December 7, 2007 at 17:5610 unconditional "No!" for freelancer
- Transfer
I first started freelancing while still a student, then I really wanted to create websites and would answer “Yes” to absolutely any offer, regardless of the level of my abilities and the time required. I just liked to know that someone needs me to complete a task that requires experience and certain skills. Unfortunately, it turned out very quickly that I was at work all the time, eating semi-finished products and always have no time to pay off university debts. The situation got even worse because my customers passed my contact details to their friends (for example, a lady who wanted to sell dog sweaters on-line, but had a budget of $ 100 for e-commerce; and this is all for creating site, 1000 brochures, guaranteed result No. 1 on Google for requests “dog”, “sweater” and “love”).
In any case, now, after 4 years, my worldview (and my financial success) testify in favor of a more frequent use of the answer “No”. Below are ten questions that I now almost always answer “No”:
1) - Could you prepare a sketch so that we can choose a designer / developer? - Not.
Once, when I was still young and naive, I was seduced by this. As a result, I made no money at all and wasted a lot of time. Never do unpaid work in the hope that in the future you can earn money - it never happens in life, so why did you decide what will happen with web design? In the best case (which is extremely rare), the scenario will be like this - you will get a job from a customer who knows that if necessary you will work for free. If the events develop according to the worst-case scenario, then the customer simply will not pay you, but will use your work, knowing that from a legal point of view you can do nothing about it. It is most likely that you will simply waste time in vain.
2) - Can you give us a discount? - Not.
There are a great many companies that believe that web design services do not cost more than $ 20 per hour ( translator's note: this is for “them”) You should not have such clients. Immediately after university, I rated receiving the order so high that I could take on an exorbitant amount of work if I were paid for it. Believe me, it’s not worth it, under any circumstances. Of course, you can do a favor to this company, but remember that by doing so you will harm your own future and the future of your family. Today, I immediately inform the customer of my prices per hour of work, which scares off many potential customers. Here is a simple arithmetic - if, when the cost of your work doubles, half of the customers are eliminated, then you continue to earn the same amount, spending half that time on it. If you do the job well, take the appropriate fee for this - there will always be companies willing to pay you twice as much as their competitors.
3) - Could you register and host my site on the server? - Not.
Does this sound like a good idea to you, another simple side job? Maybe ... if, first of all, you manage to get paid for it, and also, if you consider $ 10 per month as fair payment for endless phone calls that will disturb you at any time of the day or night. As you can see, if a client once decided that you are responsible for the functioning of his email and website, he will call you every time there is a slightest problem with his e-mail or when the website displays “404 Page Not Found” . It seems unbelievable, but I personally know one freelancer whom the client called, even to consult about his mobile phone! And all because my friend posted his site on the server. Don't take it ... it's not worth it. Give the customer the address of the company,
4) - Could you copy this site? - Not.
Here you might think that I answer “No” because of my strict moral principles, and although this is to some extent true, there are other equally important reasons. Firstly, if a client copies a site, then his own morality is rather doubtful, which means that your chances of getting paid for work on time and on a full scale are reduced. Secondly, doing this kind of work turns you into a monkey. In principle, sometimes you have to take such orders to pay bills, but why deliberately seek them? Thirdly, if you make a copy, then the only benefit you can get is payment. You cannot use this work as a portfolio or sample of your work, and moreover in the future you are unlikely to want to receive orders from such a client.
5) - Can I pay for the creation of a commercial site with income from its sales? - Not.
I do not like to be a pessimist, but when they ask me such a question, I want to directly tell the client that he most likely will not be able to make money on his site. So, it’s the same as asking me to make him a website for free. Yes, I know that there are exceptions, so sometimes I still ask the client in detail about his views on the business, about the marketing company, about revenue planning, and 99% of the clients think little about these issues. More often than not, the client simply decides that selling t-shirts will be something fundamentally new to the Internet and does not plan anything at all. In such cases, I usually start talking about the fact that I need to support myself and my family, and I will not be able to do this if my income is not guaranteed. I suggest the customer use Yahoo! Shopping or CafePress,
6) - I have a great idea. Would you like…? - Not.
