If you belong to the group of internet marketers that work with clients rather than marketing your goods, then there is another challenge that you will always face: managing your clients.
Having a client and having a boss is very similar in many ways. Just like working for a boss, there are commitments and requirements that you must strictly follow and not forget the timescale too. Also, a client doesn’t have a binding contract with you which means he can decide at any time to stop using your services, and that’s it!
This puts you in a very awkward situation where you have to maintain all your clients, just in case one decides to stop working with you. This also means that you have to be always available when they need you. And trust me, there will be times when they will give you so much work that you can’t refuse, and you will end up feeling drained trying to finish it all.
The question is how you tackle this. You will also face the ‘difficult’ client challenge. There are times you will meet with clients that will require so much from you, and you will also meet clients that are never satisfied with your work.
Sometimes they will be annoying and rude to you! This can very stressful and tiring, and you just have to find a way to solve this issue.
Dealing With Difficult Clients and Making Your Work Life Easier
To make life easier for yourself, you will first need to find a way to deal with these difficult clients. The solution to this is to find the courage and willpower to turn down work. This can be tough to do if you are always the anxious type. But it’s also very crucial if you don’t end up breaking down yourself.
So, what types of clients do you reject?
The first one is the type of client that you can never please. If you are always having an issue with your work, if they keep returning your work to make changes after you’ve done your best, if they are always being rude and giving you unrealistic expectations, then it’s better to let them go.
It is important to drop these clients because you will realize you spend more time on getting less done. Instead, work more for customers who appreciate your work, concentrate on customers who make things simple for you, clients that are straightforward with their expectations.
This will have an effect on your mental state too. When you turn down annoying and rude customers, you remind yourself that you are your boss. There is a mutual understanding between you and your clients. You are working for them because they need your skills and resources. If you don’t like the way the job is going or it is becoming too big for you, just politely say ‘no thank you.’ No hard feelings!
Always be courteous and polite. It does not matter how annoying and rude the client is, it is high unprofessional to be rude back, and it can work against you in the future.
The second type of client you need to do away from is the kind that only wants small orders but will take a lot of your precious time to communicate with you. I have a strict rule that any client that asks for a Skype meeting is not ready for serious business.
I always believe in keeping the communication as low as important and productivity up. This is how you know a good partner. You can search for real clients that will make life simple for you and give you a good working lifestyle.
How To Earn More With Minimal Work
Another reason to stay away from enveloping yourself in an insurmountable load of projects is that it enables you to take on new projects that pay well. If you are currently working at a fixed price and there is room for you to accomplish more, you can place ads without any element of desperation. That helps you up to your charging fee and not getting any feedback isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
With the new clients paying more than existing clients, it is important to have the former clients understand that you are operating with a higher fee now which you table before them. It can be a tad bit scary but sensible. By increasing your rates, you can earn more while working less.
Negotiating is key even if you have a few numbers of jobs currently. Worst case scenario? You get declined, which leaves right where you are currently. One important tip to helping you to be more confident when proposing this is offering an increase in your service for a higher amount. Don’t be money-oriented, always enlighten your client on how your service improves with a higher fee charged.
Setting Achievable Targets/Goals
Realistic expectations are important to avoid being overrun with work. This means you shouldn’t overreach with your promises that you cannot guarantee. Same goes for completion of tasks that might be more than you accomplish within the stipulated duration.
A benefit of this enterprise is the ability to sell a lot of packages with a variety of products and services involved.
There is no need to write a huge amount of words or create thousands of links when you can quickly change the brand to reflect your ideal job type and your personal preference.
The final tip is getting clients that can provide more work than you can handle, so you do not find yourself in a situation where you are without clients. Get customers who offer a level of flexibility compared to your schedule.
Last but not least, have a list of your old clients so that you can have the upper hand when bidding as you already have a relationship with them. If you have some free time on your hands, you can always hit them up about your discounted packages.
Automation
Say you finally get more work than you can keep up with? Automation or outsourcing is the way to go. This means giving the work to another individual at a lesser price than the original amount you asked for the client.
This method involves building a team of freelancers which enables you to have spare time to engage in other activities giving you the satisfaction of being the top dog. Tools can be essential enablers in hashing out projects.