That said, while lashing out might feel good in the moment, it won’t help you attract prospective clients in the future.

Reframing a “bad” review is an opportunity to improve and demonstrate your commitment to client satisfaction. To help you out, let’s go through some of the things you can do to make sure you’re dealing with negative reviews in the right way.
 

Find the feedback

It might seem obvious, but you can’t deal with a review you’re not even aware of! How do you make sure you don’t miss anything, though? After all, it’s not called the world-wide web for nothing.

Well, the first thing you can do is make a habit of regularly checking the relevant review sites and social pages. This should ensure nothing escapes your notice.

Alternatively, you could consider using some kind of social listening tool to automate the process and help you find feedback you’re not tagged in.
 

Assess the situation

It’s important not to react right away. Before you do anything, verify that the review is in fact legitimate (and not someone trolling).

You should then conduct an internal investigation into whatever the complaint is about, making sure to be as thorough as possible so you can determine exactly what happened and whether or not the person is justified in feeling aggrieved.
 

Respond promptly

This initial response is really just about acknowledging the review and letting the person know that you’re looking into the matter. In that sense, you can think of it as a kind of placeholder.

Still, though, it’s a good idea to apologise and express your sympathy up front, as this shows you care about your clients’ feelings – regardless of why they feel the way they do.

Again, try and refrain from going on the offensive (we know it’s tempting). It tends not to be very constructive and only serves to make you appear as if you don’t care, or are above taking criticism.

Also bear in mind that any response you post online or on social media will be visible to prospective clients, and it may be a deciding factor in whether or not they ultimately choose to enlist your services.
 

Take the matter offline

After posting your initial response, you should contact the client directly (by email, telephone, or even direct message) as a way of following up. This once again demonstrates your commitment to rectifying the situation.

You should do your best to explain what (if anything) went wrong, based on the results of your internal investigation.
 

Knowing what to do next

If you are actually at fault, then simply own up to your mistake and hope the person appreciates your honesty. If not, you should still apologise for the fact they aren’t happy, but there’s no real point going into any kind of detail.

It’s also advisable to ask the unhappy client open-ended questions, as the answers to these might provide you with more clarity on what steps you can take to fix the situation and prevent it from happening again in the future.
 

Rise above it if you have to!

Of course, it’s impossible to please everyone, and you will sometimes have to accept letting a situation remain unresolved (as annoying as this is).

Even when dealing with a difficult or unreasonable client, though, you should conduct yourself with grace and try to find the silver linings (e.g. feedback which can be used to help you improve moving forwards).

People will be people at the end of the day, and sometimes there’s just nothing you can do.
 

Update your public response

The final thing you should do is revisit your initial response and update it to reflect the fact that you’ve spoken with the client and (hopefully) resolved the matter.

Your final response should confirm that you carried out an investigation and contacted the client directly to follow up.

In addition, it should state whether the outcome was positive or negative, and it wouldn’t hurt to chuck in one last apology for good measure!

Now, if you fancy pushing your luck, you can test the waters and see if the client would be willing to either change their original review or write a separate testimonial speaking to the way in which you reached out to sort their issue.

 
Head over to our information hub for more guides, news and advice on navigating life as a professional freelancer, from finance to tech and more.

The post Handling Negative Reviews as a Freelancer appeared first on Freelancer News.

It’s another thing entirely to keep them inside – or coming back regularly.

Yes, customer retention really is the name of the game in a lot of ways, with it being more profitable than customer acquisition in the long run.

It ensures your income is stable and predictable, which obviously helps with things like paying bills on time. As a freelancer, this is huge.

What’s the secret, then? Why are you struggling to keep clients on board?

Here are five possible reasons:
 

Quality issues

You won’t like to admit it, but this is the most likely reason you’re unable to retain clients – especially if you’re someone who already has a roster of regulars.

This is because complacency can start to set in (whether you realise it or not).

It’s important to always remember that your current work’s quality determines whether you’ll get work in the future. For example, even if a particular project is a one-off, the client who commissioned it could end up recommending you to others in the future, provided the work meets a certain standard.

