In this issue of Ask FreelanceSwitch, we look at firing clients and providing hosting. Ask FreelanceSwitch is a regular column here that allows us to help beginners get a grip on freelancing. If you have a question about freelancing that you want answered, send an email to askfreelanceswitch@gmail.com.

Question 1

How do you deal with clients who refuse to accept that you’ve decided to end the relationship? We have a client that we formally terminated contracts with for a number of reasons, but this client refuses to accept that we are no longer interested. He has been very passive-aggressive, making very subtle, veiled threats, and then saying he needs us because we do such wonderful work.

We initially responded to his e-mails politely and firmly, but ignored his last two e-mails. We’re wondering if we should respond at all anymore. It’s a bit challenging, because this client and our company are in the same community, so we have the same circles of contacts and friends. We will certainly run into this client time after time and certainly don’t want to burn bridges.

We are concerned, however, about this client’s persistence and instability. How do we get it through his head that we will never work with him again even if he were the last person on the planet, without involving legal resources or having him wreak havoc?

Unfortunately, you’re already doing pretty much everything you can in this situation. Because you’ve already addressed his emails and formally terminated your contract, it’s acceptable to simply stop replying to his emails. You may also want to prepare a standard response, in case one of your shared contacts asks you about the situation, something along the lines of ‘it just didn’t work out.’ You may also need to prepare yourself for the fact that you’ll probably encounter this person at events in the future.

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Credit: elenathewise on Photodune

More than once, I’ve made the mistake of diving head first into a project, full of enthusiasm and brimming with ideas. After a quick consult with what seems to be an agreeable and understanding client, I’m already half a dozen logo concepts down in Illustrator and adjusting kerning and leading in InDesign to suit the brilliant brochure design that has materialized at the front of my mind. All seems well in my creative world.

I’ve found out the hard way, that sometimes the creative process does not always go to plan. Unplanned adjustments, small client misunderstandings, added extras slid in here and there, long response times and unworkable files and information create a huge, foreboding cloud in what was just a week ago a sunny sky.

I’ve created a three-step checklist to prepare myself for projects, which I hope will be of use to my fellow creative who make a habit of diving into the deep end.

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Credit: Yuri Arcurs on Photodune

I’ve exchanged business cards with plenty of freelancers. There’s one thing that strikes me over and over again, though: a freelancer may have an incredibly well designed business card that lists a link to some random portfolio site that the freelancer in question has set up a profile on.

It’s an easy way to get a website up: fill out a short form, upload a couple of images and you’re ready to go. But listing such portfolio sites on your business card, or as the main point of contact for seeing your work, can be dangerous to your freelancing career. Instead, it’s important to purchase your own domain name and use that.

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Credit: Bohman on Flickr

Sometimes, there’s just nothing you can do when a client disappears. Things can be great for a long time, but then they don’t call you for work. You’re sure they’ve found someone else to complete the projects you used to get, when–poof! The client is back.

That’s cause enough to toss some confetti, because freelancers are often left out of the loop when it comes to working with companies. So if you seem to be cut off from communication or told that nothing new has come up for you to work on, take heart–that client you thought was gone could make a comeback.

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Photo credit: baileyraeweaver/Flickr

Last month’s post, Are You Dating Your Client?, covered the stages of commitment from flirting to marriage. But the road to long-term freelance bliss is paved with clients who aren’t quite right, because, to paraphrase Greg Behrendt and his famous dating book, “they’re just not that into you.”

Maybe their boss is on their back about cutting costs. Or perhaps they’re not really sure what they need. Either way, it’s not you, it’s them. And if you don’t carefully manage him or break up with Mr. Wrong, then there’s a real possibility that you’ll end up with a broken heart. Or at least, shattered confidence and the sick feeling that you’ve just wasted your time.

Here’s our field guide to identifying and coping with these types of clients: Continue Reading

Working with clients is a tough job but someone has to do it, and most of the time it’s us! While the concept of giving your clients exactly what they ask for seems a daunting task, I’ve come to accept that there are certain invaluable truths which freelancers need to underpin. It’s an unfortunate fact of nature that we will all suffer at the wrath of a bad client at some stage, but using the following five essential rules, you can build a client relationship that makes the most of your abilities. Continue Reading

The other day I realized that the relationships that I have been developing with my clients are similar to what I remember of the dating world.  Of course, it’s been over 20 years since I was allowed to date anyone other than my wife, but from what I can recall, the similarities are there.  Curse her and her “no dating” rule!

