Freelancing from the Client’s Perspective
Posted January 14, 2011 in Getting Clients, Managing Clients
I will not claim to be an expert on freelancing itself because I have never done it, but what I do know about is hiring freelancers to do work for me.
I have hired people to do many tasks for me that I can’t do, won’t do or simply don’t have time for. It is really helpful to get your business up and running faster than you ever could on your own by using freelancers.
I have found some things freelancers tend to cut corners on or simply do badly. From a client’s perspective, these things will not put you in good stead when you are looking to get follow up work.
Bad Freelancing Practices
Here are some things that freelancers do that really create a bad impression:
- Ignoring the job description–The first and by far the most irritating is when a freelancer doesn’t read the description of the job before accepting it. Now I am aware that there are a lot of time constraints on people’s time and that you shouldn’t be expected to do everything, but this is one thing that is a must. When I ask someone to do work for me I always have very specific requests and I do this because the basic and broad things I know how to do myself and I hire freelancers to handle the specifics. That’s what I pay for. What I don’t expect is people sending me a report half way through the project and seeing that they haven’t done precisely what I’ve asked for because it was all in the description. If you don’t understand what the client wants, then ask the client before the start of the project.
- Bad communication–Which brings me on to my next point, communication is key. It is vital for clients to know what is going on with the task that has been set. If regular reports aren’t received I get nervous that they aren’t doing what I have asked or are simply not doing anything. When a job is handed over to help a business it is natural for the client to want to know what is going on because it is their business. Always keep that in mind. Don’t be afraid as the freelancer to ask questions or just send a friendly message saying a target will be met by tomorrow. This gives the impression that you are on top of the situation and it will make the relationship run far more smoothly.
- Asking for rating changes–This one is simply a personal pet peeve, but if it puts me off hiring freelancers again then I am sure it will put others off also. Do not ask the employer to change their rating of you. This is in relation to online freelance websites where you have to leave feedback on how the freelancer performed during the project. I have had a few people mail me after I have given my honest rating of how they performed and ask me to up their rating. That gets my blood boiling. The whole point of a rating system is so that people can get an honest opinion of how the project went not to see what the freelancer believes they should have got. I’m afraid that a good rating must be earned not asked for.
- Not being courteous–The final thing I would like to mention is that you must always, always be polite. In my experience, 99.9% of freelancers understand this seemingly basic principle (which is good), but there is always the odd one who can’t resist sliding in a scornful remark or a snide comment. For example, I had one person call my project a joke in their bid. How do they expect to get hired with that kind of attitude towards a client? Anyway, my point is that good manners cost nothing and in fact could pay you a lot of money, so keep that in mind throughout all of your communiques and you will get on fine.
One Good Freelancing Practice
One thing that is worth mentioning is that I have been more inclined to accept bids for projects from people who send more than one message. The common thing that I receive is ‘I can do this. Please check PM’. I realize that you are busy trying to get as many jobs as possible, but this is not attractive to the employer in any way. While looking down the list of offers I am looking for someone who stands out and that I can tell something about straight away–not for a worker drone who does the same thing as everyone else.
If someone is willing to put more effort in to get work from me, then they are probably more willing to do a little bit of extra work to make sure that the project meets my exacting standards (which is what I am after). Employers are just as busy as you are if not more so and don’t always have time to check PMs, so take the time to write an interesting bid or two.
Your Turn
What do you think of these bad freelancing practices? Can you think of any that you would add?
Share your suggestions in the comments.
Related posts:
About the author: My name is John Burnside and I am in the online money making opportunities business. If you wish to learn more about making money freelancing or any of the other ways you can make money online then please visit my blog at www.moneyin15minutes.co.uk
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
- Comprare Generico ANTI-HERPES Online - Farmacia Online
May 16th, 2012 - 10:15 am - Comprare Generico ANTI-DIABETIC Online Italia
May 16th, 2012 - 10:14 am - Comprare Generico ANTI-DEPRESSANT ANTI-ANXIETY Online - Farm
May 16th, 2012 - 10:13 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)
34 Comments
Stephan
January 14th, 2011 at 9:02 amoh, what a breath of fresh air to read this! I’m the same way…I hire freelancers for projects that stretch just beyond my expertise, or would take too long to do myself. When they don’t read the job description (which I take at least an hour to prepare so there’s no ambiguity), or try to blow through the communication process, you’re 100% guaranteed NOT to get my business.
