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Article by Matt Ward

Typography is a pretty big deal in the design community, and it seems that not a day goes by where I don’t see some sort of article showcasing a collection of free fonts in my RSS feeds or posted on Twitter. One great example is the Fresh Free Font Fridays over on Abduzeedo. This weekly column features all sorts of great and interesting fonts that designers can download and add to their toolboxes.

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Article by Vandelay Design

For most designers pricing services is not something that is the highlight of the job. Still, it is something that you’ll have to deal with if you’re freelancing or working for a small firm. Here’s my take on pricing web design services.

1. There’s no exact formula.

Unfortunately, there’s no right or wrong way to price your services. Every designer needs to develop his or her own method for pricing, and even then, you probably won’t be able to follow the same formula on every project. Because each job will be different, it’s difficult to develop a method that will work well every time.

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Article by Sam Barnes

How many times have you been completely confused at how that ’small’ project turned into such a big one costing double and taking three times the length you estimated? Many of you will say estimating time for web projects accurately is an oxymoron, but by applying a few effective techniques it’s possible to dramatically increase the accuracy of most web project estimates.

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Article by Steven Bradley

Last week I offered some thoughts about getting started as a freelancer. Today I want to talk a little about growing your business once you’ve managed to get things running. Two main things we’ll talk about are cultivating a client list and how to price your services.

As freelancers we sell services. We get paid for putting time into a project and how much we get paid all comes back to a simple formula.

Revenue = Billable Hours x Hourly Rate

You don’t have to and you really shouldn’t be charging clients per hour, but no matter how you charge the above equation is in there somewhere when it comes to you making money. We’ll get to pricing in a bit, but first I want to share something I should have mentioned in the last post, about writing a business plan.

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Article by Laura Spencer

Basically, there are two kinds of clients that a freelancer can have:

• One-time clients–Clients who need your services a single time
• Long-term clients–Clients who return frequently to use more of your services

Both types of clients are important for a successful freelancing business. Long-term clients can offer you many benefits that one-time clients cannot.

In this post, we’ll focus on long-term clients and how to keep them happy.

Benefits of Having Long-Term Clients

Having long-term clients that bring you repeat business has some obvious benefits:

• Strengthens your relationship with the client–The more often you perform a project satisfactorily for a client the more the relationship between you grows.
• Increases the likelihood of getting a referral from the client–If the client is very happy with your work they are much more likely to send other business your way or provide a testimonial.
• Decreases your marketing costs–While you should continue your marketing, if you know that some clients will be giving you repeat business marketing may take less effort.
• Reduces your learning curve on new projects–Once you become familiar with what the repeat client wants, you shouldn’t have as big of a learning curve on their projects.

While some gurus and experts encourage you to dump your old clients because they may be holding you back, I would recommend proceeding cautiously with that plan. If a client is returning to you with additional projects, it means that they are likely pleased with your work. If you feel that the terms that you initially negotiated with that client were unfavorable, it is often better to renegotiate than to dump the loyal client.

In the next section, we’ll discuss how to encourage your clients to give you repeat business.

How to Keep a Client Coming Back For More

We probably all agree that repeat clients are good for business, but not all freelancers understand how to encourage repeat business.
While not every client is able to re-use your services (some clients just have the budget and/or the need for one project), there are a few steps you can take to maximize your number of long-term clients:

1. Go the extra mile–First and foremost, before you can approach a client about additional projects you should make sure that the work that you do for them is of exceptional quality. Make sure to meet all project requirements and deadlines. Whenever possible, gently make suggestions that will help the client’s business.
2. Be pleasant–It goes without saying that you should treat clients courteously and professionally. However, you should also make it easy for your clients to work with you. Whenever you deal with client, be friendly and maintain a positive attitude. Above all, listen to what your client has to say (even if you don’t particularly agree with them).
3. Follow up–Your first chance to ask for additional business is at the completion of your first project. You can say something like this: “is there anything else that I can help you with?” If a client initially answers “no,” that doesn’t mean they won’t ever give you repeat business. Check again in about month to see how everything is going.
4. Add incentives–In the next section, we’ll discuss added incentives that you may choose to provide to clients that are particularly loyal. (Remember, that you have no obligation to provide these incentives. However, if you have a client you really like to deal with, you may choose to reward them in this way.)

Incentives You May Wish to Provide to Loyal Clients

Occasionally, you may wish to reward an established long-term client with incentives that you do not make available to first-time clients. Some possible incentives that you could offer to long-term clients include:

• Giving existing clients the first shot at any upcoming sales or promotions that your business will be running
• Providing them with a small finder’s fee or referral fee on any new clients that they refer to you
• Offering a small frequent buyer’s discount for repeat business
• Grandfathering existing clients in under your old rates for a time after you raise your rates for new clients
• Offer them a discount on products that you develop such as books or newsletters

In the next section, I’ll share my own experience with long-term clients.

My Experience

I have several clients that I’ve worked with, on various projects, for nearly eight years. (I also have other repeat clients that I’ve worked with for shorter terms.)

Overall, I have to say that I enjoy working with these clients. They’ve kept me up to date with their requirements, and I can usually start (and finish) one of their projects much more quickly than I could with a first-time client. I’ve also found that they’ve increased the amount of projects that they’ve given me over the years and the size (dollar-wise) of those projects.

Our relationship is such that if I don’t hear from a long-term client over a long period of time I think nothing of contacting them to ask how things are going.

Share Your Experiences with Long-Term Clients

Do you have any long-term clients? How do you keep them happy? Do you provide incentives?

Share your answers in the comments.

Article by Laura Spencer

• Your Clients Problems Are NOT Your Problems
• 5 Common Freelancing Problems and Solutions
• 7 steps for troubleshooting troublesome clients
• Clients – A Designer’s Surival Guide
• Cool in a Catastrophe: How to Tell Your Clients

Article by Laura Spencer

I hear freelance horror stories on a fairly regular basis… Unanticipated hours spent trying to please a single client that won’t be pleased, countless revisions when the client doesn’t even know what he or she wants, doing all of this after the client argued for a huge discount in the first place.

If you’ve ever been stuck with a client who just won’t be satisfied no matter what you do, then you know exactly how this situation feels. It seems like nothing that you do is right and all of it needs to be redone.

Meanwhile, you can’t devote yourself to new clients because you’re spending all of your time on one or two extremely demanding clients. It’s as though a vampire has come and sucked all of the life out of your freelancing business.

What’s a freelancer to do when one or a few clients take up the majority of his or her energy without providing the majority of his or her income?

Dealing with Vampire Clients — Realistic Options

Realistically, what can you do about a so-called “vampire” client? Your job as a freelancer is to please your customers, right?

Well, it is true that good customer service is extremely vital to your success as a freelancer. Loyal customers can be an important key to your business success.

However, it’s also true that not everyone will like you, and not everyone is a good client. If you freelance for long enough, eventually you’re going to encounter someone who just doesn’t get along with you.

As a freelancer and a professional are you tied to your vampire clients forever?

I say no.

One of the beautiful things about freelancing is that you can pick and choose which projects you accept and who you will work with. Unlike a traditional job where you may be forced to work in an unpleasant environment for months, years, or even decades, freelancing offers you the opportunity to cut your losses and move on.

Questions to Ask Before Stepping Away from a Client

If you can help it, it’s important not to burn your bridges. If you can’t help it, however, here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Is this client taking a disproportionate amount of my time?
• Have I done everything that I can possibly do?
• Have I exhausted all reasonable resources that I could turn to make this project better?
• Has the scope of this project changed significantly since it began without any changes in compensation or time allotted?

If you answered yes to most of those questions, then you may be dealing with a vampire client situation. It may be time to put an end to the project that is keeping you from being productive.

Actually ending the project or relationship can be tricky, though. Here are a few tips:

How to End Your Relationship With a Vampire Client

You may wonder how you can walk away from a nightmare client and still maintain a positive relationship with them.

