What You Shouldn't Do In The Freelance Business

While the importance of knowing what to do correctly within one's home business is important, knowing what not to do can be just as valuable. There are many mistakes that freelance writers can make that will end up costing them large amount of money. This in turn is a result of bad decisions when running their business, whether big or small.

Keep a positive attitude
Most bad decision-making is a result of an attitude that tells someone they are not good at what they do. Perhaps you're been there before, you work hard on an article, essay, anything; you can't stop thinking about it. Then you step away from the assignment and come back to it, and begin thinking, it's not good enough. You think you will look ridiculous if you turn this in the way it is. This type of mindset will ruin a freelancer. By overcoming this mind in your head, you will be able to stay more focused and assure yourself that you will make every deadline. Confidence is key.

The importance of deadlines
Missing a deadline is a big business mistake as well. This is ultimately your business, people expect work on time, this is your only job for them. If you want to continuously receive work from various clients, you have to be on time. If you were to hire someone, if they repeatedly didn't fulfill their obligations, you wouldn't hire them again either. Remember that you are the professional in this situation. If there is a substantial reason why work cannot be finished on time, then so be it. However, if these reasons add up, you will likely lose business repeatedly. Make sure to be firm with your writing schedule and allot time for any emergencies that may arise so that your work will not be on time. Being responsible will get you EVERYWHERE in this business. By being an accountable writer, you will help your business to soar.

Tip#13 for effective communication with clients

3. Keep it Professional

While you are communicating with clients, whether it be face-to-face, telephone, or email, always stay professional. Clients are paying for your services and they will expect you to conduct your business in a professional manner, so avoid things that could cause them to see you differently. That’s not to say that you can’t get to know your clients on a more personal level, but remember that what you say and write can impact you designer/client relationship

Tip#11 and 12 for effective communication with clients

11. Make Your Communication Count

Because your clients are busy, most of them will not want to be constantly receiving emails or phone calls about the project. One of the lessons I’ve learned from my experience is to make the communication count. Try to put your questions together in one email rather than sending 4 different emails in one morning with one question each. Additionally, make an effort to be as clear as possible when you communicate so there is no need to go back and forth several times just to understand the issue at hand.
Because clients value their own time, they will appreciate if you maximize the time that you have in communication and if it requires them to respond to less emails or take less phone calls. This also goes back to the need for good organization and having a system to keep tabs on the communication. If you forget what a client told you, you can either go back through your records to find out yourself or you can contact them to ask again. Of course, it’s preferable to not have to go back to the client when it’s not necessary.

12. Put it in Writing

One of the reasons that email communication is effective is because it gives you and the client a record of what has been said. There may be times where it is necessary for customer service or for legal purposes to have a record of what was said, by whom, and when. Aside from email, other types of CRM tools can also help for record keeping.
For situations where you are talking to clients on the phone, it’s a good practice to type notes after you get off the phone to summarize what was discussed, and of course you will want to include the date and the names of the specific people that you spoke to. While you may not be able to prove that what is in your notes was actually discussed, it is still better than not having record at all, and it can be just as effective when you need to go back through the records for your own purposes. Another option is to send a summary of the conversation to your clients by email. This may be overkill for short calls just to discuss one point, but it could be helpful with longer, more detailed calls, and it could also help clients to have an account of the conversation for themselves.