Connor Wilson » Blog Archive » Advice for Freelancers [Part 2]

Advice for Freelancers [Part 2]

Posted on March 24th in Freelance — 4 Comments so far. Got something to say?

In a continuation of the previous article, “Advice for Freelancers” I outlined some tips I’ve gathered from my experiences. This article will continue to build on that, and hopefully this helps, or even continues to help, as I think these are good things to know. These articles are only to keep you from learning the hard way. While some may think it’s best to learn from your own mistakes, somethings are better off learning from other people’s mistakes.

‘You’ are not ‘we’. When you write about yourself, especially on a domain specific to you (your name, etc…), keep the third person writing to a minimum, and don’t refer to yourself as ‘we’. Example:

Here at Connor Wilson we design and develop websites.

We? It just doesn’t sound right. If you’re not two or more people, you’re an ‘I’.
If a client sends you a design that you are supposed to code, or program, etc… and it looks like it was designed in 1994 and should not be on the internet, you have a decision to make. You can either tell them about how bad it is, or do it and have your name on a scar on the face of the internet. Personally, I have a rule. If you send a design with any of the following, I will send it back to you.

Comic Sans, tables for non-tabular data, iFrames, yellow text on purple/dark background, a ‘tech’ interface from a tutorial, shouldn’t be online, etc…
Don’t get hostile when a client is late with a payment.Try to give them little time if they need it, especially when it’s a situation when you have the files they need, and are waiting for the money. Exceptions are made when it’s an XHTML/CSS coding job, and they’ve seen the final product, which they can steal. Be careful with that.
Make sure the client knows what you do and what you won’t. If you’re the designer, you don’t want to be adding in some back end coding, or vice versa. Make sure if the client is expecting it (because they know that you offer it) and you haven’t mutually agreed on it (and a pay increase), then be up front about it.

I won’t do that (for this project).

From my experiences, they’ll understand. This also ties into my next point…
Don’t sugar coat it. You don’t get return clients by playing down your role, and you don’t get them coming back if you make it sound ore than it really is. Again, be upfront about what you do, and what you mutually agreed on. If they are hiring you to design a website, tell them that that’s exactly what you’ll be doing, no more no less. Exceptions can always be made of course, as with anything.
You’re a designer/coder/whatever, not a salesman. One thing that turns off potential clients is when you try to get them for things they don’t want or need. If you’re hired to code it and think the design could use a change, unless it is important for them to do it, bite your tongue. I’m personally working on a job with a company that will remain nameless for now, but I can say that it’s a website that will get a lot of visually impaired users. The design I was supposed to create a WordPress theme out of didn’t even have a thought passed to that audience.
You work for the client, but think of their audience. Freelancing is not like retail. The customer is not always right. Remember, you should know what’s best. If someone cam to me wanting a medieval logo for their company that sells modern applications, I would voice my opinion. I’m not saying this:

You’re wrong.

But more something along the lines of this:

I think your product and company could be better represented by a more modern and stylish logo, perhaps a symbol that means something to you personally and the company, or refers to the product..

It’s a lot nicer to say in general, and it offers a solution to the problem that they don’t see, which is always good. If they don’t think it’s a problem, but you offer a solution, it becomes a problem then
Don’t bit off more than you can chew. If you can’t handle five clients at a time, and meet all their deadlines, or even your proposed deadlines, then don’t take five clients. For example, right now I can’t take anymore clients, but I can tell them I will be available shortly. If they were set on hiring you in the first place, they won’t mind waiting a week or so.
When using PayPal, don’t just ask them to send the money. Ask them for their PayPal email, and invoice them. This keeps a much better record of what you’ve been doing and will help you come tax season, but it also helps for the aforementioned mutual security. They don’t technically ever have to pay you until you invoice them, and PayPal even gives you the option of ‘reminding’ them.
Actually learn from your mistakes. If you did something wrong, or could’ve done it better, do it right this time. As you gain experience, you will do it better and more efficiently. Don’t make the same mistakes, and you will always get better.

As part two concludes, and 20 items later, I think it would be pretty hard to think of another ten for a third part. Maybe in a month or so? This is something I’ll come back to as I personally gain more experience. Even the pros who make more than the doctors freelancing can learn from their mistakes and improve