Ideally, of course, you want all of your client relationships to be positive. You depend partly on referrals and testimonials from your clients to get future business, so making sure that all of your clients are happy is important.

But, as I mentioned earlier, sometimes it’s just not possible to keep everyone happy. A few people will never be satisfied.

Ending a client relationship is never something to be done lightly. It should only be used as a last resort

If you do have to end a relationship with a client whose project has been taking all of your time and energy, try to do so on a positive note. You might say something like this:

It seems like we’re just not on the same wavelength about XYZ. I thought
that I could do this project, but in retrospect I no longer believe that I’m the best person for the job. You might try contacting John Doe (if possible, name a freelancer who might be able to work with the client).

Will the client be mad at you? Maybe.

Will you get your money? Maybe not, but at least you’ll have your time back and be free to pursue projects that are a better match for your abilities.

Have You Faced a Vampire Client?

Have you ever dealt with a vampire client or project? How did you handle the situation? Without naming names or pointing fingers (we’re not that kind of blog), share your story with everyone in the comments.

Article by Laura Spencer

• The Care and Keeping of Long-Term Clients
• Your Clients Problems Are NOT Your Problems
• 5 Common Freelancing Problems and Solutions
• How to Find Local Clients for Your Freelance Business
• 7 steps for troubleshooting troublesome clients

In any business, existing customers are always more profitable than new ones. The same is true for freelancers. If you want to pump up your income, you’ll find it easier to get more business from your existing clients first, rather than looking for new clients. So, you should constantly be working to turn existing clients into repeat clients.

It doesn’t take a lot of effort to persuade previous clients to hire you again. If you’ve been doing your job properly, they already know, like and trust you.

On the other hand, it takes much more work to find new prospective clients. And then, after you find them, you need to more aggressively “sell” your services to them.

How Well Are You Doing?

The number of repeat clients you have is a good gauge for how well you’re doing your work. Do most of your clients come back, or do you find yourself scrambling to find new clients most of the time?

If it’s the latter, then you may be doing something wrong. Stop and think:

• Do you finish your tasks on time?
• Is your work always your absolute best?
• Do you show professionalism and courtesy in your client communication?

7 Tips to Increase Repeat Business

If you want to increase your repeat business, check out these seven tips to keep your clients coming back for more:

• Offer packages for recurring work.

It may seem obvious, but if you only offer one-off services then your clients won’t have a reason to hire you again. For example, say you design websites and that’s the only thing you do. Not a lot of people need a website design all the time. So, the most that a single client could hire you might be once a year.

Instead, think of other design needs that your ideal client has. What are the graphic design requirements of a website owner? Email template design? Matching business cards? Headers for special landing pages?

• Give your best clients special treatment.

Always treat your best clients better than your prospects or new clients.

First of all, who are your best clients? They’re the ones who have brought you the most amount of business, of course. Also, think of those who’ve referred you to new clients.

“Special treatment” may include discounted rates or unannounced gifts (particularly digital products). You can also offer exclusive services for them, something that isn’t even listed on your professional website. Always make time in your schedule for last-minute requirements from existing clients.

• Revive “zombie clients.”

Haven’t heard from a past client for some time? Give them a gentle nudge. It’s a good idea is to send them an email or snail mail to update them on your work–along with a discount coupon.

• Mark important dates.

Send existing clients a birthday card (a physical card not an e-card, for heaven’s sake!) or another gift. While you’re at it, why not include a discount coupon or one of your paid products for free. Or, you could do something similar on the anniversary of when you first worked together (either the six-month or one-year mark).

I know, it takes work to keep track of these things. But, this detail is what makes you stand out from your competition. You know what else can distinguish you from your competition? Handwritten notes. There’s nothing like it.

• Foster a feeling of belonging in an exclusive club.

Create an email list for existing clients (ask their permission first or have them confirm their subscription) so you send them helpful tips without expecting anything in return.

Another way to achieve this sense of belonging is by creating a special information package for clients when they engage your services. Depending on what services you offer, it could be a guide, list of tips, anything that will help your clients make the most of your services.

If you’re particularly creative, you can even come up with a special name for your clients.

• Create promos throughout the year.

Notice how traditional businesses have sales several times a year? You can do the same, depending on your needs. You could celebrate your own birthday or wedding anniversary by giving existing clients a special discount coupon.

Or, do this on any special holiday. I highly recommend Thanksgiving, because everyone is usually too distracted at Christmas time. Besides, you’ll be getting a head start on those who wait until the holidays to have a special promo. It’s your way of saying “Thank you” to your clients.

If you don’t want to keep discounting your services, invite other freelancers (who offer different services that complement yours) to provide discounted rates to your clients. Put together a discount coupon book and send it to your clients as a gift.

Also, take the time to create a digital product and give it away to clients–but sell it to everybody else.

• Ask for referrals.

I’ve talked about referrals before: having a referral system in place can be good for your business. What I didn’t say before was that there’s another reason why this is so. Aside from bringing you new clients, having an existing client refer a prospect to you increases her loyalty to you.

It’s kind of sneaky, but it works. You see, by vouching for you, your current client is saying “I stand by this person 100%.” Therefore, it’ll be difficult for him–almost impossible–to hire somebody else when he needs your services again.

You can offer incentives in exchange for referrals, such as a discount on a future project or an outright commission.

If you’d rather not offer an incentive (some clients don’t want one, either, because it makes them feel like they’re selling to their friends), you can simply give them discount coupons they can send to their friends and associates. It will make them look good and they’ll feel good as well because they’ve been helpful.

If you don’t offer an incentive, always send the referrer a simple, but thoughtful, gift with a nice handwritten note. As a general rule in life, it’s always worthwhile to show your appreciation to people who have treated you well.

If you will notice, there’s a common theme running through these tips. They’re all about making your clients feel special, appreciated and loved. So always ask yourself, “What can I do to show my clients how much I value them?”

• Effective Strategy To Estimate Time For Your Design Projects
• Tips For Growing Your Freelance Business
• The Care and Keeping of Long-Term Clients
• Are Vampire Clients Sucking the Life Out of Your Business?
• Your Clients Problems Are NOT Your Problems

Article by Jeremy Tuber

A number of years ago I designed a web site for a client that was both with her and her customers – everyone was happy, but this wasn’t one of those, “Everyone lived happily ever after” stories. As time went by the client would periodically call me for advice and the rare, very small freelancing project.

Since I’ve known this client for years on both a personal and professional level I did stretch the rules for her a little in regards to billing – I’d often hook her up with a free consultation or whatever, you know…I tried to help out where I could (as long as it wasn’t a big deal). Perhaps you’ve worked for people that you considered friends and you’ve bent the rules a little for them as well. This is a nice gesture but it can often backfire on you, as it did me in this situation…more on that in a bit.

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Article by Freelance Review

Freelancing can be a joy, but there are definitely some times when things can get, well, a little sticky. In the five examples below, I will share some real world examples of “bad” situations a freelancer can run into and what you can do to fix them. Since my background is in design, that’s what I will be talking about, but these situations could probably apply to just about any type of freelancer out there.

1. Client Is Unhappy With Your Work

As freelancers we love to fancy ourselves as perfect, but there eventually comes a time when a client is unhappy with our work. It happens to the best of us and many times through no fault of our own. I once had a client who wanted a “cool” looking website – something out of the ordinary. The problem was, that was about as much detail as they could provide. By the time we actually handed them a concept, guess what, they didn’t like it. It turns out that they really had no idea what they wanted to see. What did we do? We stuck to our guns and pointed out that we needed to be paid for our time as our terms of service pointed out. We did get paid, but it ended with bad feelings on both sides. To help avoid situations like this in the future we have beefed up our project questionnaire to extract as much information as possible in regards to client expectations to better the chances of delivering on target. Sometimes, as in this case, the client will simply never know what they want and it’s best for both parties to cut ties.

