What I learned about freelancing by managing other freelancers

Day 20/90 — The dos and don’ts of freelancing

I’ve been freelancing for most of my adult life. I was pretty sure I had it figured out: how to price, how to pitch, how to communicate, how to deliver. Until recently, in my role as a CMO, I started managing other freelancers, contractors, and agencies for the first time.

Wow. I was shocked by the extremes of the freelance spectrum. I was both overcharged for low quality worked and undercharged for top-notch work during my first week. After a few weeks of managing freelancers, I’ve pretty much figured out what to look for in terms of getting the job done. So here’s my advice for all you freelancers out there on what to do and what not to do — based on my experiences freelancing and hiring freelancers.

You’re welcome.

Consistency is key

When it comes to communicating with whoever is responsible for the project you’re hired for, consistency is the most important value. It doesn’t matter how short or detailed your emails are or how quickly you respond. What matters is that your behavior can be estimated.

When I work with a freelancer, it’s usually due to budget or time constraints. This means being easy to manage is one of your top selling points as a freelancer. What’s easiest to manage? Consistency.

I want to have a feeling for when I can expect an answer from you, how available you are for calls, if you communicate well written or are better dealt with on the phone. All of this is only easy to estimate if you are consistent. Don’t send me 5 emails the first day and then don’t respond to an email for a week after that. Don’t have a super available schedule at first and then suddenly no time for checkins later on.

Lead yourself by owning your results

If you’ve secured a bigger project, especially one that will be on-going over several weeks, you should own the responsibility to update the project manager with results.

Tying in with my previous point, I highly suggest you schedule weekly or biweekly checkins that you use to update the client on your progress. In most cases, an email update is enough. You’d be surprised how much value this simple update has for your client. The project manager can use it to update their boss and it takes the hassle of reaching out to you off their plate.

By leading yourself through the project, you show that you care about the outcome and are eager to be an asset to the project.

Be transparent with pricing

I was shocked how much of a thing this is. If a client (or potential client) asks you for a quote, be as specific as possible. If you aren’t, or you try to avoid the question altogether, I won’t hire you.

Pricing is the main point where you as a freelancer can establish trust. By ensuring that your invoices are more or less on-point with what you discuss with the client beforehand, you become an estimable cost — something that is extremely valuable in today’s competitive sales cycles.

By the way, if you’re faced with a client who doesn’t ask you about quotes when sending a new project your way, I believe you should still respond with a quote to avoid later discussions on price and lead with transparency.

Don’t take gigs you aren’t skilled for

I’m currently facing this problem with an agency who agreed to a big gig and has now realized they may be lacking the skills. This is extremely frustrating, as the project is getting more and more delayed, I’m spending a ton of time on communicating with the agency and quick-fixing problems, and the project cost is sky-rocketing. This is a bad experience for both parties

Please decline projects you don’t have the skills for. I know it sucks to pass on good business, but you’ll save yourself and the client a lot of hassle by doing it. In general, say no if you lack the skills or if you lack the time. If you overestimate your abilities in the beginning and realize it, communicate this with your client to give them the possibility to plan for potential delays.

You own your contract

I’m shocked how many freelancers start working without contracts or don’t seem to care about the details.

Especially if you’re working with creative deliverables such as design or writing, it’s important you make ownership clear from day one. Will the client get all rights to your work? And if so, does she receive the rights once your invoice is paid or automatically when the project starts? How many revisions can you make? How much time will you be spending on-site?

It makes sense to take the time to develop a contract that is personalized to your needs. If you’re working with a bigger client that has standard procedures for dealing with freelancers, you can ask for them to add points to their contract to make sure the scope of your work is clarified.

A clear contract actually benefits both you and your client.

Wait for a clear go

This is actually the point that surprised me the most when I started working with freelancers. More than one of them started working on a project before a contract was signed, a brief was specified, or pricing was agreed on. This can go really, really wrong for the freelancer. If you don’t wait for a clear go from your client, you may end up not getting paid, working with an unclear brief, and wasting a lot of time.

Plus, your client may feel you’re not trustworthy if you assume you can start a project without their clear consent. Make sure you get a clear yes (and signature) before starting any work.

Demand a proper brief

Freelancing is not a guessing game. Sadly, many project managers don’t understand what a good brief is. This is due to the fact that they’re busy, they’re ‘in’ the product, and they often don’t understand the production process a freelancer goes through. This means you need to guide your client towards the brief you need.

I suggest you ask clear questions (in writing), going through a checklist of things you need to know in order to start production. It also helps to ask for additional material that already exists: product demos, FAQs, client cases.

If you’re missing essential information to get started, make this clear to your client. Remember, transparency is important.

That’s it. Being a professional freelancer is actually not that hard. Most clients understand we’re all humans and that there will be mistakes, delays, and conflicts. By following the above steps you will establish yourself as a trustworthy professional that is to be reckoned with.

Cheers!

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