When you’re a freelancer, you’re not always sure where you next paycheck is going to come from. That’s why it can be tempting to treat every prospect like royalty. Investing time in a client that doesn’t work out can be frustrating, however.

If you accept all freelance jobs, you’ll likely overcommit and compromise on quality. This will damage your reputation and ultimately your business. Not only must you limit the number of projects you take, but also set yourself up for success once you do pick one.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is trying too hard to be liked, especially when you’re new to the world of freelancing. You probably want to make it seem as if you’re easy to work with so you avoid asking too many questions.

Putting yourself in the position to fully understand the freelance job is crucial though! So, do the following to ensure that you won’t be short-changed in the end.

Establish a pre-contract process

List down pre-contract questions ahead of time to make sure you get the information you need from the get-go.

Sample questions:

• What’s your budget for the entire project?
• When is each stage due?
• How many rounds of revisions do you want included?
• What deliverables are you expecting from me?
• What happens if there’s going to be a delay?
• Who will be my contact person from your side?
• Do you have an existing style guide for me to follow?
• Where will the images come from?
• Do you already have creative implementation in mind?
• Will this need to be updated in the future?
• To whom should I submit my bills?
• What platform are you using to send payment?

Include a standard description of your services so you’ll be as transparent with the other party as possible. Modify or add to your list of questions and services based on your interactions with prospects until it becomes fine-tuned.

By doing this, you can eventually write proposals as you go along with the interview. You’ll then position yourself as the perfect fit for the freelance job they have open.

Listen to the freelance client

Now that your list is ready, prepare yourself to hear what the client wants. Just remember that you’re the expert here and not them. They may have an idea of what they’re looking for but you’re the one who knows what will help them achieve their goals.

As you go through your pre-contract questions, speak up when:

• Their answers aren’t detailed enough.
• Their expectations are unrealistic.
• Or their demands are irrelevant to their goals.

You need to learn to stand your ground when it matters, especially when the freelance job is complicated.

They’re likely to respect your expertise more if you guide them through the process as opposed to saying yes to everything they ask. Explain in such a way that’s easy for them to understand so minimize usage of technical terms unless they’re familiar with them.

Make things clear

After each question, paraphrase their answer and say it back to them to be sure that you understood them. They can then correct you if you’re filling in the blanks in the wrong way.

Example:

You: What are you expecting from me in this role?

Client: You’ll be leading our paid marketing strategy and making sure that we’re executing campaigns as we should and meeting our goals.

You: To be clear, you’d like me to make the strategy and supervise the implementation.

Client: Actually, I want you to create the strategy and execute it yourself from start to finish.

As you can see, what you initially assumed to be a supervisory role is more hands-on than you thought. Had you not sought clarification then you’d never be able to meet their expectations.

Determine what is feasible

Now that you’re your own boss, you’re free to try new things and take risks. Consider taking on freelance jobs that you’ve never done before. Learning new things is part of what makes this career exciting, after all.

Of course, you must structure your days and hold yourself to higher standards if you never want to miss deadlines and always deliver on your promises. When you can’t deliver things on time, it’s the same as promising the moon.

To avoid or minimize delays with your work, see to it that you and your client are clear about what they want and what is feasible. Specify what you’re capable of and give an exact date of when you can give your output as much as possible.

Refuse when necessary

Many contractors get into trouble because they weren’t upfront about what is possible, what is aligned with their expertise, or what would help their client accomplish their goals. The truth is revealed later on when it’s too late for them to turn back.

In explaining why you need to push back deadlines, state that it’s necessary to maintain quality which is mutually important to both you and the client. If a thing is worth doing, it’s worth doing well, right?

Don’t be afraid to say no to a freelance job if it isn’t a good fit for you. Attempting to do things that are unrealistic will only lead to wasted time and effort.

Worse still, failing to deliver for a client can hurt your personal brand and reputation.

Need a Freelance Job?

Working freelance is complicated enough without you setting yourself up for failure. When you find an opportunity you’d like to pursue, you want to be sure that it’s a great fit for you by getting the introductory meeting right.

If you think you’re ready to face a prospective employer soon, Remote Workmate is here to serve! Allow us to connect you with clients from around the globe with projects that are sure to suit you.