How to Become a Better Freelancer by Avoiding These 3 Mistakes
And not turn your next project into a banana skin situation.
The life of a freelancer can be very appealing. You can work from home, no commuting to suck up your day, and no boss breathing down your neck. On the face of it, nothing could be better.
“The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play.” — Arnold J. Toynbee
If you want to make a success out of freelancing there is a lot more to understand and consider. You need to go into it with your eyes wide open and understand that it can be a bumpy ride until you get a few projects under your belt. With experience, things will always improve.
There are however some crucial things that you should know from the get-go if you want to avoid falling flat on your face, lose confidence and momentum.
Here are three major problems freelancers face and tips for overcoming them.
Inadequate requirements
You will often find that many clients don’t know exactly what they want at the beginning of a project. They are relying on you to guide them and make their idea a reality.
If you are a web developer, the client may ask for a website, but not know what technology to use. It’s up to you to gather the correct information and make a watertight plan that can keep the project within the boundaries of expectation.
If you are not careful, scope creep can set in that adds more functionality requests from the client than your budget and timescales will allow.
A good approach from the start is to design a questionnaire that covers all of the common questions that a client is likely to ask. This is certainly a good way to cover yourself and know the project is right for you.
Another thing is to draw up a contract with the client at the beginning that puts limitations on the scope and possible revisions of the project. Freelancing sites like Upwork do this automatically for you. For other clients, you will need to set this up yourself and make sure it covers your needs. Templates can be found with a Google search. PandaDoc has a good template you can download.
Incorrect pricing model
A common problem for freelancers is pricing. These come in the form of:
- Hourly
- Fixed Price
- Value-Based
Hourly pay can be a difficult one to gauge for freelancers. Small multi-client projects that may only take a couple of hours to complete will have their own contracts. Each contract will have its own administrative work as opposed to a fixed long-term project with one client.
Hourly pay also has the caveat that the more you do certain tasks, the faster you will get at finishing them because you have streamlined the process. This should not make the end result worth any less to you.
If you can clearly define the goals and scope of a project then fixed pricing can be far better. Fixed pricing saves time on administration because you are only doing it once for the complete project. No estimating of multiple separate tasks.
“I will deliver you a website for $3000 and it will take one month”
That is a far better way to approach a project because the administration work will be minimal and the goals are easily defined.
Administrative work can be a strain on freelancers because there will be hours that you spend on it that you simply won't get paid for. Talking to clients and answering emails all adds up.
Value-based pricing is a slightly different animal. Prices are determined by what the outcome of the project or task is worth as opposed to your hourly rate or a pre-determined fixed price. If a project has a certain earning potential, you would expect to be paid a small percentage of that potential. This is a good choice for high-end freelancers who work closely with certain clients.
The fixed price model will work fine for most freelancers. Avoid hourly rates and use value-based pricing with certain clients when you have built up a good solid reputation.
Top freelance developer Tom Hirst explains all of these pricing models in greater detail in this article.
Poor client communication
As a freelancer, you may find yourself working with clients from different countries and time zones. Even if you have a local business model, one thing is always important. That is maintaining good communication.
If a client is a poor communicator, it’s a sign that you could be in for a bumpy ride. Some businesses are not experienced with working with freelancers and it can cause problems.
It's important to always respond quickly to emails and calls. Make sure that the client knows your availability and working hours. Don’t sell yourself to the devil by answering calls at 3 am. That is not where you want to be.
Building trust should be your priority if you want to generate repeat customers. According to Forbes,
“Freelancers must earn client trust to thrive”
Be upfront, honest, and overdeliver on projects. Be a trust builder.
Final thoughts
As you can see, these three mistakes could really damage your freelancing career before it even gets started.
Be sure to send out questionnaires to potential clients, and an even more detailed one before you start a project. Also, get a contract set up with the client before you start to avoid problems.
Be sure to understand pricing. As a freelancer, it is better to stay away from hourly rates and instead lean more towards fixed-rate pricing. Value-based pricing can be an option as you become more advanced.
Finally, be sure to be a great communicator. Make it your mission to over-deliver on your promises and become the go-to freelancer in your area.
Have you experienced any of these problems on your freelancing journey?
