Freelancing is very different to the majority of other businesses due to its innately personal involvement and attachment to every aspect of the business. Maintaining objectivity and a decisive decision process can be hard as your personal feelings begin to creep into the equation.

As freelancer’s its hard to remain objective. How do you maintain business standards?

Being a freelancer, you have to work hard at not letting your personal feelings and preferences cloud your judgement.  Even the worst type of client can be right, well.. they ARE right if you want to keep them as a client in the long-term. As a freelancer, you have to learn, when the time is right, to put feelings aside and just do what a client wants and what your business needs. Furthermore, this applies to not doing work that does not pay the fee it right deserves, no matter how much you want to be a nice person or help out a friend for free.

As a freelancer, you also cannot forget about the administrative aspects of your business. It can be somewhat difficult to move away in the same day from your preferred creative persona to the clerk and accountant. However, putting off doing your book keeping, your marketing and not accurately tracking your prospects and projects can lead to a whole host of problems such as running out of work! ; forgetting to bill; under billing; late tax returns etc etc

Finally, remember to never take any client for granted, as soon as you do, the relationship you have created begins to erode and all the wonderful little things like repeat business and referrals are lost.Everybody wants to be appreciated and feel like they are top priority. Thus, always return emails and calls as promptly as possible.

The longer we freelance, the easier it is to fall into potentially destructive personal habits! Why get dressed in the morning? Why go after new clients when you are so busy? Why be polite and not dismissive to cheap clients?  The longer we go the more vigilant we need to be to maintain our vigor, professionalism and personal customer service that is a huge part of any freelancer’s success!

Related Posts:

• November 19, 2009 -- Should You Find a Niche To Stand Out From The Pack? (3)
• December 2, 2009 -- Does a successful freelancer have to be a good sales person? (6)
• December 1, 2009 -- General Rules For Doing Free Freelance Work (6)
• November 28, 2009 -- Interview With Will Kay of OddKingdom – Becoming Your Brand (5)
• November 25, 2009 -- Factors To Consider When Pricing For A Project (6)
• November 18, 2009 -- Long Term Freelancing Success – Part 1 – Dedication (8)

We here have been looking at developing a CRM system here, and as such we got talking about customer service and its relation to our business. Importantly, our pricing.

The more we talked, the more we realised there is no principal value to our work. To explain, the value we place on our work is based on perception. What we consider the value of our work is defined primarily by our positioning our services in a certain way in marketing and sales.

Part of your charging process should be evaluating what your clients will find the most value in. They may care most about how well a project is executed; they mare care most that you meet stringent deadlines or they mare care most that you get the job done with out them guiding your hand the whole way.

Value = service

Value instrinsicly comes from service, not from design.. Design has long become a commidity, in that your clients can get it anywhere. They can even claim to do it themselves. Your competitors are at varying positions within what it is these days a vast pricing spectrum. there will always be somebody who charges lower than you and can design to the same level of quality as you – you need to evaluate what value you add and use that to position your services.

Customer service, as well as being ‘young and fresh’ are what at this point in time we believe stand us apart from our competitors.

What stands you apart?

You can add value by anticipating your clients needs, by under-promising and over-delivering. Find ways to add value!

Related Posts:

• May 11, 2010 -- How to Avoid Over Working Yourself As A Freelancer (4)
• December 29, 2009 -- Freelancing From Home and Staying Productive (14)
• August 7, 2009 -- Designing With Distractions (9)
• April 29, 2009 -- 7 Things To Consider When Starting As A Freelance Designer (4)
• October 6, 2008 -- How Do You Organise Yourself As A Freelance Designer? (9)
• August 31, 2008 -- A Good Work Environment (1)

Should your website have a client list? This is a question that a client popped to me not long ago. That got me thinking.. is it a necessity or a bit of self indulgent showy-off-ness?

I then asked some of my previous clients about what they looked for when they selected Acuity Designs for their project; ‘who I had previously worked with’ was as high up on their list for many as ‘standard of work’.

In general, the majority wanted not only to see who they wwere as in company names, but also whether we had worked with clients similar to themselves in the past. A client list is great in that it helps to position yourself within certain key markets and show off a bit of expertise. That got me wondering, whether rather than just the list I have now, – maybe I should be ordering the client list by industry / size of company / work done?

