No freelancer can effectively earn a living without the trust of their clients. As such, it’s hardly surprising that trustworthiness is among the foremost qualities many people look for when hiring freelancers. So, the next time you’re looking to turn a first-time patron into a regular client, you’d do well to illustrate just how worthy of their trust you truly are. Fortunately, building trust doesn’t have to be a test of endurance. As you’ll find, a willingness to be forthright with people and consistently put your best foot forward can go a long way in earning the trust of your clients.
Avoid Overpromising
Overpromising is one of the worst things you can do for your professional reputation. Making overly-ambitious promises to prospective clients may seem like a good idea at the outset, but when you fail to deliver on said promises, the consequences can be far-reaching. While overpromising may prompt some first-time clients to take a chance on you, they’re unlikely to seek out your services again upon realizing that you vastly overstated your abilities. Furthermore, if you make a habit of overpromising, you’re likely to burn a large number of professional bridges.
You can avoid the consequences of overpromising by being upfront about your skills and relevant experience at the outset of every new client interaction. This may not get you every job you apply for, but people who value honesty and forthrightness are sure to appreciate your candor.
Treat Deadlines with Great Importance
When evaluating a freelancer’s performance, many clients will place tremendous focus on their ability to meet deadlines. Deadlines are a vital part of virtually every profession – and freelancing is far from an exception. After all, if you’re unable to complete work by agreed-upon dates, clients have no reason to give you their repeat business.
To help ensure that you never miss a deadline, avoid agreeing to deadlines you know you can’t realistically meet. In some cases, the client may not realize that their proposed deadline simply isn’t feasible, and informing them of this may make them amenable to a more workable due date. As is the case with overpromising, agreeing to an impossible deadline may strike you as a savvy move when trying to win over a new client, but in the long run, this stands to cause you an immense amount of stress and hurt your professional reputation.
None of this is to say that requesting a deadline extension is unacceptable under any circumstances. For instance, if a client decides to shift gears and add a sizable amount of work to a project you’ve already begun, you have every right to request that the due date be altered to reflect these changes.
Stay on the Same Page
Consistent communication is vitally important for maintaining good client relationships. In order to ensure that work is completed according to a client’s exact specifications, make a point of touching base with them throughout every phase of a project. This will help you remain on the same page and effectively curb miscommunications. The absolute last thing you want is to reach the end of a big project, only to discover that all your hard work is not at all reflective of what the client envisioned. Furthermore, freelancers looking for convenient ways to get in touch with multiple clients at once would do well to consider an online SMS messaging service.
Revise Your Work as Needed
Not all freelancers are keen on the idea of revising their work, especially after projects have been submitted in full. However, provided the proposed alterations are reasonable, it’s generally a good idea to simply comply with requests for revisions. Saying no practically guarantees that you won’t be asked to work for the client again and may even result in them refusing to pay you for work that’s already been completed.
Trust is important in any professional relationship – and this is doubly true in the case of freelancers. If your livelihood is dependent upon repeat business, showing clients that you’re trustworthy should be among your top priorities. Luckily, a little bit of honesty can go a long way in this endeavor. Consistently displaying an aptitude for hard work, dependability and professionalism can help you earn the trust of even the most discerning clients.