Working with Clients - Three Things I’ve Learned Along the Way

So, you’ve started a business. Yeah! Now YOU are the CEO - the boss. You may or may not have a website or business cards or even office space, but none of that matters if you don’t have clients. And once you do have clients, do you know how you are going to manage those client relationships? Not every client will be your dream client, i.e. easy-going, laid back, and love everything you do. Some of those clients will be dream clients and others will not. Some will give you bad reviews, be MIA for weeks not answering your emails, and others will be sending you emails even on weekends. How do you manage all the different types of clients you’ll have? 

I’ve been lucky because so far (fingers crossed) all my clients since beginning my freelance business have been in one way or another great to work with. But that may not always be the case. What exactly does a good client relationship look like? There’s no right or wrong answer. Here are three things I’ve learned along the way about working with clients.

1. Know your work style.

Just like some people are night owls and others are early risers, so are there differences in the ways people run their businesses. If you freelance, you have to find a schedule that works for you and your clients. Do you work better with clients who allow you more room for creativity or are you okay with being a little more micro-managed? There is no right or wrong answer to this question. Are you confused about how best you work? Check out this quiz to see: Take Our Quiz | What's Your Work Style? - Idealist. Take any answer you get with a grain of salt and ask yourself if it matches how you feel you work best. I find that I ask a lot of questions. I always have and I probably always will. I have one client with whom I need to be particular in my questions. They are busy and don’t have time to answer all of my questions, which means I have to focus on what questions I need answers to. But it took time to know how I work best and how that meshes with each client. 

2. Get to know the client's expectations and set boundaries.

You have a new client. They said YES and are ready to jump in and work with you. Oh boy, you may be thinking, now what. Even though they said they want to work with you, have you had any real conversations with them? Do you know what they are looking for? I offer a variety of services and each one requires different things from the client. Even if a client is ready to work with me, I start with a 1:1 call to go over what the client is looking for and what the expectations are. Examples of some things to go over include preferred methods of communication (email, text, messaging apps like Marco Polo or Voxer), invoicing and payment requirements, project setup, etc. Also, here is where you can set boundaries for when and will you respond to communication. Are weekends an absolute NO-WORK boundary for you? If so, establish that. Be clear and firm and stick to it. 

3. Above all else, trust your gut.

I think you will find most client relationships start well, if not great. But as we all know, change happens. Expectations change. Deadlines shorten. Budgets decrease. At the end of the day, you do not need to work with each client forever. You may, but know that it’s okay to walk away if it’s not working. If you are giving it your all and working extra hard to serve a client and they don’t answer your emails or pay you late, remember as a business owner, you can end a working relationship. Sure, it’s not easy and can get really messy, but learn to trust your gut. Just as some clients will walk away from you, know it is okay for you to walk away too. I, myself, have even decided not to work with clients even after doing a 1:1 call and giving a proposal. You may not feel comfortable trusting yourself yet, but be patient, you will. 

As a business owner, working with clients will be both rewarding and challenging. I hope you take away something from the tips above. If nothing else, figure out what works best for you, ask lots of questions, and above all else, learn to trust your gut. You are in charge. You are the boss.