If you think client satisfaction is based mostly on how the project went, you’re not wrong. But the “how the project is going to go” depends on how you set it up from a sales perspective. 99% of the issues that arise between freelancers and clients (and even agencies & clients) are due to a lack of understanding of the scope, or a lack of transparency about the whole process. Get the sales right, provide the needed transparency from the very beginning, and you’ll have a new happy client on your portfolio. We’ve prepared some of the main issues to consider. Give this list to ChatGPT plus some in-depth context about your proposal, and you’ll cover the winning list of things that will get you that mission:
1. Get VERY real and detailed about the outcomes and the results of the mission
A surprising amount of clients have never asked themselves exactly the quantity or the quality they want. This is not always their job and it is our mission to guide them. They might expect, for example, to obtain “new clients” thanks to a marketing operation, but do not know exactly how many clients they need business-wise, in what timeline, or with what revenue. Other times clients may ask for a specific creative style, yet the brand guidelines are completely not aligned or not existent yet. Sometimes asking these hard questions can be delicate, and tact is absolutely needed, but not asking them while engaging yourself on results is setting yourself up for absolute chaos.
Things to consider:
- Make sure you and the client are both aligned on what are exactly the expected results. The exact, tangible, real results.
- Make sure the results are actually doable, according to past results or the brand’s current ecosystem. If understanding this requires information that is not accessible during the sales process (due to confidential or technical issues), include a preliminary stage in the mission where you will study past results and confirm the mission’s KPIs before moving on to the next step.
- Make sure the client understands the deliveries that are included or needed in the mission, one by one.
2. Identify the pitfalls and get ready with the client well before-hand
Yes, the sales process is about selling a mission, and it should be exciting and motivating. But not being transparent about the risks is a major risk in itself. The idea here is not to create fear, but on the contrary, to show the client you have the needed expertise to anticipate bad situations and find a solution before they even arrive.
As a general rule of thumb, boost the overall roadmap to 20-30% of extra time in between major milestones, just to make sure you can take the unpredictable without the client going into crisis mode because the deadline was corrupted.
Some examples:
What happens in case of negative feedback? Who will treat those comments?
What happens if the content is rejected by Facebook because of potential confusion with sensitive topics? What is our plan B?
How much extra time, if needed, can we accept before launching the campaign?
What happens if, after the testing phase, we do not achieve the needed KPIs for a specific stage?
3. Create a crystal-clear, straight-forward process 100% client approved
Identify & communicate the phases of the mission
You’ve done this before, or at least you’ve done similar projects before. You can segment the mission into different phases, and explain to the client how this is going to work. Let the client know well beforehand what all the stages are and what is going to happen in each one of them.
Identify and negotiate the client’s intervention
Be extremely clear about what you will need from the client at every single step. Not only from a technical point of view, like Facebook or GA4 access, but also regarding their time and investment in you. How many hours, realistically, will the client need to dedicate to you? Some missions need more intervention than others, but not communicating this beforehand can create lots of tension and trouble. Ensure the client understands their level of needed participation.
Validate the validation process
What kinds of adjustments are you making at each phase? What is inside the scope and what goes beyond the scope? Explain the importance of centralizing the feedback on their end and the time and the amplitude of what you can integrate as adjustments. Define and even book those validation or follow-up meetings before starting the project. Let the client know exactly what is expected and what will need to be added to the bill as extra cost.
4. Discuss those admin issues right from the start
These might appear like things that are not important, but skipping administrations issues can bring potential issues during the project that can impact the actual process. For example, if you are working with an international client, make sure their payment process allows them to pay internationally, and that your ID documents are well accepted by them. Sounds like boring stuff, but taking care of these questions at the beginning will always be better than communicating them during the rush of the actual project.
How Metodas helps freelancers on every single step
Our work goes well beyond simply matching freelancers and clients. One of our main missions at the beginning of the client relationship is to vet the project before we even present it to freelancers. For each request, a Marketing specialist is going to prequalify the scope to make sure the request is realistic before we even present it to a freelancer.
We also take care of literally every single admin issue so that you do not have to. We handle the invoice, ensure payment, and perform the compliance check. From your end, you’re only expected to provide your valuable expertise. Nothing else.
If this approach resonates with you, and you are equally passionate about providing high-quality service and full transparency, we would love to meet you. Apply to join our network of freelancers in less than 3 minutes.
Audra Rosales
Join our Network
Our services are free for freelancers and will always be. To be part of our network, all it takes it’s a 3 min survey to start.
