The Building Blocks Of A Successful Freelancing Career
Posted March 7, 2008 in Business
As a freelancer, entrepreneur or business owner, your main goal is to convert each client into a returning client. It’s much easier to keep your clients than always having to try to find new ones (and cheaper too).
Making sure your clients are completely satisfied is not only a surefire way to keep them coming back, but also a great way to get referrals.
In this post I will share the 4 building blocks of a successful freelancing career which I think can keep your clients coming back. As simple as some may seem, we tend to ignore them and for one very simple reason – they seem so minor that we assume we are already doing them. The thing is we’re human, and sometimes we take things for granted, assume and don’t realize we’re not on the right track.
You Have To Be Reliable
Being reliable is one of the biggest factor that determines whether a client will to do business with you again or not. The saying “the first impression is also the last” holds true in this case. The key here is to provide consistent service every time. Whether a client hires for the first time or the third time doesn’t matter, you have to deliver. Fail to deliver only once and your client will probably hire someone else next time.
A client wants to hire someone who can deliver and keep promises. Whether you put it in writing or you simply have a verbal agreement, your client will expect results. If you want your client to look at you as someone who is reliable make sure you
- deliver on time
- provide great support
- answer any and all questions your client may have
- be quick in replying to e-mails and returning phone calls
- keep your clients updated on how the project is coming along
Although there are hundreds of ways to build reliability for yourself and your business, these things will set the foundation for them. Reliability should be your top priority. You may get a lot of inquiries and leads, but if your clients cannot rely on you, they’ll hire someone else next time. You got only 1 chance to make a positive impression.
Remember, it’s a lot cheaper to keep an existing client than to acquire a new one.
Credibility
Reliability and credibility go very well together. In fact you gotta have both.
Who would you prefer doing business with a freelancer who is willing to listen to you, who is genuinely interested, asks questions and try his or her best to deliver on time, or somebody who gives you the “I got the payment, it’s your problem now…” stuff?
My money is on the first guy. Every client wants peace of mind and if you can provide this along with whatever expertise and skills you have, you are well on your way to keeping that customer for a long time.
Of course having a signed contract or some sort of agreement can go a long way as not all clients are created equal. :)
Building credibility is actually quite easy: do what you said you would and don’t over-promise. Simple.
Would You Hire Yourself?
Ok, I am pretty sure most of you already have a website up offering your services, highlighting your skills and showcasing your work. I assume you get clients through your website. If this is the case you already know how important your image is.
If you are a web-designer and your portfolio basically looks like crap, I certainly am not going to hire you to design my site. Look at your site, your brochure or whatever promo material you may have and try to look at all this like a potential client would. Ask yourself this question: Would I hire myself?
If you’re not sure, there’s a comment form at the bottom of this post where we can talk about it. :)
The Art Of Replying To Clients – Responsiveness
“Please leave us your name, email address and the reason you are contacting us. We will reply within 24 hours with a free quote for you to take a look at.”
We see this on most services pages or “hire me” pages. You send all your infos and 72 hours later and you have yet to hear from them, so you decide to hire someone else (deja vu?).
Communication is of utmost importance when it comes to acquiring or retaining a client. Be responsive, be quick. Even after you get the gig make sure to keep in contact with your client. Usually 24-48 hours is fine for most clients.
In case that you’re in a rush simply send a quick e-mail to let your client know you haven’t forgot and will reply as soon as possible. There is nothing worse that being left in the dark.
It’s Your Turn Now
Please feel free to add to this post by leaving a comment. You guys always seem to come up with some great ideas and the willingness to share your own experience as a freelancer with me and others is commendable. You guys rock!
Until Next Time,
Ritu
Oh I almost forgot, if you liked this post please vote it up on Digg and Stumble it too, it’s always very appreciated :)
******
About the author: Ritu is a freelance writer and blogger, he can be found at Ritu B. Pant.com. He is currently available for work, just drop him a line ;)
Related posts:
- The 5 D’s Of A Successful Freelance Career
- 7 Ways To Give Your Freelancing Career A Boost
- Building A Perfect Website? Are You Too Perfectionist?
About the author: Ritu is a freelance writer who has been involved in social media for several years. At the moment he is working on a variety of projects, but is always open to new ideas. Contact him at email(at)ritubpant(dot)com or follow @ritubpant on twitter.
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16 Comments
Suz
March 7th, 2008 at 6:02 pmThanks for the great list! I’m a full-time freelancer and this is a great resource.
-Suz
http://www.startgo.com
Christine O'Kelly
March 7th, 2008 at 7:23 pmI find it helpful to also suggest ideas that will help your client grow their business. As the expert in your arena, it’s partly your job to think about what else your client can do to reach their goals ~
:) Christine
Michael Martine, Blog Consultant
March 7th, 2008 at 8:50 pmOne thing people say to me all the time: Thank you for responding so quickly!
Screw batching your email.
Monika Mundell
March 9th, 2008 at 7:29 amAnother important fact is to stay approachable by the client. They tend to forget that you also cater to others and sometimes it requires extensive juggling on our behalf to keep everyone happy.
Therefore it is of utmost importance to communicate at all times.
@ Christine: that is a great idea and one I have recently trialled myself. All though the client didn’t have a need for my idea at the time he was rather impressed.
Mary
March 10th, 2008 at 6:30 pmI am big on Thank You notes. It’s something that seems so small, and is so easy. Thank You notes go a long way in setting you apart from the competition, while branding you as a courteous professional — one who values and nurtures ongoing business relationships.
Ritu
March 10th, 2008 at 7:52 pmThank you everybody for sharing your techniques on how to build a successful freelancing career. Like I had written, you guys’ willingness to share and participate makes Freelance Folder such a wonderful blog to write for.
Wayne
March 10th, 2008 at 9:00 pmGreat article. I really agree with your thoughts on the importance of reliability and responsiveness. Clients need to know that they will be taken seriously during the lifespan of the project.
Tess McCabe
March 10th, 2008 at 10:56 pmGreat tips – I also make the effort to thank/notify the client they their payment has been received (and make note to thank them for their promptness, if they pay quickly!). Not only is it good for admin reasons (especially when payments are done online), but it reinforces that you appreciate their business, and makes them feel that they are good honest business people who look after their suppliers.
Weddingzilla
March 12th, 2008 at 10:33 amAwesome article. Great food for thought.
Thx!
srijaga
March 15th, 2008 at 1:09 amGreat Article. I will made a printout and stick on my workspot to remind these always.
-sj
Kari
April 16th, 2008 at 10:14 amI’ve hired and managed freelancers in my previous full-time job, and now I’m working on the other side of the fence. I think that’s invaluable – to know what you would expect from a freelancer you hired, and then striving to work to those standards yourself.
Kristy
February 7th, 2009 at 4:02 amIt’s always good to learn more information. I have been wanting to get into freelancing but I recently started blogging a few months ago and invested some money to be able to make money doing what I enjoy doing anyway. I have looked around at a few freelancing websites to find a topc that I can write about, but I haven’t found one that doesnt require experience. I’m a single mom and my son was born prematurely at 24 weeks and he has cerebral palsy. He is 5 years old and he has been through alot but one thing is for sure is he is a fighter and he’s getting better everyday. But to make a long story short currently I’m going to school online for Computer Information Systems to get my associates and bachlors degree. I’m trying to be prepared for our future and work from home. So if you know of a freelance job or a website that I can visit off hand I would like to sign up and get started. My blog site doesn’t have many post as of yet but I’m getting there and looking for options so I can start freelancing. By the way your link is one of my favorite links on my blog! If you have any advice for me you can send me a email. Thanks~Kristy
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