Freelance Matters | Managing Your Client
I often receive emails from blog readers and fellow freelancers who vent about clients from hell and am asked for advice on what boils down to how to manage freelance clients.
I come from an advertising background where I had the luxury of account executives who would act as a buffer between the creatives and the clients - clients who often had a dedicated marketing team. Now as a freelancer I am often working with small businesses (and formerly brides) who have never worked with a designer - so now it is not only my job to execute a kickass design it is my job to educate and guide them through the design and branding process.
So today I want to discuss how I manage my clients.
1. First you have to manage yourself.
I've talked a lot about how I manage myself - from project management and to-do lists and estimating & billing. Being organized allows you to direct you focus to your clients needs without getting all flustered.
2. Communication is key.
Figure out how your client likes to communicate. Is it by email? Face-to-face? By phone? The goal is to create a meaningful connection and trust through these mediums while being respectful and efficient with everyone's time. Maybe an email is appropriate to touch base or send files for proofing. But maybe a phone call or Skype session is more appropriate if you have a lot of brainstorming and direction to hammer out.
3. Manage your meetings.
Meetings can be a time-suck but sometimes they are a necessary evil. I will have very brief meetings with a potential client to see if we're a good fit for each other, but otherwise I wait until a contract has been signed to invest a lengthy amount of time talking about art direction and goals. Our time is valuable!
Some tips I've picked up from productive and unproductive meetings are:
• Have a meeting agenda. Prep your client beforehand with your expectations of the meeting. Think of specific questions you need answers to. Write them down.
• If you start to veer from the agenda gently guide the meeting back to the topics on hand.
• Always end the meeting with next steps. Each meeting should produce action steps for you to take.
• Follow up by email. Consider following up with your client. Thank her (or him) for her time and briefly bullet your conference notes and outline next steps. This way you have in writing what was discussed should it come up for question down the road.
4A. Listen.
9 times out of 10 a client from hell situation is the designers fault (there! I said it!) for not listening to the client in the first place. If you listen to your client you will efficiently be able to uncover the solution easier than if you just want to design something rad with banners and birds.
4B. Then Guide.
I always try to present myself as a friendly authority to my clients. I am not an order taker - I'm an expert. I always communicate with my client what I think they're saying they need and then my recommendation based on what I heard him (or her) say. I also walk the client step-by-step through the process (with a timeline attached) so they know what to expect and when. I may have done this a million times but I have to remember it's my client's first time so it's important to shine some light on the process. Your client will thank you for your confidence and direction - afterall, that's what you were hired for.
5. Be Nice.
Always remind yourself that your client is not the enemy. They chose you because they need your help and oftentimes, that is a vulnerable position to be in - especially for my clients who are usually DIY and do-it-all small business owners. I always treat them and their project with the respect, attention and genuine enthusiasm it deserves.
6. Get Paid What You're Worth
If you don't value your services neither will your client. And if you're not getting paid what you're worth you're going to become resentful. It's a toxic combination, but it's your own fault for agreeing to anything less. If you're not worth a lot yet (because you're a new designer or fresh out of school) remember that you are investing in either a portfolio piece or experience - so be grateful.
Do you all have any tips for managing your clients? Do you have any other freelance questions you would like me to address? I would love to hear some of your ideas or experiences on this matter in the comment section.
Related Posts:
• Estimating & Billing
• Project Management
• To Do Matters
i'm really excited to see "jason hudson" on your to do list. hope you (or he) will share the project when you're done!
I just sent Jason's project to print yesterday! I will absolutely be sharing when it is done.
I agree with everything you say and would like only to add: some clients are not the right fit for you, you have to learn when to decline a project (it's hard when the economy is tough but I found out -the hard way- that a wrong match also costs money)
Marie - You are absolutely right. I almost addressed client fit but I think that deserves an entirely separate matters post. It takes a lot of practice to identify a good (or bad) fit and then to know what to do when you find yourself in the middle of a project with a bad fit.
Loving the detailed post, Kathleen! I'm in a place where I'm coming back into freelance from a corporate design job and it's amazing how rusty you can get with the small details that really matter and help manage your time (and your clients) more efficiently.
Those are great tips about managing meetings. My biggest problem so far has been exactly what you described-- investing too much in a client that hasn't committed. It's a bummer to do a bunch of research on specialty camera rentals and then get smacked with, "Sorry, someone else will do it for cheaper."
I'd add: don't be afraid to say "no." I think we sometimes fall into the "well, if that's what they want..." trap. But then you wind up with a design you're not proud of, and you have to blame it on your client.
When a client is asking for something nonsensical/ugly/ridiculous, I like to point out things like "industry best practices," or highlight a peer/competitor they might admire and demonstrate why THEIR design works (and thus, why they'd never do that ridiculous thing you're requesting). Usually a client wants to be in line with what their peers are doing, and with what is WORKING in their industry.
For web design clients who request weird or silly things, I tell them to remember that "visitors spend 99% of their time on sites OTHER than yours". If you want to put your shopping cart in the top left because you think it looks better that way, you're making decisions based on personal preference and not on industry best practices.
you're so good at what you do, kathleen. you were made to work for yourself.
I am always so blown away by your Freelance Matters posts. I learn so much. I only wish I had known this when I had to deal with crazy parents during my time tutoring. Listening really is the key to everything.
Really enjoyed this post. Some great ideas in there. Thanks for such good content and sharing your experiences and thoughts! It's super helpful to those of us venturing out into similar territory.
Gil Datz
Uzu Media
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