2. Client Calls Way Too Often

For one reason or another, some clients think that they are your only clients and that you should be available to them full time via phone, email, twitter and the list goes on. Some clients don’t do any thinking for themselves – as soon as they have a question their first impulse is to give you a call or shoot you an email. Emails are fine because you can answer them when it’s convenient, but phone calls tend to be more intrusive. This problem can be solved for the most part by using a service like Google Voice which lets you screen callers and send them to voice mail if necessary. The goal here is not to ignore your clients, but simply to reorganize their communications into a more efficient work-flow. Depending on the client, it may make sense to incorporate some project management software, but as number 3 below points out, not every client is computer savvy.

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Article by Shannon Noack

Finding clients is one of the toughest things for most small businesses. Many people are looking for projects online these days with the widespread use of Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites that allow you to connect and chat about business opportunities. These are great ways to find new business across the country and even in different countries, however finding business locally is equally important. Staying local is becoming a big thing today with “being green” becoming increasingly popular.

Reasons for clients (and you!) to spend locally

Spending money locally helps build your own community. If you spend your money locally, your tax dollars stay there, helping to fund schools and road construction. When a local client commissions me to do a project and then I buy something from a store down the street, our money circles through the community, boosting everyone’s business. We’re all helping each other by spending locally.

Networking in your community

There are tons of ways to network within your community. Large metropolitan cities offer more options but you can certainly find other businesses to network with anywhere. Search online for small business groups, they provide an excellent avenue for quick leads. As a designer, tons of startups and new businesses need our help right away. They need a logo, business cards and a website to get off the ground. Even after they have been in business for a while they may need help marketing their services or a website redesign because they went the cheap route in the beginning. Even if these business don’t need your services, if you make a good impression they may refer you to someone that does need a designer. Meetup.com has lots of small business groups that meet and trade business resources and opportunities, and can be found in tons of cities.

Getting your name out there

Tons of people are looking for quality businesses to work with and a growing number of people are looking for design work, especially websites. Spreading the word that you have a great business that creates high quality work is the key! Hold a booth at local shows, conferences and expos, it’s a great way to spread the word to a large group of people in a short amount of time. People at these types of events are looking for businesses to work with, so you’re hitting a good target audience of people that are focused and ready to do business. You can hand out flyers and business cards as well as talk to people directly about the services you offer. A less direct method that spreads the word to a number of people is to set up a fishbowl at a local restaurant or coffee shop. Ask people to leave a business card in the bowl and then draw a winner at the end of the month, giving away a free dinner or some movie tickets. Also leave your information with the fishbowl, so people can see who sponsored the giveaway.

Show your expertise

A great way to market yourself and find business is to establish yourself as an expert in the field. You could teach a class at a community college or be a guest speaker at an event. College classes and community groups are always on the lookout for knowledgeable people to come in and do guest lectures on marketing, advertising, and other business-related topics. You could also set up a workshop for people to learn from you. You could teach people how to use Photoshop, the basics of html, or any topic that would be relevant to a group of people in the community. Business may not come directly from the workshop, but it will get your name out there and show that you’re a knowledgeable business person worthy of a referral down the line.

Directly solicit business

Cold calls and emails are usually not the most fun way to get business but it’s a great way to target specific people. If you have a niche that you work with, like restaurants, get a list of all the restaurants in your area and call them, asking if they are in need of a new website. Be sure to look at their website before you call and find something new that you could offer them. Maybe you offer a content management system, which makes it really easy for clients to update and maintain their own content. Or maybe they have a small site with hardly any content, tell them you could assist them with a new search engine friendly design and some SEO advice. Make sure they understand what it is you offer, and how spending the money with you will benefit them.

Be on the lookout for business opportunities

I love collecting business cards and I have a large stack at home of good and bad cards that I’ve collected over the years. So I’m always on the lookout for a business card when I walk into a new business. If I don’t see a business card or their cards are less than stellar, I offer to leave my card with some kind words (it’s very important to not insult them here!) about how I could help with any design services they need. Be sure to have a great 10 second pitch ready about what you do, but don’t insist that they call you. They’ll contact you if they’re ready.

There are so many ways to find business locally and network with people in your community. You just need to get your name out there and find avenues available in your town. Marketing your business creatively and effectively is the key to succeeding as a small business, and helping to build your community is an important step for anyone.

Article by Shannon Noack

• 5 Common Freelancing Problems and Solutions
• When and How to Draw the Line When Everything Is an “Emergency”
• How to work with a professional designer
• The Client Is Not Always Right
• Setting Rules for “Rush” Projects

Article by Amber

There comes a time in every freelancer’s career where you might decide that you need to expand your clientèle or services, while still staying a one-person business.  While I believing that niching yourself into a certain type of client, industry or service can greatly improve your clientèle and revenue; it’s also important to make use of those “confused clients”.

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Article by Freelance Cottage
As a freelancer, it is your duty to provide an outstanding service to all your clients. Your business and livelihood is dependent on the quality of your service – and the better your service is, the more clients you’re likely to get. In light of this, there are certain points that you need to ensure you achieve during your freelancing career. Here are three freelance sins you don’t want to commit, as it could mean the end of your career.

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Article by Shoaib

For any freelancer at any time it is extremely discomforting and sometimes even offensive when a potential client challenges your rate. The recession has brought the stingier side of clients and haggling clients has become an every day occurrence for freelancers. It is therefore necessary for any freelancer to know how to deal properly with a price objection if they wish to keep clients and therefore continue to have an income despite tough financial times.

There are some issues of consideration here and they are the most important. You want to communicate in such a way that you don’t offend the client but at the same time you agree on a price which is suitable for you. The reason is because lowering your price substantially will seem cheap, harm your reputation and not make you the money you need. Not lowering your price will seem stubborn, offend your client, prevent you from future leads from this client and hurt your reputation.

The Objection

I have found stingy clients to be incessantly offensive when objecting to a price. The natural reaction which any person will have is to become angry and say something offensive back to the client. This is, however, not the method of a professional. If the client is lowering themselves there is no need to lower yourself. It will actually add to your credibility and work to your advantage in the negotiation if you behave professionally and control your temper.

When they object to your rate, it is not unusual for them to say words to the effect of “That is a little high isn’t it?”. I find the best way to respond is “Not really, at my level of knowledge and skill it is actually rather fair” or words to this effect. If you wish to be more courteous then you can say “With all due respect”

This will set you up for your negotiation as they have stood their ground and you have stood your’s. From here you can start to talk about negotiating the quote.

Standing Your Ground

Lowering your quote may not be the best option. There may be other possibilities which you can discuss with the client. You can discuss a payment plan. Usually freelancers may opt for a 50:50 price plane where 50% is paid as deposit and 50% upon completion. You can vary this to 40:60 or 33:33:34 or any variable which you can afford to give to the client.

Lowering your quote can be an option. Look for possible cut-backs where you can reduce the cost. Perhaps reduce the amount of planning or rechecking at the end of the project and then re-quote a lower price.

Ridiculous Requests

Perhaps the most ridiculous request that most freelancers face is when the potential client says that they would like you to do the work and then decide if they want it later. Personally, where I stand, I would tell this person to p*ss off, but I understand that freelancers who are starting out or need the job may not want to do that.

If the client is being a moron and says this, then you want to just tell them that this would be against your policy and it would not be in your interest to pursue such and option. Show them an example of your work on your portfolio or elsewhere and ask them to base their decision on that and that it would not be possible for you to work without a deposit and guarantee of full payment at the end of the job since there are other clients who need you.

Other ridiculous comments include “Another freelancer quoted me…”. There never is another freelancer and this sort of cheap haggle may work for the client at a yard sale, but with a professional freelancer this is seriously pushing it. Stand your ground and tell them that they ought to go with that freelancer and if they become displeased with the service that the other freelancer offers them then you would be happy to take on their project. Nine times out of ten there is no real ‘other’ freelancer so you are pretty safe from this and even if there is, then that freelancer will be offering a poorer quality of service.

Final Word

Take pride in your work and be proud of your own ability. Stand your ground and haggle with some self-respect. Remember that even if you do lose the client it is not the end of the world and soon enough there will another project for you to undertake. Also remember that the recession will not last forever and people will stop being tight sooner or later.

