Freelance For Money

Greater Client Service, Greater Clients

Posted on 10. Jan, 2010 by Chris Green in Getting Started, Promoting Yourself

In the current climate, it seems to me that if you are going to keep your prices to a decent level then you need to have some substance that will differentiate you from the people slashing their prices. Otherwise, you’ll lose out.

So where do you start? Well, one of the easiest places to start is by simply giving great service to your clients. Whatever the climate, great service makes great business sense and always leads to more work from current clients and in increase in testimonials.

So here are four easy to apply ideas for you.

1. Go Beyond the Norm.

This decade, you’ve simply got to go beyond the basic and expected levels of service if you want to stand out and get more work coming to you. Let’s face it, in freelancing there are a ton of competitors in the freelance world and competing on cost is only a small reason why people buy. So have a think about the actual time and effort you put into the work you do for clients and also the way the work is delivered. People will always notice your higher standards. Make a big note on your wall to keep on improving in 2010.

2. Deal With Mistakes Fast.

Sometimes stuff just happens. Maybe you were having a bad day, maybe something went wrong that was out of your control. When you mess up something for a customer, simply deal with it quickly and do whatever it takes to make it right. The worse thing you can do is blame something or someone else for what went wrong. My advice is to just be the man (or the woman), take it on your shoulders and get it fixed. Making sure you put the customer’s goodwill as a high priority. This will bring you plenty of future orders and new business.

3. It’s Them Them Them, Not Me Me Me

When we get into freelancing there are so many balls we’ve got up in the air it can be hard to see things from someone your customers’ point of view. But we must create some to think about what the customers really want. Get your friend, spouse (or enemy) to act as a “mystery shopper” of your service. How easy is to call you, ask your advice or simply place an order?

4. Expectations Are Rising and Changing.

As technology changes and trends change, so do people’s expectations. What was good enough last year may not be now. So you could have a go at creating a customer survey. Maybe set some time aside to call a few of your existing clients and ask them what they want. Ask them how you could be doing things better for them. Sometimes it’s best to get someone to do this for you as people will be more honest when they think they are talking about you and talking directly to you.

Focussing on these four key aspects will have a great effect on your customer service and of course get you better clients. Maybe even ones that pay on time too.

Tags: Get great clients, More clients