What kind of relationship are you in with your clients?

Flirting – You’re interested in each other, but haven’t made a commitment to do anything yet.  Perhaps they are currently committed to another, but that relationship is struggling and you have an opportunity to provide this client with something fresh.  You are regularly searching for a reason to call them, to get their attention, in hopes of creating that first date project.

Dating – You’ve been working with a new client and you are still trying to impress them at every opportunity.  You aren’t exclusive yet, but you both like the work that has been produced and don’t see any reason to stray.  You are looking forward to their calls, and they readily answer yours.

Married – You know what your client likes and dislikes, and you know how to ask in order to meet your creative or budgetary needs.  You are mutually exclusive – you don’t do any work for their competitors, and they only use you for projects within your skill set.  You might have had a few fights, but the relationship is strong, and you are fiercely protective of their business.  You are seeing your creative projects grow over time, and the affect they are having on the business is positive.

Some relationships aren’t going to progress to the next stage unless you both take the time to develop them, and just like in the dating world, you may not want a long term commitment with each client you encounter.  Mutual attraction, mutual benefit, and mutual satisfacton should result in a strong union.

Whichever stage you’re at, remember that flowers and chocolates don’t make up for big mistakes, but can be helpful to show them that you appreciate them, and never give them the chance to be bored with your performance.

What kind of relationships work best for you; the security of a long term commitment, or the excitement that comes with a new tryst? Continue Reading

Ever had someone find out that you’re a freelancer and say, “Can I just pick your brain?” If you agree, that person will probably ask you a whole stack of questions about how you work and how you would complete certain projects. More often than not, it’s someone who probably could use your services, although if he gets answers to all of his questions, you may never seem him again. If you’re lucky, the brain-picker in question may by you a cup of coffee in the process, but it’s not exactly easy to walk away from these situations with a new client. People who “just want to pick your brain” want to be able to replicate what you do, preferably without paying for the privilege.

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I recently had a project that did not end well. In a nutshell, the client refused to work with me to revise his copy and simply insisted he didn’t like it. He didn’t even give me the chance to improve upon it. Without his effort, I was left to retort to the middleman who brought us together. Even though that relationship blossomed because we both realized this particular client wasn’t our ideal type, I was still left with a bad taste in my mouth regarding the sour client.

Sometimes, you work with people that refuse to work with you. They give you little direction and expect miracles. And even when you flex your customer service muscle and offer to help, there’s no getting through to this type of person. Or you may have worked with a client that treated you poorly.

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A lot of your success as a freelancer will depend on your persistence.

It takes many forms – your persistence in learning and improving your skills, the persistence that’s involved in bringing a long, difficult project to completion, and the topic of this article, persistence in keeping in touch with the people who may do business with you.

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One of my favorite shows on television is called “Flipping Out,” and it’s about a California house flipper with obsessive-compulsive disorder named Jeff. He drives everyone nuts and is, let’s just say, extremely detail oriented.

In one of the episodes, his assistant talks about dealing with Jeff’s ups and downs. She says that sometimes you “take it.” Meaning, in any job there will be things you don’t like—and sometimes you have to just accept it. Sometimes, you take it. Not all the time, but sometimes.

I think about that saying a lot, because I see a lot of freelancers that don’t “take it” or take, well, anything. While there’s nothing wrong with ditching a client you don’t like, some freelancers bail the second they are told what to do or feel uncomfortable. That’s not such a bad thing if you really are not feeling it, but if you get into that mode, you’ll never develop client relationships.

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With the economy being the way it is, the bad freelancing opportunities are coming out of the woodwork. Here are three to watch out for:

1. Continuing to work for the same company, but as an independent contractor. Last year, this happened to employees at advertising and PR agency here in Tucson. Our local newspaper headline said, “Most Unnamed Inc. employees losing benefits.”  (Unnamed Inc. is not the real name of this agency.)

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