th, 2010 at 9:57 amThere’s some solid tips, I have just one question: do you ever feel that using smileys/emoticons in emails to clients is unprofessional? I tend to use smileys to convey feeling and emotion but avoid their use in email communications with clients.
Patrick
August 20th, 2010 at 10:07 amDelivering early can be a double-edged sword. It creates precedent that your work doesn’t take as long a you say it will. After a while, a client will ask for something to be done by end of day that can’t be finished by that time and then say, “All your other work you’ve sent early.”
Amber Weinberg
August 20th, 2010 at 10:23 am@Ian no I don’t think so. I’ve never lost a client because of my smilies :)
@PAtrick I’ve never had this problem before, but when I say deliver early, I mean a few days. Don’t tell them it will take a week and then deliver the same day :)
Kaye Media
August 20th, 2010 at 10:35 amGreat article
BLU:72 Creative
August 20th, 2010 at 10:48 amI agree with all points, running a small design business you have to be accountable for everything, so be transparent and put the client first… even if you don’t always agree.
Definitely reply straight away to emails, think how annoying it is when you’re sat waiting for a reply for hours. Even if you haven’t got the full answer for them, tell them that, then set an automatic reminder (we use the calendar in Entourage) for yourself to find them the correct answer and reply in full as soon as you can.
Always try and under-promise, but over-deliver!
I could go on, but you get the idea.
Cheers.
Kristin Maija Peterson
August 20th, 2010 at 2:35 pmYour post was so validating for me. What you’ve said, I’ve been putting into practice for years. It didn’t come easy and instantly, but boy, it’s made client relationship so much sweeter. Telling the client when you’ve messed up is hard, but the outcome is so much more positive when you do.
Because I’m an artist as well as designer, I’ve started creating custom drawn thank-you cards to send to my favorite loyal clients. They love the cards and in turn, they get to know my other side as artist.
Israel
August 21st, 2010 at 9:28 amI couldn’t agree more with Jordan Walker’s comment “Answering the phone when they call.” Last year I picked up 3 new clients simply because I answered the phone and the guys before me didn’t.
That Guy John
August 21st, 2010 at 5:19 pm“Scratch Each Other’s Backs”
This is great for networking with “like” industries that go hand and hand.
I have one guy (I say guy, not client because we both do A LOT of back scratching for eachother, he doesn’t feel like a customer), we send eachother customers on a constant basis. We have even, some what jonkingly, discussed working out a point system to cash in on IOU(s). :)
ParsDL
August 22nd, 2010 at 6:07 amnice tips Amber
Clipping Path Service Provider
August 23rd, 2010 at 3:44 amVery inspiring article. Truly successor tips. Every freelancer or developer should follow these tips to win in this huge competitive race of developer’s world. Thanks for share. :)
Ajeva
August 23rd, 2010 at 4:58 amYour post reminds me of something a friend told me that he can hear my smile over the VOIP (phone). I think, positive attitude makes a big difference in the first place.. and the rest follows. To answer your question, I make small revisions free of charge to my loyal clients — and discounts for bulk projects, like me going the extra mile to please them. It has been doing me some good with all these repeat business I get.
Eric
September 30th, 2010 at 2:35 pmGreat article, but I too am not sure on your advice about delivering too early and emoticons. if you feel a message needs an emoticon, maybe a phone call is the better route. I just don’t think they convey professionalism. As freelancer, we need to be creative and expressive, but still being professional is important.
I agree with the comment about delivering TOO early. If you keep doing it, people will start expecting it, and you could paint yourself into a corner. Also, they may very well think you bloated time and effort to get more money.
Tabish Masood
October 3rd, 2010 at 8:36 pmGreat article. I like the smiling in emails part. It really does keep the mood in an email positive.
Angela
July 28th, 2011 at 11:38 pmThese are great things to keep in mind. I’m not sure about emoticons exactly (seems a tad teenager-ish), but I get the idea of setting a positive tone and not sounding uncaring. Being punctual and helpful is great too. Seems so simple and like a “duh” thing, but they’re easy to overlook when you have a lot on your plate.
dich vu seo
March 6th, 2012 at 11:50 amPretty! This has been a really wonderful post. Thank you for supplying this info.
Trackbacks