Now, this isn’t to say you have to burn yourself out or take on extra work free of charge, but do your utmost to ensure the service you provide is more than just passable. If you truly go above and beyond, clients will remember you – and will be much more likely to enlist your services again in the future.
 

Communication

The fact of the matter is that in today’s increasingly digital world, clients expect to be able to get hold of you quickly and easily, and there’s really no excuse if they can’t.

If you’re always unavailable or take an age to respond, it could leave clients feeling uncomfortable as they (understandably) want to know their money is being put to good use.

Make sure to reply to things like emails in a timely manner, as doing so demonstrates reliability and care. It’s also never been easier!

To help with this, though – and to stop you from being caught off guard – you can establish the terms of your working relationship upfront, including regular check-in times. You don’t have to ‘always on’.
 

Missing deadlines

This is just generally considered bad practice, showing that you’re unreliable and careless.

Don’t forget that clients often have deadlines of their own (even just internal ones), and you don’t want to be responsible for causing delays in their schedule.

If you think a piece of work might be late, the least you can do is contact the client to let them know, and this may ultimately help you save face. Better yet, try and avoid getting into this situation in the first place.

Technology can make your life easier and streamline your business: set deadline reminders and, if you aren’t already, start utilising some form of digital calendar or software like Trello.

It’s always better to under-promise and over deliver, so with this in mind, try to submit work early in order to give yourself a bit of breathing room.
 

Refusing revisions

Generally speaking, you should be open to making changes if a client isn’t fully satisfied or wants to have some input in the final product. After all, they’re the ones paying for it.

What this doesn’t mean, though, is that you should take on additional work for free. Any revision request should be reasonable and not an excuse to get out of paying.

The thing is, if you flat out refuse to make changes, the client will probably just go and find someone who will – so try and remain somewhat adaptable. It’s worth thinking about including your terms in the contract or work agreement.

Again, you can leverage modern tech to help speed up the process, with AI being a great tool for brainstorming, almost acting as a kind of sounding board for your ideas. You have to be fully transparent about this, though, and the work should ultimately be your own.
 

No follow up

A big mistake a lot of freelancers make is not being proactive in following up with clients. Waiting for clients to reach out when they need something is by no means guaranteed.

Believe it or not, some clients may not even realise that you’re available to work on a recurring basis – not unless you tell them. If you don’t, they’ll mentally file you away as the go-to for one-off work, which is fine, but – again – it’s more beneficial in the long run for you to have a steady stream of projects.

You could also consider offering some kind of special deal or discount for regular work as a way to entice people.

 
Head over to our information hub for more guides, news and advice on navigating life as a professional freelancer, from finance to tech and more.

The post 5 Reasons You’re Not Getting Repeat Business appeared first on Freelancer News.

• The reason the work wasn’t completed
• The kind of relationship you have with the client
• External influential factors which neither party can do much about

In most cases a commonsense approach is probably what’s needed, but freelancing isn’t always so straightforward.

So, let’s take a look at some examples of what happens when a project doesn’t work out, and what this means for billing. In some cases, charging the client might be appropriate, but there might be times when invoicing is off the cards.

When is it ok to charge for unfinished work?

In the following instances you’re most probably well within your rights to still charge a client, even if the project doesn’t quite go to plan.

If the reason it didn’t work out wasn’t your fault

We’ve all had that client where, no matter what we do, things just don’t work. If a freelance project doesn’t work out and it’s the clients’ fault, then you can definitely still charge them for your work!

A (surprisingly common) example of this is a personal trainer who has been working with a client to help them lose weight in the run-up to their wedding or a holiday. The personal trainer can only do so much to support the client, and ultimately, if they don’t follow the plan their PT provides, they won’t hit their goal weight. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have to pay the bill.

When the client swoops in with a change of plan

This one’s a bit trickier. If you and your client agree the brief, and then they change their mind, it depends on the timing.

