The freelance community is saturated with stories of ‘bad clients’. How to identify them, when to fire them, and all kinds of horror stories defining them – even websites dedicated to them (see http://clientsfromhell.net). Somehow throughout my 16+ years freelancing I managed to steer clear of any significantly horrible experiences with clients, except for one (you can read about it here.) So while I haven’t found myself completely immune to the ‘bad client’ syndrome, I have been fortunate enough to run my business relatively unscathed.

While pondering this thought I began to wonder why, and I believe there are some key reasons that I have somehow stumbled upon, whether accidentally or by trial and error or simply because I have some core life values that have contributed. In this post I want to share with you some of the things that I do in my freelance business practices that I believe help me to not only steer clear of bad experiences with clients, but even give me the ability to truthfully proclaim that I really enjoy, respect and revere my clients.

It All Starts with the Golden Rule

I have lived my entire life trying to follow the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. In other words, treat people the way you want to be treated. This has naturally carried over to how I run my business, to the point that, if it appears that a potential client would be better served using someone else’s services, I will recommend as such. I have had hour-long phone conversations that never resulted in me getting paid, but did find the best solution for the person on the other end of the line. It’s this kind of approach that has brought referrals from people who have never been my client, but have instead sent someone my way because of my willingness to find the best solution, even at my own expense.

Think about it. If you called a company looking to see if they could provide you with a service and found out that their fees were beyond your resources, how much would you appreciate it if they recommended a competitor who could serve you better? I know that I would think very highly of that company, and might even consider stretching my budget to work with them, simply because they took their own time to go the extra mile.

Putting myself in the other person’s shoes and then treating them way I would appreciate being treated in their situation has proven invaluable at keeping clients and potential clients happy.

Client Management Starts With Client Education

Many of my web and graphic design clients do not have the first clue about what it takes to design and build a website, or a logo, or whatever else they are looking for assistance with. That’s the whole reason they are contacting me in the first place. The most commonly-asked question is, “How does this work?”

That being said, how ridiculous would it be for me to assume they should already know the process and proceed as such? I have learned that taking the time in the beginning to explain how I work and the steps that we will take to achieve the client’s goals usually alleviates possibilities of confusion or misunderstanding that could arise later on. There is also an element of education throughout the process that must be paid attention to, keeping the client in the loop instead of in the dark.

If the client is correctly and carefully educated, it will usually translate into a well-managed project and a happy client. Failing to educate the client, or assuming they should already know and treating them like idiots when they don’t, will almost always result in a bad experience for everyone involved.

Client Satisfaction at (Almost) All Costs

One of the most common causes of frustration between clients and freelancers is when clients seemingly ‘forget’ that they hired you to do something they don’t know how to do themselves. For instance, a client hires a web designer to create a magnificent website design, then picks apart the design and restructures it at every point along the way. The end result is a substandard design that likely will fail to achieve its goals, paired with a frustrated or belittled designer who has given up on trying to create the best design for the project.

This is a high wire that many find difficult to walk – the struggle between creating the best solution and keeping the client happy. We all know the old adage that “the customer is always right”, but the truth is that this is incorrect. Imagine if I went to my doctor and told them their prescribed treatment was not what I had in mind, and I would like to create my own treatment instead. The doctor would laugh me out of the examination room! The reality is that no one would ever do that because we all know the doctor has a better understanding of what should be done in the first place. So why do freelancers’ clients sometimes take this route?

I think it begins with a lack of trust in the freelancer’s abilities. Freelancers don’t have higher education degrees and diplomas hanging on their wall in an office the client visits. There is nothing up front to communicate that the freelancer is certified as capable and educated in their field. So how do we combat this?

First off, ‘combat’ is probably the wrong word. It should never be a fight between freelancer and client. Instead it should be a joint effort to reach the best solution together. How do you communicate your experience and abilities to the client in a way that instill confidence and trust?

There is a likelihood that if the client doesn’t completely trust your abilities as a freelancer, then perhaps you do not fully trust them yourself. If you are willing to bend and give in to the client’s requests every time they make them, you are likely communicating that they have a better understanding of what must be done than you do. Instead, I suggest you explain why you do the things you do in a way that they can fully comprehend. Tell them why you recommend they do it your way, while simultaneously giving up ownership of your position.

Decisions should never be made simply because they are your own preference. They should be made because it is the best solution for the problem at hand. Believe it or not, sometimes our clients have better solutions that we may have not otherwise considered. Other times we will have solutions that are proven as the best, but the client neither knows that they are proven, nor why.

This is where the continuing client education plays an intricate role in helping your clients understand what is best for their project.

