Big companies. Small companies. Startups. I’ve worked with all of them as a contract marketer and writer over the past almost two decades. They all have one thing in common: no standard way to work with freelancers.
How could they, though? There is no rule book or baseline. Based on my own experience, here are some practices I’ve learned that will always make financial sense that next time you bring in the contractor.
Start Work on Done Deals
Change happens. It’s a natural part of any project. However, some deliverables are more “dynamic” than others (See, I told you I was in marketing). If your project is in a state of flux, halt the contractor until the work is on lock down. Why waste everyone’s time and money on something that isn’t rock solid? I had a client for years that was hurry-up-and-wait on every project. I would block my time, work just a wee a bit on the project, release the time, rinse and repeat. Finally, this year, I decided 10th time’s a charm and became “too busy” for the work. Sad but true.
Don’t Use Contractors For Internal Processes
I would hazard to guess that 99% of freelancers despise administrative work (it might also be half the reason we left corporate America). Put it this way: We hate bureaucracy more than your average bear. Filling out forms, chasing people down, and working through internal systems… lots of work and little payoff for everyone involved, including whoever is tasked to explain everything to us and get us up to speed. Here’s a better idea: Assign those tasks to an employee that can do it faster and at less cost. It’s not the “not my job” thing but “doesn’t make sense” thing.
Think Before You Meet
Ask yourself this question first: Does the freelancer really need to be in on this meeting? If it’s essential for background, introductions, or a working meeting, then by all means yes. If it’s a nice-to-have or a routine team check-in that doesn’t involve our work, leave us out. Reminder: You are charged for each hour that we log. Even if it’s a project fee, put that time to good use. We could be focusing on your deliverables instead. A positive trend I’ve seen the past few years is 30-minute meetings. Corporate America has realized that when you have less time, you’re more productive and get sh*t done.
Embrace the Brain Dump
One of the biggest learning curves for freelancers is ramping up on projects with new companies. As we gain more experience, we also become more adept at figuring things out quickly. Please help us along by giving us the scoop on everything: work background, org charts, and anything else that is going to help us do the work more efficiently. Clients often say “I feel like I’m overwhelming you” in a brain dump, but we’re used to soaking up new information up like a sponge, and want it — everything will make sense later. This should also include the lowdown on politics, where to tread lightly, etc. It’s not gossip; it helps us get the job done without incident, which in the end, makes everyone look better – including you the client.
Write the Job Down
Sounds simple, but it doesn’t always happen in the rush to “get the contractor in ASAP.” No matter what the timeline is, written roles will always trump the possibility of your freelancer misunderstanding his or her priorities. Whether it’s a formal job description or an email with a bulleted list, provide some sort of document. If and when new responsibilities get piled on, the scope can be reviewed for time and budget. Last year, I was provided cryptic one-word answers to the role I was taking on, and sure enough, it ended up being a hodge-podge of tasks. That was my bad, but as contractors, we always learn new lessons, no matter how long we’ve been doing it!
On any new contract, both the client and consultant are responsible for a successful project — but it will be the client who leads the consultant down the path in a straight line instead of falling into expensive potholes all along the way.
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