Effective Communication for Freelancers
As a freelancer you probably don’t have the immediate benefit of communications workshops or the proximity of a Human Resources department to guide you through one of the most challenging aspects of work: effective communication. As a freelancer you need to be your own recruiter, manager and correspondent.
It falls on your shoulders to do all of the talking for your brand and that can be quite the challenge. With pitfalls ranging from missed opportunities and misunderstandings to mistakes and misinterpretation, keeping up with all of the communications for a business can be a full time job in itself.
Recruiting New Clients
As a freelancer, the heart of your business lies in how you handle finding new projects. How you conduct yourself in interviews is a huge clue about your professionalism. It tells them what it would be like to deal with you throughout your relationship. People want to see that you care for your work and will take their projects seriously. It is important to remember that the bottom line in recruitment is respect. Know yourself, what you can do and be honest with your clients.
When preparing for future interviews with prospective clients it is important to know the scope of your abilities and understanding within your field. In addition to knowing your capacities you also need to learn how to communicate effectively about your skills and how you apply them. Clients might be interested to know how you are going to work on their project and have the expectation that you can do so in a way that they will understand.
Maintaining a Dialogue With Clients
As a freelancer, you not only do the work but are responsible for keeping a visible time table and maintaining open communication with your clients. Knowing how to communicate about your work without using overly technical language is important. Never promise you’ll do something that you can’t explain. It will take practice, but knowing how to put your work into laymen’s terms is an important part of business. It can be hard to see how your work fits into the client’s vision. You may not have as much insight as you might think when making decisions, which is why it’s important to be clear and honest. Always be sure to ask for clarification and clear up anything you see in doubt, don’t leave anything up to chance.