Finally, what is your opinion? Share with us what kind of price objections you have had and how you handle them. Even share your mistakes and any pearls of wisdom you have so that your fellow freelancers can learn from your experience.

Article by Shoaib

• Tips For Growing Your Freelance Business
• 12 Realities of Pricing Design Services
• 5 Common Freelancing Problems and Solutions
• Working With Other Freelancers to Expand Your Business
• How To Say No To Spec Work Requests

Article by: John O’Nolan

This post originally started out as a comment that I was going to leave on this article over at FreelaceSwitch, but after a couple of paragraphs I decided that it was something that I cared enough about to turn into a full article. It’s a really great post about new year’s advice for freelancers, but there was one point in particular that I felt was really more of an unfinished thought rather than a piece of succinct advice.

The Story So Far

In the FreelanceSwitch article, the author lists the following conditions for an ‘ideal project profile’

• A web writing, speaking, consulting or UX design assignment at my current or higher fee
• The assignment takes less than 15 hours a week to produce and is completed within one month or less.
• The client is okay with a remote working arrangement – face-to-face meetings are not necessary.
• The client is okay with deliverables created in my choice of software.
• Almost all communication will take place via email, using my email account (no agency aliases). If conference calls are needed, they are a maximum of once a week and one hour or less in duration. No instant messenger required.
• Invoice is paid in full within 30 days.

All of these are really good, I very much enjoyed the post as a whole and there are some awesome rules of thumb to follow there, it was just the very last point that bugged me.

Why?

I’m so glad you asked!

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Article by: Joanna Ptolomey

Are some clients more trouble than they’re worth? Freelance information consultant Joanna Ptolomey reminds us that, when time and attention are your most precious asset, and time is money, not all clients are the same. Her simple steps can help bring some balance back into your books and your business.

So you have clients, you are making money, you have a diverse work/client portfolio and you are incredibly busy. Working freelance is 24/7, 365 days a year; you never really ‘clock out’ mentally and sometimes even physically.

It is incredibly easy to feel and actually be busy. But the real question is ‘does busyness equate to efficiency and improved profitability for the freelancer?’ A couple of years ago I decided to find out more about my own situation and ask this very question. I made a conscious effort to audit my clients – how much time/attention I spent with them paid and unpaid, how much work (in monies and referrals) was commissioned, and what was my ‘real rates’ client by client.

Now let me just state a caveat because I know this will come back to me. I know that sometimes we have to do a little ‘smoozing’ of clients (old, new and prospective). You know — little titbits of information, an extra freebie of some time, a short lunchtime sandwich to catch up and exchange ideas. But there should always be a limit, and lets face it some clients think that you have become their sounding board, their ideas person, their advisor and all unpaid.

Remember: Your time is money

Some clients are not always equal in value to either the growth of your business or the daily operational running of your busy. It is important as a freelancer to know where to spend you time and with whom for the greatest returns to your business in the short, medium and long term.

This process of working out the greatest return on invested time for clients has become a key procedure for me as a freelancer on a yearly basis. Each year I list all clients and audit them — you can do this in April after the financial year end or January is also a great time to do a stock take and re-focusing of your core business. I use the outcomes as evidence to drive my business forward for the following year making sure that I spend my time and effort as wisely as possible.

I also allocate what I call the time/investment/return ratio – don’t worry it is not a mathematical equation but a ‘best guesstimate’ on how much time I spend on a client such as reading reports, emails, going to meetings, etc and doing commissioned work, and how much money I actually made from them.

A couple of years ago I realized that I was spending time doing work every week (small things) for a particular client but that they had on average only commissioned £800 a year over a 3 year period. The return was poor and also there had been no referrals for other work. I suppose I had spent too much time cultivating the ‘big project’ from that client. However, another client that I had had only two meetings with and a couple of emails (around 8 hours work) over a 3 year period had commissioned over £18,000 of work, and yet I had invested little in the relationship with that client. I began to question, had I been barking up the wrong tree for opportunities for developing the long term growth of the business and not maximizing my time on paid work.

Finding data to support your instincts

There is no magic equation or science and sometimes working as a freelancer is purely based on instinct and gut feeling. However, I find that I do require some hard data buried within my business to help me focus on the clients that potentially have a higher value for my business in the long term.

I find using some of these pointers helps me focus on what customers or clients perhaps are important to me. It may be an interesting process for you to go through also.

7 pointers to help you troubleshoot your troublesome clients

1. List all your clients
2. List all the money you made from them over a 1 year period
3. What type of work are they commissioning?
4. How much time do you spend on this client, include:
   • Emails
   • Advice they ask for
   • Dropping by the office for chat
   • Having a quick chat over lunch
   • Preparing briefs for work that never really materializes
5. Think short, medium and long term and think carefully when it is the right time to go that extra mile for a client. But if it is done on a regular basis with poor returns on monies or referrals then reconsider.
6. If the financial return on time invested is low, then start setting a lower priority for that client.
   • Don’t always be available for quick chat over lunch
   • Don’t make their emails a priority
   • Push the point that you can’t talk/drop by just now as you are working on commissioned projects
7. If a customer really thinks that you are invaluable to their organization then they will pay for your services.

Article by: Joanna Ptolomey

• The Care and Keeping of Long-Term Clients
• Your Clients Problems Are NOT Your Problems
• 5 Common Freelancing Problems and Solutions
• Clients – A Designer’s Surival Guide
• Cool in a Catastrophe: How to Tell Your Clients

Article by Grace Smith

Last week I was contacted by a startup who needed to work with a freelance designer on a regular basis. I will call him Mr X throughout this article as this is not meant to cause them any embarrassment or offense, simply to educate.

Mr X explained the work involved initially helping to steer their overall brand aesthetic in a new direction and then continue to work on and improve their website.

He was complementary, professional and polite and the conversations back and forth went well. We discussed the project as a whole, my rates, schedule and their expectations for the new brand direction.

Then they dropped a bomb.

Mr X stated they were choosing from 3 designers and in order to choose the most suitable candidate he wanted me ‘do a couple of mock pages for their site so that he could see my ideas and vision’. This was so the candidate who best understood their brand direction, be chosen.

There it was staring me in the face – Spec Work.

For those of you who are not familiar with the term, ‘Spec’ is defined as work produced on a speculative basis, meaning the designer/developer invests time and resources into a project with no guarantee of payment.

My initial reaction was one of disappointment, having only experienced this type of request only twice before, It came as rather a shock to think professional businesses still thought this was acceptable.

I decided to do some quick research and read through both No Spec and AIGA for advice on how best to respond. I found a fantastic sample letter from AIGA intended as a response to any request from a firm to compete for an engagement on the basis of spec work. It is a succinct explanation of why speculative proposals compromise the profession and the resultant work.

I combined this with my own response and promptly emailed Mr X. His reply was (as usual) polite and professional and that although he didn’t mean any disrespect, he understood my position.

Moving On…

The best way to deal with Spec Work requests is as follows:

1. Take emotion out of the equation and stay both calm, polite and professional in all communications with any potential clients.

2. Aim to educate (respectfully) the client in exactly what Spec Work is, how it affects both your business and the industry as a whole.

Since discussing this particular issue on Twitter, I was asked by a wide variety of you to make available the actual email I sent to the client. I have now created a Shared Google Docs template which you can access below:

• Say No To Spec Email Template (Google Docs)

If you would like me to make this available in another format please let me know.

Moral Of The Story

Figure out exactly where you stand, how you operate your business and what you’re comfortable with. That way when this type of request appears in your inbox, you’re ready with an appropriate response.

Further Resources

• Spec Work – Is It Good or Bad?
• SXSW Panel Discussion – Is spec work evil?
• Spec Work and Crowdsourcing
• AIGA President Debbie Millman on spec work
• Spec You! Never* Work For Free

Instead of focusing on whether Spec Work is good or bad (everyone has their opinion), I would like to know if you’ve experienced a request like this and if so, how you dealt with it?

