How Freelancers Can Help Clients Appreciate Their Services:

Are you a freelancer in digital marketing, web designing, content creation, writing, and any other industry or business owner who always finds it hard to break through to your clients with clean deals and inspiring closings without hustles?

We are all in this together, so you are not alone. That is why this blog post is for you to have clarity of it all. And for you not to lose heart in all your efforts in providing services through your talents, skills, and knowledge. And contribute to creating a better world where people can live, work and do business in a more creative, holistic, and humane way that is fulfilling in business. So, how can you do it? And how can that be done with no hiccups? This blog post will explore

The most common problems with clients.

 Bad Clients 

Why they can be bad 

 How you can help them

How you can help yourself

The most common problems with clients

The most common problem between freelancers or any service provider with their clients is a lack of clear communication that results in communication breakdown. That results in slowing down progress due to a lack of rapport in doing the projects without second-guessing each other’s needs and expectations in finishing the job. Here are the most cited problems by most freelancers and other service providers in the business landscape

1. Unsatisfied clients – These will ask for revision, changes, and reformats many times than agreed upon.

2. Complaining clients – These will grumble about everything and not be pleased with your work. And might even end up underrating your performance.

3. Holding payment clients – Instead of coming out clean with where you are lacking in delivering, they might choose not to pay you until they are satisfied and may even ask for refunds if paid for already after finishing and closure.

4. Time-wasting clients – They might show interest in your service and cart or ask for a proposal but never come back to you with some feedback.

5. Indecisive clients – They take time to decide whether they should consider you for the service or not due to a lack of a clear mind on their own needs and pain points.

These are the categories of clients I have experienced. And also, what most freelancers have witnessed in their own freelancing spaces in different industries, specifically in the creative and technical fields like digital marketing, graphic designing, freelance writing, and the construction industry. So, how best can you survive and remain an influencer in providing your services in your industry with no hustles or fear of your clients. Here is how, and before we come to the solution, we put all the above-defined clients as difficult clients. Meaning they are difficult to please and hardly appreciate the services provided, no matter how perfect.

Difficult Clients

 

                                   

As defined above, they can be said to be the kinds of clients who hardly appreciate and are never grateful for your services. Clients are not always appreciative of services provided to them in business. They believe where a monetary transaction happens, no thank you is expected as an expression of grace and gratitude towards the service provided. 

So, with many freelancers and even large, medium, and small-size businesses always crying about bad clients, I think this blog will demystify and change the mindset of this ‘difficult client and freelance service provider’ relationship. That would help enhance the new marketing efforts focusing on improving customer experience throughout the purchasing journey. That way promotes some mutuality between client and service provider in the freelancing industry.

 Marketing researchers now believe that customers need to be pampered to the cart, check out points, and close deals in contracts. That is understandable in a world where people are yearning for the human touch and attention to their pain points in life and business.

So, instead of clouding your freelancing efforts with the ‘difficult client’ mindset, I think you should adopt a more innovative and holistic approach by looking at facts and factors around what you are providing and how they perceived it in the business landscape. Here is how you can crack into it, rock it and roll on in the mystery.

Why Clients Can Be Bad.

                                         

The first crackdown is; Are they quite bad clients or just a label or stereotype where the monetary transaction is involved with freelancers? Maybe to make life easier for you, not to lose heart in business, is to start with educating yourself and understand how best you can break through this label of ‘bad clients’

· People hardly ever think about the purpose and value of the service. They always think first about the money they pay for the service. Which is human nature that is difficult to change to make people regard the value above cost so that they become more grateful to service providers. Chris Do explains this clearly when he roleplays negotiation situations and how to deal with clients when charging your services.

· Perhaps some haven’t realized what freelancing is in your industry and its power and value through your talent, skills, and services you are providing.

· Some perhaps have not yet grasped and appreciated the sense and value of freelancers as ununiformed, tee shirted, and jean–casual service providers

· And how they are like any uninformed, neck-in-tie employer in any field. Except for the fact that freelancers can even be more involved in seeing their client business succeed from what they bring in – creativity, passion, and drive. Money later and a secondary incentive.

