How To Work With A Freelancer
We're not aliens. We're literally employees trying to get you promoted.
Dear Client, are you the person directly managing me (the freelancer)? If so, consider this an intro to working with me.
Maybe this is your first time. Or you’ve had a couple bad experiences. I get it…it’s not something included in the leadership videos.
But as 90% of leaders prioritize freelance talent and 60% of leaders expect freelancers to replace FTE’s in the next 2-3 years, this will be the first of many engagements we work on together.
So!
The Basics:
Why do I freelance?
Because I want choice over who I work with and what I work on.
Who else am I kissing and how do I prioritize?
Like you, I work between 40-80 hrs/week depending on the week.
Most likely there’s 2-3 other clients I’m actively working with, and 5-15 I’m talking with, maybe advising, but not top of brain.
Prioritization…ahhh…come check out my calendar. Each hour is extremely intentional, from blocking for creative time to blocking for family time.
What are my biggest pains?
Multiple emails, which lead to multiple calendars, which lead to reactive overload 🤯
Most of these emails require VDI’s, which block real time notifications and being able to check email via mobile. The result…I’m only seeing things when I log in manually to my computer. Which as we all know…Microsoft log-in and meetings aren’t the smoothest.
Lack of context.
This comes in a couple different forms…
Whose input should we be prioritizing (or not)?
What prior knowledge does the team have that we should have?
For example are there brand guidelines, or past examples of success?
What data should we be prioritizing?
The WORST…is everything still relevant, or are there things that we last week decided to stop doing but that wasn’t communicated to everyone?
Long term pipeline planning.
Think about this…as an employee you can be reasonably assured that you’ll be paid for the next 3-6 months. Meanwhile as a contractor, the contract can end immediately, and come renewal time there’s a high chance the contract won’t renew no matter how good we do (we all have war stories about exceeding goals then not extending the contract).
How can we best work together?
Tactically…
Stick to a Monday/Tuesday standup so we can plan for the week
Allow us to forward calendar invites so we don’t miss anything (as long as there isn’t any sensitive info obviously!)
Throw us everything and tell us which data to prioritize rather than only telling us things while chatting.
Have an onboarding process. Doesn’t have to be too complicated…mostly it has to have things that get in the way of us delivering our work (and that every contractor will be pinging you about anyways).
Mindset things…
Be intentional about outcomes, OR make my time the outcome.
Understand my working hours. I’ve most likely planned a month ahead for meeting times, productivity times, and spontaneous times.
Honestly…treat me just like a full time employee that doesn’t go to most meetings, doesn’t see the politics, and wants to see you get promoted.
Selfishly…if you get promoted, you’ll probably have a bigger budget, and have cooler work for me :)
What shouldn’t you do?
Worry about compliance. I got that, and I’m incented to make sure you stay compliant so that we can work long term.
Worry about giving me too much data.
Worry about giving me too little direction. I’m the expert at the deliverables we discussed. If there’s data I need, I’ll ask.
Advanced:
How can you keep me?
Pay me on time (or make sure I have the right process)
Give me tangible feedback
Accept the goal posts. It’s totally okay if things change. If we need to scrap a project in the middle. If we need to adjust.
Tell me as soon as possible
Pay me for the work done or accept my scope update
That’s it for now! Remember…I’m incented to make you look like a rockstar. Let me fuel you with the deliverables, data, and clarity that will make you look like a shining star.
About The Author
Matthew has freelanced, hired freelancers, and helped organizations scale freelance programs for 10+ years.
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