You had good rapport during the interview, your client has agreed to your proposal, and you have started work on what seems like a very straightforward writing assignment. You have a due date, and you are on top of it. You are psyched! Or at least glad to have paying work. Then, your simple assignment becomes a big hairy disaster. What happened? How could this mess have been avoided?
As you gain experience, you will no doubt encounter some of the most common points of tension between freelancer and client. Though experience is the best teacher, you can avoid some pain if you learn from others’ mistakes. Here are 5 of the most common freelancing mistakes and how to avoid them.
Mistake 1: Not getting partial payment up front
You are going to spend time writing custom content for your client. This is time that you are not going to get back if your client walks away. To protect yourself, you need the client to pay half up front before you start work. This is standard operating procedure for almost every sort of service business. If you are having a house painted or new gutters installed you will pay a portion up front before the contractor starts work. Often the contractor will make sure your check clears, if you pay by check. Don’t feel bad at all for asking this of your clients. If your client balks, or tells you that this is a rush job and they need it done before their accountant can pay, this is a red flag. You are writing, not performing emergency surgery.
Mistake 2: Not giving yourself enough time
If you are new to freelancing you may be so excited to appear efficient and eager that you over-promise. It is easy to underestimate the amount of time that a project will take. You will likely have some research to do before you even begin writing. To ensure that you turn in your best work, you will need to set it aside for at least a half a day so you can edit it with fresh eyes.
If you estimate that the project will take four hours of active work time, you should allow yourself at least two business days to turn it around. If you have other projects in your pipeline you should allow yourself more time. Don’t worry that your client will think less of you. Up to a point, you appear more in demand and more valuable if you don’t promise a rush job.
Mistake 3: Not getting information you need to do the job
A pitfall that freelancers sometimes run into is that a project is delayed due to not receiving the materials from a client that are needed to do the job. This may be brand guidelines, or existing marketing materials that they promised you. If the job is to revise existing case studies, for example, and they don’t actually send you the case studies, you can’t possibly get to work.
It is important to establish a list of items that are needed from the client along with dates needed by, and include these in your proposal that the client signs off on. Then you and the client will be on the same page. It is not uncommon to invoke a late fee if the date is not met, especially if you are working with a firm deadline on your end.
Mistake 4: Scope creep
A big pain point for freelancers is scope creep. The scope of the project is the parameters of what you will do by what date for the agreed price. Scope creep is when the boundaries of the project get pushed out to include more and more things. For example, if you are writing a content for a client’s blog, it may seem like a simple thing to write some quick social media posts they could use when sharing it.
You may be tempted to say yes as a goodwill gesture to your client. What you should do instead is to stick firmly to the contract and be open to renegotiate. Your client may not realize that even seemingly simple tasks can take more time than you have.
Most clients intend to treat their freelancers fairly, and requests are probably made in good faith. Let your client know that once the current project is complete, you will be happy to send them a proposal for the additional work. If certain types of projects seem to go together, keep this in mind when crafting a similar proposal in the future. If you are writing a blog post, offer additional optional services, like crafting social media text and graphics to share on their channels.
Mistake 5: Extensive revision requests
Your client might say they love your work one day but ask for several large revisions the next day. This is a common problem when you’re working on a project that requires approval from several people. The project manager might like your writing style, but the product manager might object to the use of certain phrases to describe their products.
You can handle revision requests through clear communications upfront. In your proposal, explain to the client that the first round (or two) of revisions are included in the project fee, but additional revisions will be billed at your hourly rate. When clients understand that they will be charged extra, they will typically respect your time by adhering to the proposal terms.
If you’re a new freelancer, you might think you should offer free and unlimited revisions. That’s an all too common mistake. If you don’t limit revisions, you risk a never-ending project and indefinite postponement of the final payment. A good client understands that your time is valuable and won’t want to take advantage of you. A good client will want to develop a good relationship with a service provider that they can continue to rely on.
Conclusion
Most freelancing problems can be solved by clear language in the proposal and with a simple conversation, by email or phone, to clear up unanticipated misunderstandings. You can stand up for yourself calmly and professionally and expect to be treated as you would treat others if the situation were reversed.
Everyone gets burned by a bad actor occasionally. These situations will hopefully be rare. While forewarned is forearmed, you shouldn’t try to protect yourself from every conceivable issue to the point where clients find you defensive and hard to work with. Sometimes it is better for your mental health to learn from a bad situation and let it go.
