Freelance Client Management - Why Communication is Key?

Poor communication can lead to significant frustration in your personal life and even impact your relationship with your clients. Hence, it's essential to have good, proper communication and strategically use it to your advantage by standing out from other freelancers in your space. In addition, using communication is vital to define how you can add value to a project. In this blog we break down the stages of client management for freelancers.

First email - first impression

When reaching out to a new client for the first time, this is your chance to make a great first impression. Consider this your virtual freelance first client meeting. The basics for that are a professional email address, including your business name, first or last name. A great signature includes links to your website or portfolio to round up your cold email and maybe even a link to book a call with you. We recommend modern signature templates. Here  and here are a few templates we like. When first reaching out to a potential client in a cold email, we recommend that you don't overdo the praise of yourself and your services too much. Instead, focus on how you can add value and how that potential client would benefit from working with you.

Proposal

After a call with your new potential client, as the next step in your freelance client management process, you will most likely send them a proposal. That proposal should be structured very clearly. If you have multiple offers, make sure to point out the differences between your packages, maybe even include a comparison with the two packages next to each other. When sending over that proposal, make sure that it matches your brand identity so when your potential client clicks on your website, it matches the aesthetics of your proposal and vice versa. Finally, don't forget to include a link so your potential client can book a call for follow-up questions.

Follow-up

Chances are, your email is one of many in your potential clients' inboxes. Hence it's so important to send follow-up reminders. Following up between three to five business days after sending that proposal helps stay on top of their inbox and shows dedication and that you are interested in working with them.

During working together

Congratulations, you are finally working with your dream client! Now it's extra important to keep your line of communication clear and super professional. Establishing a playbook or strategy deck with guidelines, so you are clear on your specific role, responsibilities, and KPIs is super important and helps avoid miscommunication. Weekly or bi-weekly check-ins to align on particular tasks or upcoming deadlines are a great way to stay on the same page during a project. Communication tools like Slack are a super-easy way for quick exchanges when you have an immediate question.

After working together

Once you have finished working with your dream client, the line of communication shouldn't just stop there. You never know if there's a chance you end up working together again, or they might even open their network to you and refer you to others. Hence it's essential to send them a thank you note or even a small gift, and you can even ask for a testimonial in return.