How do you decide which clients to take?

Interview with Rosemary, a digital content marketing manager reveals must-see freelance tips

Before I work for new clients, I speak to them (usually on the phone) and learn about their business. That way, you can measure if you and the potential client are a fit for each other or not.

Run when you must if the project or the expectations of you are unrealistic.

A good rapport on both sides is desirable when working remotely; the better you understand your clients, the easier it is to do good work for them.

Rosemary, a digital content marketing manager shares the freelance lessons she has learned over the years—see her tips & exceptional entrepreneurial wisdom.

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Interview with Shauna, founder and business consultant specializing in remote work

I work with clients that are wanting to make a change in their business —be it starting or scaling a company remotely or looking to improve their remote workforce's performance in an already distributed company.

For me, it's important my clients are willing to adapt and change, to try something new to reach their highest potential for growth.

Shauna is a consultant that guides companies in thriving while remote—see her advice for staying grounded as a remote worker.

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Interview with Elizabeth, a graphic designer and art director

Ah - this is a big one for me. I am not a shy and retiring person. I have a vibrant personality that I had to hide a bit when I worked in investment banking.

With our current business, we only work with clients with whom we can be ourselves.

I talk a lot about the power of personality in my freelance work and how I’ve found being myself with clients to be a real asset to productivity and output.

Saying that I’m not everyone’s cup of tea, so I take great care to check chemistry before undertaking work with a new client. At the moment, we work by referral when we have availability.

Elizabeth provides the ultimate list of tips for aspiring freelancers and remote workers. Check out her game-changing tools, and advice for thriving as a freelancer.

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Interview with Hanling, a data scientist that works remotely on machine learning

Selecting good clients is important for freelancers.

The first thing I'll look at when viewing a job on Upwork is the client's feedback and how much he/she spent on the platform. If the client had completed many jobs on Upwork with good feedback and spent much, then very likely this is a good clients.

Good clients always have a clear description for the job, clear goal to achieve, timely communication and show respects.

I've met clients who ask modifications again and again but wouldn't pay a penny, as well as clients who pay once the work is delivered and reviewed and pay bonus for my excellent work.

If the client is new to the Upwork, then we need to be a bit more cautious. Besides, I also pay attention to the district clients from. For example, I've met many clients who give unreasonable low price for large workload, so now I don't apply for those kinds of jobs.

Hanling started working remotely as a student and now does freelance machine learning and data analysis for clients all around the world.

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Interview with Meryl, a digital marketer and master of home office organization

I've been fortunate that I get the right clients as most work comes from referrals and repeat business. In the 15 years I've done this full-time, I've rarely passed on clients and projects.

Meryl K. Evans is skilled at creating a home office that leads to remote work flexibility. See her advice for creating a successful workspace, and hear about her journey into freelancing.

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Interview with Erin, a virtual assistant with a successful approach to freelancing

My criteria have evolved over the years. When I initially launched my VA business, I said "yes" to any and every client.

My knee-jerk reaction to take on all clients really stemmed from a place of fear, though. I was only concerned with making a dollar and not going broke!

Big mistake.

Eventually, I learned to become more discerning with my clients - not just for my benefit - but theirs too. Clients who pay good money to delegate to an assistant deserve to have a VA who understands and respects their work process.

Before taking on new clients, I now hop on a call to suss out their work style and personality. If they're not a good fit, I let them know that I think they'd be better suited with another VA.

The real bonus of being more discerning is that I open myself up to working with people that I genuinely enjoy, mesh well with my work-style, and can pay my going rate without batting an eye!

Erin has found freelancing success as a virtual assistant—see her organizational tips & insights into how she picks clients that suit her business.

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Interview with Ascencia, a content marketer, and avid gig economy professional

I found all of my clients on Upwork, and they have a pretty good system there, with reviews and payment verification.

I always choose clients that I can trust, so the ones with 4.5+ stars review and payment-verified.

I also trust my gut when it comes to demanding clients. If their instructions or test projects in the recruitment process still make sense, I will go with it. But if it takes too much of my time, I usually reject it. I believe there are a lot of good people as good clients out there.

A forgotten two-year-old Upwork account allowed Ascencia to become a content marketer—see how the gig economy has offered her an alternative path to success.

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Interview with Molood, a CEO who shares how minimalism has improved her remote work experience

We have two types of clients: Individuals and companies.

For both cases, we ask clients to fill in a questionnaire that would give us a better understanding of who they are and whether or not we are a match to help them.

We then have a discovery call with them to learn even more about them, their challenges, and their needs. Sometimes clients come to us asking for an online workshop, and in the discovery call, they realize that we also offer a service in helping companies with creating internal online conferences and they ask us to help them there as well.

Sometimes companies buy an online leadership workshop from us and they realize that they would benefit from a continued group coaching program for their managers.

To be frank, most of our clients have come back to us over and over for various training, workshops, or consulting services. We strive to make our free training more comprehensive and higher quality than most other companies’ paid training, which is probably why our clients know that when they pay for our service, they are getting the best quality possible.

We truly dedicate ourselves to learning about them and understanding their needs and we always go above and beyond to help our clients achieve their goals and more.

You can learn more about our services on our website: Remote Forever and can book a discovery call there too. You will be asked to fill in a questionnaire first to help us learn more about you or your company better.

As CEO and Founder of Remote Forever, Molood has made a career in teaching individuals and companies how to work remotely effectively. See how embracing a minimalist lifestyle has caused her to excel.

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Interview with Alexandra Cote, a remote digital marketer and freelancer

I've been relying a lot on cold pitching. Mainly because it helps pick the companies I want to work with. Other than that, a simple email exchange or call is good enough for me to realize whether working together will lead to something productive.

I hate writing just for the sake of writing, so my ideal clients need to value good content and not be another one of those people who think they can find cheaper writers. My rates are on the higher side.

This has helped me keep my professional image and cut down on working for people who don't value their content or employees.

Your rate says a lot about you, and it literally picks your clients.

I also recommend you go for a project-based rate instead of all else. Safer and worthy of an expert like you.

Alexandra juggles freelancing, a full-time remote job, YouTube, and Skillshare instructing. How does she manage it all? Find out in her interview.

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Interview with Melissa, a co-founder and remote work champion

In my past freelance assignments, I would choose to pass on clients that didn’t ask me any questions during our initial conversations.

If it was all about them and what they needed then I knew right away it wouldn’t be a positive experience.

Also, of course, pay rate came into play. I had someone once try to cut my requested rate in half and, while I needed the work, I declined the project because I needed to protect my value for other potential clients.

However, now, as a start-up consultancy, we aren’t really turning anyone down— : ) It’s all about business development and getting our name out there.

Melissa started Work Well Wherever to help individuals & companies embrace remote work—see how she balances entrepreneurship, parenthood, & self-care.

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