How to work the 21 advice from seasoned web freelance
Work And Study / / December 25, 2019
Alexander Stepanov
Remote worker, manager of the design team "Kodelnoy".
Table of contents
- Where to work, if there is no office
- How to manage the time that does not follow the chief of you
- Where to search for orders
- For any bookings taken, but from what is better to give
- How to carry out orders that all were satisfied
- How to negotiate with the customer
Where to work, if there is no office
Separate work area at home
If you work from home, you just need to draw a distinction between the work area and the place where you sleep, eat and read comics. If you do not have a separate office, try to isolate the computer desk at least a screen or bookshelf.
Remember that during working hours you're not quite at home. You are in the office, even though it is located a few meters from your bed. And this feeling is necessary in every way to support, for example, to dress before sitting down at the table and not be distracted by household chores. Otherwise, you risk losing the line between work and home.
Change your work space
Alexander StepanovYou are a freelancer. You do not have the social package, cookies in the office and cheerful fellow at hand, but there is something else - freedom of movement. Which you can use: work from coworking cafés, libraries and anti-café with Wi-Fi.
If you need to meet with colleagues or clients, and you live in a residential area, then choose a coworking space in the city center. You will have time to do more, if every time you come back in coworking, rather than on the outskirts.
How to manage the time that does not follow the chief of you
Define mode of work
When you do not have to sit at the computer from 9 to 18 hours, this gives room to maneuver, but it does not mean that you have no control over themselves.
Decide what time you prefer to work. Try not to be late and not to linger. Head you, of course, did not report, but probably you punish yourself ripped off deadlines and sleepless nights at the computer.
It is important not only to determine the mode of operation, but also tell customers. Otherwise you can be trapped: they are expected to clock weekend availability or performance.
Alexander StepanovUsually people work during the day and rest at night. Therefore, the employer is likely to be convenient to communicate during the day - even if you are not busy working, in any case, should be available.
Use time management techniques
The goal of any art of time management is the same as that of the formidable chief behind him - do you maximum productivity during the working day, focus your attention on the problems and not let distracted.
Alexander StepanovTry to divide the working time into blocks. For example, in the morning and before dinner you are doing the same project, and after dinner - other. Do not try to do them in parallel: it does not speed up.
You should start, perhaps, with the most popular technology - Pomodoro, in which working time is divided into 25-minute segments. Between them - a five-minute breaks, during which it is recommended not even think about work. Every four segments - the big break for 15-20 minutes, which can be spent on a walk or hike in the charge store. At intervals you can experiment.
This method is not universal: it is suitable for those who must systematically carry out a certain amount of tasks for the day. If your work does not require constant concentration, or the majority of problems arise spontaneously and with a note as soon as possible, come up with a technique that will fit into your routine.
Where to search for orders
Get an account on the Stock Exchange of freelancing
Account with the current portfolio on the stock exchange of freelancing - the fact that as the default. At least at the start. Firstly, a lot of customers are looking for performers is on the exchanges. Secondly, the services to find remote work like FL.ru guarantee payment for the work performed by the most unprotected group of freelancers - beginners.
Listed
Be willing to do the work first fictional client
Let's be honest, the first search orders - no easy task. Most likely, the first customers will come with some small jobs, the result of which you would not want to include in the portfolio. But there is one trick.
Portfolio - is primarily a way to show off your skills, and only then the demonstration of real cases. Let your first customers will be Apple, Coca-Cola and Google. Potential customers can hardly reproach you of cheating, but for sure they see what you are capable.
Choose a variety of work for the portfolio
If you are infinitely good, for example, writing materials on abstract themes for business blogs, selling high quality writing texts and occasionally indulge in filling promostranits quote Portfolio everything. So you will be able to attract a variety of customers and show off specialist wider profile.
Get a business card site
Landing with a portfolio and contact information will show that you are serious about the work. In addition, a business card with a beautiful location is always nice to throw off a potential customer.
But there is a caveat: Page without a solid portfolio of quality work - something quite meaningless. Therefore, this advice is relevant, rather, for freelancers with experience.
Communicate with colleagues
Do not underestimate the word of mouth. If your name and services will be at the hearing, to look for anything you do not have to - proposals will be to pour themselves. But you need to attend professional events and conferences, perhaps the most read reports as well as be active on the Web: to monitor what is happening in their area, and to participate in discussions.
