As a freelancer, there are some things you either presently know or will soon know. One of such things is the client shuffle. This means fairly frequently getting new clients and parting ways with old ones. Since clients are how you earn your income – not on a product or by punching in on a clock – it’s important you know everything about how to create, maintain and say goodbye to client relationships.
Probably the first thing to know about clients is that they come and go. Don’t look at this as being a bad thing. It can actually be a convenient way of maintaining your freedom and be able to work with a wide variety of people. This article will examine how to deal with the client shuffle effectively.
Why Clients Leave
Clients leave for a myriad of reasons. Either you encourage them to do so or they leave of their own choosing. When I say you encourage them to leave, I simply mean that you begin getting so many clients that you ask for a raise or ask for a revision on the new contract. You do things that, while no one gets angry over it, it doesn’t encourage a renewal of the relationship.
Alternatively, some clients leave of their own choosing. This can happen for many reasons. With new clients, it’s often because business hasn’t gone to plan. Things haven’t worked out and they no longer need your services. I see this happen most often. That’s because spending money is easy. But creating a feasible business isn’t as easy. Many clients take on freelancers much sooner than their budget actually allows. Then they can run into problems. For instance, it’s easy to hire a freelance writer to write your company’s blog. But if you haven’t thought about whether or not your car washing business is actually a decent one – you’ll soon have to let that blogger go. You don’t want to be that dismissed blogger.
How to Get More to Shuffle if Enough Aren’t Shuffling Enough!
Sometimes – you actually really, really want the client shuffle. It is, after all, a very simple way to increase your earnings and grow your business. It’s inevitable really. As you progress in your freelancing career, you’ll need to constantly be upping your earnings. Not all clients will be able to pay your increasing rates. Plus, your skills will be getting better and better. You’ll be worth more.
Freelancing is different from working a salaried job. You often want to shuffle. It’s how you move up in the world. Just make sure you always stay on good terms with your clients. And never expect to increase your pay level unless you have tangible results to prove your value.
Why You Need Lots of Clients
You need plenty of clients because the shuffle is a very real thing. Having only a few clients would mean that if you choose to leave one client or they choose to leave you, much of your business will leave with them. That’s a really, really dangerous situation. Even if you love your three clients and they seem to love you back – you still need more. Don’t let them convince you otherwise. And if you have but only a few clients – you’re looking an awful lot like a salaried employee. And I’m guessing that’s not the lifestyle you want to live.
