Freelancing can be an awesome way to earn money and live life. You get more flexibility in terms of how you want to work and spend your time and earnings. There are many websites that provide listings to match freelancers with clients so you get to take on clients from other parts of the world as well.
However, freelancing also comes with a number of difficulties. Firstly, you lack the benefits that a full-time job offers, such as sick leaves, insurance or a fixed income. You will also have to deal clients directly, which may lead to unwanted frustrations and misunderstandings along the way.
1. “The Customer is Always Right.”
Even if the client is problematic, they are often considered the “first class citizen” by intermediaries because that is where the money comes from. A website’s revenue comes from taking a cut of the freelancer’s pay, and many times in the event of a dispute, they usually do not favor the freelancer.
For the sake of public relations damage control, more often than not, it is the freelancer who takes the fall. When this happens, the freelancer may end up not receiving payment for the project and may even have his/her account penalized at the discretion of the websites’ management.
2. Mismanaged Expectations
Often enough, customer dissatisfaction doesn’t come from a lack of effort, but arises when the client feels that the end product does not reflect what they had in mind, and the freelancer feels like they had done a good job based on the client’s given requirements.
It could be due to the client being unfamiliar with the process of the task, or the freelancer giving inadequate detail in his explanation, or simply miscommunication.
3. Billing is Point of Contention
This is tied closely with the point above. A client may demand changes or edits to the product time and again, increasing the amount of time and energy spent. But at the end of the day, they would refuse to pay for the cost of ‘overtime’.
As a freelancer, it is a good practice — even necessary — to create a contract detailing how you will be paid, and ensure the client understands and agrees to it. But even so, freelancers risk not getting paid and having to chase after the client.
4. Fees for Marketing
As a freelancer, you most often have to pay a fee for using a website to connect yourself to a client. You may choose to go on your own, but unless you have built yourself a reputation, it would take a lot of effort in marketing to take off.
Just gotta deal with it?
These are just some common sources of frustration that drive freelancers mad. There are ways to overcome or prevent them from arising entirely when dealing with clients. It is a fact that the current freelance marketplace is not sufficiently efficient in catering the needs of the freelancers.
An upgraded marketplace for freelancers is needed, one that can simultaneously appeal to clients while protecting the freelancers. The good news is, you don’t need to hold your breath for long. To find out more, check out Instoken at https://www.instoken.io.