I look forward to hearing some of your experiences!

Article by Grace Smith

• Tips For Growing Your Freelance Business
• 5 Common Freelancing Problems and Solutions
• Working With Other Freelancers to Expand Your Business
• Clients – A Designer’s Surival Guide
• Cool in a Catastrophe: How to Tell Your Clients

Article by Zach Dunn

“Looks great. Let’s just move the main content down and change the font to a brighter red and Papyrus…”

Have you ever dealt with a client who suddenly flipped on “design mode” mid-project? The expectation is that you are an expert, and you act as a filter between the client and a (successful) finished product. Web design is more than just coding a client’s vision.

You’ve spent the time honing skills. Now let’s reclaim your artistic license while keeping professional.

Pixel-Pushing versus Design

To keep from going in too many directions at once, let’s assume two things:

1. The project budget is not a concern
2. The original designs you’ve submitted are undeniably more successful

Some of you may think that these two conditions are rare, but it allows us to focus on the real issue: clients who seize control of design.

This article is a discussion on keeping communication open at all points of a project. This helps prevent the dreaded “pixel-pushing” phase, where a client gains full control of revisions without any real reason behind the changes. This can lead to a poorly designed site with usability or visibility conflicts.

What’s the problem?

The designer in a “pixel-pusher” relationship is a tool and not expert. Think of it like a translator: I may not know Russian, but I can still communicate effectively through a translator. But in the case of web design, there is much more going on than just direct translation: actual design and internet background are needed to make educated decisions.

The biggest issue in this kind of relationship, the designer loses the ability to use their own judgement. They are left to scale down font sizes and column widths at request. Instead, it’s expected the designer convert the client’s ideas into a functioning website. All sense of artistic license is lost. You’re now the temporary employee of an apparent visionary.

This wouldn’t be a terrible situation if the client actually had design experience to base their decisions on. Unfortunately, this is usually not the case.

Who’s the Expert Here?

Clients who flip on designer mode halfway through a project have the potential to cause more problems than they realize. The Oatmeal captured the conundrum perfectly in a recent comic.

One thing that makes this comic so accurate is how the client asks for the revisions. The language is passive. “It would be great if”, or “Please just…” don’t seem as threatening, and it’s this mitigated language that starts the communication conflicts. If you’re starting to hear revisions piling up, take some time to ask the client about their intentions. “What level of involvement did you want to have in the project’s design?” is a good start. This will allow you to plan moves accordingly.

As we’ve said before, designing for the internet is designing for other people. The actual audience is (usually) not the client themselves. Are you more in touch with the expected audience’s habits? Or is the client? The client is an expert in certain aspects of the website (e.g. topic), but not all of them.

Revisions Should Not be Arbitrary

Typically clients request a change because they assume it is for the better. By demanding changes, there is no discussion about the thought process. This is a problem for most successful client-designer communications.

Our philosophy at One Mighty Roar is that revisions which request a major design change should try to solve a problem. This isn’t an attempt to be difficult, but it does sometimes challenge clients to make decisions on more than just a whim. If you consistently make revisions without cause, you risk losing consistency of overall user experience and efficiency.

It’s not necessarily your fault. I know from personally experience that it’s easy to convince yourself that the design was inadequate to begin with. Stubborn is different from confident, just like collaboration is different from dictation. Limiting the number of revisions that can be made within a project’s budget is a great way of keeping the requests from going overboard.

Does it benefit the audience?

Treat personal taste carefully. It is ultimately the audience that has to appreciate and use most sites, and reasons like “I just like the way this looks” glosses over this point. How would the expected audience react to your changes? What problem(s) does the current design present?

Educating the client on your thought process is part of the job. Colors look different based on background contrast, certain fonts increase readability, etc. Bad design is commonplace. This leaves some people desensitized to components of good websites. That’s where you come in.

At the same time, we’re not always creating to impress fellow designers. This is a hard fact to swallow, especially when the latest round of revisions requests “more bright orange” and a primary font of Papyrus. Sometimes the interest of the client and the interest of prestigious portfolio piece don’t cooperate. Be professional for the right reasons.

Reader Response From Twitter

I asked our Twitter followers “What do you do if a client starts demanding design changes that would hurt the site?” Thanks to everyone who took time to respond. I’ve highlighted some of the big ideas below:

@LaserRedWeb: All you can do is offer advice and guidence, if the client still doesn’t listen then do as they say it’s their money

@Delltar: Clients are for designers like parents for a teenager,sometimes they are annoying,they don’t understand, but he needs them

@mindsmiledesign: I’d show them some options, including what they suggested in one option. Then, pray they see its inferior to other options.

@bornfamous: Sadly, I cave in and let the site go to hell. Then I drink.

@jctatme: I try to find stats, UX test results, anything concrete to convince client their design changes are hurting the site

@Phillysoul11: [I] kindly explain why the changes would hurt the site, and then offer alternatives. If they persist, give in or drop the client.

@doublelama: It’s their money so the final decision is up to them. (Of course you keep a copy of the ‘good’ version for your portfolio.)

@FWebDe: Educate them about why it’s a bad choice. After all, you probably know more about design than they do.

You Won’t Always Win

Ultimately, the client will have the final say. No amount of debate can change this.

On the same note, you’re not required to put all work into a portfolio. Sometimes it’s best to just let work fade into the background and move on. Even though it betrays what many designers stand for, the outcome may not always make you proud. The primary role of a web designer is to create a website that meets the clients goals. The client might not always agree with the approach, but the best you can have is intention.

What about you? Do you have a foolproof approach to dealing with clients with poor design eye? Share your expertise in the comments below.

Further Reading

1. How To Explain To Clients That They Are Wrong
2. Rules for Successful Client-Freelancer Working Relationships

Article by Zach Dunn

• Tips For Growing Your Freelance Business
• The Care and Keeping of Long-Term Clients
• Your Clients Problems Are NOT Your Problems
• 5 Common Freelancing Problems and Solutions
• Working With Other Freelancers to Expand Your Business

Article By Brian via FreelanceFolder

Clients usually turn to freelancers because they prefer a more ‘personal’ approach than agencies or larger organizations can offer. The relationships and sometimes even friendships that come from working closely with clients to bring their vision to life are always a satisfying element of my business. Unfortunately, the expectations that accompany the client’s desire for personal service can grow to nightmarish proportions if not managed correctly.

Every client wants to be treated as though they are your top priority. This isn’t unreasonable. Striving to help clients feel valued and even “special” will almost always benefit your business reputation and inspire authentic word-of-mouth recommendations. But, there are some clients that appear to ‘forget,’ or never realize in the first place, that theirs is not the only project being worked on. This can result in unreasonable and outrageous requests, unachievable deadlines, and intense emotions for all  parties involved.

Some clients fail to grasp that for a freelancer to successfully serve all of their clients their projects must be carefully balanced. For various reasons these clients operate under a mentality that everything on their agenda is an ‘emergency’ and that the freelancer they hired should treat it as such. Their constant emails, impatient phone calls, instant messages, and so forth, can result in a terrible experience for everyone.

In this post, we share some suggestions for dealing with those so-called client emergencies.

Identify the Impasse

Most freelancers with some experience know the early warning signs of a demanding client and immediately put management measures into place. When faced with a demanding client, it is important to identify the impasse as early as possible to avoid the greatest amount of damage and to determine the best resolutions that will enable a satisfactory result for the client while maintaining the freelancer’s ability to serve all clients equally.

Of course, your frustration level is an obvious barometer. But, it is also a good idea to know and communicate your boundaries at the start of a project in the hope of never getting to the point where you are on the verge of exploding. Determine what is unacceptable to you and your business. Also, estimate the impact a demanding client can have on your other current projects.

Using project management software, a written schedule or daily planner, or just a simple notepad to have a “bird’s eye view” of all that is on your plate you can stay abreast of what you are able to accomplish on a daily basis. This will help that “red flag” of overload to be more visible, and prevent you from over committing yourself to the demanding client and damaging your deadlines with others. Knowing your boundaries will keep this from happening and help you to identify impasses early on so you can begin working toward resolving the issues and keeping them from happening.