• If you haven’t started the work then unfortunately, you can’t really charge anything for your services (unless you have terms and conditions which say otherwise)
• However if you’re part-way through something then it’s perfectly reasonable to request payment for the work you’ve done so far, or to compensate you for any materials bought specifically for that job.

If the client changes their mind about work you’ve completed

Our clients hire us for the expertise we bring, so there are very likely to be times that you find yourself on a job where the client isn’t entirely sure what they want the finished project to look like. It’s why it’s so crucial to get the brief right!

If you’ve already completed the work and it nails every point on the brief, but then the client changes what they need, then yes – they should absolutely pay you for the work carried out so far.

It’s up to them if they want to issue you with a brand-new brief for a refreshed direction and pay you for that too.

Examples of situations where you probably can’t charge

On the flip side, there are likely to be times where you either straight-up can’t charge the client, or you probably shouldn’t.

This is an important distinction to make because there could be times when billing the client simply isn’t an option at all, but at other times going ahead might be ethically or professionally questionable (and therefore best avoided).

Illness or other personal circumstances

If you’ve agreed to a project but then fall ill or become unable to fulfill the work as a result of other personal circumstances, such as the death of someone close, the client shouldn’t be expected to pay.

However, there are grey areas around this topic too. If your illness or personal circumstances means you have to pause or delay a project, but the client is happy for you to resume or start the work at a later date, then you can probably still charge as normal.
 

If the project doesn’t go ahead

In the world of business and project planning, not everything runs according to plan. Unfortunately, even after agreeing a brief, a project can still draw to a sudden halt.

As frustrating as this is, you can’t charge a client if you haven’t actually executed any work unless you have an agreement in place that says otherwise.

If you’ve spent time attending meetings or briefings, there might still be room to discuss invoicing to compensate for this. That will be between you and your client.
 

If you miss crucial deadlines

If the client is forced to deviate from their project strategy as a result of you missing deadlines or not producing work to the standard they expect, your right to bill them is on shaky ground, particularly if you’re looking at charging full price.

If the client must get somebody else to step in as a result of any of your own shortcomings, you will need to come to an agreement as they might want you to reimburse them for this inconvenience.

Of course, there’s a very easy way to ensure this scenario doesn’t arise and that’s to meet deadlines, produce great work, and manage client expectations. Did we mention how important it is to get the brief right?!
 

The benefits of client contracts and agreements

All of the scenarios above are general examples but ones you might come across when working as a freelancer. There’s rarely a definitive answer as to whether or not you can still charge for a project that doesn’t work out, so it pays to protect yourself as much as possible. One of the best ways to do this is by putting a contract or agreement in place with your client before you start any work for them.

This will also help you in situations that neither you nor your client could foresee or prevent. The Covid pandemic is a classic example of this, causing many clients and their contractors to abandon work.

In a contract or agreement, both parties can detail any insurance cover they have which might impact payment for projects or work that doesn’t take place.

An official document like this is also the perfect place to implement a milestone payment plan that you and your client can agree on. This means that rather than getting paid once all the work has been completed, you can decide on several milestone payment dates along the way.

Not only will this give you peace of mind when it comes to your cash flow, the client might also appreciate the breakdown of costs. Win, win!

Want to know more? Check out our Freelancer Hub for all things freelancing!

The post Can I Still Charge for A Project Which Didn’t Work Out? appeared first on Freelancer News.

What is a tax residence status?

A person’s tax residence status is basically used to determine which country they should be paying income tax to. A British person working in the UK, for instance, will most likely pay tax on their income to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).

Though it can sometimes be confusing, it’s important to get to grips with your tax residence status. It will help you avoid any sticky situations, such as failing to pay the tax you owe or on the flip side, paying tax on the same money but in both countries.

To find out your tax residence status, you will need to take a Statutory Residence Test.

The results are determined by factors such as how much time you’re spending where, and what your connection is to each country in question.

How can I freelance for foreign clients?

Whether you’re planning on taking your skills for a trip around the world, or you have overseas clients on your books already, there are some processes worth honing! We’ve gathered some of our tried and tested tips for freelancing when clients are in a different country.

