5 tips for hiring the right Consultant or Freelancer
Are you looking to hire external help? Follow these easy tips to ensure that your creative project goes smoothly.
Cover photo by Joel Filipe on Unsplash.
Most of us are familiar with products. If you are reading this post, you have likely been surrounded by all kinds of products throughout your life. Also, you might have created your own products to sell to other people.
But what about services? Are they similar to products or not? Well, it depends.
While products and services have some things in common, there is also a crucial difference: products are finished work created before a customer makes a purchase; services (specifically freelancing services) are work created after a client makes a purchase.
Although this before and after timeframe may seem just a tiny detail, it actually makes a huge difference in what is created and delivered, and therefore in the way value is exchanged.
Consultants and Freelancers offer services, not products. Keeping in mind this essential difference, here are five tips for hiring the best Consultant or Freelancer for your creative project and ensuring that your collaboration goes smoothly while maximizing the value you get from it.
Tip # 1
Evaluate the extent to which they are willing (and able) to serve you.
Sometimes Freelancers take on as many clients as they can. Make sure they understand the job, your requirements and expectations, and that they are willing to go the extra mile. Although most Freelancers have more than one client at the same time, you should still feel like you’re their only client and that you have their full attention. For example, are they willing to hop on a call if there is anything that concerns you (within the scope of the project)? While some Freelancers and Consultants try to standardize their offers and limit exchanges with clients, it’s also vital to receive an appropriate level of care and understanding of the project. If they cannot offer this level of care to you, move on and look for another option because having high-quality, unique, distinctive, original and tailored work is paramount and makes all the difference. Remember: you don’t just need a logo; you need the logo that will help you to become successful. If you don’t feel 100% confident and excited to start working with someone, don’t hire them and continue looking.
Tip # 2
Don’t try to negotiate the price.
Instead of negotiating the price after you receive an offer, make your situation, budget, constraints and expectations clear upfront before a Freelancer prepares a proposal. If you can’t afford a service or don’t feel comfortable with a price for whatever reason, try to reconsider the whole offer to see if there is something that you can take out to lower the final price, but don’t focus on price only and don’t try to pay less for more. The reason is that services are not finished products. Services are usually tailored to your unique needs, so paying less would probably lead to lower quality, attention and care, generating poor results and potentially making paying for professional services pointless. Don’t make that mistake. If a service is too much of a stretch for you and you truly can’t afford it, try to do things internally or do them yourself until you can afford an appropriate level of quality and professionalism. You deserve the best.
Tip # 3
Communicate clearly and help them understand the project, your vision and your brand.
One of the most common patterns I see when working with founders is the challenge of getting ideas out of their minds and on paper. Your collaborators cannot read your mind. Make sure you communicate with people and be as clear and detailed as possible while making yourself available for questions and follow-ups. Although sometimes you may consider a task as specific and limited, getting people properly briefed about the context of their work is still essential. For example, if you hire a proofreader or editor for just an hour to review a product description or other text that you wrote, make sure to include in the brief detailed information about your brand, your mission and your ideal customer (and more). A deep understanding of the context will enable them to do a better job and empower them to make insightful suggestions to open up new developments and possibilities. By helping them do their job to the best of their ability, you will likely get an external perspective on your business, and that’s the most valuable input you can get from an external collaborator. They have a more objective point of view as they are not involved in day-to-day management inside the company, plus they are well-rounded professionals as a result of constantly being exposed to many projects and businesses for the nature of their work.
Tip # 4
Don’t try to take advantage of them.
Although this tip might seem obvious to many – maybe even insulting – I believe it’s worth stressing the importance of building a healthy relationship based on trust and respect. Whether you hire a Freelancer for the years to come or just for a couple of hours, approach them from a position of respect and appreciation for their time and work. Not only is this kind, appropriate and professional to do, but it will also be an advantage if or when you’ll want to work with them again. You never know!
Tip # 5
Pay them immediately.
One of the distinctive aspects of being a Consultant or a Freelancer is having an unstable and unpredictable income, as opposed to being an employee and receiving a monthly salary that is more or less stable and predictable. Although many seasoned Freelancers have strategies and plans to cope with instability, financial challenges are a common concern and can take up too much space in a Freelancer’s mind. For this reason, it’s a good idea to pay the invoice immediately when you receive it. If you use PayPal or similar options, the recipient will likely receive money in seconds. Your collaborator will be grateful for that act of kindness and value your relationship even more. Paying an invoice right away doesn’t cost you anything; still, it could increase the value you get from the collaboration and potentially improve the attention and quality of the work you receive. Help your collaborators deliver their best work by being a reliable party and limiting their bureaucratic burden. Ensure them a smooth and reliable income source to enable them to focus on the value they provide you without being distracted, interrupted and drained by worry and unnecessary admin tasks. Many times, that’s what kills creativity, productivity and relationships.
Sure, doing it all yourself gets your business from dream to reality. However, it is critical to understand when it’s time to delegate work to a talented professional. For all the situations when you need external help, remember these five tips to hire the best Consultant or Freelancer for your creative project and enjoy the beauty of meeting talented people and the excitement of seeing results stem from quality work.
Francesca – Armonica Studio
Francesca is the creator of Armonica Studio, a marketing consultancy focusing on strategy and communication. She is a Brand Strategist, a Communication Consultant, and the creator of The Armonica Blog: Marketing Insights And Actionable Tips For Creators And Makers. She currently lives in Berlin, Germany.
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