3 Essentials the Client-Freelancer Relationship Needs to Succeed

Being able to maintain a good client relationship over the course of a project is necessary for success. While it’s often obvious whether a relationship is going well or badly, the intricacies of creating a good relationship can be harder to quantify. Although, not impossible.

For example, having clear communication channels, a pool of quality resources that meet the client’s needs, and a way to view the project as a whole collectively are all important factors. Getting these right could cement your working relationship, and win you more work in the future.

This post will look at three key aspects of the client-freelancer relationship you’ll need to have in place in order to make everyone happy. Let’s get started!

1. Clear Communication On Both Sides

Having multiple clear lines of communication is vital for both sides of the working relationship. We’ll get on to specifics shortly, but needless to say, the manner in which you converse is just as vital as the tools you use.

The benefits of this goes two ways. On your end, you’re able to get clarity on your questions about the project, and the instructions you receive. For the client, they’ll be able to ascertain your intentions without misunderstandings. This could also build an increased sense of trust. Overall, being open to communicating with clients stands to net you further work and income.

Keeping your requests and responses straightforward is key here, as is concision with your answers. Speaking your client’s language should be a primary concern, so altering your tone and complexity based on their understanding of the project is a good idea.

Finally, don’t be afraid to ask questions yourself – as many as you need to – and don’t feel as though you need all of the answers. A willingness to find a solution carries much more weight with clients.

2. Quality Resources the Client Finds Useful

It’s tempting to only think about the tools you’re using to deliver a project. After all, these types of technical details may not be something your client cares about. However, you should also think about introducing solutions that can make your client’s life easier.

We’re not talking about bringing something complex and developer-heavy to the table. Instead, you could help the client become more efficient with a few choice apps, sites, or other tools. This will show the client you care about their project long-term, and could also net you more work related to further training.

For example, they may appreciate a free way to optimize their images, or implement a better way of working within their team. In the latter’s case, apps such as Asana and Front are great for collaboration, and may not be on the client’s radar.

Of course, this element will depend on your client’s needs and project. However, you should keep your eyes out for potentially suitable solutions that can enhance the client’s long-term work, and make them more efficient. Taking into account their technical expertise is also important.

3. A Way to View Projects Collectively

Finally, there’s always plenty of back and forth when working on a project – especially if the client is new, and the relationship is still burgeoning. As such, having a quick and painless way to ‘check in’ on the current status of a project is important.

In short, the client should be able to get an update on how things stand at any point. Your concern should be to give them almost instant feedback, which lets you tweak and optimize the work you’ve done so far without delays.

This is one area you’ll want to be the most flexible when it comes to the client’s needs. After all, they’re paying for the project. This means taking a hit on your own requirements (usually a quiet working environment and an uninterrupted process!)

As for actual solutions, writers will value platforms with powerful sharing options such as Google Docs, while the aforementioned Asana is great for disparate teams needing both brief and ‘micro’ overviews. However, visual creatives such as web designers and photographers will likely want to introduce staging sites and proofing options respectively.

Conclusion

The day-to-day working relationship between you and your clients is arguably more important than any other aspect. As such, making your client correspondences successful should be a pressing concern.

This post has looked at three essentials the client-freelancer relationship needs to succeed. Let’s recap them quickly:

• Clear communication channels that both of you can utilize.
• Quality resources, not necessarily for your use, but for the client.
• A way to view and analyze the project as a collective, rather than you simply offering one-way feedback.

Do you have an essential aspect of the client-freelancer relationship we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments section below!