What Are The Biggest Do's And Don'ts Of Being A Freelancer?

Being a freelancer is great, but just because you are working for yourself that doesn’t mean that there are no rules to follow.  Let’s be honest, if you don’t follow a certain number of rules, you’re likely to find out very quickly that freelancing is perhaps not for you. From this point, the only place for you to go is back to a job where you aren’t a massive fan of your boss, and remembering the reasons why you wanted to become a freelancer in the first place!

To make sure you never have to go back to a job that you don’t really want, we put together a list of the do’s and don’ts of freelancing, which will help you to build a great reputation, whatever field you are working in.

Do: Spend Time Finding Out What Clients Want

If you have ever responded to negative client feedback with “I didn’t know what you really wanted,” then we’re afraid that you only have yourself to blame for that. Whenever a client asks you to complete a task, ensure that you communicate back to them what you’re going to do, so that if you have misinterpreted anything they can brief you again.

Knowing what a client wants is down to you, and no one else.

Don’t: Make Assumptions

A very fast way to fall on your face when you’re a freelancer is to make assumptions, particularly those ascertaining to what you thought a client might have been looking for.

However, just because Mr A loved what you did for him, that doesn’t mean that Mr B and Mr C are going to have the same feelings for it. No two clients are the same, and you might even find some to be what you would consider unreasonable. Welcome to the world of freelancing!

Do: Tailor What You do Specifically for Each Client

This is a difficult point to get right. You want to highlight on your website or social media profile what you do, but at the same time you don’t want to shut yourself off from certain roles just because you weren’t able to feature them.

Market yourself so that you show you are flexible and able to change what you do for every single client, including the price if necessary.

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At the same time, if you are unable to do something, be honest and admit to it. Don’t just say you can because that might be what the client wants to hear. Honesty is always the best policy.

Don’t: Be Unrealistic

If a piece of work is going to take a week, then say so. If you are not available until the end of the month, then tell a client that. Being unrealistic just causes problems. It will see you put undue pressure on yourself to deliver, which could then affect the quality of the work you produce. That could then make a client unhappy who decides never to work with you again. Is this worth it all because you decided to over promise and under deliver? We think you know the answer to that one.

Being a Successful Freelancer

There is more to these four basic rules to becoming a successful freelancer, but by putting these into practice at all times you will find that your life is easier and that your clients grow to love working with you.

Robert is a freelance SEO consultant who believes passionately in following these do’s and don’ts of freelancing. He also uses platforms such as Enthuse in order to highlight his work and introduce new clients to what he does.

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