| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Managing other clients while doing a big project Thread poster: Alex Farrell (X)
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| Cash flow, take 2 | Sep 13, 2008 |
If I work with any one client full time for more than a month, I ask for partial payments at the end of each month for the portion of work completed at that moment. Usually, clients have no problem with this, as they understand that you can't possibly pay your rent and expenses when you have no money coming in for months. The trick is to let them know you want partial payments as soon as they offer you the job - this leaves them a margin to negotiate that with their client, in case you are worki... See more If I work with any one client full time for more than a month, I ask for partial payments at the end of each month for the portion of work completed at that moment. Usually, clients have no problem with this, as they understand that you can't possibly pay your rent and expenses when you have no money coming in for months. The trick is to let them know you want partial payments as soon as they offer you the job - this leaves them a margin to negotiate that with their client, in case you are working with an agency.
Never accept to work for more than a month without getting paid in the meantime - the money may be good, but what use is it if you only get it once all your accounts are late? ▲ Collapse
| | | | Patricia Rosas 
United States
Local time: 00:45
Spanish to English
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In memoriam | slip-sliding around ... | Sep 13, 2008 |
Henry Hinds wrote:
I would add that when you take on a big project, make sure that the deadline is loose enough to allow you to "slide" it now and then to fit in that other work you know will be coming in.
That's what I try to do. I explain to my big clients that I have to keep a stream of work coming in and if I'm going to take a big job, I need a loose enough deadline so that I can do a few small jobs in the months that I'm working on the main one. No one has been put off by that so far. In fact, I think it is not a bad idea to gently "remind" a client in this way that you are (a) a freelancer, not their employee and (b) that you have plenty of work.
However, one of my main clients has just given me 4 books in a row, and so in this case, I'm "theirs" 100% until I'm done. I've had to turn away another regular client, beg a second one for some breathing room, and turn down a couple of new offers, but there just wasn't an option because the first client's deadlines are so tight and the projects are large ($$) whereas those that I turned down were relatively small.
Flexibility is key for freelancers!
Good luck!
Patricia
| | | | Claire Cox
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:45
French to English
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I'm in the middle of such a scenario at the moment. I'm just over halfway through a 10-week project. My aim was to leave some free capacity for smaller jobs to give me a change of scenery from the bigger job and keep other clients happy. As it happened, the large project was two weeks late in arriving, so I was glad I hadn't refused other jobs until it actually arrived, confirmed on my desk. Having started, I have been able to accommodate smaller jobs and I've dealt with inquiries from my regula... See more I'm in the middle of such a scenario at the moment. I'm just over halfway through a 10-week project. My aim was to leave some free capacity for smaller jobs to give me a change of scenery from the bigger job and keep other clients happy. As it happened, the large project was two weeks late in arriving, so I was glad I hadn't refused other jobs until it actually arrived, confirmed on my desk. Having started, I have been able to accommodate smaller jobs and I've dealt with inquiries from my regular clients on a case-by-case basis - but I felt it only fair to tell them straight that I could only accept smaller jobs for the time being. So far, so good - I'm on schedule with the large project, I've been able to carry on with smaller jobs and I haven't had the impression that I've alienated anyone - yet! I suppose only time will tell once this big project is out of the way! I deliberately allowed myself leeway in estimating the deadline for the larger job so that I could accommodate other work and I'm glad I did - doing such a long job under time pressure would be very hard work! Given the current economic climate, though, it would have seemed foolhardy to turn down the opportunity for 10 guaranteed weeks of work (even though I haven't been quiet for ages) - or is that just the old freelancer's insecurity rearing its ugly head?! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Alex Farrell (X)
Japan
Local time: 16:45
Japanese to English
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks everyone for your advice. I've decided not to mention the big project to my other clients. I've finished my first day of translating it, and it looks like I'll have plenty of time to turn this in early and take on some other assignments that come my way.
- Alex
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