In this installment of The Freelance LifeStyle, let’s talk about how to keep a client.
If you want to know how to GET clients, here’s last week’s post revealing my mind-bogglingly simple techniques.
So, now that you’ve used those techniques, you’re ready to keep clients!
Here’s how you go from portfolio to satisfied co-creator:
Be honest – let the potential client know if you have other commitments.
This is so you can let the client know that you and them will BOTH need to strike a balance between availability and actually working on the project. To this end, let the potential client know when they can reasonably expect you to deliver something. This is not the time for aspirational declarations.
I know – this flies WILDLY in the face of most freelancer aspirations of “set a deadline and then deliver the project early” or “deliver the project with extra bells and whistles a few days before the deadline!”
You are a human. And this is life. Things get in the way. Let your client know when that happens. Which leads to:
Keep that honesty in your communications.
I don’t care if you’re talking to your clients through email, phone, or Facebook messenger. Be honest with your potential client in the medium of your choosing (that means no sarcastic or meme-y remarks).
Do you have to share EVERYTHING that’s happening? No. Your client probably doesn’t need (or want) to know about your cat choking on a ballpoint pen cap before being eaten by a mutant boa constrictor. But if you are in a state of grief, just say, “Hey, things are really rough right now because my pet died.” You don’t have to go into details. Keep it simple.
Good clients will understand if you’re having an off day. Or an off week. (If they don’t get it, maybe don’t work with them any further. Just a heads up.)
Check in regularly.
“Regularly” can mean once a day, or once every couple of days, or once a week. As long as it’s consistent and NOT spam, that’s what matters. Don’t just drop off the face of the earth while working. (And clients, this goes for you, too. I’ve known a few clients who have just dropped off the face of the earth.)
Check-ins can look like whatever you need it to. Just keep up the communication.
Actually deliver what you promised.
You know that thing the client asked you to make? DO THAT THING.
Use whatever work flow method works for you. Pomodoro technique? Kanban board? A checklist? Use what works FOR YOU. (If you need ideas for how to structure your workflow, try one of Thomas Frank’s videos on YouTube. He does good beginner videos on productivity).
And as much as humanly possible – do NOT put the work off until the last minute.
“But I work better if I -”
No you don’t. You THINK you do, but you don’t. I have two sisters who are known stubborn procrastinators and I am the token sibling that turns work in early. I KNOW THE EXCUSES. They are just that: excuses.
You will make better work if you actually DO the work, one step at a time, one day at a time.
I tried procrastinating ONCE, in college – I pulled an all-nighter to make a painting that was due the next day. And I STILL didn’t finish it. It would have been better if I worked on that painting for even five or ten minutes a day for the week leading up to the due date.
Learn from that mistake.
Alright, I’ll end it here before this post gets any longer. If you have questions, leave them in the comments for me.
That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!
You. Are. Awesome.