For any bookings taken, but from what is better to give
Take up the familiar and interesting
Of course, in the beginning of the road can not be choosers - photographers shoot weddings, copywriters create descriptions of provincial cafes, and web designers to typeset sites law firms. The ability to choose - one more reason to become a professional with a reputation.
Do not take the order, if you have doubts that you can handle. One week is not enough to write a good article about cryptocurrency if you they never asked. A month may not be enough to write a program in the language in which you've never been contacted.
Do not be afraid of small orders
Ideally, the priorities should be:
- Order fulfillment, designed for long-term relationship with the client. This is something that will always make money and may save you from having to search for customers in the future.
- Execution of large sums of orders.
- All the rest.
But sometimes it happens that the new attractive offers did not come, and with time comes suddenly liberated concern about the balance on the map. In such cases, you can and should take something smaller. In addition, and such customers in the future may become permanent.
How to carry out orders that all were satisfied
Do more than is expected of you
You do not just create a text to mark up the site or write code. Your goal - to solve the customer's problem. Learn how to identify it and do not be afraid overfulfill terms of reference, if you feel that it is appropriate. And if we show the work of the day before the deadline - generally excellent. It is highly probable that the customer will appreciate it and will turn to you again.
If all the lights, alert customers
There is nothing worse torn deadline. If you need to try to negotiate with the client to postpone the date of the work as soon as possible.
Use the Task Manager
It can be a book of problems such as kanban Trello for the distribution of projects on different boards or service with check-lists as TodoistIf you divide the task into steps. After all, your task-manager can be an ordinary notebook.
Alexander StepanovRecord everything. It is important to record not only the problem, but also an agreement, expectations, fears, client requests. Forget the details very easily.
Be in touch with the customer
It is better if between receiving and delivery of work TK customer will see the intermediate option. You can pre-negotiate with him the steps for approval. This will eliminate unnecessary edits and will come to a successful result with the least losses.
How to negotiate with the customer
take a prepayment
The obvious plus exchanges for freelancers - guaranteed payment upon execution of the order, even at very small experience. The sad experience shows that the interaction of even a regular customer can directly be unfair.
But whether to take full payment prior to performing the work - a question that is best answered by yourself. Perhaps you giperotvetstvenny performer who does not allow himself to relax and pass the perfect project in any circumstances. If not, then it is better not to risk it: receiving the payment may demotivate you.
Do not be afraid to ask for more money
For example, if you are faced with a complex order and feel that truly deserve decent pay. Salary increase - the stable practice for office workers, you are no worse.
Approves the detailed TOR
The phrase "do as here" referring to the reference - it is not TK. Negotiate with the customer all possible details. If the customer has difficulties with the preparation of technical specifications, do it yourself, and confirm before you start.
execute a contract
So you protect yourself from unscrupulous customers. It may be beneficial to the customer and, because he is, in fact, too, there is no guarantee that you will pass the work performed on TK and on time.
The required documents include the service contract or contract for services, the TOR and the act of acceptance. Ideally, if they will help to make a lawyer.
First you need to choose the type of contract.
- Work agreement suitable if the result materialized: a website design project, the text.
- Service agreement issued, when talking about some kind of intangible services, such as counseling.
Any agreement should include clauses on the rights and obligations of the parties, the timing of implementation and the cost of the work, as well as to provide all possible force majeure. The document also indicated the presence of TK and the act of acceptance. Do not forget to discuss with the customer the conditions of termination of the contract, and then point them in the document.
Terms of reference - a detailed description of what you should do. And the contract and ToR are signed by both parties. delivery-acceptance act is signed unilaterally (by you) and includes the conditions for the adoption of the work, such as the number of days on the imposition edits.
Do not be afraid of feedback negative
Better one dissatisfied customer is without a sense of taste than a badly done job that discourage you from normal customers.
Know when to end a relationship
The client may simply not yours and you are destined to be together. A common language is not found, the next changes are not accepted, you will less and less like your job, and the customer does not achieve the desired from you. It is not necessary to you, you probably just do not fit together. Learn to feel the moment of disorder and take unpleasant decisions. Sometimes you simply return the advance payment and move on to other tasks.
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