I have been doing freelance work in the area of marketing for over 10 years. My specialty is in writing content. There are some things I've learned as a freelancer that might be helpful to you.
-As a freelancer, you get all types of requests for different services and it's not always easy to determine a pricing model for each project. I prefer task based pricing rather than hourly. Hourly can go wrong on so many different levels. First of all, the client might question whether or not you worked for as long as you say you did. In their opinion maybe you should have gotten more work done in that time frame. As a freelancer and entrepreneur you don't want to get in the habit of trading hours for dollars anyway. Honestly, the client gets more for their money with task based pricing because you will take all the hours necessary in order to deliver a product that is going to meet the clients needs. With hourly charging I feel like the client gets less and you get less. Task based pricing nurtures a more service oriented relationship between you and the client
-Over deliver whenever possible. Value your clients from the very beginning. Count it a great privilege that they have trusted you with something very special to them, their business. In some cases, their dreams, in other cases their livelihood. Never take that lightly.
-Communication, communication, communication. Ask questions and make sure you have a good understanding of the clients expectations
before you begin the work. Get the answers you need to move forward with confidence.
- Stay away from clients who don't have a clear idea of what their expectations are. That's a trap. If you do the work when the client is not really sure about what they want, nine times out of ten they are not going to be satisfied with what you have done because they didn't really know what they wanted in the first place. A good client has a clear understanding of their own expectations so they can communicate them, with clarity, to you. Honestly, I don't want repeat work from them. My best clients are the ones that are very clear about what they want. Those clients I have for months and years at a time
- If you are a freelancer, stay away from projects that are time drainers and take weeks to get paid. What happens is that you don't have time for any other work and you are not able to generate income by doing other work during that time. When I get a possible long term project. I will not take it if I can't continue to serve my weekly clients with their projects. I will definitely say "no" if it will interfere with the work I'm doing for my loyal customers. I have to continue to produce the best quality possible for my loyal customers. Which leads to my next point.
-Don't get too comfortable with your loyal customers. Continue to produce the same quality of work that you did in the beginning or better. I have heard many stories about freelancers getting lazy after a couple orders from repeat customers.
Repeat business is great because there is a level of trust build into the relationship and as a freelancer you get so acquainted with the clients expectations that you are able to deliver a higher quality of work in a shorter period of time than in the beginning. That's been my experience. I like staying with customers for extended period of time so that I can get a real handle on their work and produce amazing results.
