When you start a project, among the various side factors, completion of the projects within the stipulated time frame is the one that is prominently on top of all other considerations. Things get harder when you are going through multiple projects at a time. However, there are solutions and workarounds as this article will point out some of these.

SET PRIORITY

When you deal with multiple clients, it is important to prioritise the project and rank it accordingly by assigning them various levels base on requirements. It helps you to start the real work with a clear vision. Following is an example:

On a day, you are feeling a bit off and are not finding any inspiration to work for some reason. However, you still have to work as you need to satisfy, let’s say, two clients. So, you can go through any of the following:

1. You work too hard despite your adverse physical or mental condition, and finish both the projects, making the client satisfied. But, as you have stressed yourself too much, thus your health can break down, forcing you not to work at all for the next 3 or 4 days; which may easily offend the other remaining clients.
2. You decide to complete one project and left the other for the next day, as you know the later client will not be too stressed out and is co-operative, but the former one is not always so co-operative and tends to easily get along if the deadline is not met.

For me, option ‘2’ is much better and suitable for the condition as you are properly evaluating and prioritising the clients according to the merit of their behaviour and the gravity of the projects.

SET YOUR OWN DEADLINE

Before finalising a project, do think about your own ability. If the client asks you to finish 4 articles in 2 days, think first if you can or not. If you are really sure, go ahead, if not, ask for the reduction and try your best to surpass that limit. For example if the client agrees on 3 article in 2 days, finish it and try to finish another 1. This way if you are successful, client will be more than happy, and even if you manage to finish at least 3, you are on the safe side.

WORK IN WEEKDAYS ONLY

Do not work more than 5 days. In any case, do not cross those extra 2 days over, even if you know that you can work. Accept the projects keeping in mind that those 2 days you are not working. In this way, you will always have few extra days for emergencies, chilling outs or sudden events; and more importantly, it is vitally crucial that you take some break in the middle of continuous work.

EVALUATE YOURSELF EVERYDAY

Before packing up for the day, evaluate yourself. Analyse how much work you did against the expected scale. Decide if anything had gone wrong and how to fix that. Also plan how the next day should proceed. You must make this a habit, which will greatly benefit you on becoming a potent performer in your field with time.

KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON SOCIAL OCCASIONS

Social events are part of life and some of them you just can’t miss by any means. However, the problem occurs when you suddenly remember them and then it becomes difficult to adjust with the work you were doing at that time. To avoid this, go through the weekly schedule carefully and properly identify days that will have to be spent on outside events other than work, and schedule your work according to that. This way you will always have a nice balance of work and social life.

Hopefully the aforementioned points will aid you to become a proficient freelancer with effective grip on project deadlines.

This post is summarized from 5 Sure-Fire Ways to Meet Deadlines For Freelancers & Web Workers. Photo by JupiterImages.

The one and only pillar to captivate client interest and intrigue them to such a scale that they continue to keep coming back with new projects, is to entertain all those previous assignments with all your aces. This is a market strategy that will not fail and doesn’t fail. However, you are not a programmed machine, as a soul with flesh and blood, your desires in exchange of your work must commensurate with proper rewards, or in simple declaration.

The client also must reflect generously, so that your inner-self becomes suffonsified, sharpening and streamlining your talent to deal with more and more projects with constant proficiency. Below are a catalogue of 28 (25 from FreelanceSwitch + 3 from AsiaPartTime) genre of repayments you should ask from your client:

Asks from AsiaPartTime

1. KNOW THE CHAIN: Ask the client how did they came to know you, from where they’ve heard about you and your work, this helps to select more marketing options and fortifying the ones you’ve now.
2. ARRANGE THE PAPERS PROPERLY: You should write a formal contract paper where it must be stated that if they retreat from payment then what should be done, make it signed and stamped.
3. EXPORT THE EXPERIENCE WITH YOU: Ask the client to share the experience working with you to his friends and other contacts, they will remember and when they will need, they’ll contact you.

Asks from FreelanceSwitch.com:

ASK FOR A DOWN PAYMENT: No paucity of fraudulent clients in the venture of haunting down freelance figures and their privation. So, be smart, arrange a down payment and refund papers in case you fail to comply. This way, you save yourself from a probable debacle, and in any case, genuine clients will not voice any grievance. Normally, we request 50% of the total project cost as down payment.