I think another piece of advice for freelancers is to understand WHY you’re being sought out in the first place. In my situations, for example, I’m nearly always capable of doing the work I’m hiring out, but I don’t have the time or might need the learning curve. Having a client who knows what they’re doing is a totally different situation than a client who is looking for a freelancer because they can’t afford an ad agency.
Vivek Parmar
January 14th, 2011 at 9:08 amHiring freelancers to do the task for you in which you don’t do anything is good but ti doesn’t work for quite long.
Expertise your niche and start with that only and after sometime you will work on other things to get more from it.
Ignoring the job description and bad communication results only failure and a step to downfall of your freelancing carrier
Chris
January 14th, 2011 at 9:53 amI’m in total agreement with Stephan. It’s very frustrating to put time into posting a job that is very detailed and to the point to have people not even read it and waste my time. I usually ask some specific questions per post to see if people read it. If you are not detailed oriented enough to read and reply to the post, then you aren’t detailed oriented enough to do my work. I’m also looking for freelancers for the same reason, either I don’t have the time or the expertise to do the work…but that doesn’t mean I don’t know how much time or money it takes to get it done. Don’t tell me a 5 hour job will take 30 hours. That’s a good way to not get the job.
Stephan
January 14th, 2011 at 9:58 am@Chris – one time I put the following in a project description: “in order to be considered for this project, you must put the following phrase into your first message on the message board: ‘I like pizza.’” You’d be surprised how many freelancers didn’t do that (but some did, it was reassuring!)
Another helpful tip for freelancers: before pasting the 400 links to projects you’ve done, take a moment to determine which of those 400 links would be most relevant to the project you’re bidding on, and WHY. If you give me a link PLUS an explanation of what you did that makes this project kind of like mine, I know you have the ability to get the job done. Otherwise you’re wasting everybody’s time.
Macino
January 14th, 2011 at 10:04 amHi, I’m from the other site of the ‘barricade’. Some of these practices can be also put on the clients. The things as a bad job description are not so often, but clients sometimes forgets, what he wants. So you’ll be in a self-defense position. You’ll have to explain him his own description. And here comes the second point, the communication. As the client thinks, that you have done something wrong or otherwise, the conversation starting to be not so polite as i should be.
Of course that there are not only bad clients. In many times there are just in a bad mood for something else (their clients, projects etc.), but you should consider, if these description of a ‘bad freelancer’ doesn’t fit also at the clients (probably the same part).
Chris
January 14th, 2011 at 10:07 am@Stephan – Yes, I’ve done that a few times too. It is really surprising on how many people do not re-post the phrase. Freelancers need to understand that it’s not a numbers game to try and get work, but a little effort in and you will get something in return.
I agree about the links too, a huge list isn’t helpful. If I need something for the Real Estate industry, don’t show me a health food e-commerce store unless you have some sort of description about how it relates to my project or a specific feature within the site.
Oh yeah, and people who do not have a portfolio, or won’t show you any examples? Really? Good bye!
Dr. Freelance
January 14th, 2011 at 10:26 amI’ve been on both sides of the desk, and one of the reasons I got into freelancing in the first place is because, as an editor, I couldn’t believe how un-businesslike many freelancers were — and how wonderful it was to work with the ones who understood the principles John lays out above and echoed in the comments.
It’s essential to hear these perspectives from the client side — any chance you “client-siders” would be willing to participate in my Freelance Forecast – Client Perspectives survey? Today (Jan. 14) happens to be the last day.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ClientForecast2011
If you’re a freelancer, the link is /FreelanceForecast2011
Mahmud Ahsan
January 14th, 2011 at 12:03 pmLike your comment “good manners cost nothing and in fact could pay you a lot of money, so keep that in mind throughout all of your communiques and you will get on fine.”
If a freelancer want to neglect something, he should mention it politely. Great Point.
Susannah Noel
January 14th, 2011 at 12:06 pmThank you so much for publishing this post. I’ve been a freelance editor and proofreader for years, but I’m now building up my copywriting services – and I find this kind of information very helpful.
