Freelance Life – Finding the Balance Between a Happy Client and You as a Happy Freelancer
My first foray into freelancing over a decade ago was an experience that left me considering other job options. I was fresh out of college with little in my portfolio and even less confidence. I ended up going back to school and landing a design job with a government agency for over 5 years before I decided to try my hand at freelancing again. Suffice to say, my failure at my first attempt was mainly my fault. My “greenness” and not really knowing how the business operated resulted in my expectations being really high. Essentially my outcome was so low I was totally turned off.
Why making your client happy is not the most important key to the relationship
Ok back the subject of this post. While it is important to make a client happy (I love my happy clients!) it’s just as crucial for you as a freelancer to have as good an experience and outcome with a project.
Reasons why it's in your best interest to focus on your happiness:
You are the one doing the work. If you aren’t happy about some aspect about the project, it may show in end product. Bad work will most likely reflect negatively on the one that produced it (you).
Your negative feelings from a previous project may inhibit you from taking on more jobs from the same client. I personally always try to end a project hoping that I'll be able to work with a client in the future.
If you set up unreasonable expectations with a client up front, they may end up carrying over those expectations to future projects if you do work with them again, thus creating a very bad cycle for you.
How having a mutually positive experience benefits both you and the client:
Ultimately, the best projects involve a happy client AND a happy freelancer.
When you are enjoying the project and working with your client, most likely the end product will be even better.
When a good relationship between client and freelancer is established, it may result in future REGULAR projects together.
Work takes up at least 50% of your waking day. You want to be doing something you enjoy and working with people you like!
Sometimes having a great working relationship with a client can result in acquiring new clients. Happy clients are more likely to recommend you for projects from others.
It's inevitable that some relationships will be less than stellar but here are a few things you can do to prevent an unbalanced client/freelancer relationship:
Thoroughly set up expectations for the project that you can be happy with. When a client comes to you with a project think about all aspects carefully. Is the pay reasonable for the project? What are the deliverables and when are they due? Are those numbers and dates acceptable? Is the deadline/schedule reasonable? If it’s a little tight, is there added compensation for the rush and extra hours you’ll need to put in? Start out on a good foot by setting up an agreement that you are happy with.
If you are unhappy with something about the project (pace, number of edits, total change of scope from the original plan) discuss it with your client before it either gets out of hand or before your impression of the client and/or project turns sour. In most cases, you’ll be able to work things out amicably, hey, clients are people too! As long as your concerns are reasonable, something may be resolved before things become unbearable for you. Usually clients are busy people too so they won’t be checking in everyday to see if you’re doing ok. This doesn’t mean they are inconsiderate or insensitive, they are just not aware of your situation unless you make it known.
Sometimes you may need something from a client to be able to execute your part of the project. Do not hesitate to ask and keep asking until you get what you need! As I said before, clients are often busy juggling multiple projects so sometimes an email or message may be missed. I often was afraid of nagging or annoying a client but in most cases they appreciate the initiative you are taking to ensure that their project is completed by their deadlines. Don’t put added stress on yourself by waiting to get what you need.
Be nice! I don't know about you but email correspondence can be pretty devoid of personality. I always try to open my emails with a friendly "hello" and end with a "thank you". Might not seem like much but it helps to warm up a message. I also always thank a client at the end of a project. No matter what, they chose me to help bring their product to life. To me, that is very special.
Freelancing can be both stressful and fulfilling. I think we freelancers often put so much focus on the job and making our clients happy that we often sacrifice our own experience. I honestly think that we can get just as much out of a job as we put in.
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