ASK FOR EXTENSION OF DEADLINE IF REQUIRED: Sometimes you can get overboard with the assignments, thus declining your performance. If that happens, then take a break, do something fun, but do not lax too much, least you miss the deadline, but in any case if you do, then do not hesitate to ask for an extension, keeping yourself perked up is as important as dong the work itself.

CLARIFY THE REQUIREMENTS: You must be able to glean the exact expectations from the client. Client may not always be able to express it clearly, but aid him, assist him by asking things that may not seem obvious to him at first the place. This is a vital step of basically any project.

ASK FOR REGULAR EXPECTATION: To client, the product may seem ground-breaking some day and average the other day. But if you believe your work is consistent, then ask your client to have a consistent expectation. But ensure that you have some kind of quality measurement installment installed in place.

ASK FOR RECOGNITION : When the client is really over the moon with your performance, ask for some kind of recommendation letter, this will indeed help you in the future to get more assignments.

SEEK FOR REFERRALS: Ask your clients if they know anyone who could utilize your service, and ask if you are permitted to contact with them and introduce yourself.

SEEK FOR TESTIMONIALS: If you have a black and white proof of your work, from your satisfied client, then it boost your chances of getting more work, some good words written in a mere paper do hold a lot of strength. Please you like our community, please do give us a testimonial as well.

ASK FOR ANY SUGGESION: Develop a friendly relation with the client, feel free to ask for if anything he deems worth changing or enhancing.

CHURN OUT EXCLUSIVE TIME ZONE: If the client is always sticking like glue, then you may feel constrained and thus may not perform optimally, do not lay back, tell your client that you too need some time alone.

UTILIZE CLIENT’S BUSINESS: You can do freelance works in exchange of not only money, but also you can trade your skills with their own business or service they provide.

FEEDBACK IN THE FORM OF SURVEY: One great way to get feedback from client about your work is to prepare a survey and get it completed, and you also preserve it for later comparison. Here is some online survey templates you may try out.

CLEAR PAYMENT ISSUES: Do not keep those important payments for your work pending for too long. The client may have been forgotten, in that case it is your duty to remind him in an amicable manner.

SOCIAL NETWORKING: This is as important as normal life networking, create a profile in few popular social networking sites, and send its link to your clients who already have this kind of profile, then you’ll get to know people in a much quicker rate and vice versa. This is a much cogent way to get and manage contract outside your current country.

ASK FOR BONUS: Ask for a bonus of your work which you think you can do it in a very very professional diction with splendid offshoot. And obviously in a tactical manner.

TRY TO TIE UP A CONCRETE CONTACT: If your work is grand, client is satisfied to the brim, ask if you can also be taken as the permanent choice for that specific skill.

KNOW CLIENT’S EMAIL: Always good to have a way to communicate other than phone, and in modern days, any professional person do hold an email address. I would recommend you to use a CRM tools to keep track all your customer information. One of the best CRM tool are Zoho-CRM. It is a free CRM tool and it is comparable to SalesForce.com.

ASK FOR REFERENCES: Before hitting a deal with client, ask them if they’ve worked with other freelancers before or not. If you see a long list and most of them unhappy ending, then you better think twice before running into any paperwork.

ASK FOR A SHOUT-OUT: If the client already have any kind of blog site or ezine article, then ask them to put a shout-out on behalf of you.

LOOK FOR TIPS: If your client runs a successful business ask for tips from them, try to get more knowledge about how things flow.

ARRANGE A PROPER DEADLINE: Fix the deadline with enough time on hand, do not pressurize yourself, that may hamper work quality.

ASK FOR BUSINESS CARD : Don’t hesitate to ask for their business card, it’ll project what is the actual occupation of the client and will also show professionalism.

GET PHONE NUMBER: It is important that you hold on to client’s both office and personal contact number.

ASK FOR RECONSIDERATION: If the requirements look to gaudy and convoluted and the final objective can be achieved through a much simpler form of design of requirement, then approach the customer with your idea.

CLARIFY THE REQUIREMENTS: How much obfuscate may be the client’s idea seem, clear first.

LOOK FOR COMMENTS: If you run a blog or participate in social networking sites, ask the clients to leave a positive comment about your work if they are satisfied.

Following these steps can bring the best of performances out of you, and out of your client too.