In fact, it doesn’t differ much from point 5, but if you buy into such an offer, it can lead to an even more useless waste of time. I don’t want to be imposed, but still I repeat: if a person only expresses an idea and does not invest in the development of a potential business, does not plan it, then any work that you will do is nothing more than charity (of course, if you like it then please). But to be honest, I would rather be generous to my family, friends and help them for free, than relying on cooperation with an unknown person. Believe me, if someone really has a good idea, he will take you a share and pay for the work.
7) - Do you have ICQ (MSN, Skype, etc.)? - Not.
I can give my ICQ number if it is a person whom I can trust, with whom I work on a long and laborious project. But in most cases, I tell clients that I basically do not use it. The reason is obvious - every person has a personal life, and work is beyond its limits. Many customers see you as an employee on demand, that’s bad. Indeed, to avoid this, you left the office ...
8) - Can I pay for the work upon its completion? - Not.
I demand 50% prepayment (with a very large amount of work, prepayment can be reduced to 33%). This is necessary for me, as a guarantee that the client will pay for this project, and that I can plan how I will use my income: what accounts I will pay, what I will eat, etc. Customers who are eager to pay for work upon its completion are more likely to back off after you have shoveled tons of work.
9) - Is it possible to do this tonight or this weekend? - Not.
If you once help out a client in difficulty, he will expect the same from you in the future. Then think about it: it may be worth doing at night in excess of the promised amount of work (as I do all the time), instead of giving out promises that you will do extra work after hours - at night, on the weekend or during the holidays. I know many freelancers who, in addition to working hours, set a separate price for their hours of night work, and this is probably a good way out. After all, do you freelance to be free? Is not it?
10) - Can I be sure that you will not use this work anywhere else? - Not.
This is a very delicate topic, as many customers misunderstand such an answer (intellectual property is a rather insidious question in any case). In my Terms and Conditions, which I require to sign all new customers, I guarantee that they are aware of 3 things:
In any case, now, after 4 years, my worldview (and my financial success) testify in favor of a more frequent use of the answer “No”. Below are ten questions that I now almost always answer “No”:
1) - Could you prepare a sketch so that we can choose a designer / developer? - Not.
Once, when I was still young and naive, I was seduced by this. As a result, I made no money at all and wasted a lot of time. Never do unpaid work in the hope that in the future you can earn money - it never happens in life, so why did you decide what will happen with web design? In the best case (which is extremely rare), the scenario will be like this - you will get a job from a customer who knows that if necessary you will work for free. If the events develop according to the worst-case scenario, then the customer simply will not pay you, but will use your work, knowing that from a legal point of view you can do nothing about it. It is most likely that you will simply waste time in vain.
2) - Can you give us a discount? - Not.
There are a great many companies that believe that web design services do not cost more than $ 20 per hour ( translator's note: this is for “them”) You should not have such clients. Immediately after university, I rated receiving the order so high that I could take on an exorbitant amount of work if I were paid for it. Believe me, it’s not worth it, under any circumstances. Of course, you can do a favor to this company, but remember that by doing so you will harm your own future and the future of your family. Today, I immediately inform the customer of my prices per hour of work, which scares off many potential customers. Here is a simple arithmetic - if, when the cost of your work doubles, half of the customers are eliminated, then you continue to earn the same amount, spending half that time on it. If you do the job well, take the appropriate fee for this - there will always be companies willing to pay you twice as much as their competitors.
3) - Could you register and host my site on the server? - Not.
Does this sound like a good idea to you, another simple side job? Maybe ... if, first of all, you manage to get paid for it, and also, if you consider $ 10 per month as fair payment for endless phone calls that will disturb you at any time of the day or night. As you can see, if a client once decided that you are responsible for the functioning of his email and website, he will call you every time there is a slightest problem with his e-mail or when the website displays “404 Page Not Found” . It seems unbelievable, but I personally know one freelancer whom the client called, even to consult about his mobile phone! And all because my friend posted his site on the server. Don't take it ... it's not worth it. Give the customer the address of the company,
4) - Could you copy this site? - Not.