Remember, you’ll need to work around time differences

This might sound like an obvious one, but it’s easy to let an exciting brief with a handsome budget blind you into forgetting about the logistics.

Get excited, but just don’t forget to consider how you’ll manage any collaboration if your time zone is at odds with theirs. Is it going to work around your other clients? Will it fit in with your personal schedule? If you need to work unusual hours to be available for any meetings, is this realistic?

As a freelancer you probably already go through this process at the start of each project, but adding the time difference in can’t hurt!

Put a contract in place, and consider which laws apply

Contracts between freelancers and clients are already fairly common, and definitely best practice, no matter where in the world both parties are located. It’s even more important if you need to safeguard against the potential pitfalls of international freelancing.

Language barriers and cultural differences can lead to confusion and mismatched expectations. Putting a contract in place for both parties helps you to manage these, and make sure everybody is on the same page. It’s also a good way to make sure there aren’t any legal issues that might trip you up later. For instance, any licenses or permissions you might need to collaborate.

Don’t forget about exchange rates when discussing costs

Again, this might sound like another obvious statement to make but when it comes to the topic of costing and quotes, remember to factor in exchange rates between currencies. Calculate these beforehand and then price accordingly. Include the exchange rate on your quote, and make it clear that the invoice total might be different depending on fluctuation currency exchanges.

Failing to do so might mean you end up falling short of what you were hoping to cash in, and open the door to some awkward conversations between you and your client.

Invoice in your local currency

Even though it’s essential to factor in exchange rates during your costings and quote process, it’s advisable to invoice in your local currency. It will make your tax return far simpler, too! Consider using bookkeeping software like Pandle which includes a built-in real-time currency exchange rate tool to make multi-currency invoicing easier!

Set up a money transfer account

Taking advantage of a money transfer account isn’t completely necessary but it sure can make your life a heck of a lot easier.

International cash transfers – without the help of a transfer service – can result in high transfer fees being incurred, and will also take longer to process.

Implementing something like this into your process means you can reduce the headache of expensive transfer fees and have cash in your bank much quicker.

Popular money transfer services include:

• Wise (formerly TransferWise)
• Remitly
• PayPal
• OFX
• Western Union

Consider introducing a deposit system (if you don’t already)

Working with overseas clients doesn’t have to be complicated but it does add an additional layer of consideration. To cover your own back, you might think about asking the client for a deposit – this could be 50% of the total bill before completion and 50% after, for example.

You may very well already be doing this but if not, now might just be the ideal time to start! Find more help and advice in our freelancer information hub.

The post Can I Freelance in the UK for Overseas Clients? appeared first on Freelancer News.

However, it can be stressful when work threatens to overwhelm you and you don’t have a team to fall back on. Here are some ways you can juggle several clients at once.

Use project management software

Keep all your projects, tasks and deadlines organised with project management software. Asana is a popular choice and it’s not just for teams. Individuals can use it no problem.

You can create tasks (with comments, links, attachments and due dates) which can then be added to different projects and calendars. This gives you a clear overview of all the work you need to do and when.

Get smart about your daily schedule

Managing your time is all about getting smart with your schedule. If you are naturally more productive in the morning, make sure you schedule your more creative or demanding work then, so you get the most out of the day.

Another way to get more time out of your day is to track where you’re spending it. There will be little bits of “dead time” throughout the day, perhaps spent waiting for something or just procrastinating on Instagram. Get into the habit of recognising these, and use that time more effectively. A few minutes here and there add up to a significant part of your day if you’re not careful.

Don’t be afraid to outsource

Outsourcing is something a lot of freelancers are hesitant to do. It’s understandable. You’ve worked hard to get these clients, so of course you want to keep all the money. But remember, if you’re simply juggling too much to the point where you physically can’t complete the work at the standard you would usually, then outsourcing is a good idea.

Outsourcing to another freelancer is always a good move because you don’t have to commit in the same way as you would when hiring an employee. They’ll be able to cover during your busy periods, and you get to maintain the reputation for reliability and quality you’ve spent so long building.