Constructively Communicate

Once you have identified the impasse, it is critical to quickly and clearly communicate to the client in a way that is constructive, yet firm. You may feel that you have already told the client all they should need to know, but if they continue to present unreasonable demands and expectations then they have obviously not understood the message.

Client communication is a vital skill that many freelancers don’t naturally have. For instance, I am a web and graphic designer. My forte is designing and coding and all the other elements that go into my projects. But, as a freelancer, I also have to become a business person, a project manager, a client liaison, an accountant, a collections agent and much more. These other skills I must work to hone if I am going to have any lasting success doing what I am most skilled at and most passionate about. It may be your nature to bite a client’s head off when they inspire frustration or other emotions, but you must learn to communicate constructively with the most difficult clients if you desire to grow your business.

Other schools of thought suggest that you should “fire” clients that give you problems, but it is my experience that even the most difficult clients can be redeemed if handled with compassion, constructive communication and a clear understanding of what you are capable of and willing to do. If I refused to work for every client that gave me any frustration, I wouldn’t have a business. That is not an option as far as I’m concerned.

In other words, if a client comes up with an unrealistic or unreasonable request, tell them it is unrealistic and unreasonable, and help them understand why. Don’t just tell them no. Most often, once they understand the process they will be satisfied with adjusting to accommodate it. No one in their right mind would expect you to do six hours’ worth of work in only two. So make sure they know what it will take, your other commitments and deadlines, and provide a realistic timeline for the project’s completion. You may be surprised to find that their project is no longer as drastic an emergency as they originally thought.

Draw the Line

If you have attempted the previous steps and yet the client is still demanding priority status for everything, it is time to draw the line. By draw the line I don’t mean that it is time to scream at the client over the phone or rip up the contract and refund their deposit or write them a nasty email in all caps. It is simply time to put your foot down.

It is important to know what you are willing to do to ensure that your client understands exactly what you are willing to do for them. What if, after receiving a clear communication from you that their emergency deadline cannot be met, the client still demands it. What if they threaten to cancel your contract or sue you or threaten some other type of retaliation should you fail to comply? Are you willing to lose their business? Are you willing to refund whatever they’ve paid? Are you willing to bear the brunt of them bad-mouthing you and your business, even if it’s untrue? Ask yourself these questions before entering that potentially explosive discussion so you are armed with a solid stance.

Once you are confident in your boundaries, talk to the client. I highly recommend doing this over the phone or in person. If you feel the need to have a record in writing of what you have communicated with the client, send them an email recapping your discussion once you are finished. Avoid having intense emotional confrontations via email — this almost never ends well due to the potential misperceptions that can occur.

Rehash the events that have brought you to this point. Explain in detail the effect their actions have had on your other projects. Part of the personal service they have enlisted is the interaction and communication that you provide, so give it to them with as much negative personal emotion removed as possible while still maintaining your personality. I have found that if I can take the level of communication to an arena that recognizes us as peers and people rather than just as client and freelancer it is always beneficial to the conversation. Let the client know that you are willing to do everything possible to accommodate their requests, but explain why the deadlines will not be met. Give the client a clear outline of how you are willing to proceed and let them know when to expect completion. Also, provide alternatives should they deem your proposal unsatisfactory.

Ultimately, you should try to enable the client to adjust their requirements so that you can accommodate without breaching your boundaries. Often I will even suggest other freelancers or organizations the client could use as an alternative solution. In the end, the goal is a satisfied client, even if you are not the one who ends up finishing the project.

Moving Forward

In most cases, difficult situations and endless “emergency” requests come down to communication. Ultimately, the responsibility for good communication is the freelancer’s. We can learn the hard way from our own mistakes, or we can help each other by sharing our experiences and applying relevant changes to our methods to improve our client management. Usually we can avoid miscommunications by over communicating and sharing everything we can with our clients from the beginning of the project to the end.

It is also wise to prepare for the worst case scenarios just in case. You never know when that “everything is an emergency” client will somehow sneak under your radar. When they do, hopefully, you will have steps in place to keep escalation and frustration at bay.

Your Turn

Have you had similar or related experiences that you can share? How have you dealt with them? Please share your suggestions and thoughts in the comments below so we can continue to learn from each other.

Article By Brian via FreelanceFolder

• 5 Common Freelancing Problems and Solutions
• How to Find Local Clients for Your Freelance Business
• How to work with a professional designer
• The Client Is Not Always Right
• Setting Rules for “Rush” Projects

Happy New Year!

The crew here at HRD Design (aka: me) wishes you and yours a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2010!

Have fun and stay safe!

By Tommy Marshall on FreelanceSwitch

The day and life of a freelancer can get pretty hectic. It seems all too often we forget that we hold more than the title “boss”. We forget how best to manage our expenses and disposable income. We remember to tweet what we should be doing and forget to ever do it. We forget how to deal with clients and how to make new ones. And, sadly, we forget why we choose to do it our way rather than someone else’s.

These 12 tricks may not seem to have much to do with each other, but they all lead to the fruition of one goal: optimizing your workflow so you can focus on why you became a freelancer, instead of letting freelancing take over you.

1. Get Ready For the Day

Quit waking up at noon. No more leaving your laptop right next to your bed so you can lazily stay in bed until 2pm, only getting up to use the restroom.

Try doing this for a week: wake up at 8am (latest), take a shower, brush your teeth, eat breakfast, put on a polo shirt and for God’s sakes put on some pants. The more serious something is, the more appropriately we should dress for it. Never forget that you’re a boss – start acting like one.

2. Have Business Cards, a Letterhead, & Invoice Template

Acting and being professional is especially important when it comes time to getting paid. Buyers want that sense of professionalism, even in the freelancing world. They’re about to pay you a wad of cash; don’t ask them for it by sending an email stating, “You owe me this much.” Like all things in life, it’s not what you say, but how you say it.

Have a simple but overly explained contract. Make what was agreed upon clear. Make it attractive. Make them almost happy to pay you. And most importantly, add up each service they purchased. Here’s a good example to try and emulate.

Give your client alternative methods of contact in your email signature, whether it is Skype or a cell phone. Chances are they will never use it, but it will make you more real and give your client the peace of mind knowing that you won’t disappear into cyberspace.

Oh, and of course, spell check and grammar check everything. Did you get that?

3. What’s Your Homepage?

Even though Google is set as the default homepage for many of us, chances are we don’t conduct a web search the first time we open our web browser. We may check our email, look at a few web development sites, download something, close, and repeat.

Who ever said you couldn’t have more than one homepage? No more excuses. I personally have five homepages. They are the five websites I view most often because they have what I’m passionate about. Web development applications and articles about new design techniques that either cut or make my time more enjoyable are things I am interested in.

4. Find What Works For You

No need to reinvent the wheel. If you’re more comfortable with a PC than a Mac, stick with it. However, don’t be afraid to give new things a try. Below is a list of programs (paid and open source) that I have used through the years. I found that I strayed from your typical web development and design tools and found a more comfortable way to get my job done.

Before I used this:  

1. phpMyAdmin
2. Notepad++
3. Internet Explorer
4. Art Museums
5. AdSense and AdWords
6. Joomla!
   Paint Shop Pro

Now I use this:

1. SQL Buddy
2. Panic Coda
3. Firefox 3.5
4. Smashing Magazine Monday Inspiration
5. Direct Advertising
6. WordPress
7. Photoshop CS4

5. Finish Your Own Website First

When you learn to take care of your own web needs first, then you can start to tackle your clients’. The irony of a web developer/designer not having his or her own website is as ironic and unprofessional as the plumber without running water in his home. And since I consider the web as online real-estate (some live in big houses on Hollywood Boulevard, others in shacks on Noname Street), it would make sense to build your own home before you build one for someone else.

