Critical situations, what to do.

    In this note, I want to share my experience, give some tips, as well as hear your experience in the comments. The theme of the “meeting” is the critical situations of the performers, and how best to get out of them.

    Critical situations with performers are usually:

    a) failure to meet deadlines
    b) inability to fulfill an order

    I think that almost all freelancers faced such situations, for more than 3 years of experience in my freelance life, I also had such cases. And I got into such gags as a performer and as a customer.

    Failure to meet deadlines.
    Failure to meet deadlines can be for several reasons, such as an incorrect estimate of deadlines, laziness, a broken computer, and a “scam” of third parties (subcontractors).

    Most of the freelancers with whom I talked, as a rule in these situations, first fed breakfast, and then completely hide (do not pick up the phone, do not answer letters), or make excuses with the phrases “I got sick”, “I'm in the hospital”, “broke computer ”and so on. I will not hide a sin, I once, at the beginning of my freelance life, also resorted to such a scenario. But it immediately seemed to me a dead end and dishonest, in relation to the buyer of my services. Yes, and such games - firstly, they hit the reputation very hard, and secondly, your wallet will be empty.

    How to behave in such a situation?
    a) Always pick up the phone and not hide from the client, nor in any circumstances. Yes, perhaps the client will be unhappy, will affect your nerve endings, but you deserve it. And this must be understood.

    b) Do not feed breakfast, but say the real time for which you will complete the work, this will allow the client to build at least some plans. And do not forget that your customer may also be a contractor in front of third parties and he also needs to somehow answer to the customer.

    c) Punish yourself. If the client is very unhappy, then do not just make excuses and come up with excuses. And offer him the option to finish the work with a small discount and in new skroki (and try to keep within them). Firstly, it will stimulate you in the future not to bring to such a situation, secondly, you are likely to maintain normal relations with the client and in the future, he will turn to you again.

    Inability to complete an order.
    Here, as a rule, there are two options, either some circumstances (for example, a real illness) do not allow you to fulfill the order, or you could not start to fulfill the order (this doesn’t explain why, if you do not take laziness into account), there are cases that you it’s not like it can’t start doing this work (although you are sitting and gladly doing other orders), it’s just that the project is not going on, so to speak an allergy to this order. (I had a couple of such projects, out of more than a hundred completed).

    In these cases, freelancers (at least with whom I spoke), as a rule, begin to feed breakfasts again, and hide. Although they are well aware that they will never complete this project.

    What is the best way to do this?

    a) Hire a subcontractor. This is a very simple move, but why few people resort to it. Hire your friend, colleague, find another artist who will do the work for you. Yes, you will not earn money on this, but you have taken up the order - complete it by any means. Firstly, it will help to maintain relations with your customer, and secondly, you save a lot of nerve and save your reputation.

    b) If there’s still no one to hand over the work to, and you know that you definitely don’t complete the order. Then call the customer, tell him directly and return all the money that he paid you for this order. This will save you nerves, and your client will be able to transfer the order to other people and not waste time searching for contact with you and will not lose money, remember that the work that your customer entrusted you with is probably an important step in his business, without which he can't move on.

    PS It would seem that simple and obvious things were written, but for some reason many more, many freelancers, do not understand this and behave inappropriately. Stick to these simple ideas, and you will notice how your nerve cells begin to recover, and your wallet will only get fat ;-)

    PSS I will be glad to hear your experience in the comments.

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