What is Digg?Sponsored by Best Buy
Know a Book Lover? Give Them the Sony Reader Touch view!
bestbuy.com - It's sleek and light, stores hundreds of books and has a long lasting battery.
25 Comments
- dafragsta, on 10/10/2007, -0/+10"Choosing the wrong clients. The client-freelancer relationship is an important one, and there are many issues that can make a client the wrong client, or the right client, for you. Those include the market they’re in, they’re working style, how difficult they are, how likely they are to pay your rate, how much work they require, their ability to pay on time without hassle, and more. If you choose the wrong client, you will make less money, be unhappy, and work more. How to avoid: Select clients carefully. Again, research them, talk to other freelancers who’ve worked for them. When contacting a client, think of it as a two-way interview — they are trying to decide if you’re right for them, but you should also be trying to decide if they are right for you. Do your first assignment or three on a trial basis, to see how things work out. Every now and then, evaluate your clients to see if they’re worth the trouble."
Let me clue you guys in on a little secret. If you truly freelance for a living, most of them are going to be the "wrong client." You should definitely look for signs that show their inability to pay, and if they are there, make getting your payments in milestones a top priority before you commit to that client. Other than that, virtually all clients are the wrong type of client by the aforementioned description. They all want the work done yesterday and they all want to pay you $15/hr to do it. If a client wants to pay you less than $30/hr for web design/html/other basic services, then they are lowballing you if you have a portfolio to speak of. Freelancing is not a guaranteed fulltime job. You need to make enough money to cover your downtime, and while it may seem that you are charging too much, you aren't, as long as they are willing to pay it.
Outside of that, most clients will do something that irritates the crap out of you or encroaches on your ability to do your job the way you like. You just have to roll with it. - feshmania, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8having the arrogance to this that "When you're your own boss, there's no such thing as a mistake" is pretty much a mistake in itself...
- jordan314, on 10/10/2007, -0/+61. Underestimating. You always think it will take less time than it does.
2. Underbidding. You take less pay and they take you less seriously. You end up resenting the work at the end.
3. Underestimating. Did I mention underestimating? - sircomix, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Mistake #11 - Not checking your grammar- ie "they’re working style."
That said, these are good points, and much of the piece even applies to wedding DJing. - inactive, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Everyone has a boss, whether they own their own company or work in a fast food joint. The only difference is that the owner has every customer as a boss.
- chobbney, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5That's a good piece. Most of it is common sense, but it's well written with useful examples.
- jabab, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Don't freelance unless you're able to charge a hell of a lot for your work.
- gthyb, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Reading digg all day instead of working is pretty close.
- elementop, on 10/10/2007, -0/+311) Don't work for family or friends. In a nutshell, they will expect more for less money. They will want the "good-guy discount" which at first won't seem too bad, but when scope creep sets in, they will expect you to add "just one more thing" without being willing to pony up for the extra work. Basically, if you aren't willing to do the job for your relative or buddy for free, don't work for them.
12) As well as being picky about the client, be picky about the jobs you accept as well. Make sure that the solution you offer really is a fit for the client's needs, and don't be afraid to walk away if it isn't. I once installed an Asterisk PBX for a very small business, and it was an unmitigated disaster. When I first began negotiating with the client, she had grand visions of what she would like her telephone system to do, and it seemed like a perfect fit for Asterisk. However, as I began to spec out the hardware for the system and configure the PBX, the client began to realize that what she wanted wasn't really what she needed and that she didn't want to spend the money that was needed to build a good PBX. In the end, she purchased a two-line consumer grade telephone with multiple handsets that was a better fit for her needs. - ronk, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Been there. It was my first contract. Was afraid to ask the standard rate (felt sorry for the small company). In addition, I failed to see the scope of the project and estimated the wrong number of hours. Had to do triple the amount of work. Still haven't gotten my payment yet. Supposedly the end users are evaluating the product. It has been 3 months now. Learnt my lesson.
- bradleyland, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2A wonderfully optimistic piece ;)
- Harrison88, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Sound's a bit like "There are no bug's in my script, they're just random features"
- jimboready, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1"Letting off steam. If there is a problem with a client, some freelancers have a tendency to vent their frustration" - calling you clients partner a ***** doesn't for using internet explorer doesn't help the situation.
Getting too personal. It’s good to be friendly with a client, but keep it professional. - "sweetheart"'s not a good idea either.
Failing to be yourself. - definately. - TannerC, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Freelancers clearly need a better sense of humor.
- brownspank, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1You forgot 'Underestimating'.
- pault107, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1It's not pretty much a mistake - it is a major mistake.
- othersomethings, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Amway? Really?
- VenezuelanD, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Wait, what?
Don't underestimate the amount of time a project will take.
Don't undercharge. If you're young and inexperienced chances are you're afraid to charge what you are worth. Understand that you must pay for your down time as well as your up time. You may only actually "work" 20 hours a week, spending the rest looking for more clients, advertising, marketing, so charging an amount that will cover your costs during this downtime is simply smart business.
Be careful of clients, some are simply not worth the time/effort.
HOW are these tips irrelevant to any freelancer? Whether you're a Final Cut "player" (we call them editors), photoshop designer (graphic designer), web designer, painter, plumber, electrician, gardener, contractor or whatever, this is solid advice. Which freelance labor industry are you referring to? - capellathestar, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1All I wanna know is what's going on in that illustration for the article.
Seems like a great B-horror movie in the making. - freelancer0, on 11/30/2008, -0/+0I need to print this out and put it on my wall.
http://www.taskstore.com - Haohmaru, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1No mistakes? Not even going broke?
- DrLex, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1I didn't knew avoiding freelancers is a problem.
- eqrunner, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Irrelevant. Do you people think that some photoshop designer or Final cut player are the only freelancers out there? Do you not even bother to think about us in the freelance labor industry. next time you want to post something that the BIGGEST, or MOST, or OF ALL TIME crap, Try asking around and get the truth
- mroffroad, on 10/10/2007, -4/+2i freelance
- TannerC, on 10/10/2007, -18/+4When you're your own boss, there's no such thing as a mistake.
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is