Work on your people skills
We all work with different, and YES sometimes difficult, types of people and not all of those people are on the same wavelength as yourself. Some clients can be bossy, rude, unorganised or arrogant. Or a combination of all four plus more! Yes, it can be hard at times but goal number one is to treat your customers politely and respectfully. Always listen, be friendly, patient, don’t be patronising and try to respond in a timely manner.
Give advice
Be confident. Remember you are the expert at what you do. Clients trust and hire you so that you can make the best decision for a particular area that they don’t have experience in. So if you don’t think something will work, let them know in the politest way possible. This shows that you care about their brand/business and it will also save you from future complications if something goes wrong.
Work quickly
Don’t leave your clients waiting for you to complete work. If a client sends over a small job that will take me less than an hour to complete I’ll stop what I’m working on and just do it. That way it’s one less thing to worry about and I’m not holding up their project. If your delay causes your client to miss a deadline don’t expect repeat business from them.
Update regularly
Freelance web design can be a solitary profession so I try not to cut myself off completely. Regular contact (email or phone) will keep clients in the loop so they know exactly whats happening and what stage Im at with their project.
Theres nothing more frustrating than hiring someone to do a job and then not hear from them for weeks.
Keep in touch when a project is completed
Even when a website, or job, is finished dont cut ties with your client. Send emails or call to see how they are doing, the client will definitely value this and may recommend you to others. That can only be good for your business.