Bonus tip: Raise your rates to keep your client list manageable

While this won’t help you complete more work, it could go a long way in making your workload more manageable.

If you find you have lots of clients paying low rates, no wonder you’re burnt out. Ideally, you should be getting higher rates for less work (more time and money).

This is the dream but it can be hard to move towards this working method. Many of us are wary of raising our rates in case it loses us work, but in this scenario, that’s sort of the point. The logic is, you won’t need as many clients if you’re charging them higher rates (and so maybe then you’ll be able to take a break).

We hope these quick tips can help you in your slightly-frazzled state. There are ways to work around being busy as a freelancer without giving up the work. However, it’s important to recognise when you can’t do it all yourself and need to get help.

How do you manage your time and workload as a freelancer? Let us know your tips and tricks in the comments.

The post How to Juggle Several Freelance Clients at Once appeared first on Freelancer News.

However, when you go to work for yourself, you are the boss of the company. Keeping clients happy is very important but if it’s at the expense of your stress or the cost outweighs what they’re paying you, then there’s no reason why you have to continue working with a client.  

Good reasons to fire your client

When do you know if it’s the right time to fire your client? This will be down to individual circumstances, but here are some top reasons to consider it:

Repeated missed or late payments

As a freelancer, this is unfortunately a common occurrence. If you haven’t experienced it yet, you probably will. Sadly not everyone takes freelancers as seriously as they should.

If you have a client who always pays late or ‘forgets’, it’s clear the client doesn’t respect your business much. One time might be a mistake but if it’s consistent, it’s only going to get worse and it could harm your business’s progress due to cash flow problems.

Scope creeps

Scope creeps are those clients who regularly ask for extra work for free. It’s important to make it clear that you’ll only do the work you’re paid for. Sometimes clients won’t even realise they’re doing it.

However, this isn’t enough to stop all clients doing it. If someone keeps asking for free work and gets angry or threatens to drop you if you don’t, then cut your losses and say goodbye before it gets out of hand.

Those who refuse to sign contracts

A good client would be thrilled to see that you’ve got contracts in place because it protects their interests as well as your own. For clients who don’t want to put anything in writing, this is a good sign they aren’t planning to pay.

Poor communication

Good communication is key to any successful business relationship. If there’s a lack of it, the work can suffer as each side misunderstands what the other wants. This often leads to unhappy clients and stressed freelancers.

Try outlining a contract in the beginning so you’re on the same page but if it’s a case where the client is being vague or keeps changing their mind, it’s best to avoid working with them again.

You have better paying clients/work elsewhere

While this might not be your clients fault, you can still drop your lower paying clients if you know you can get better rates from others. Many freelancers who increase their prices will only do it with new clients and will eventually replace those paying lower rates (who can’t/won’t pay your new rates).

How to you fire your client

So you’ve decided to fire your client, but how do you do it? It’ll be awkward, especially if you’ve never done it before but just remember your reason for doing so and stick with your decision. Here are some ways to make the process a little smoother:

Never burn bridges

If the relationship goes sour, always make sure that you are the professional here. No matter what the client has done, remain calm, professional and polite (even if they don’t deserve it).

Retaliating can cause the client in question to become angry, intent on putting negative posts on your social media accounts or leaving bad reviews.

Whether you’re firing the client because of their behavior or because you’re looking for higher paying clients, make sure you leave in a respectful way. Leaving on good terms means get back in contact during quiet periods to ask if they’re interested in your services in the future.

Voice your concerns

If there’s a problem, for example with poor communication or missed payments, make sure you’re voicing your concerns before you drop them as a client. This gives them time to adjust their behavior and could be just the thing to help the situation. If they hear you’re dropping them out of the blue, this increases the risk of hard feelings and bad reviews.

Give notice

While this isn’t a job, that doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want. Give your clients notice, especially if they’re relying on your work regularly to boost their business. Without you, they could see a halt to their own production and profits which isn’t a fair position to leave anyone in.