Some have said that posting a client list, lets your competitors know who your doing work for – which in our industry – I can’t see a huge drawback or disadvantage that that poses?

What do you think, should every design site have a client list for potential clients to peruse?

Related Posts:

• November 19, 2009 -- Should You Find a Niche To Stand Out From The Pack? (3)
• April 12, 2009 -- How to translate a website – considerations (2)

Non disclosure Agreements are something that comes up at some point in time. Especially, say you are outsourcing a part of a project to another freelancer or design agency. Over time – I have compiled the following samples that helped me create my own tailored NDA. Thanks to their authors.

If an download errors pop-up, please right-click and ‘save-as’

NDA Template 1

NDA Template 2

NDA Template 3

NDA Template 4

NDA Template 5

Related Posts:

• January 6, 2010 -- 5 Free Web Design Proposal Contracts (17)
• April 8, 2009 -- Free Business Plan, Projected Balances and Expenses Templates (3)
• September 17, 2008 -- Using Humour Effectively in Design (5)
• July 25, 2010 -- Maintaining Business Standards As A Freelancer (2)
• March 15, 2010 -- 50 Freely Available Professional Fonts For Your Designs (29)
• December 13, 2009 -- Long Term Freelancing Success – Part 2 – Marketing (10)

When starting out, when your down in the trenches fighting against the colossal agencies and your fellow freelancing kin, do you have to be a good sales person in order to secure projects?

Do you feel freelancers need to be sales orientated? Are you a good sales person?

The internet has given clients information at their fingertips, many are more informed about the process / more business savvy – often seeking multiple quotes from here there and everywhere. As such, if they have not selected you alone because of your immense talent that no other mere mortal possesses – what is the deciding factor? I concur… it is you!

Pitching and selling yourself, brand or service is not something that comes easily to many and as such, are they at a disadvantage? Yes! Few are we that can sit back and clients are banging down our doors to work with us under any conditions – as such there are many key things you can look at in order to convert your enquiries into sales and as such clinch that all important deal!

Furthermore, may freelancer’s survive by recruiting much of their business from referrals and as such they don’t develop a method, technique or familiarity with having to sell themselves to a client. In the beginning, for myself this lead to accomplished clients spotting a novice and almost convincing me to charge less, pushing the feeling that they were doing me a favour…

For growth, for a freelancer to be successful, they must over time become a formidable sales force – pushing themeselves and their services to the top of the pack so that they stand out in the crowd.

Do you feel freelancers need to be sales orientated? Are you a good sales person?

Related Posts:

• July 25, 2010 -- Maintaining Business Standards As A Freelancer (2)
• February 21, 2010 -- Don’t be another washed up freelancer – The Freelance Lifecycle (1)
• November 25, 2009 -- Factors To Consider When Pricing For A Project (6)
• November 19, 2009 -- Should You Find a Niche To Stand Out From The Pack? (3)
• November 13, 2009 -- Competing Against The Agency – The Freelancer’s Epic Battle (19)
• November 6, 2009 -- When Your Client Wants To Become The Designer (14)

Christmas approaches as does the end of the year, below are 5 great gifts you can get yourself. These are books that I have personally read, so they definitely are receiving my full recommendation – full of tips and great answers towards running a successful business and making money from what you love doing!

1) The Business Side of Creativity by Cameron S.Foote

This is a great book that helps you address the validity of your ambitions aswell as taking you through matters such as tax, the importance of branding and pricing! A one-stop shop! This is one that I highly recommend.

This business companion is a guidebook for becoming a successful creative entrepreneur for freelance graphic designers, art directors, illustrators, copywriters and agency or design shop managers. It guides the reader through the process of being successfully self-employed – from getting launched as a freelancer to running a multi-person shop to retiring comfortably. The author has compiled the book over six years from the experiences of more than 4000 entrepreneurs.