6. You’ll Be Your Own Boss – & a Lot of Other Things

You may have a passion for web design or developing web applications. Heck, maybe both. The more you want something the more you’re willing to lose to get it. For a lot of freelancers this means job security and long nights.

Most freelancers learn this the hard way. Freelancers quickly forget that they hold a lot of titles. Yes, you may be the boss, but you’re also the janitor, the receptionist, the customer support, the technical support, the accountant, the research and development, and project manager. You’re a business all in one.

Don’t get overwhelmed by the numerous responsibilities you’ve undertaken. The return for all that is the freedom to work where, when, and most importantly, how you want.

7. Advertise On Websites & Blogs You Visit

I took the plunge and cast out into the deep. I spent $50 for a month’s worth of advertising on a blog that I greatly admire and respect. The return each day was roughly an additional 70-90 hits and roughly 2-3 RSS feed subscribers.

I chose to advertise on this blog for a few reasons.

First, it was affordable. $50 is about the same amount as me going out to a restaurant or buying a new pair of jeans that I could easily live without. You’re going to have to sacrifice a little here to get a little more there.

Second, this blog I advertised with never advertised for itself. It was spread completely word of mouth. The only people viewing this blog were visitors who a friend told them to visit, or from other websites that linked back to it. Any website that gets popular by word of mouth alone is a website worth investing in.

Thirdly, I want this blog to succeed. His blog is equivalent to the surrounding property of a billboard ad I just purchased. I want the area around my billboard to be attractive. I want the bushes trimmed and the paint fresh; I want the colors bright and the spotlight working. My $50 perhaps allowed the blog author more time to write another great tutorial or give his website a new look and thus drive more traffic to his website, and in return more to my own.

The last reason is simple: I look at this blog every day. The same people who were reading this blog were people just like me. For my new project, I was looking for people who were interested in the same development and design resources as me.

In the end, it paid off. Not because I got about 60 more subscribers, but because of the relationship I built with the blog’s author and the contacts I made with the visitors coming from it.

8. Word of Mouth is Still the Best Form of Advertising

A lot of us are not moved by advertisements anymore. We could see a starving child begging for a quarter a day (and we do see this) and we’ll start flipping through the channels. Why is this? Is it because we know all marketers are liars? With this preconditioned response all of us have to a stranger offering something unfamiliar to us, a few problems arise: How do we get people to care about what we’re doing? How do we get popular without holding up a sign? Here’s what I posted on the “Advertise” page of a recent project I completed:

“Sometimes an idea works. Sometimes little things can push your product over the edge of mediocrity and flourish in a stream of superiority. Sometimes it takes a little work, other times it barely takes any work at all.

We’ll do whatever we can to get your product, service or idea to spread. We want you to talk. Good deals and great ideas get people to talk.”

I answered the two questions above more or less in the previous quote. In case you missed it, here is the answer: Certainly you can talk to other people, but not solely through an advertisement. Talk to them via forums, comments, blogs, you name it; anything that is one-on-one. You are more likely to get a response when you focus on one person than dividing your energy on a group of 5,000. Let me give you a personal example: I was a member of the a group of volunteers that did community service… at 9am each Saturday. I would send out a generic email to about 50 friends the Thursday before. How many of those people showed up? None.

This is a little example of what I’ll call “guilt” economics. I sent out that email to 50 people. For each individual to not show up is to reap 2% of the guilt of not coming (since I sent it to a group of 50 people), and enjoy 100% of the benefits of sleeping in. Advertising works just like this: everyone is trying to talk to everyone. Focus your energy on one potential client.

9. Build a Reputation By Doing a Favor for a Reputable Person

Once you’re sure you can back up what you’re offering, whether it is web development, web design, or consulting services, offer it out for free. That’s right – free. (Quit shaking your head and continue reading, I’m not done yet.) This does not mean offering it out to Joe Shmoe. This means offering it to someone who has a reputation – a great one. Many of us make our friends through another friend. Do a favor for someone who has a lot of friends (that could be in real life or we could be talking RSS subscribers) and they’ll be sure to talk about you.

10. Nothing in Life is Free, But Some Things are Priceless

Meeting someone is priceless. Making someone’s day is priceless. Money may have helped make it happen, but even money is directed by the good will of someone else. Being remembered is also priceless. Do something memorable for your client, whether it’s sending them a simple “Thank You” letter in the mail for doing business with you, or throwing in business cards that they weren’t expecting. You are bound to get that client talking about you and surely get yourself more business.

11. Follow Up & Follow Through

We’re used to having people tell us one thing and then do another. When someone does what they’re supposed to do we’re actually quite surprised. I would rather hire someone who I can depend on to do just a little, than someone who I could only depend on sometimes to do what I ask. “Under promise and over deliver” and you’ll be sure to make a lasting impression.

Unless your client tells you to stop emailing them, keep asking if there’s anything they need. I’d rather have someone who was overly helpful than someone who didn’t care at all. If you sent them a form to fill out and it’s been three days, give them a call and ask them if there is anything you can do. People generally hate doing things and love when someone else can either do it for them or lend a helping hand.

12. Keep Your Spirits & Job Alive With Personal Projects

A personal project should be something enjoyable, inventive, and inspire you to continue pursuing your freelancing career. If all you do is jobs for clients then being a freelancer will undoubtedly start to get old very quickly. Don’t let your side projects die. Upon completion of a template or web application, find an online marketplace like ThemeForest.net. If you sell a template for $30 and you make two sales each weekday for a year, that’s over $3,000. Make five templates that sell, and things really start to add up. Best of all, there is little to no maintenance cost of selling your product.

At the same time, do not let your own projects get in the way of your clients’. Remember, you have to sacrifice a little time in one aspect so you can make a bigger investment of time in something else you want to work at.

In The End, What Does “Free” Really Mean?

The “free” in freelancing should be defined as “freedom to do the job a better way.” Not necessarily how you want, but the freedom to make changes, analyze project requirements, and design accordingly in a way you think will have the best result.

The reason we can’t stand our boss is not because we’re jealous, but because we’re frustrated. We see a problem and we know we can handle it better. This is why we freelance. We know we can do better on our own with nothing but ourselves holding us back.

Article by Tommy Marshall on FreelanceSwitch

• How to work with a professional designer
• What Carnies Can Teach You About Freelancing
• Setting Rules for “Rush” Projects
• What Graphic Design Isn’t – Busting The Myths
• Tips to Improve Interaction with Clients

By Naomi Dunford on Itty Biz

As a reader of this article, you will fall into one of three categories:

1. People who sell things, or want to sell things.

2. People who are, without exaggeration, destitute and are very sensibly finding free information online about starting and running an ittybiz.

3. People who are financially comfortable but like to wave the I’m-so-freaking-liberal flag. (We know who you are. We can identify you by your screaming about the plight of the poor, while donating less than 1% of your money and 0% of your time to charitable causes.)

If you are in category 3, please read the disclaimer at the end of this blog post before you leave an angry comment.

What if people can’t afford your product?

Every time I create a new product, I get emails from people saying they don’t have the money to buy it. If you’ve been selling anything for any length of time, you get those emails too. Today we’re going to talk about where they come from and how to deal with them.

Scary Proposition: They’re lying to you.

The only people who do not have the money are people who have no money and no means of getting their hands on some. That is a very, very, very low percentage of people in first world countries in general, and a far lower percentage of people with access to email living in first world countries.

What “I have no money” really means:

1. I’ve bought four [things like your product] in the last two months and haven’t used any of them. I’m getting really disillusioned and I’m blaming myself for buying things and not using them. I feel I don’t deserve to buy your thing.

2. My spouse is really pissed off at me because I’ve been spending too much money on the internet/on clothes/on these crazy make-money-online schemes. Your product is not worth making things awkward with my spouse.

3. The last three [things similar to what you sell] I’ve bought haven’t come close to living up to their promises. Now I don’t really trust them, even from you. I think it sounds good right now because I’m excited, but when I actually buy it, I’m going to be really disappointed and mad at myself because I should have known better.

