Image copyright ThunderChild5, http://www.everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=2649467
How many mistakes have I made as a freelancer? So, so many... Hopefully, we'll get to cover them all eventually, but let me touch on one that could kill you before you even get started. Please, with any project you're considering, get a deposit before you start any work.
Do you think this is a little extreme? Think you might scare away prospective clients? Well, that's kind of the point. Let's think about what can happen if you don't take a deposit...
- Your "client" might be fishing for quotes or looking for free work. Let's say I wanted to have my car painted. You know, something really slick.. with blue flames. Something the chicks would love. Wouldn't it be cool to take it to a bunch of different paint shops and say, "I'm considering hiring you. What would you do to my car?" Then they'd actually paint the car before I pay them! Then, if I didn't like it, I'd go to the next shop and repeat the process. Of course, I fully intend to pay the people who paint the "winning" design, right?This is exactly what it is like when people ask you to create a mockup for them before a business relationship has been formed (e.g. before they pay you anything). Unfortunately, some people still think that is easy to create graphics and websites. Just because they don't know how to do it... it's easy for you, right?Hey, I don't know how to remove a brain tumor, but you're a brain surgeon! Easy, right?
- Your "client" may never pay you. I'm as trusting as the next guy... Wait... I take that back. Believe me, you only make this mistake once. Everybody says that they'll pay you when you finish your project, or when they start to make money, or when their child support check comes in, or when this darn lottery number finally pops up... Get your money up front. At least enough to make it worth the hours you put in. They want something from you. Remember that. Don't get drawn into the story about how they would really like to pay you. Everybody wants something cheap/free. Just visualize how angry you would be if this "client" never actually paid you. Wouldn't you feel better if you had a deposit?
- The project may be more difficult than you originally anticipated. Ok. Every once and awhile, you'll take a project that is way over your head. I mean way... It looks good on the front end; and let's admit that the money was pretty good. But then something snaps. The project scope does this weird roller coaster thing. The client grows three heads and starts screaming at you on the phone. You get an ulcer and can't eat anything but beets and peach-flavored yogurt.You dread waking up every morning. You want your life to end. With a sword. Samurai-style.But look! You have the client's deposit check sitting right there! A way to freedom! The clouds part and a majestic choir of angels trumpet!Sometimes you just have to throw up your hands and walk away from a project. You're a freelancer. You're not a therapist or a miracle worker. Having a client's deposit check to return is a wonderful, wonderful way out of a bad project. You'll thank me. Wait... you didn't spend that check already, did you? Oh, man. You're screwed. Here's my sword...
- Your client may not be serious about the project. Entrepreneurs like to think big. That's their job. That's why we love them. But sometimes people like the idea of working for themselves more than the reality. When you ask them to put some money down on a project, some people get cold feet. Some are much more comfortable committing you to something than commit themselves to something.Taking a deposit is a vital first step to separate the serious from the fanciful. You'll see that clients who balk at paying a deposit were not that committed to their idea, and not people you wanted to work with. What's more, the higher your deposit, the higher quality your prospects. The same holds true of your hourly rate, but that's a subject for another blog post.
I hope you take some of these ideas to heart, fellow freelancer. And for now... courage!
06 Oct 09
3:38 pm