In the end, you cannot make the client choose your own solutions over their own, but if you approach each project and client from start to finish with the clear communication that you are the best person for the job, that your ideas and solutions have solid reasoning and experience behind them, and that your primary goal is for their project to be the best it can be, more often than not they will happily step aside and allow you to excel in the work they hired you to do.

Sometimes a ‘Bad Client’ Is Really Just the Result of a ‘Bad Freelancer’

Freelancing is an ever-growing field that has been exploding in recent years, coinciding with the rapid evolution of technology and the hurting economy. This has led to an increase in the number of freelancers who may be highly skilled in their profession, but are sorely lacking in the areas of customer service and client management. Falling short in these areas is only going to lead to unhappy clients, who in turn express their dissatisfaction and lack of trust and confidence in the freelancer’s work. In these cases, it is simply not fair, nor correct, to label these mistreated people as ‘Bad Clients’.

They are, after all, people just like you and me, who are looking to spend their hard-earned money to purchase quality work and be treated with respect along the way.

Maybe the ‘Bad Clients’ of the world are really just the by-products of ‘Bad Freelancers’, who are really just defined as people who need to grow in their understanding of how to treat others the way they want to be treated, how to manage clients by educating them, and how to proceed in a way that instills an atmosphere of mutual respect and confidence.

I know I’m still learning how to do these things better. How about you?

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I’ve been asked for suggestions on this topic a number of times, so I decided to share my thoughts for those who find themselves standing on the proverbial precipice, contemplating taking the leap into full-time freelancing. I found myself in that place a few years ago, and so far the leap I took from part-time to full-time freelance web and graphic design has proven very successful. Of course, I have had my share of bumps along the way, with the bruises to show for it, and there are still many things I will learn, but it is my hope that you will benefit in your own endeavors as I share my insights.

There are countless books, blogs and resources that will give you step-by-step instructions and advice for getting your freelance business started. Here is a quick list of some of my own favorite tips:

• Make sure you have either a client base or a financial foundation (or both) that will support your change in income for as long as you anticipate you will need before business begins growing.
• Make all of your current and past clients aware of your new venture into full-time and request their testimonials and recommendations.
• Establish your brand identity online as much as possible, including website with a blog, Facebook business page, Google+ business page, LinkedIn profile, Twitter profile, Google Places, Foursquare, and as many other social media platforms as you can manage.
• Plan on blogging regularly (at least once a week, if possible) about topics relevant to your business, colleagues, competitors and clients to improve your website’s SEO (ability to be found in search engines.)
• Prepare a solid price list for the services you provide, so you can draw from it as needed and remain consistent.
• Figure out the amount of work you must do each day, week and month in order to bring in the income you require, and then prepare and maintain a project management calendar of scheduled work for clients, time for business development, time for accounting, and all other aspects of your new business.

The Most Important Tip For Starting Your Full-Time Freelance Business

All of the tips above are important and should not be taken lightly, but if there was only one thing you should know about moving from part-time into full-time freelancing, this would be it:

just do it.

No, I don’t work for Nike. I am simply saying that you can try your best to get all your ducks in a row, save all kinds of money just in case, make plans for all kinds of possible scenarios, and be as prepared as humanly possible, but in the end you really just have to take the leap.

When my wife and I first started thinking about having children, we were told by so many people how it would change our lives in so many ways. We were told to do the usual things to get prepared for this dramatic life change, and we did. We read all the books, bought everything for the nursery, baby-proofed the house, and so on. But when our first daughter arrived we felt completely unprepared. Now, years later, that baby girl is in another state on the other side of the country, working and going to college, and her sister and brother are not far behind. And we are still figuring this parenting thing out.

We’ve often said that if potential parents waited to have children until they were completely prepared, the human race would be extinct. The same holds true for full-time freelancers. Your business should be your baby – your dream job – and you will come to a point where you will realize that nothing or no one could have prepared you for what it will take to birth and grow it into something you are proud to call your own.

Sure, get your foundations laid and your plans made. Don’t be foolish and leap without considering the ramifications of your action. Wisdom dictates nothing less.

Then just do it.

You will likely find that the leap doesn’t end. It is a free fall that finds no solid ground, nowhere to rest your feet. It is also a rollercoaster ride that will probably have extreme ups and severe drops. You will never be fully prepared for this, so don’t wait until you think you are.

Just do it.

And just like the overwhelming joy that a parent feels when their child of any age finds happiness, you too will hopefully come to a point where you can say that everything you went through was worth it.