Similarly, draw clients’ attention to a notice period for yourself. Clients who work with you regularly should ideally give you about a month notice before they drop you. Otherwise you may struggle to replace that income in time.

Put things in writing

Having a phone conversation about ending your working relationship may be preferable. However, don’t just rely on that, make sure you put it in writing too for your own records and theirs. Include dates and details so that they can be referred to in the future if necessary.

Finish any outstanding work

Even if there’s bad blood between you and the client, try to finish ay outstanding work. Ideally you want to tie up any loose ends and leave in the best way possible. If you don’t, this could cause frustration from the client and negative reviews which could harm your business in the future.

Have you ever had to fire a client? What’s your main reason for wanting to cut ties with a client? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

The post Should You Fire Your Client? Here’s How to Do it the Right Way appeared first on Freelancer News.

Ideally when you sign a new client on you want the process between that and completing the project to be as simple and smooth as possible.

You don’t want your client to have to keep asking for updates because there’s been a lack of communication. All that does is take time away from both of you and could leave them feeling unsupported.

A good onboarding process will make you look good and efficient, it’ll keep the dialogue open and your clients happy, hopefully so much so that they come back.

We’ve put together a few steps to follow when you sign on a new client that will help keep you organised.

Step one – The client gets in touch.

When the client first gets in touch, you might want to follow this up with an email which lets your clients know what to expect next.

At the start of a client relationship there are often a lot of questions being passed back and forth and they’re usually the same ones you have with each client.

To save some time here you could create a template detailing the next steps and send that out as soon as your client gets in touch.

You might want to include a timescale on when they can expect to hear back from you, where they can see your price list or answers to common questions they may have.

Step two – Send your quote

Once you have a basic understanding of what they’re asking for you can send out a quote. This could either be a fixed amount or subject to change once more detailed consultation has happened.

Once you send your quote over, don’t just leave it there. Offer a consultation call or to speak through something like Skype so that you can discuss the quote and their expectations in more detail.

Step three – Consultation

A consultation is a chance for the client to get to know you more, learn more about your process and what you can do for them. Often clients will prefer to talk to someone over the phone as it creates a more genuine connection which is more likely to get them to sign up.

This also gives you a chance to get to know the clients and exactly what they want from the work. If the scale of the project is bigger than you thought, then a new quote may be needed.

Step four – Send over your contract

Once the client is happy to go forward, now is the time to get it all in writing in the form of a contract.

A lot of people don’t start out with contracts, probably feeling that it’s a bit overkill for a solopreneur such as yourself. However, a contract is essential in order to protect both yours and the client’s interests.

So many freelancers end up not being paid because the client says they wanted something different, they’ve changed their minds or because they’ve simply just disappeared. A contract can help get the expectations from both sides down on paper so there’s no room for misinterpretation later on.

Bonus steps

Send a welcome pack

Some freelancers need to send over additional bits of information and guidelines. Some people simply send an email, others will attach a PDF or eBook. Some create a page or client portal on their website that they can refer clients to.

Create a shared folder

If you know you’re going to be sending over a lot of documents, then you could set up a new shared folder on Dropbox or Google Drive so that they can send over files that you need and you can do the same.

This could also be a handy way to hand over your work at the end of the project but you should check whether this is going to be suitable for the client for doing so.

Do you have an onboarding process for clients? Please share your thoughts or any tips you’ve got for others in the comments.

The post Four Steps to Creating a Smooth Client Onboarding Process appeared first on Freelancer News.

Not taking freelancers seriously is usually part of the reason why so many have trouble with getting paid. There’s a belief that freelancers are simply hobbyists or are just unemployed and should therefore be grateful for any experience and exposure. However, this is far from the truth for a lot of freelancers who are determined to grow a successful business.

While attitudes need to change, here are some things to bear in mind when a client refuses to cough up:

Learn to love contracts

Try to get an agreement in writing every time you work on a project. This is useful not only for protecting your interests but also to make sure you and your client are both on the same page.

You can flesh out the terms of your contract and see what is expected of both parties. If someone refuses to sign a contract that might be a sign that you shouldn’t work with them.

