After working for various online and offline clients for more than a decade, I have come to realize that good freelance clients are a godsend for freelancers. Just as a good customer is like a God for a shopkeeper. But when we talk about working online it is important to know the qualities of clients that make them easy and fun to work with.
I mean you should know if you’re working for God or for the devil when you are given a task. It’s important for freelancers that they don’t waste their time, skills, and knowledge on online devils. That’s why this is a really important aspect for a freelance service provider. So I think, if a client has the following qualities and traits then it will be fun to work with him. And freelancers also get to learn a lot from good clients.
It is good to be without any work rather than working for incredulous, irritating, rude, and negative clients. They want salves and they offer very low payment for all the effort. Don’t work for this kind of people in the hope of money. They won’t give you what your hard work is worth because they don’t realize the real value of your talent.
That’s why I am writing this article. After reading it, you’ll know the difference between good clients and bad clients and how to spot them while working as a freelancer.
Top 5 Characteristics or qualities of clients that pay good money:
1. Explain goals and expectations clearly
What are the goals of the project? What are the expected results? What are the duties and tasks that the freelancer has to do for the success of the project? Such things clearly specified by the client before the start of work show that the client is professional. He knows what he wants. Working for professional clients can be very challenging, but the benefit of this to the freelancers is that they strive to work hard and deliver great quality work according to the targets of clients.
The attributes and qualities of a good client reflect in the freelancer’s work and mentality. That’s why a client who tells me in advance about the expectations and goals of the project before the start of the work is a good client according to me.
This is what makes a great partnership between quality professional clients and freelancers. This kind of qualities and focused approach should be imbibed by other clients and freelancers for successful online business relationships. Today, freelancers and clients who work in mission mode save time, and money and it has very good results.
2. Give freedom in decision making
The freedom given to freelancers by clients to implement and execute the project with creativity for the success of the project is a great quality for a client. These types of clients know how to develop and direct talented freelancers toward the success of the project. This benefits the freelancer because they are able to show their natural talent without inhibition.
This will benefit the clients in completing work quickly, with quality, and in creative ways. You should work for these types of good clients who will give you the freedom to make decisions based on your own judgment. Such type of good quality clients are leaders in their field and are highly sought after. And if you work according to their guidelines then you can get great experience and money.
3. Timely payments and great value for skills
Clients who want you to work on their projects for a low budget or low quality will definitely deal with you in other things also poorly. E.g. If someone is giving you 100 bucks to create a logo then it means he wants to plunder your ideas and use your skills cheaply. After finishing with you he will post another job to re-create or retouch or find innovation in the old logo and try to entrap other new freelancers for a measly 100 bucks. The value of work is around 1000 to 10000 rupees created by the first freelancer. But be careful of such kind clever clients who are looking for good quality work but are not willing to pay good quality remunerations.
If someone wants quality, has a good budget for the project, and values your skills and time then this type of client is perfect to work with. Some clients pay you more than your hired price ($14 instead of $7).
They get quality and knowledge about the importance of professional relationships. That’s why it’s very important for good clients to pay timely and appropriately because talented and quality freelancers are tough to manage.
4. Trust on freelancer or team or employees
A freelancer’s first goal is to gain the trust of clients by communicating clearly, sharing expertise, highlighting strengths and weaknesses etc. because online jobs are stacked on top of faith.
If you do not trust the client it will have a negative impact on your work and likewise, if the client does not trust you then he or she will not hire you or fail to get quality results from you. That’s why it’s important for freelancers and clients to check each other’s credibility during interviews or first meeting.
I know it’s tough for both parties, but it is a necessary process and can be done by tracking and reading feedback and ratings on profiles. Here you can learn more about this: How to find good clients on Upwork?
The client who believes in his hired freelancer, an employer who believes in his employees and a leader who believes in his team based on facts and data get very good results as a result of the trust that has been built between them. Confidence in decision-making and having trust in others are very good qualities of clients.
The quality client does not believe you by reading your cover letter, is not impressed by seeing your test results, the real client is impressed by your communication, dedication, vision for the job, your past results, and feedback from previous clients. Clients are experienced people and they know very soon who is a talented or good freelancer and who is a copy-paste cover letter. So work very hard and be disciplined with your job and these kinds of good clients who are great for a successful freelancer or online career won’t be hard to find.
5. Positive behavior and communication in tough situations
Behaviour is the first thing that we notice before dealing with any client and this can be the first thing to be seen in the client or freelancer. I recognize that not all clients have the same nature and temperament.
But if your client is not behaving genuinely with you or your employer is misbehaving with you and using abusive or offensive language, proving you wrong at every opportunity, then it is best to avoid these types of clients. They have very poor work ethics and they want slaves or robotic humans for an inhuman amount of money as payment.
I am very impressed by the impeccable work ethics of my overseas employers living outside India. Especially Australians, who are great at communication and managing the virtual workforce intelligently notably the female clients and freelancers.
After working with such remarkable clients for a while, I like to work with good clients who listen, understand, and provide support in handling tough situations or tough tasks in the project. Good clients are respected by others and respect everyone who is involved with the project. No matter if the team member is a photo editor or a python programmer.
Positive behavior and encouragement on tough tasks, allowing leaves when needed, and respecting and understanding freelancers’ life and situations- are great quality in a client that makes him stand apart and make you want to work for him. This type of client is really like a gift from God to freelancers.
There are other things also that highlight the qualities of a good client, but if you’re looking for your first job or if you are struggling to find work then you can compromise on a few things. And the other thing is that if you’re good, communicate effectively, and give 100% for the job then 90% of clients will behave well with you and pay you well.
But it is important in KALYUG to be beware of people wearing masks.
If you have a way to identify good clients then of course do share it with us in the comment box, we would be pleased to hear from you.