Kate Kultsevych / Shutterstock.com This is an exciting time for your new freelance business! Your marketing efforts are finally paying off! Clients are beginning to explore your new freelance services. Now, what do you do with them? It’s time to work on the next stage of your business plan and create an onboarding experience that will delight your new freelance clients while communicating with professional clarity. Are you in need of a financial boost for your Small Business? Get the capital you need to reach your goals with a Small Business Loan. Select your state to get started today! HawaiiAlaskaFloridaSouth CarolinaGeorgiaAlabamaNorth CarolinaTennessee RI Rhode Island CT Connecticut MA MassachusettsMaine NH New Hampshire VT VermontNew York NJ New Jersey DE Delaware MD MarylandWest VirginiaOhioMichiganArizonaNevadaUtahColoradoNew MexicoSouth DakotaIowaIndianaIllinoisMinnesotaWisconsinMissouriLouisianaVirginia DC Washington DCIdahoCaliforniaNorth DakotaWashingtonOregonMontanaWyomingNebraskaKansasOklahomaPennsylvaniaKentuckyMississippiArkansasTexas Get Started Handling New Freelance Clients With Professionalism and Delight GaudiLab / Shutterstock.com From the moment a prospective client reaches out, you have multiple opportunities to help them see that you are precisely the solution to the business challenges they face. 1. Set Expectations for a Response Time mastermilmar / Shutterstock.com Create a plan for what to do when a client reaches out with a request for your services. If a business contacts you as a prospective freelancer, making them wait around for a response means you’ll jeopardize losing their business to someone more responsive. But that doesn’t mean you must drop everything to respond 24 hours a day. Instead, consider having an auto-reply on your professional email or an instant message that lets them know when they should expect your response. During the week, that might mean a response by the end of the business day or within 24 hours. On weekends, you can state that you’ll respond when you return to the office on Monday. Set boundaries and a standard of professional communication early on to ensure that your client sees you as a professional. Doing so will avoid making them feel frustrated as they wait for a response that isn’t coming until you’re back to work. And if you can respond sooner, all the better! Strive to exceed your freelance client’s expectations from the beginning. 2. Use Professional Email Etiquette Prostock-studio / Shutterstock.com Often, your freelance communication will begin as virtual communication. Your tone and professionalism can make or break your client’s confidence in you and your work. Even if you happen to be communicating with a friend or a relative, you want to set a professional tone to help define the context of this business transaction. Beyond using a professional email address, use the following tips to create a polished response: Use a professional subject line . Open with a work-appropriate greeting, rather than casual slang. Respect their time by being friendly but concise. Clearly outline the next steps in the process. Double-check for typos and obvious grammar mistakes. Include a signature with your name, title, website or online portfolio, and any other ways to contact you. 3. Go Beyond the Surface to Meet Their Needs […]
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