For my day job, I’m a marketing manager at a web developer. In this position, I’ve learned just how important marketing is to what a company is offering.
What’s interesting about this post is how so much of what this employer wants boils down to the “good marketing” umbrella: excellent communication, clear outline of expectations, social proof (testimonials and samples), and a client-centered approach.
I’m beginning to think that the most successful freelancers aren’t those who are necessarily the best at their niche, but those who know how to manager their client relationships well and who practice smart marketing.
Thanks again for publishing these insights.
Christina
January 14th, 2011 at 12:12 pmI’ve been on both sides too. But the biggest of all these points is ‘bad communication’. I gave a quote last September to a client. This client (an organization of businesses) signed the contract in March the following year. I presented 3 designs within a week.
So fast forward….I’ve been working with 3 people from this group. One is a graphic designer who isn’t able to do what I do….and this designer is making changes every week to the project since March. The project should have been signed off in May (2 months later).
So in October I get a nasty phone call from one person in the group saying it’s taken 2 years now so the group wants their $ back. Well it was 7 months at that time and I got the person calmed down enough to show them emails of changes upon changes from their designer. It was at this time they realized I was doing my job but they weren’t doing theirs as a client. And I did yell at the client to shut him up and make him finally listen.
Anyway, the point to my story is that the client is not always right and while I’m very nice, polite and professional to all my clients, sometimes you have to assert yourself so that the client knows you are not wrong.
Robert Campbell
January 14th, 2011 at 12:19 pmI always want to see examples of things similar to what I want, even a quick mock up of what they have in mind.
I only higher people that show examples and as a freelancer doing the job I have much better results winning jobs when I can build quick mock-ups or functional examples to show that I can get the work done.
Jocelyn
January 14th, 2011 at 1:46 pmIt seems a lot of these comments are focused on experiences based on hiring a freelancer from a project bidding site. As a programmer I can tell you that I have seen a lot of the issues you are referring to: people not taking the time to read the description, posting generic bids that have nothing to do with the project, not having a portfolio, misspelling the client/project name, etc.
I have been hired more times that I care to count to fix projects that have gone bad because the programmer has failed in one of the ways listed above. Some of the things I have seen are absolutely shocking, and I don’t know how anyone with an ounce of morals can intentionally screw someone over (such as taking the money and running or outsourcing the project to someone completely unqualified).
One thing I wanted to interject is that I don’t think it is fair to ask for mock-ups or samples. Too often the client runs away with the idea, and I don’t work for free. I have a portfolio and references that should suffice.
If “location location location” is the key to real estate, then “communication communication communication” is the key to successful projects.
Just my 2 cents. Good post though, as most of us don’t get to see the “other side” too often!
Robert Campbell
January 14th, 2011 at 2:45 pmI have never had anyone take my Mock-ups and go away. I Prefer to spend a couple minutes before a bid is accepted to make a mock-up so that I know we are working toward the same goal and on the same page once the bid is accepted.
If someone were able to take my 2 minute mock-up and run with it then they really didn’t need me. Most of the time people have an idea of what they want so showing a mock-up just demonstrates that the bidder can conform to the other persons ideas.
For example if someone wants a program to do A B & C then I will show them a quick demo that can do A or part of A. 2 minutes of work for a mock-up if I do not get the job is like an advertising expense.
When I am the one who wants work done, I don’t expect mock-ups, but I expect examples to be similar to style and design that I really want and it seems that the majority of the time the bidders do not have designs that meet what I want so I want people to prove that they can do the job one way or another before I am going to accept their bid so that way both of our time isn’t wasted later.
Then again I do a lot of open-sourced programming so I suppose you could say that I do some work for nothing..
I recall a job I outsourced when bidder had trouble giving me what I wanted. I even took their design and wrote lines and modified the design how I wanted it and they still had trouble following what I wanted. The end result was good, but I still modified the design after the job was done.
Lucian
January 14th, 2011 at 3:58 pmI believe the title of the post is VERY misleading. It should say:
“Freelancing On Bidding Sites from the Client’s Perspective”. – bidding sites = cheap labor
With that I believe I said everything and you shouldn’t put the rest of us in the same bucket.
dp
January 14th, 2011 at 4:35 pmHire better freelancers. You get what you pay for.