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Anyone who uses WordPress (and there are over 70,000,000 websites that do) almost definitely uses WordPress plugins. Plugins are one of the best parts about this incredible open-source software, because they help to make it infinitely expandable and customizable to fit almost any usage requirements and desires. As a WordPress user, designer, and developer, I have probably installed hundreds of plugins throughout the years, and I have a list of about twenty that I use regularly for most of the WordPress websites I build. I think it’s fair to say that without plugins WordPress would not be nearly as popular or in use as much as it is today.

Yet how often do you and I and everyone else that uses a plugin take the time to express our gratitude for it?

I’ll confess: until recently, I have almost never even thought about what it takes to create a plugin and how I could at the very least say thank you to those who have developed the plugins I use.

However, in the past few weeks I took my own dive into the WordPress plugin development “deep end” and through the process became painfully aware of what a thankless job it is. I recently created my first two WordPress plugins, Pinterest RSS Widget and Google+ Page Badge, and, while it was somewhat fun to take on and conquer this new challenge, my eyes have been opened to what it takes and how negligible the return can be.

The view from the other side has inspired me to change my ways and do whatever I can to express my gratitude and support for the developers of plugins I use. One of the ways I can do this is to challenge you to do the same. If, like me, you’ve never known or thought about what it takes to create a WordPress plugin before, perhaps my recent experience will help you to also see this issue in a new light.

What It Takes To Create A WordPress Plugin

First, there’s the initial time it takes to write all of the code that makes the plugin function. For even the most highly skilled developers this can amount to hours, even days, depending on the complexity of its functionality. There are settings pages to construct, read me files to write, screenshots to take, and so on.

Then there’s the testing. Because WordPress is so widely used, it inevitably exists in countless configurations, on all different types of servers, and with a wide variety of settings. Any one of these variables – of which there are likely hundreds of thousands – could potentially create a conflict with the code that makes the plugin function. So there has to be quite a bit of testing in a variety of environments to make sure the plugin will survive once it’s out in the wild.

Next it has to be submitted to the plugins repository. This was a whole new experience for me, and I had to learn how to use Subversion, a software versioning and a revision control system. Believe me, it was not a pretty sight to see this designer trying to figure out how to make things work in a Command Prompt window.

Once the plugin is approved and published, it has to be promoted, at least if you want anyone to use it. Writing blog posts, notifying other websites, sharing it on social networks and whatever other ways you can think of take another chunk of time to make happen.

From that point on there is the support of the plugin, helping those users who, for whatever reason, are having problems making it work in their WordPress installation. Answering forum posts, emails and so forth could quite possibly end up being the most time-consuming portion of the process.

And unless you’re selling the plugin you created, not one second of this time is paid for.

So why bother?

I can’t speak for anyone else, but I invested this time for the following reasons:

• To learn a new skill
• To give back to the WordPress community for all the things it has given me
• To fill a need that I saw for a functionality that didn’t exist
• To strengthen my standing and reputation as an authority in WordPress design and development

As far as my own experience, I am satisfied that I have already accomplished my goals. Of course, my plugins are still extremely new and the adventure is ongoing, so we’ll have to see how it all plays out. But I have definitely learned some unexpected lessons and developed a new outlook on how I will support plugin developers from now on.

So here are some suggestions for ways that you and I can express our gratitude for the plugins we use and love.

Donate To The Plugin Developer

This is the most obvious and possibly the best way to support a plugin. Helping encourage the developer to continue investing their unpaid time by offering financial support just makes sense (at least to me.) In most cases, a simple $5 donation would make a developer’s day. Not because they will suddenly be rich, but because of the gesture. It communicates genuine gratitude and appreciation, and it helps the developer know that someone thinks enough of their hard work to give of their own hard-earned income.

If the plugin developer is open to receiving donations, you can find a link to donate on the plugin’s page on wordpress.org. Sometimes they will also include a link for donations in the plugin itself. Think about how that plugin helps your website. Is it worth a $5 thank you?

For reference, my Pinterest plugin has been downloaded 11793 times since its release on January 16^th. I have received one $5 donation to date. I’m not complaining. That $5 donation made my day! But it’s pretty sad to me to think that other plugins that have been downloaded tens of thousands of times and are being used in websites all over the world may not receive more than a few meager donations to support their ongoing development.

Write A Review of Your Favorite Plugin(s)

Helping raise awareness, offering word-of-mouth advertising and personally recommending a plugin or plugins that you have found helpful is a great way to say thank you to its developer. Writing a review of it on your blog or as a guest post on someone else’s could not only encourage the developer, but it will also help the plugin’s numbers increase, which is another reassurance that the time invested was worth it. My Pinterest plugin has been written up on two different and well-known WordPress sites (WPBeginner.com and WPMU.org), and I found it very encouraging!