4. My marriage/job/life sucks, and I need some little conveniences to keep me going. (Latte on the way to work. Sending the kids with lunch money instead of lunch. Sending MYSELF with lunch money instead of lunch.) I CAN afford your thing — I do have the money — but if I bought it, I’d have to give up my little conveniences, and I’m not willing to do that.

5. I have another completely valid reason for not buying, but it takes too long to explain and it’s kind of embarrassing. (Examples: I drink too much. I have a feeling my spouse is about to leave me and I need to make sure I have money aside for a divorce and/or alimony. I just came very close to maxing out my credit card, and there’s a big psychological difference between an ALMOST maxed out card and an ACTUALLY maxed out card, and buying your thing would really freak me out.)

6. I don’t want to buy your thing but, for whatever reason, I feel the need to justify myself to you. Saying I don’t have the money feels like an inarguable and socially acceptable white lie. I get to feel good because I said nice things about your product, but I don’t actually have to part with my money.

Those people? Plenty of money. They’re just not giving it to YOU.

People who REALLY have no money do one of two things.

One, they do nothing. They know they’re broke, and they accept that part of being broke is not being able to buy things they’d like to have, no matter how helpful owning them might be. They put your thing on the list of things they’re going to buy when their tax rebate comes in, or they start to save up for it, or they accept that they’ll never buy it. They will not email you, unless they’re sending fan mail.

Two, they will try to find a way. You’d be surprised by how many people do this, and the very creative ways they’ve found to do so.

They could split the cost with a friend.

They could offer to barter.

They could request a payment plan.

They could sell their guitar.

They could cut down on conveniences and luxuries for a few weeks.

I’ve had people offer to get OBS now and pay me double its cost after Christmas. I’ve had people take temporary part time jobs to buy consulting. I’ve had people pay me $50 every pay day until they’ve paid off the cost of Marketing 101.

But an email saying they’d LOVE it but don’t have any money?

Might mean a lot of things, but it doesn’t mean that.

And now, the point of this whole post. What should you DO?

Nothing. Do absolutely nothing. Do not change your pricing, except maybe to offer a public payment plan, if that’s your bag. It is very easy to receive these emails and freak out, thinking you’re charging too much for your stuff. (This is particularly true for artists, crafters and people in tech.)

There is a difference between “I have no money” and “it’s overpriced”.

If they thought it was overpriced, they would either tell you they thought it was overpriced, or they wouldn’t say anything. They would mentally call you an asshole and go about their day. If they say they don’t have the money, changing the price won’t change their mind.

“No money” isn’t about price. It’s about value. They don’t currently see it in your thing, and your thing at a different price will probably not change anything. It might. It probably won’t.

Do not stress about your pricing.

Do not write them back and offer them a deal.

Do not be angry at them.

Do not sit around wondering why they send people like you and me emails like this, but not, say, Steve Jobs. They have good reasons for emailing you, especially if you already know them. They are trying to be nice.

People will give you ALL SORTS of reasons why they’re not buying. Be nice to them, but try not to pay too much attention to what the reasons are, because odds are, they’re not the real reasons.

* The disclaimer at the end: I wrote about the buyer side of this equation a couple of years ago in Can You Afford It? If you want to get your hate on about how I don’t understand true poverty, read that first and we’ll fight about it there.

Article by Naomi Dunford on Itty Biz

• Tips For Growing Your Freelance Business
• The Care and Keeping of Long-Term Clients
• Your Clients Problems Are NOT Your Problems
• 5 Common Freelancing Problems and Solutions
• Working With Other Freelancers to Expand Your Business

By Acuity Designs

Every now and then you receive a client who gets involved in your end of the deal, and is questioning / making firm suggestions about directions to take. This could be due to their eagerness, misunderstanding of professional boundaries or personality; but it needs to be addressed when they begin to intrude too much upon the design of your project; to its detriment..

I have found, the best way to approach this niggle in la backside and take control is to explain why you are the designer and they are the client.
Read the rest of this entry »

By Ritu

One thing freelancers can never get rid of are dilemmas.

Work from home or work at starbucks? Take a much needed rest day, or keep working hard? Take on a new client or pass on the offer? The list goes on and on.

Out of the hundreds of decisions that we freelancers make on a regular basis, I think there are five major choices that matter the most. These are dilemmas that every freelancer faces at one time or another, and knowing what you’re up against can help you make the right decision. If you haven’t faced any of these dilemmas yet, trust me, you’ll face them soon enough.

Let’s take a look at these five dilemmas and what the best options are.

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By Kristen Fischer

The first few years of my career as a freelancer, I figured that an in-person meeting was logical in order to get jobs. After all, not everyone is comfortable hiring someone they have never met face-to-face.

And it does make sense for clients to want to meet with a prospective freelancer, but I have come to observe the same thing with most face-to-face meetings: They don’t land the work for me.

At first, I thought it was me; that I wasn’t getting the jobs because I didn’t present myself well in person or did not do enough to hook the client. Perhaps my portfolio was lacking, I figured. But after finding out that many of the people I met with had postponed their project or still have yet to complete it, I’ve realized that there has to be more to it. It’s them…the prospective clients.

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By Paul Boag

Whether you are getting a client to sign off on a website’s design or persuade a user to complete a call to action, we all need to know how to be convincing. Like many in the Web design industry, I have a strange job. I am part salesperson, part consultant and part user experience designer. One day I could be pitching a new idea to a board of directors, the next I might be designing an e-commerce purchasing process. There is, however, a common theme: I spend most of my time persuading people.

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By Liz Danzico

You already know “you are what you eat.” But can you know who your clients are simply based on what or how they eat? As you head indoors this fall, consider the restaurant. The dinner table, with its public displays of personal etiquette, has unsung gastronomic clues to the future professional habits of your potential clients. Its venerable surface a stage really, there to teach you how to translate some of their behaviors into client-relation predictions.

While these aren’t hard-and-fast rules of course, they might be guidelines. Or even trade secrets of the dinner crowd. Even if only one applies to you, here are some starting points to consider at your next meal:
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By Helen Walters

Not everyone is as enamored with design as designers are. I know, I know. Shocking. Whether they explicitly acknowledge it or not, designers tend to deal with this reality in two ways. First, outrage that people should fail to recognize that design is only the foundation of everything in the entire world. Second, a sort of defensive smugness at being a part of an elite club whose members are clever enough to realize that design is the foundation of everything in the entire world, and stuff the sad sacks who don’t get it.

However, in order to make their brilliant ideas a reality, designers have to deal with those non-club-belonging sad sacks. More often than not, those clients are not design-savvy honorary club member CEOs such as Steve Jobs. But there are ways for designers to make their mark on the business world, and in doing so to see their work make an impact. Here are some dos and don’ts for designers dealing with business.

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By Kristen Fischer

Many people turn to freelancers to complete project-based work, but some contractors can be on the pricey side. In addition to providing their services, freelancers have to factor in other costs associated with self-employment. Still, there are numerous advantages to seeking a solo worker, and ways to optimize costs in doing so.

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By David Airey

The following is a print-primer guest post from NetPublications, an “award-winning on-demand printing, publishing and fulfillment company with 25 years of experience in the book and manual business”.

There’s a lot to consider before printed products can go to press, so we’ve compiled a list of the top ten problems that occur when a printing company receives your files.
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By Tim Van Damme guest posting on Josh Pyles’ blog.

In the 3 years I’ve been in business I’ve seen many different job requests come in. However, of all my job requests, only about 10% actually ever go through. There are all sorts of reasons, but many times it’s due to some common issues. This leads me to believe that many people out there don’t know the preferred practices when it comes to working with, and hiring designers.

The bad news is that it gets even harder to book a designer the more professional (and booked) they are. I’m hoping that this article can guide clients everywhere through the common preferred industry practices when it comes to working with and booking designers. Keep in mind that I mean only the best by sharing these tips.
In order to show a more broad view of the subject, I’ve also asked my buddy Tim Van Damme to step in and guest edit this article.

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