In the freelance world, clients take a lot of caution when hiring a freelancer. They will scrutinize their profiles, take them through rigorous interviews and basically leave no stone unturned to ensure that they are hiring the right freelance worker. They want a freelancer who will deliver their projects on time, a freelancer who won’t run away with their money and one who will deliver way above their expectations.
The same cannot be said of freelance workers. A lot of freelancers simply jump into projects without scrutinizing their clients. Yet, the cyberspace is full of scary stories of ‘clients from hell’: clients who expect you to give them the world for a pittance, clients who have unrealistic deadlines and expectations, clients who have dumb idea, and clients who skip the bill… The list can go on and on.
What Makes a Good Elance Client?
As a freelancer, it is important that you are able to distinguish between those pestering client and the clients who are worth your time. Here are a few factors that you should consider:
- The work description
This is the first indicator of whether a client is worth your time or not. The prime clients have their project specifications well spelled out and detailed. They will include the scope of the project, the budget and the deadlines. On the other hand, most shady clients have the most ambiguous project description.
- Realistic
Some clients simply have unrealistic expectations. I encountered such when I was starting my freelance writing career and wouldn’t want to come across one again. Clients with unrealistic expectations will expect you to churn out massive number of words on a daily basis, and usually on a flimsy budget. If you come across such a client, there is only one advice for you, run!
Clients who think you are a content mill will eventually kill your writing career and deny you the freedom that you had anticipated when you started life as a freelancer.
- The budget
Do you want to know how much a client values your input into their business? Take a look at their past budgets and the budget they are proposing to you. A poor paying client does not value your services. He views you as an unnecessary expense to his income.
With such a client, it is not so uncommon for squabbles arising from reluctance to pay to arise. Do yourself a favor and work with only the clients who are ready to offer you fair compensation for your services.
Your Role in Finding a Perfect Elance Client
While the above three points should direct you towards finding a better client, remember that a greater deal of who you work with is determined by the principals you have set for your budget.
Before you start bidding for jobs in Elance, ensure that you have set solid standards like acceptable deadlines for completing projects, the maximum and minimum size of projects you can handle, your pay rate and the length of the relationship you are willing to establish with your clients.
Patrick Mahinge
I am glad that you're here. My name is Patrick Mahinge, and I am serial webpreneur. Don't leave without subscribing for my newsletter.