Bruno Rodríguez
January 15th, 2011 at 12:38 pmGreat post….I’m just starting on freelancing so all this advice is really good to me….
Mike V.
January 15th, 2011 at 6:55 pmThis post was helpful to me. As a freelancer who is just getting started, I like to read views from both sides. We are all, freelancers and clients, stretched to the point where, sometimes, stress becomes the norm. You sound like you have had your share of disappointments. There is no excuse for bad behavior.
However, what I have observed while looking over the job board at one popular freelance site is there’s a lot of ambiguity, stalling, exploitation in the form of low, low pay, and an overall contempt coming from the client side, as well. An example of this contempt comes from your own words: “I have found some things freelancers tend to cut corners on or simply do badly.”) You are implying that ALL freelancers cut corners, are you not?
This kind of language has caused me not to apply for a job at the site I just joined, although I have skills and have taken the time to get everything in order; the tone of many clients is a barrier.
My point is this: There are always two sides to a story. Maybe in your post you could have mentioned that.
Magento Themes
January 17th, 2011 at 5:33 amThanks for this eye opening post and tips for free lancers. I think the major reason for the downfall of free lancing is ignoring the client and that is the major factor.
Paul Ouano
January 17th, 2011 at 10:08 pmYeah yeah, it’s tough to write a comprehensive job description and have the bidders NOT read it properly.
But it’s also frustrating to write a comprehensive bid, and have the client NOT read it, due to too many other bids, or some other reason.
Shazi Irshad Syed
January 18th, 2011 at 2:28 pm@Mike V. – I agree with you 100%!
I have been a freelancer for the past 3 years and there have been many clients who have a special “treatment” reserved for their writers (read – contempt, big-time!).
I specially feel like gagging at some of these lines that I have seen tossed around quite a few times in the JDs on all the popular bidding sites –
1. The lowest bidder wins the project.
Hello?!
What about quality? And originality and dedication?
2. Can you do X and Y and Z and maybe A to M too in this price?
How about if I forgo the work of all my other clients and exclusively work for you on on peanuts??
Having said that, I would like to add that some of my clients have been simply awesome!
They were friendly and nice and very co-operative.
In the same vein, I’d like to mention something about the feedback scenario at these bidding sites – some treat both employers and writers with respect but some just call writers “cheap labor, hire now!”, so if you’re a passionate writer, true to your art, you’re at the mercy of your client at such sites.
Whether you deserve it or not, you have to stick with the feedback tossed to you.
On the other hand, even if a client has been beastly to you, if you give a really negative feedback (which you honestly should), potential clients might have second thoughts after reading the bad feedback you gave that client.
They might be inclined to think – hey, this writer seems to have issues with his/her clients. What if they have an issue with me too? What if my project suffers too?
I know – unfair – but there it is, anyway.
Of course, if you have ten good feedback and one awful one, its not such a big deal.
Just my insights.
Thanks.
Lori
January 21st, 2011 at 8:43 amTotally agree with all of this. And I love what you said – if the writer spends time to ask for the job properly, they’re going to get noticed. I hired a writer to help me with a large project once. Of all the people who responded, only one writer followed the instructions in the ad to the letter. She got the job despite not having the exact qualifications. She had everything else – attention to detail, willingness to work within my parameters, and respect for my time. She turned out to be a phenomenal writing partner.
Flety
January 22nd, 2011 at 3:12 pm@Asking for rating changes – what about asking for some quote about my work for my site? Some evaluation of work with me, which i can place under this client’s project.
Gwen Mayes
February 14th, 2011 at 12:20 pmGreat post. I’ve been on both sides; primarily doing freelance health policy writing. If it’s a large project (>5000 words), I offer the client a “sample” 800 draft or re-write to make sure my voice, pacing, etc. are in synch with their expectations. Usually it is, but if not, there’s time to course correct.
Latest snafu, client expected edited drafts in “tracked” changes yet never specified up front. Despite my advice to them of how to “compare” docs, etc. they were miffed and refused to communicate further.
Casey
March 11th, 2012 at 8:34 amIt’s posts like this that keep me coming back and checking this site regularly, thanks for the info!
Trackbacks