· Most of them are not aware of why they need your services like a website or content on the website. They may lack exposure to the service or product you offer in the business industry.

· Some have no sense of its essence in life and business. And how you are trying to help them enjoy their business ventures with 24/7 organic marketing opportunity with zero budget except for a well-designed website, a logo with some powerful, well-crafted content for SEO optimization of their storefront that is the website.

· They do not understand and appreciate the sense and meaning of providing that service. And that it is not just basically to make money, but to provide a service that you are proud of and see your clients' business taking off, be it in salient results in numbers or other conversions like presence and influence in the world. And its impact before making money out of it.

·.Businesses do not just become known in the present-day digital economy. They need boosting through creative branding and robust marketing using freelancers from different creative industries.

How You Can Help them

                               

 The starting point is to make them understand the purpose and value of what you are offering. Must educate your target audience about your services and products. Clients can be unappreciative due to a lack of really not knowing why they should have a website. Why does it need to be maintained, updated, and have content and a well-designed logo, color palette, or brand identity? Be a source and resource and educate your clients before you agree on the assignments and projects, they want you to do or the services you are providing. Here is what to tell them about your services.

· It is affordable and of high value, like in Content Marketing, blogging is a long -term investment for it affords evergreen content that can always be updated and renewed.

· Listen to your client’s requirements carefully and cultivate some empathy and compassion for their needs and pains.

· Educate them about the value and benefits of your services and you would be happy to be of service to their needs and be a solution to their problem.

· Demonstrate how and what you have already done with other clients and how it has already boosted their business’s branding initiatives like in Content marketing.

· Explain all your processes and procedures of how you deal with your clients and how you handle projects agreed upon, like in my case, here on my How to work with me, I outlined everything for my clients to have clarity of how I get into the game with them.

· Enlighten your clients with all aspects of your services like in my case, I have always tried to make my prospects and followers grasp the importance of a website with a blog and how it can help in advertising and showcasing your skills.

· Communicate well with your clients, by asking as many questions as you can about the project in line with what you provide and encourage them also to ask you questions for clarity on expectations.

How you can help yourself

                                        

Empowering yourself with the knowledge and understanding of how you do things in your industry and niche will give you the power to deal with any unappreciative client you may encounter. So, never stop learning and be always on top of the trendy situations in your industry. For example, the marketing industry is fast evolving with automation and new tools and strategies. Have confidence in positioning yourself without wavering in what you provide and what you believe is of value to their business. That way, you are bound to gain trust and credibility in the industry. Be the master of your trade, and your clients will respect you. Here is how you can nail it and establish good long-lasting relationships with your clients.

· Make some effort to know your clients before accepting any project. Like in Web Content creation projects, I have created an information collection questionnaire instrument with the few clients I have dealt with, [Soon to be published] through the Holistic Literacy website.

· Be clear with the demands and expectations of every project you handle to avoid wasting time on revisions and redoes.

· Give each project you handle enough attention that it deserves to avoid rushing through and compromising your standard of delivery.

· Establish one specific person you communicate with for any project you get involved in to clarify all client expectations on the other end of the contract, especially in the third part of subcontracting projects.

· Make sure you understand the project scope and agree on requirements and deadlines with room for flexibility to avoid stress and burnout.

· Teach yourself to take control and tell your clients how to work with you and more power over your services and demonstrate your value and worthiness in the industry.

· Finally, deliver quality and be always on time or around time. One freelancer I have come to uphold her principles in freelancing is this here; she believes in finishing projects well before time.

Being a freelancer can be a challenge but doable. And can be interesting with great opportunities of working with clients who can help you grow and develop into an expert and authority in your niche and industry. The biggest takeaway from this blog post is to remain focused on what you believe is your job and help your clients by educating them by delivering the best you can and doing it on time and around time without compromising quality and your reputation. Hoping you find this inspiring and empowering as a freelancer in any creative industry. Specifically in digital marketing, graphic design, copywriting, and the construction industry, with freelancers boosting the creative economy.