Here you might think that I answer “No” because of my strict moral principles, and although this is to some extent true, there are other equally important reasons. Firstly, if a client copies a site, then his own morality is rather doubtful, which means that your chances of getting paid for work on time and on a full scale are reduced. Secondly, doing this kind of work turns you into a monkey. In principle, sometimes you have to take such orders to pay bills, but why deliberately seek them? Thirdly, if you make a copy, then the only benefit you can get is payment. You cannot use this work as a portfolio or sample of your work, and moreover in the future you are unlikely to want to receive orders from such a client.
5) - Can I pay for the creation of a commercial site with income from its sales? - Not.
I do not like to be a pessimist, but when they ask me such a question, I want to directly tell the client that he most likely will not be able to make money on his site. So, it’s the same as asking me to make him a website for free. Yes, I know that there are exceptions, so sometimes I still ask the client in detail about his views on the business, about the marketing company, about revenue planning, and 99% of the clients think little about these issues. More often than not, the client simply decides that selling t-shirts will be something fundamentally new to the Internet and does not plan anything at all. In such cases, I usually start talking about the fact that I need to support myself and my family, and I will not be able to do this if my income is not guaranteed. I suggest the customer use Yahoo! Shopping or CafePress,
6) - I have a great idea. Would you like…? - Not.
In fact, it doesn’t differ much from point 5, but if you buy into such an offer, it can lead to an even more useless waste of time. I don’t want to be imposed, but still I repeat: if a person only expresses an idea and does not invest in the development of a potential business, does not plan it, then any work that you will do is nothing more than charity (of course, if you like it then please). But to be honest, I would rather be generous to my family, friends and help them for free, than relying on cooperation with an unknown person. Believe me, if someone really has a good idea, he will take you a share and pay for the work.
7) - Do you have ICQ (MSN, Skype, etc.)? - Not.
I can give my ICQ number if it is a person whom I can trust, with whom I work on a long and laborious project. But in most cases, I tell clients that I basically do not use it. The reason is obvious - every person has a personal life, and work is beyond its limits. Many customers see you as an employee on demand, that’s bad. Indeed, to avoid this, you left the office ...
8) - Can I pay for the work upon its completion? - Not.
I demand 50% prepayment (with a very large amount of work, prepayment can be reduced to 33%). This is necessary for me, as a guarantee that the client will pay for this project, and that I can plan how I will use my income: what accounts I will pay, what I will eat, etc. Customers who are eager to pay for work upon its completion are more likely to back off after you have shoveled tons of work.
9) - Is it possible to do this tonight or this weekend? - Not.
If you once help out a client in difficulty, he will expect the same from you in the future. Then think about it: it may be worth doing at night in excess of the promised amount of work (as I do all the time), instead of giving out promises that you will do extra work after hours - at night, on the weekend or during the holidays. I know many freelancers who, in addition to working hours, set a separate price for their hours of night work, and this is probably a good way out. After all, do you freelance to be free? Is not it?
10) - Can I be sure that you will not use this work anywhere else? - Not.
This is a very delicate topic, as many customers misunderstand such an answer (intellectual property is a rather insidious question in any case). In my Terms and Conditions, which I require to sign all new customers, I guarantee that they are aware of 3 things:
- a. Their html code was borrowed from other projects for which I did not require payment from them.
b. Perhaps I will use the code from their project on my other projects.
in. They own all the code and the completed project (the finished website), but not specific fragments of the code (registration system, image loading system, etc.).
I am proud of my productivity and speed, and I need to constantly use parts from other projects to achieve this. Not to mention the fact that I sell ready-made flash movies, for the creation of which I may need the old code. After all, customers do not pay you for creating a code for sale. So bring to their attention that they own the completed project, not the code.
There are other questions that no doubt should be answered. Add your own items to this list and remember that what you avoid is no less a factor in success than what you accept.
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