Clients are complicated: Here is how to deal with them

Did you know that, according to Tech Jury, there are 1.57 billion freelancers in the world, of which 73.3 million are freelancers based in the US?

Choosing to become a freelancer can be an incredibly liberating step to forging a career path where you are in control of how, when, and with whom you work. For those who crave independence from an office space and boss, it can mean freedom where you dictate the rules for how your professional journey will take shape.

However, freelancers can face several changes often, such as working on their own, putting in longer hours than they would at the office, and dealing with complicated clients.

The latter can be tricky - especially when it comes to negotiating pay levels, battling to establish trust, or even dealing with push-back about your services.

These challenges can be resolved, though, when you consider client psychology and how to navigate interactions the right way.

In today’s article, our Noumena expert Laura Briggs dives into the importance of understanding a client and how to respond to their objections. Laura is a successful Client Management Coach, freelance writer, and author who started out as a middle school teacher and turned her skills into a six-figure freelancer within one year.

Here are some of Laura’s most powerful tips to consider:

Client Psychology Matters

When it comes to client interactions, a freelancer must understand that this is about more than just a business transaction.

Your potential clients might have had bad experiences, and have some fears that they have about a project or their business overall.

They need to solve a particular problem or order specific products, and we have the services that they need, which can come with negotiating price points, deadlines, and the cadence of the work.

According to Laura, failing to work these particulars out and meet expectations is actually the number one reason a freelancer loses a client, especially with the high degree of competition we usually face for the services that we offer.

Having said this, one of the key ways that we can stand out from other freelancers (beyond our experience) is to carefully listen, make them feel heard, and then execute as expected.

Clients are humans first and foremost, and they feel instantly connected when they feel that you “get” them. In fact, even those small micro-moments of interaction and friendly chit-chat can help you establish long-lasting rapport.