While the concept of the ideal client is different for every freelancer, there are many things we can research before speaking to the client.
More or less, all of us want to get the easiest and most effective way before and during work. Clients are one of the most important boxes we need to check beforehand. Unreasonable, too demanding, and tiring clients kill the project's motivation and success.
Today we are going to talk about how to make everything clear to set a clear engagement between parties - Client and Freelancer.
Let's start!
Things To Consider Before Talking to The Customer
1. Payment Method And Registration Date
In general, the payment methods of newbie customers in Upwork may not be approved. You can apply regardless of this situation. If you get a response and the process goes well, you can politely ask the customer to confirm the payment method first.
In this part, the more important issue than the payment method is that the customer has just logged into Upwork. So you don't have any information to see his character and approach to the work. Since the Upwork adventure of these employers has just started like you, misunderstandings and congestion in the process will be observed more intensely.
After all, they have not yet experienced receiving, paying, and closing the business. Therefore, they did not experience extra restlessness and stress, which is normal.
Not to lose motivation, I recommend you pass new customers like this in your first 4-5 jobs.
2. Average Evaluation Score
When looking at the evaluation, out of 5, you can think of 1 as bad and 5 as good. 4.5 is bad, and 5 is good. Do not work with less than 4 stars clients as much as possible. If you notice, Upwork has established a double-sided evaluation system. While the employer evaluates the Freelancer with their work, the Freelancer evaluates the company's communication, orientation, and approach to the project.
If the company's rating is less than 5, I recommend you look at the Freelancer's and the employer's comments on the low-scored job to make the assessment fair. Maybe it's not the employer's fault; they may just have come across a bad freelancer. After reading the low-rated reviews, there are a few key points I use when evaluating:
Who rated the low stared jobs? I usually think the side that rated 1 star aims to damage the opposing side ruthlessly. If one party rated 1 and the other 3 stars, I "assume" that the 1-star rater is unfair. Of course, I can't say for sure, but this approach has helped me a lot so far. · You can understand the progression of the event from the comments. · I'll check out Freelancer's previous works. This time, suppose the feedback they received in their previous jobs is less than 5 stars. In that case, I doubt the quality and evaluation ability of the Freelancer (again, assumption) and ignore the low score of the employer and apply.
3. Total Number of Recruitments And Frequency Of Recruitment
The number of recruitment depends on what kind of company you would like to work with. If you want to work with a corporate company that makes a lot of purchases, of course, you can choose companies that have made a lot of purchases and make more than one purchase every month. If your goal is to be more effective in a smaller company, this time, you can look at companies that make purchases every few months.
If you see a company that makes 1 or 2 purchases a year, please look at the previous jobs. If they are short-term jobs, they will probably want to go into all the business details with micro-management. If they work for a long time, you can be happy as if you found a quality account with few followers😂. You have come across a great opportunity; if your chemistry matches, the door to regular and comfortable income may be open.
4. Recruitment Rate
60% or more is fine. If it is 30% or less, it is possible to be an agency; if it is less than 10%, it is likely to be a freelancer test advertisement. In other words, they will make their advertisement for the advertisement they will apply for, and take the best of the applications and apply themselves.
5. Location
Our goal is to make good money without overworking. So prioritize jobs in the following countries where purchasing power and minimum wage are high. Of course, there will be exceptions, but an employer living in India and someone living in Germany will not have the same budgets. Minimum wages in developed countries are $1500/month. Why not earn several times this income according to your profession?
● Estonia
● France
● South Korea
● Austria
● New Zealand
● Finland
● the United Kingdom
● the United States
● the Netherlands
● Singapore
● Sweden
● Hong Kong
● Australia
● Norway
● Switzerland
● Japan
● Belgium
● Denmark
● Germany
● Canada
6. Average Hourly Wage
Remember, our aim is not to outsource but to provide consultancy. If we outsource, the job goes to the person with the lowest hourly wage. The purpose here is to maintain an existing job. In consultancy, you will be the one who values. So, it will come to second place in the order of price importance. Although it varies according to the industry, the hourly wage shows the company's approach to Upwork:
· If the average hourly wage is less than $10, the firm is either running cheap or is only getting jobs that require cheap labor.
· Even though I don't like below the $20 average, it is acceptable for some jobs.
· The $30 level is the limit that I accept at Upwork. Since companies generally use Upwork both for consultancy and outsourcing, you can do consultancy work with companies with these average wages at an hourly rate of $70.
7. Previous Works
We are looking for a company that will pay for our work. That's why, if the project's budget is unclear, you should look at the previous jobs where the Freelancer worked and see if they were paid fair. If the fees suit you, you can apply with peace of mind.
Things To Consider When Talking To Customers
Remember, you are not a slave. You don't have to do everything. The employer has money; you have the expertise. Until you make a contract, while the employer evaluates you, also you evaluate your employer.
If that does not appeal to you, I recommend you stop the process. Once the contract has begun, you are now interdependent and will be assessed on how you take the job and communicate with the customer.
1. Are They Low Ballers?
If the messages are constantly about the budget rather than the content of the job, I advise you to stay away. Budget-only employers are often no-decision-makers later on, and the scope of the work can vary within the business. Again, these people usually interfere and do not leave you a working area.
2. Is The Scope Clear?
The scope of work is very important. Especially in fixed-price jobs, the approaches like "let's start first and talk later" are signs of big problems that will happen in the future. First, the customer should know what they want, which should be mentioned in the contract. You should also submit that you will not go beyond this content and will satisfy your employer within the scope at the end of the job.
3. Are You Assuming?
When you say you can't do the job after the contract has started, you will likely get bad comments and have wasted the customer's time. Ask all the questions in your mind. If you need to be answered ten questions, ask them.
4. Do You Get on Well?
Even in the first few sentences, you can more or less figure out what kind of person they are. If you are suspicious of their personality and communication, don't continue. If you get on well, I suggest you continue to do the work. There is a high probability that you will have a problem in some part of the project. In such cases, working with a client you can agree with will provide a stress-free freelancing experience.
That's it.
You are ready to take your first step to getting to work. Make sure that the relationship and agreement are clear before saying yes so that you'll have the least problems if something goes wrong.
Keep reading the freelancer.guide to get more ideas and grow your business!