2) The Graphic Designer’s Guide to Pricing, Estimating and Budgeting by Theo Stephan Williams

Another initial favourite of ours.. (we were cheap and only rented this one from the local library) loved this one as its full of loads of scannable invoices / contracts / non-disclosure agreements that you can print off and brand yourself. Lovely little resource. Goes into depth about the ‘ethos of charging’ aswell. Good for the beginner, who has no idea on charging conventions etc

A comprehensive guide to graphic design pricing procedures. It seeks to provide start-up and experienced design business owners with useful, creative methods for achieving profitability. Revised and updated, this edition covers: how to set rates; flushing out the competition; Internet pricing; pricing options; preparing an estimate; proposals; establishing and managing budgets; negotiating; and positioning the firm.

3) The Designer’s Guide To Marketing And Pricing by Ilise Benun and Peleg Top

This is easily the book that ‘reads’ the best. Simple, off the cuff, bordering colloquial advice from the authors. Jam packed full of loads of tips. Lots of it almost feel like a discussion so very engaging. Definently should be read for the marketing tips inside. It really deals with the process of marketing yourself. Spamming twitter with links is like 0.001% of what this book thinks you should be doing! Good read.

“The Designer’s Guide to Marketing and Pricing” answers all the common questions asked by creatives every day. This book teaches readers, the nuts and bolts of running a creative services business including: creating a smart marketing plan that reflects their financial goals and planning small actionable steps to take to reach those financial goals; learning which marketing tools are most effective and how to use them; and, learning how to establish contact with potential clients, or how to deal with insiders who could make referrals to potential clients.The book also touches on tricky subjects such as how to talk about money with clients and prospects, how to figure out a fair hourly rate, and how to give an accurate estimate for a project.

4) Start Your Own Graphic Design Business by George Sheldon

A great little read, you’ll probably scoot through it in like 3 days, I did. However its packed with lots of little things that you would have never thought to do. Little legal bits and pieces – how to analyse your local market – which one should always do even with the internet as a vehicle for worldwide sales… Worth the read! It’s a great little checklist of things I should have done! This book is great it deals with and prompts your mind to a lot of the related issues with setting up a business. Gives you a few sample documents, ideas for expansion etc. Only problem is that prices/start up costs/balance sheets are in dollars so you have to estimate for sterling; also advice on law etc is based upon acts registered within the USA so you have to check for UK law independently. Great otherwise.

5) How To Start Your Own Business – For Entrepreneurs by Robert Ashton

This is a great little purchase for thinking outside the boxes of the design community and the conventional. If you are interesting in becoming the next big thing or maybe even owning your own agency. This book is a great starting point!

More than 300,000 people start a business every year. That number will rise over the next year or two if the current economic downturn leads to widespread job losses. It is a fact that many people choose to turn the threat of redundancy into the opportunity of self employment. It is also a fact that when economic growth is low, business failure rates are higher. There has never been a greater need for a simple, explicit, practical business start-up guide that can increase new business survival rates in tough, as well as good times. People today need a start up guide that holds nothing back and tells them all they need to know. How to Start Your Own Business for Entrepreneurs does exactly this.

Any other books that you can recommend?

Related Posts:

• July 25, 2010 -- Maintaining Business Standards As A Freelancer (2)
• June 7, 2010 -- Essential Resources For The Starting Freelance Designer (2)
• January 30, 2010 -- 5 Free Non-Disclosure Agreements (4)
• December 13, 2009 -- Long Term Freelancing Success – Part 2 – Marketing (10)
• December 2, 2009 -- Does a successful freelancer have to be a good sales person? (6)
• November 25, 2009 -- Factors To Consider When Pricing For A Project (6)

My past two posts have covered how to deal with non-paying clients and clients who want to become the designer. Good clients do exists and for the most part form the majority of your clientele; in a book I read through the idea of evaluating your clients. Times are hard, sending christmas cards to the clients who are more valuable/reliable etc is a good way to prioritise resources. Give 10 points to each point your client satisfies, 5 if they are almost there and 0 if they fail miserably. Then add the score up!

By no means a bible, but it does seem to have some general application. Here are the 10 criteria I think you can judge them by:

1. Is objective and consistent in terms of criticism, comments and concerns
2. Pays on time, all the time
3. Is appreciative of your talent, understands the time and effort your putting in
4. Provides adequate deadlines or is prepared to compensate for tighter deadlines
5. Demands the best from you, and knows when it is produced
6. Has projects with well defined objectives and a comprehensible brief
7. Does not ask for spec work
8. Gives you room to exercise a degree of creative flair
9. Actively refers you to other potential clients
10. Doesn’t waste time in unproductive meetings/ web chats and is organised / prompt with content

Add the score up!

