Top Tips: The 5 types of customers you will meet on Revolancer and how to interact with them
Revolancer is a dynamic and exclusive marketplace, hosting the best freelancers out there. But as we like to remind everybody, we host more than just freelancers; we host businesses from a wide range of different sectors. We care about getting you the customers and clients that all freelancer businesses are so gratefully built upon. So to help you, we have compiled a list of the 5 different types of customers you will meet on Revolancer and explained how to work with them effectively. Some customers may fall under more than one category.
Established Businesses
Revolancer actively advertises to not only freelancers but also businesses. We advertise to many businesses up and down the UK, as should be expected, and these businesses have much more capital available to them than a normal individual.
Keep in mind when dealing with a business that they are generally an established company or partnership. Beyond writing endless amounts on the legal complexities of this relationship, this of course changes the relationship you have with them greatly.
Namely, your client is NOT who spoke with you. That individual may be the direct point of contact, but they are nothing more than an agent of your client. Your client is the company itself. Now for most matters such as graphic design and email writing, this won’t matter – your services won’t change.
However, if you’re in a situation where you are a registered professional and are being employed by the whole company as a freelancer (such as a psychologist or business adviser) keep this in mind. Your duty of care is to the company, not the individual clients (unless your regulatory body states otherwise).
But your interactions with a business should develop to more than just recognizing that your client is now the business. Now, of course, as freelancers we deal with all of our customers equally, giving them each the best we can. But even more so than normal you should take special care when working for a business. Companies (generally) have far deeper pockets than any individual who has contacted you. You could develop quite a relationship with a business if you do well, so always try to impress when hired by a large firm.
Finally, when dealing with a business keep in mind that most businesses will have a larger base than a freelancer and will be the dominant force in that relationship. You should interact with them in the manner they interact with you. If the contacting individual is, for instance, informal, then perhaps be informal back, but if the only contact you have had from the business is formal then definitely stick to that tone. In short, let the business set the tone of your interactions and let them lead.
Established Professionals
Revolancer advertises to more than simply businesses and individuals though, other groups will potentially be on Revolancer looking for you and it is not unfeasible that you may run into an organisation such as registered solicitors, accountants, real estates etc. Although clearly unlikely this is not impossible.
When dealing with professionals such as the above keep in mind everything that we mentioned about businesses. However, keep in mind the following extra advice and details regarding professionals;
Firstly, keep in mind that the professional that hires you will generally have specific requirements. For instance, any solicitors have statutory requirements when dealing with matters such as logos or websites. Other professionals will more often than not have specific requirements. Particularly when dealing with logos or websites be sure to be in contact with your client at all times, make sure that you are always following their regulations.
Secondly, established professionals tend to have an even greater need for professionalism than businesses, so take the final point of the business paragraph even greater; approach them how they approach you. If they are acting formally, do the same.
The informed client
The informed client stands out from our previous two clients as you will never know when you have an informed client; very rarely will a client let you know their level of experience. This is no better shown than if a business has asked their head of IT to contact you regarding working on a website or maybe their head of marketing has contacted you for help on designing a new logo. The employees who have reached out will have a high degree of knowledge and will expect you to be on the same level or higher in terms of skill.
Keep in mind that your client may always know more than you know. This is why it is important to stress that as a freelancer you should always ensure you know what you’re on about – ensure that when you make a statement it is both accurate, true and valid. If you get something wrong, your client will most likely know.
The first-time client
Now in direct contradiction to client number 3, we come to the first-time client. Maybe your client has never sought out freelancing services before in relation to your skillset. You may very well be the introduction for a client to the sector.
When dealing with these clients you always feel like you can get away with just that much more. However, remember, you’re the first person this client has ever approached for whatever area you’re in. First impressions go a very long way. It’s especially important to make a good impression with a first-time customer because not only could a bad experience scare the customer away from freelancers for a very long time but even more so, impressing a customer may inspire them to come back to you again!
In short, always ensure that you give every client, no matter how much experience they have working with freelancers, the utmost respect to ensure you give off a great first impression.
The freelance client
The final type of client we are discussing are freelance clients. These are clients who are freelancers themselves. When dealing with a freelance client keep in mind every other thing mentioned in this article, but also keep in mind that this freelancer will understand what it’s like to be a freelancer.
This means they will understand when you’re just making things up. But more importantly, they should understand any issues you run into. When dealing with freelancers keep in mind this level of understanding – be honest with them and keep them well informed.
And there we are! Keep in mind these 5 types of customers and you’ll be sure to find success on Revolancer! So, head to our site, sign up and take advantage of our wide array of customers today!
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Freelance marketplace: Revolancer