Best Ways To Manage a Freelance Project
📖 LearningFreelancing has helped people to put their skills to work and earn a lavish livelihood through it. It has broken the myth that a job in an MNC will help you accomplish your dream to buy a BMW! It’s a great feeling to be your boss but challenging simultaneously. Management is one of those skills that must be imbibed in your DNA because if you can’t figure out the workload and deliver things on time, you will surely lose your clients, no matter how experienced you are! So, let’s peep into the brains of successful freelancers and find out the way how to manage a freelance project. Below we have discussed some of the ways to manage a freelance project like a pro.
Ways to Manage a Freelance Project
Be The Best Of All Your Competitors And Offer Unique
Imagine a scenario of a Content Writing organization that has a team of content writers. Now, there are lakhs of organizations doing the same thing. So, the smart move would be to offer graphic designing and website building services also! Rather than hiring some more freelancers, learn and teach your team designing and web development. This will help you attract more projects.
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I am a pen and paper person. I like to write things down.So I utilize a spiral notebook to accomplish all of my to-do’s for the day. I put the client’s name with their task list and then deadlines. So I record every detail. Same daily schedule for little and large tasks, with or without deadlines. Additionally simply be straightforward, defined limits with every customer, and don't guarantee things you can't convey. – Fernmaiden Fuentes
Use New Technologies
Use the best technologies available and offer some unique services. There are many tools available on the internet which you can use to increase your productivity. If you are in an online marketing space there is a lot of tools and software available which you can use to offer more services to your clients and also to track your work-in-progress. You can easily manage a freelance project if you how to use technology in your favor.
I use a task manager, where I have every day’s to-do list separated by project and priority. I recommend Todoist. – Adriana Chionetti
Popularise Yourself
Connections and links with people in communities can get high-budget projects to fall in your side. LinkedIn and other professional social media platforms are the best ways to do that. If you are a coder or a developer then your GitHub profile, Hacker Earth, Hacker Rank or SPOJ profile will automatically attract the companies. So, you don’t need to prove yourself in front of the interviewers. That's why it's important to build a strong network. With great network it becomes easier to manage a freelance project.
Also read : Improve Your Freelancer Profile that Stands Out
Set Remote Work Hours
Though you have the freedom to work on the project anytime, professionalism has a vital role to play in your life. Make a proper time-table and have fixed working hours. In the lust of money, don’t just spend 24*7 working on the project. Deliver things on time and that’s enough!
Make your every day as productive as possible and try to use your time more efficiently. That way you will be able to learn new skills to improve your portfolio.
I make use of the Pomodoro method. It helps a lot. EEach Pomodoro is a 25-minute cycle followed by a 5-minute break. After the fourth Pomodoro, you take a 15-minute break. – Christina Ramas
Keep the Client Informed
If you have promised to deliver after 3 weeks then it’s not that you will call the client on the last day! It’s important and a nice practice to keep him updated weekly at least! Whether you face any setback or challenges, just write an email to the client. This will just increase the value of your freelance project during submission and appreciation.
I have been battling with this since the time I had a go at setting off to an electronic calendar. This year, I went back to a paper planner with time blocked out for each client, priority to-do lists, and recognition that sometimes I may need to erase or rearrange. I additionally utilize a major whiteboard to list my customers initially, check off occupations as I finish them. These two methods together are working. – Bonniejean Alford Hinde
Ask for Testimonials and Referrals
Following up on building excellent rapport with clients. When you do this, it’s much easier to ask a client for a testimonial, which you should do!
Tributes are a piece of showcasing yourself and are “professional proof” which increases trust in other imminent clients.
Testimonials can be published on your Website, in marketing PDFs, and on LinkedIn. Having recent testimonials is vital as the older a testimonial gets, the more irrelevant it becomes. Referrals are a great way to drum up new work and clientele. A referral implies either asking your customer to legitimately prescribe you to individuals in their system who may likewise require your services or inquiring as to whether they know anybody who might need your services so you can reach out to them yourselves. As with anything new that you try, there will be stumbling blocks, but it’s all part of the learning process — and the learning process can be exhilarating.
When you begin to shape some authority around freelancing, you'll be considering approaches to comprehend new difficulties, for example, expanding your freelancing rate or discovering greater and better tasks to work on. Take the time to get your feet wet and learn the ropes!
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Decide Your Prices Well
People think very differently! Selling at a very cheap rate might force people to think that you might be missing something and may compromise with quality while high rates will return the customers at the very first sight. So, if you are quoting something higher than the market then you must offer some more than your competitors. Make it worth the money!
Start with a table in Word/Doc/Notepad: 1. List all your clients. 2.List the quantity of articles or words (for me) to be presented that day PER Client. 3. Rundown the time you want to spend on it. 4. Strike off everyone when complete and add your time. – Geo Maria George
Outsource Your Work
Many freelancers done a mistake when they get a lot of projects either they don't accept or they try to do everything on their own. Try to outsource your work and it will be more beneficial if you can build a strong team. A team plays a major role in the freelancing world, you can't grow your business if don't have a team. So, after reaching the top try to build your team of freelancers. Sometimes it can be hard to handle any freelance project but following proper guidelines you can handle it easily.
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No matter what you are doing in your life, management is a skill that you will need in every aspect. So make sure you are building your management skills along with other jobs. It will happen many times that you will get negative testimonials that time doesn't give up and try to improve your skills more. Always try to deal with negative feedback as your mentor and learn from them. Learn time management as well and one day you will be able to manage your freelance project like a pro!
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