Genuine clients won’t see a problem with signing one and they will most likely prefer having it in writing to protect their own interests too.

Check payment methods

Make sure your payment methods are as simple as possible. You don’t want to give anyone an excuse not to pay you, so make it easy for them. If you make it difficult they just might not bother next time and will eventually find someone else who is more convenient.

Send reminders

Be firm when asking for payment. You can keep on top of late payments by sending out friendly reminders. Reminders can be useful but make sure you don’t harass your clients too much. You don’t want them to see you as difficult to work with.

Empathy

When you confront your client over a missed payment, try not to go in too defensive. Try to use empathy to explain the situation to your client. Tap into their mutual business point of view and try to create a common ground.

Late fees

Make it clear to a client in your original contract that there will be a fee payable for any missed or late payments. When a certain period has passed you can resubmit the bill with a percentage added on for late payments. A late fee is likely to spur the client into action so they don’t receive more of this.

Stop work

If it’s an ongoing contract and you’re finding that you’re not being paid but still expected to do work on a long term basis, then just stop working! If you’re not getting paid then why should you continue to do work for no money?

You could be spending your time working with clients who will pay on time without the stress for either of you. Hopefully this current client will be more likely to take you seriously and pay what they owe when they realise they’re missing out on work from you.

Weigh up rewards vs cost

If nothing else works, then you might want to take them to court. However, it might end up costing you more to get your money back than it’s worth. While you don’t want to give up your owed payment, it might end up being your only option.

Legal costs, time consuming cases and the stress will all add up. You have to decide whether it’s all worth it in the end.

Learn from your experience

If anything, this experience will make you more cautious in the future when taking on new clients. You might want to tighten up your contract or think up a few new rules for future work. You are probably in a better position to spot the warning signs of a bad client and will hopefully be able to avoid this again.

Have you ever had a client fail to make a payment? How did you deal with it? Share your experience in the comments!

The post How to deal with nightmare clients who won’t pay appeared first on Freelancer News.

You don’t need us to tell you that the most effective way to dodge customer tension and those dreaded hour-long telephone rants is to implement provisions to avoid them in the first place.  Great communication between you and your customers is one of the best ways to do this as it enables you to establish their needs and therefore head off any unnecessary insufficiencies. Regularly checking in with clients and providing them with a progress update will give both parties chance to bring up and diffuse any issues that would otherwise lead to much bigger problems.

However, as we said, it’d be a minor miracle if you never found yourself caught up in a fraught conversation with a disgruntled client, no matter how prepared you are. So we’ve put together a few helpful pointers, which you would do well to remember when faced with this commonplace situation.

Hear them out!

Listening to everything the customer has to say, no matter how much you want to butt in with your two cents, is the golden rule when it comes to dealing with a tricky customer. Give them chance to vent everything they feel they need to say and avoid the temptation to interject until they’re finished. Interrupting will only aggravate the customer and inflame what is probably an already-flammable situation.

Patience is a virtue and especially in circumstances like these. We definitely don’t work by the concept that the customer is always right but we do believe that acknowledging their opinion and accepting their problem is the right way to getting the best out of a bad situation. Agree that there is an issue then steer the conversation towards mutually agreeing on a resolution and when all is said and done, absorb what has been said as constructive criticism.

Don’t make promises you can’t keep

When you’ve got an angry customer spitting insults and poking holes in your work, it can be tempting to promise them the earth in order to keep the business or even just shut them up and get them off your back. However, this will only lead to more trouble in the long run. Agreeing to deliver on something that you know you can’t achieve will only pile unnecessary pressure on you and rub salt in the wound for the customer further down the line.

Be specific with your targets and get the client to be specific with their requirements in order to set realistic deadlines and projected outcomes. Not only is time management crucial for maintaining your own reputation as a freelancer, it’s also vital for nurturing happy customers. No doubt they will be running their own operations to a tight schedule so you need to be working in harmony with this but just be honest when they’re asking too much of you and admit when you have fallen by the wayside or made a mistake.