• A score above 90 – send them a card.. maybe a gift to..
• A score above 70 represents your bread and butter clients – keep them happy..
• A score above 50, send them the occasional follow up e-mail, maybe a lunch one every few months
• A score above 30, if they never talk to you again… your blood pressure will be okay. Refer them to a competitor
• A score below 30 – outsource their project to India!

Related Posts:

• December 1, 2009 -- General Rules For Doing Free Freelance Work (6)
• November 19, 2009 -- Should You Find a Niche To Stand Out From The Pack? (3)
• July 25, 2010 -- Maintaining Business Standards As A Freelancer (2)
• February 3, 2010 -- How do your organise yourself as a freelance designer? – Part 2 (2)
• December 29, 2009 -- Freelancing From Home and Staying Productive (14)
• November 28, 2009 -- Interview With Will Kay of OddKingdom – Becoming Your Brand (5)

At some point you will come face to face with the worst type of client. The client who despite numerous attempts on your behalf, is refusing to pay outstanding fees on a project.

As a business you will at some point have to go after a non-paying client, and as such should be prepared for the fight; or at least be prepared to issue the threat of a fight. Personal / Business time lengths are differential between entities but as a general rule you will know when this time sets upon you or is vast approaching when:

• Any invoice is over 60 days old
• At least four attempts at contact via e-mail or phone have gone unasnwered
• A client tells you that they are not going to pay (always the easiest to identify)
• When material you have created / sold is used before payment is settled against terms of contract
• Wishy-washy promises start being issued of further work so settlement should be delayed until they are complete
• A personal favourite: ‘payment has been sent, have you not received it?’

As an efficient and well prepared business you should have a method / set of rules in place for this very eventuality. You cannot expect a client to be prompt and timely with their end, if you are not the same with yours! The best way to address this hyperthetical situation is from the beginning…

1) First invoice not paid

I am not going to go into why you should have contracts, but simply this event is one of many in favour of working with contracts. One key point is having contracts in place that stipulate to the client how quickly they are expected to pay invoices once they have been issued. This immediately gives you a date to send your first reminder. Typically for us this may be between one and two working weeks. At this stage, our eyebrows are far from raised; there is a multitude of reasons why payment may not have been received. (Benefit of the doubt is given) For us, this is simply a follow-up email with the invoice attached as a PDF.
Example:

Dear ************,

Hope you are well. We are e-mailing in regard to ( project / reference number ) and its respective invoice sent on (date). As discussed, the project has now been completed and the invoice to the amount of (£ FEE ) is now overdue as per the agreed schedule of payment. There are a number of payments methods available as detailed in the attachment.

We look forward to hearing from you and receiving payment promptly,

Kind Regards,

(SIGNATURE)

2) E-mail not answered / Payment not received
At this point for us, payment is roughly 3 working weeks late and the client has been out of contact for approximately a fortnight. At this point eyebrows are raised. Lack of contact is an alarm bell in itself. This is where our tone in following contact needs to take on a certain level of seriousness. The first invoice at this point is followed by a phone call to enquire as per the status of payment and when it can be expected to be received. After this phone call, it is good practice to shoot the client an e-mail summarising your phone call and any agreements you may have come to, as well as re-issuing any amended invoice timescales etc. If unable to reach the client via telephone or they are uncooperative then an e-mail to the following extent is sent; as well as a letter to the same effect. Remember, your a business and as such you need to conduct yourself as one, being ‘nice’ at this point isn’t a requirement; being professional is:

Example:

Dear ************,

We are e-mailing in regard to ( project / reference number ) and its respective invoice sent on (date). As discussed, the project has now been completed and the invoice to the amount of (£ FEE ) is now considerably overdue as per the agreed schedule of payment within contract (ref number). The commissioned works were completed and delivered in full on the (DATE, 2009), and its payment has now been overdue by (TIME) days at the time of this emails composure. The bill of (£ FEE) was neither settled within ( TIMESCALE) as contracted and numerous attempts to contact you have been unsuccessful.

