Being a Freelancer: Part 2 - The Client Perception

In Being a Freelancer: Part 1 - The Wannabe Perception I talked about some of the most common freelancing misconceptions coming from freelancer wannabes. These are things I heard or read about over the last couple of years. If you’re thinking about making the switch to full time freelancing, maybe that’s the article you should be reading.

If the first part was about freelancer wannabes, this one is obviously about clients and how their misconceptions can get in the way of successfully working with a freelancer. There are people who successfully manage teams of freelancers and they probably don’t need any advice from me. This article is for newbies, for people who never used a freelancer’s services before.

Of course there are freelancers and freelancers. Some of us might be evil, difficult, clueless, lazy, whatever… so that’s why I’m talking from my own experience instead. At least you know where I’m coming from. Yeah, that’s right, this post has its share of shameless self promotion.

The client perception

“Freelancers are not trustworthy!”

I heard this line plenty of times. I can relate to this, if it comes from someone who had an unpleasant experience when working with a freelancer. But if you never worked with a freelance before, maybe you’re looking at this the wrong way.

First: a freelancer can’t afford to provide you with a wrong quote for your project. Well, not with a smaller one, that’s for sure! So he will listen, he will want to know your project in an out before moving a finger. As a matter of fact, I’ve noticed a disturbing issue: freelancers are more interested than clients, when it comes tp defining detailed projects specifications.

Second: three months from now, you might want to update that products page with the new line of products. If you hired a freelancer in the first place and if the relationship was good, he will probably help you with the updates and make it quick (he knows your project in an out, remember?). If you work with an agency, chances are some other guy will handle your project. Not to mention all the “project management”, that can delay things even more. Or even worse: they will not return your calls, cause they are a big company and don’t want to worry about small tweaks.

Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against agencies (I co-founded one a couple of years ago), is just that on some projects (like a small business website), a freelancer will do the job better and quicker. Not to mention you could save some money, if that’s one of your goals too.

“I don’t have a big budget, so I’ll just hire a freelancer”

Unfortunately, a lot of people are under the impression that a freelancer is a guy who is willing to create a website for under $100. Ok, I said you might get a lower price when working with a freelancer, but that shouldn’t be your main goal. Not to mention the fact that approaching a freelancer with such an offer is often considered insulting. Would you go to the doctor and ask him to do what he can for $50?

Freelancers have their own expenses to cover, so don’t expect them to work for peanuts. Actually… some recent experiences tell me more an more freelancers are willing to work for less, just so that they can get the job. This is obviously not good for other freelancers, but it’s also very bad for the client, since it’s much more difficult to spot those trustworthy freelancers I was telling you about earlier.

I perfectly understand the concept of outsourcing and its benefits. I’m just saying that only looking for cheap labor will result (in most of the cases) in cheap work. My advice is to do some research before choosing a freelancer’s services. Maybe that low hourly rate should raise some questions. Look at the portfolio, check some credentials first. If you have a good candidate who’s also a money saving solution, then you struck gold!

In conclusion

A freelancer is simply a one man business, where the key word remains business. If he’s a true professional, a freelancer will act just like any other business. He will care about his reputation and he will not undersell his services. Keep that in mind when you approach a freelancer and you will get a totally different feedback.

You might wonder why I’m being so honest about these things. First of all, that’s who I am: an open person, who doesn’t like to hide behind words. Second, I’m not loosing anything here. I have only to gain. But I’ll tell you more about that in one of my next articles.