Give The Plugin A Star Rating

This has to be one of the simplest and quickest ways to support a plugin, yet it seems that so few users actually take the few seconds it requires to do this. Look at any plugin’s ratio of downloads to star ratings and you’ll see a drastic disparity. Yet star ratings on a plugin’s page are often the determining factor of whether or not it ends up being chosen for use when one is looking for a plugin.

My Pinterest plugin has received only five ratings out of 11793 users. The Google+ badge plugin has received three ratings out of 1336 downloads. Wouldn’t it be helpful to others if they could know what all those other plugin users think of it?

Weigh In On The Plugin’s Compatibility

Probably the least commitment and yet another way to assist others in choosing plugins and therefore encouraging the developer, giving your vote for a plugin’s compatibility only takes seconds but can help make or break its success. On each plugin’s page there is a section in the right sidebar labeled “Compatibility”. There you can select the version of WordPress and the version of the plugin you are using and then vote for the combination. It’s either broken or it works. If you vote broken, you will automatically be taken to the plugin’s support forum where you can explain your vote and the problems you’re having, giving the developer the opportunity to offer their support and possible solutions. If you vote that it works, then you’re done!

This simple vote helps others know if it’s working right, and encourages them to download it themselves. However, a plugin needs to have a certain number of votes in order for it to qualify as working or not, so it’s a relatively important quality that again few users take the time to contribute to. Doing your part to help a plugin reach this number can encourage the developer once their plugin is deemed “working”. Until it reaches this magic number it simply says there is not enough data, so take the few seconds and help your favorite plugins reach working status.

How Now Shall We Live?

Have you done any of these things for your favorite plugins? If not, will you take some time and do it now? Will you start doing one or more of them in the future? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, and encourage your favorite plugin developers today!

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It’s been about 6 years since the day my Dad sat at a diner in Hawaii with our whole family and told us he had prostate cancer. At the time it was not the worst news because although the cancer was all over his body it had not attached to his bones, so the doctors had told him he could still live for a significant number of years. Just a few months ago, however, the cancer did settle into his bones and he had to start chemotherapy. He’s been doing exceptionally well through this and is not experiencing many of the side effects that are normal at this stage. More importantly, he feels good and is enjoying every moment of his life to the fullest.

I share this with you because it is the most recent illustration of one of the many reasons why I am so proud to be this man’s son.

Today, January 21, 2012, is my Dad’s 70^th birthday. He is one of the most amazing people I know, and I want to share this fact with anyone who is willing to listen. I want to honor my Dad on his birthday by shouting his praises from the highest mountaintop to the most people within earshot. Translated in today’s technology terms, that mountaintop is my blog.

Just to clarify, it’s not his bout with cancer that raises him to hero status in my eyes. He has always been an exceptional human being, long before the disease arrived. He set the bar high for his children, his friends, his colleagues, and anyone else who has been a part of his life. His example of how to live has and will always be what I strive for in my own life, and it has had that same impact in so many others he has come in contact with.

Honesty. Integrity. Compassion. Loyalty. Sincerity. These are just a few of the characteristics he embodies and has passed on to me and my siblings.

I could go on and on, but instead I’ve summed up how I feel about my Dad in a poem. It is my birthday wish for him, and I share it with you in hopes that yet again my Dad’s life will influence others in positive ways. I also invite you to leave your own birthday wishes for Arlie L. McDaniel, Jr., in the comments below if you so desire.

Happy Birthday, Dad! I love you!

In a world
Where many girls
And boys
Are faced with the choice
Between one parent or the other
It took some time for me
But eventually
I discovered
That I am the child of a man who rises above all others
A husband of only one
A father who not only loves his daughter and sons
But lived and lives his life to pursue
Their dreams coming true
His passion to see our satisfaction
Unrivaled by any other distraction
An example of man
Father
Husband
Brother
Friend
Son
That not one
Of us could dream we would become
Yet every day
In some small or marvelous way
I see his face
In my reflection
His influence affecting my direction
Hear his voice ringing in my inflections
His wisdom echoing in my decisions
His humor infiltrating my witticisms
His eyes
Lighting up in mine
His laughter
Dancing from my lips
This
Is the greatest gift
I have known
And I hope and dream and desire to own
Even just a fraction
For my children
For my wife
For my brother and sister
For my friends
For my Mom
For my Dad
You, my father
Are the best man I could ever hope to be
And I will always be grateful for what that means
To who I am becoming

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