As per our normal practices, we must at this point (in accordance with our terms and conditions) request payment within (TIME SCALE) ( 7 days) of this contact. If payment is not received by (TIME, DATE) we will deem you in breach of contract and will take appropriate action. Detailed within our contract, we also feel it important to remind you that until payment is settled in full, all works are the full legal intellectual property of (COMPANY).

There are a number of payments methods available as detailed in the attachment. Please do not hesitate to get in touch via (CONTACT DETAILS).

We look forward to hearing from you and receiving payment promptly,

Kind Regards,

(SIGNATURE)

3) E-mail / Letter not answered / Payment not received

At this point you should revoke the use of any systems you have made available to the client if possible. (e.g a website). At this point you have several options. Our personal normal action after this is to simply to refer the matter to our solicitor. Solicitors will issue the following contact at a fee ( around £30.00 GBP ) per correspondence and keep us informed accordingly. Why get the law involved? Psychological warfare! Many people / small businesses will magically arise from the shadows and a ‘troublesome email server’ or an ‘office move’ when they receive a headed; formal; debt notification letter from a solicitor. One of these wonderful gems, contains diplomatically worded threat as to the consequences of further non-payment and absence of contact; it also establishes a deadline beyond which this threat will be acted upon. it is also advisable to discuss the matter in full with your solicitor, as in reality you do not want to word your letter threatening full civil action in regard to a bill of £1.00 GBP. Extreme example but you get the point. It often also states how the fee is likely to increase with interest / debt recovery fees should time pass by a further set time limit. You can also, simply send a similar letter yourself but we feel the fee is worthit. We also copy and type the letter as an e-mail to the same effect to the client.

4) Contact and Resolution / ‘Walking the walk’

At this point, fortunately for us in the two honest occasions this has happened, the client has paid in full with an e-mail summarising their ‘circumstances’ within days of receiving the solicitors lawyer. The key for us, was simply responding in a professional manner:

Example:

Dear ************,

Hope you are well. We are happy to confirm receipt of payment for (project / ref number) and its invoice (number / reference). Please find attached the statement of accounts and receipt of payment. (Relevant files / services will be re-instated/sent) to you within 24 hours. We wish you the best in your further endeavors and would hope you would not hesitate to contact us in the future for your design projects.

Kind Regards,

(SIGNATURE)

However, not everyone’s tale ends in a fairytale happily ever after. The client may offer to compromise, in which case you will have to decide, in consultation with your solicitor upon the terms of that compromise. Sometimes, settlement for an agreed fee is the most economical and beneficial resolution to the matter.

If after setting upon the following process, and going out of your way to accommodate your client, then you have to decide if you wish to pursue the matter and carry out your diplomatically worded threats….

How do you deal with non-paying clients?

Related Posts:

• January 4, 2010 -- Referrals – Freelancing Dreams (3)
• December 7, 2009 -- What Should You Include In A Design Project Proposal? (5)
• November 25, 2009 -- Factors To Consider When Pricing For A Project (6)
• November 11, 2009 -- 10 Ways To Score and Evaluate A Client (6)
• November 6, 2009 -- When Your Client Wants To Become The Designer (14)
• November 5, 2009 -- 11 Articles To Stop You Making Designer Mistakes (7)

It is inevitable and if it hasn’t happened to yourself yet, it is not far round the corner especially in the economic times were in. Quite often, a potential client will challenge you on your pricing. i.e your rate per hour, total price etc

The first time it happened to us, we were hit with this painful urge to almost apologise, back-track and revise our quote…. Don’t. Handling a pricing objection well will help present yourself as an experienced professional.

When pricing and developing a quote, it is self-defeating to believe that it will be too high. If a client challenges you, the trick is to act genuinely surprised but not to apologize or automatically decrease your fee. No other company would do this! The sad truth, is many people simply do not know what quality professional design services should cost them or their business and are often hit with a quote they never envisaged.

Firstly, respond to the client reassuringly and explain why you have costed the works as you have. (time involved, skills required, your expertise, general industry reasons as to why you are a design professional )

Secondly,; You should impart the feeling that with your experience, level of expertise – the client is getting value for money and that your pricing is actually very competitive.