Don’t avoid them

Similarly, avoiding their calls, emails and messages is a sure way to rubbing your customer up the wrong way and will only prolong the inevitable. Nip the problem in the bud before it escalates and transforms into a grizzly monster that you can’t defend yourself against. Sometimes all it takes is some extra reassurance for an over-worked client who might be overreacting and looking for someone to take their weighty stress out on.

We’re not suggesting it’s okay to become a customer punching bag but sometimes, reaffirming your expertise and reasserting your professionalism is all it takes to eliminate a negative situation.

Do things face-to-face

When heated dialogues are being exchanged over the phone or via email, it can be easy for tone of voice to get misconstrued. Similarly, waiting on replies is frustrating at the best of times but in a delicate situation like this, you want to do everything you can to avoid the customer becoming anymore irritated than they already are. Insisting that you discuss the matter in person, then offering to take the client for coffee will create a more relaxed atmosphere in which reasonable and rational conversations can be held.

Face-to-face meetings can be difficult, especially for freelancers working from home, without any long-term office base, we get that. That’s where useful web applications like Skype and FaceTime come into play and provide a happy medium between physical discussions and impersonal keyboard conversations.

Don’t be afraid to cut ties

When you’re a self-employed freelancer, you can kind of afford to be a little bit pickier with your client list. It’s important that any business relationships you are working on are mutually beneficial so, if you’ve tried your best and still feel like a particular customer is having a detrimental effect on your work, it might be time to say goodbye. An unhappy customer leaving bad online reviews and spreading negative word of mouth is almost always worse than losing the business. It could simply be a personality clash, which is no fault of either party but in the world of freelance, it’s important to look out for number one.

The post The freelancer’s guide to dealing with difficult customers appeared first on Freelancer News.

The trick then, is to become as organised as possible, so when chaos strikes you’re in a better position to deal with it. As a general rule of thumb, I split the seemingly monumental task of organising your entire life into four sections of management. (Because that’s the highest I can count on one hand and math is hard)

Management of the task.

This is the foundation of the control you will assert over your professional life. This is achievable by indexing everything you need to finish/complete/accomplish into a list. Time consuming? Truly, necessary? Undoubtedly. In addition to simply listing everything in need of “doing”, effective task management requires setting aside the time to consider each step along the path to completion, is there over similar tasks you could group with this step for efficiency? Will this require extra coffee? Finally assigning priory to tasks will allow you to see if a task can done now, or when life becomes less crazy.

Management of time.

Given the choice between time or task management? Personally I’d choose task. However a freelancer in the wild can’t afford to ignore the benefits effective time management offer. Deadlines imposed by our client overlords must be met! For this to be done efficiently it helps to keep solid track of all your current turn in/deadline dates in order to get everything completed on time. Again the humble list could be your greatest friend, you learn to make use of calendars/time keeping software (or “apps” for today’s hip urban youth).

Managing your work space

Effective workspace management is found in the creation of a space – for which you will work in, that actually promotes your productivity. There’s no right or wrong way to this so find what works best for you, but as rule of thumb it works best to have everything you will be needing the most close at hand. This can mean assigning everything its little place and taking some time to make sure you A. have everything you need before starting B. it’s within grabbing range before sitting down to a project.

Money Money Money! (Management)

This, right here is the definition of a double edged blade. One half complex, one half crucial and one half potential brain death (again, maths is hard) When you freelance, a steady income is something that happens to other people. Having to rely on clients to pay the agreed amount at the agreed time is equal parts liberating and terrifying, as such I personally attempt to keep an emergency float of cash at all times. Freelancers will often pay the operating or big bills (such as mortgage, internet, car and utilities) in advance as payments come in, takes some of the tension off knowing your must have bills are covered.

Personally when a big payment comes in, I’ll pay those operating bills as many months ahead as I can. But no system is perfect so run with whatever works for you, just make sure all your financial obligations are met because A. don’t be a dead beat and B. however much money you have left over is a good indicator if this is a career, or simply an expensive hobby.

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