Put your freelance business first, not your clients.
This idea can be tough to swallow, because we have always been conditioned to believe that the customer comes first.
And certainly, we should over-deliver for our clients. We should always do our best for them. Above all, we should always deliver our very best work.
But...you should still put yourself and your freelance business first.
Any company is primarily concerned with its own survival and growth. Customer care can be a strategy or a tactic of a business, but it shouldn’t be its primary purpose.
For example, Southwest Airlines has a reputation for being top notch in customer service. But as a corporation they don’t put the customer first. The corporation and its profits and growth come first. Being number one in customer care is simply one way of getting there.
As freelancers, we need to take the same approach. Delivering great work is just one element among many, all of which drive the growth and success of our businesses. Too many freelancers get this wrong and devote all their time to taking care of their customers.
As soon as a company has more than one employee, it becomes self-evident that there is more to business success than serving the needs of the customer.
Once you have two people, you know you are going to spend some time on discussing the future of the business. You’ll spend time on developing and refining your goals. You’ll have discussions about billing, cash flow, profits and new opportunities for future growth.
But most freelancers work alone. And when you are alone the temptation is to spend all your time working for your clients, and none on the health and growth of your own business.
This is a bad place to be in. Because if you don’t put your own business first, you’ll never get anywhere interesting. You’ll just be doing piecework, at the beck and call of your clients. You become a virtual employee, but with none of the benefits.
What smart freelancers need to do is behave as if they were companies with more than one employee.
Think long-term. Develop goals. Be a strategic marketer.
If you put your clients first, you’ll always be their flunky.
Put your business first, and you’ll build a future where you are the one in control.
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