By Ashley Preen

January 23, 2017

Things Freelancers should avoid saying to clients

As a freelancer your success depends on your reputation and your professionalism. To maintain these there are some things that you should never say to clients.

Tip 1 Don’t let on that you are not busy

When a Freelancer faces a quiet period of work, they should never let clients know this. If a client thinks that you are quite because you are not competent then you will lose out on work because of these perceptions. Rather let them think that you are really busy and you are going the extra mile to get their work done on time.

Tip 2 Don’t make promises you can’t keep

Freelancer tend to complete work in their area of expertise. Any project that they undertake should be regulated with a written scope of the project. Any work that needs to be completed outside of this scope should be seriously considered. It is a risky decision to promise work that cannot be completed in due time or to the professional level that the client expects.

Tip 3 Never appear that you are not an expert

Your clients expect you to professionally complete their work with the full promise that you have the required expertise. Never give the appearance that you are not an expert. By attending industry training sessions and courses should give you a great level of confidence and expertise which can be used to complete client’s work using creative solutions. By demonstrating your expertise to clients will reassure them that you are in control of the situation and that you are able to complete the work as agreed.

Tip 4 Don’t let clients know that a job is easy

The complexity of a job will determine the scope and time needed to complete it. This in turn will determine the amount you can feasibly charge for the job. If you let your client know that the work to be completed is easy and will not take much time, then you put yourself in a difficult position. You will not be able to charge your usual rate as the client will perceive that the job can be easily done in a short time frame. Rather be realistic about the job and always give yourself enough time to complete it to a high standard.

Tip 5 Don’t talk about previous bad clients

To maintain a professional and trusting relationship with your clients, you should never discuss any other clients work outside of their workplace. This is especially true if you have had a bad experience with a client. It would be detrimental to your reputation as word-of-mouth could lead other clients to believe that you are not trustworthy or discrete and may make a decision about you based on this information.

Tip 6 Never give clients the option of paying later than agreed

As a freelancer payment is vital as one job can take most of your time to complete. By giving your clients the option to pay you at a later date than agreed could lead to cash flow problems. Always agree to date of payment before you begin working on a project and always chase payments.

Tip 7 Never rush clients to make a decision

During the process of finding and choosing a Freelancer to complete the work needed by a business is time consuming. It is important to let your client take their time to decide on whether you are the right person for the job. It is best to make lots of contacts and constantly search for work so that you do not have to hang on to the decision of a single client at any one time.