How to Interact with Your Freelance Clients the Right Way

A large part of your freelancing success depends on how good your relationship is with your clients. Notice I didn't say the number of clients you have, because it's not about numbers, but about relationships and how well you interact with your clients.

If you can't clearly communicate with them, and understand what it is they want, how can you possibly deliver what they need? And if you can't provide what they are looking for, then you can guarantee they won't hire you again.

So how good are you at interacting with your freelance clients?

It comes down to a couple of fundamental elements, namely how you position yourself with your clients (existing and prospective) and how you then interact with those same clients.

To make sure you're interacting with your clients the right way, lets look at these two elements individually.

Positioning

If you don't get this right, then what follows will be bumpy and painful. Get it right, then everything flows smoothly and effortlessly, and you'll be wondering why you never did this in the first place!

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• Change the way you view yourself, you're partnering with your clients, not just providing a skill
• You provide a holistic view, helping your client see the big picture
• How you see yourself is how your clients will ultimately see you, so make it good
• Show you're committed to them upfront and they'll be ‘all ears' when you provide suggestions and recommendations

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Interacting

Once you've got you're positioning down, it's over to how well you interact with your clients, at every level.

If you get this part right too, you'll never have to worry about finding your next client, because you'll be inundated with client referrals.

Your focus should be on a win-win approach, and here's how that looks:

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• Always relate what you're saying to your client, use their words, their terminology so that they understand what you're saying
• Encourage your clients to be open and honest with you, get them to share information and problems with you so you have the whole picture
• Pimp your clients out! Be their advocate. And if you can't, then you shouldn't be working with that client. If you don't believe in what they are doing, it will show through in your work. So cut the ties if this is the case
• Provide support at every step of the way. You client is working with you because they lack your expertise, make it easy for them to understand what you're doing and why by communicating with them regularly

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Communication is a big proponent of how well you interact with your clients, so if you're lacking in this department, brush up on your skills! Here's a few suggestions to help kick things off:

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• [eBook] Communication Skills: The Ultimate Guide to Improve Your Communication Skills
• [Article] 7 C's of Clear Communication
• [Course] The Seven Barriers of Communication
• [List] Communications Courses Available Online for Free

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How do you interact with your clients? Share your tips below!

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