Thirdly, those wonderful little marketing and mind game sentences that serve many so well. Sentences like:

‘If you hunt around, I am sure you will find it hard to find similar quality and level of work for cheaper’

By saying something like this, you put the ball back on their court and subtly ask them in a friendly way to think again. Cost – benefit analysis. Introduce the idea that low price is not as important as good work and high value.

‘My price may seem high, but you’ll find I am very easy to work with and highly dependable’

Emphasise the value of less physical benefits that you can offer and how they should factor into a client decision.

If all else fails, and the client will not budge or they simply cannot afford your quote. You then must make the decision whether to pass up work or set into motion the unfortunate:

‘Lets see what I can do to meet your budget’

This is a position we have all found ourselves in right from day one. Be attentive, be helpful. Let the client know that you are going to take some time to see what can be done for them. Respond by describing how you can maybe offer a less expensive option that still delivers near enough the same result if done correctly. ( 2 colour printing vs 4 colour printing / innovative brochure packaging etc ).

If the client, does not wish to have any change to their specification and you still wish to take the job on, emphasise that doing the job at the lower price than normal is a one-off exception and it is almost certainly not a trend for projects to come. Give a blanket reason for your kindness:

- Interested in your project / cause
- Filling up your portfolio with this type of work

Te key is never to appear that you are just desperate for work!

Reference: The Business Side of Creativity by Cameron S.Foote

Related Posts:

• December 7, 2009 -- What Should You Include In A Design Project Proposal? (5)
• December 2, 2009 -- Does a successful freelancer have to be a good sales person? (6)
• November 25, 2009 -- Factors To Consider When Pricing For A Project (6)
• November 9, 2009 -- How To Deal with Non-Paying Clients (29)
• November 6, 2009 -- When Your Client Wants To Become The Designer (14)
• April 6, 2009 -- When Meeting A Client as a freelance designer… (6)

“To choose art means to turn one’s back on the world, or at least on certain of its distractions.”  Melvin Maddocks

Designing with distractions.

Maybe this doesn’t only apply to freelance designers and illustrators. I think it’s probably a conundrum that faces people in every walk of life, particularly as they progress through student years. The topic of distractions vs. comfortable background noise. Bear in mind when I speak of Background noise to a designer, I’m not simply talking about some music playing as you work, I mean everything. Tunes, design-related visuals, even videos streaming in your browser, (only half–hidden by an active Photoshop window.) Basically the question that I want to pose is, when does it shift from having inspiring material fuelling your creativity, to just a distraction keeping you from your full productivity. Where do we draw the line?

The truth is that we can utilise this background noise for different reasons in different professions. One fact that I found interesting was that most surgeons now find it very difficult to operate without some form of background music, in fact I’ve heard it said by medical professionals I know, that these days a CD player is one of the most vital pieces of equipment in an OR as it prevents the surgeons from being tense, and jittery. And hearing this, got me thinking, I actually do find silence quite oppressive when I’m working, maybe it’s being a product of the iPod generation that background music or visuals go arm in arm with creativity.

With this in mind though, it’s difficult when you are working freelance, because so much of your productivity depends on you being self-disciplined enough to know where the line should be. Where in an office you can have the boundaries set for you, when you’re privileged enough to work from home, it can be harder to come up with black and white rules as to what distractions are acceptable. I want to leave this question open and appeal for comments on the issue, partly because I’d be interested to see where everyone else draws their lines…but mostly because it’s a question that’s hard to come down with any definitive answer, (particularly if like me, you’ve got a Youtube video playing in the background distracting you)

Related Posts:

• May 11, 2010 -- How to Avoid Over Working Yourself As A Freelancer (4)
• May 9, 2010 -- Designers – Maximising The Value Of Your Work (4)
• December 29, 2009 -- Freelancing From Home and Staying Productive (14)
• April 29, 2009 -- 7 Things To Consider When Starting As A Freelance Designer (4)
• October 6, 2008 -- How Do You Organise Yourself As A Freelance Designer? (9)
• August 31, 2008 -- A Good Work Environment (1)