33).Develop a Service Minded Attitude

Yes, you are your own boss but your employers are eventually the ones forking over the cash. Meet their needs and treat them with the highest respect and the following advantages to your young freelance career will happen:
• You being rehired for future projects
• Good referrals to other employers
• Good recommendations in your online profiles
• Development of a client base
A service-minded attitude is absolutely essential to achieving the above. In fact, if you develop this attitude and live by it right away, you will surprise yourself in how fast your freelance business will grow and the amount of projects that will be lined up for you.
The opposite is true, too. Leave an employer unfulfilled and disappointed in your work and you will be left digging yourself out of a hole due to bad reputation. I shouldn’t have to explain this further but remember that bad reputation spreads faster than good reputation.
Your freelance career depends very highly on your reputation as well.
Here are suggestions to developing a service-minded attitude:
• Keep in constant communication with your employer and make sure that they know AND understand how you will take on a project. Make sure they know if they have any questions or are unsure about anything, to let you know about it.
• More often than not employers will ask you for small changes or “favors” during a project. It’s OK to give in once in a while and do a freebee, but don’t make a habit out of it, especially with the same employer. Your time is valuable and you need to charge for it. If you made a mistake with the employer, however, quickly fix it and consider adding on little “extras” to the project to ease them over.
• If your employer seems to ask too many favors or you get the sense that the employer is taking advantage of you, then kindly inform them that there will be an extra charge applied (this is where your project agreement comes in handy). Some employers will test the boundaries of freelancers and will calmly back down if you are firm, but polite with them.
• After a project is finished, follow up with your employer about five days after completion and send him an email asking if they were satisfied with your project work or if the project is working as he envisioned it.
Most of the time they will thank you and say everything is fine, but once in a while an employer will have a concern. Should that be the case, do what needs to be done so they are happy with your work. This is more or less applying a customer guarantee to your employer.
• If an employer has an urgent request or if they try to contact you to fix a problem,respond immediately and handle their requests in an efficient manner.
• Once in a while a misunderstanding may develop between you and your employer that may leave you, the employer or both of you fuming. Whether you or your employer is at fault, take these steps to diffuse the issue:
1. Wait a few hours before handling the situation, or better yet, until the next day. You will calm down more and be in a better frame of mind to handle it.
2. Then take a good look at the issue at hand and figure out the quickest and most effective resolution to it. Not to mention, one that is fair to both parties.
3. After that, acknowledge the issue your employer calmly over the phone or by email and explain the resolution you propose. Always give your employer the benefit of the doubt here and you will avoid arguments and calm him down, too.
4. Never under any circumstances argue with your employer even if they are at fault. Otherwise, you may quickly lose an employer and your reputation could be at stake if he decides to complain.
• Remember that you may never even see the faces of some of your employers which makes your relationship with him or her somewhat impersonal. Make small talk with your employer whether it is by phone or email and you will add another dimension to your business relationship.