Working with others to get better freelance jobs
Pitching in pairs can help make a job a reality. Pairing up with a developer when you are a copywriter or taking time to find composers if you’re a film maker for example makes life a lot easier.
So how do you create a workable partnership going forward or even find the right people for the job?
In lesson 2 I suggested a few places to go
Networking is your ticket to finding the right people to work with. Luckily, you can do this online or off. Check back in lesson 2 as there’s a list of places you can go to build relationships. I also recommend checking out Meetup, eventbrite and any local co-working joints in your area for the face-to-face magic.
You can also pay attention to freelancers you admire in Australia. If you like the look of someone’s website work for example, it can’t hurt to email them to introduce yourself or follow them on social media to build rapport. Following on social media also gives you the opportunity to check out how they market themselves while also making them feel good through giving your contribution to what they do.
It’s a bit like the approach to agencies we discussed previously, but a little more casual in some respects, and in need of a lot more personal protection in others.
Setting up a workable partnership
There are a couple of ways you can approach work sharing as a freelancer. The three most popular are:
Having a transparent referral and introduction process so you quote separately
Integrating their component of the work into one quote
Ghosting
Transparent approach
It’s pretty self explanatory. Your client wants something else, you introduce them to the freelancer who can add that. You quote separately, you invoice separately and most of the project is done separately with a little bit of project management done between you both to ensure it all matches up.
This is usually the no fuss approach and is ideal if you’ve got a good working relationship with other freelancers and the client is fine with having two points of contact.
The freelancer who gets you the work may also charge you a small finder’s fee or percentage, usually around the 10% mark.
Work integration
When you’re going for the bigger jobs, you may want to seem bigger yourself. So you may wish to combine a quote with a freelancer and treat it as a job under the one banner.
This too is fine, but there are a few things you’ll need to work out so it runs smoothly such as:
If they are doing the billing, when do you get paid? I’ve seen many a freelancer starve based on another freelancer’s inability to extract cash. Don’t let that be you.
Who is doing the project management overall? Is there a central point of communication? Things get dropped when no one is in charge.
What can you show on your portfolio once it is done?
How will on-the-fly changes on the job be handled and billed re: quoting process. Scope creep is common on any job, so you don’t want to accidentally invite it through teaming up.
Clear communication is what saves the day here. Contracts are always better than handshakes, so don’t be afraid to outline how you intend to undertake the partnership and aim for agreement on paper.
The freelancer who gets you the work may also charge you a small finder’s fee or percentage, usually around the 10% mark.
A word of caution: I’ve seen some pretty shonky contracts in my time. As recently as this year, someone tried to hand me one that removed my ability to talk to the client directly, not get paid until the client is pleased and has paid (what pleases someone is so subjective), and not even given something solid for the portfolio in the end.
Never, ever give someone else the right to pay you when they feel like it or have a different version of what a complete job means. When I raised my concerns, they stopped taking my calls and emails. Always protect yourself.
Ghosting
Ghosting is common in writing, design and development professions where work is outsourced and the client doesn’t know. It can be that you’re writing as someone else for their freelance business, or that you’re working in an agency as part of a team for the life of a project. You may also be the personal writer for a person of profile such as writing for a famous business person for their PR opportunities.
Ghosting means you forgo using the work for your portfolio and may even be signed to an NDA. It is your duty to make sure that as a ghost, you’re an unseen part of the process. That you don’t stand out as a freelancer per se.
If you’re with an agency, you may need to attend meetings and pretend you work there. You may also need to work in-house on occasion (this is different to contracting where they expect you to be in-house more often than not).
If you’re ghosting for a celebrity or professional person as them, you’ll also need to consult a lawyer on the obligations related to what you present for that person and what can happen if what they present is not received well in a public forum. You may wish to apply for personal indemnity insurance to stop from being sued if it is a main stay of your business. You’ll most certainly need to spend time getting to know them and their world view so you can replicate it as them.
If you’re ghosting for another freelancer, you’ll need to mirror their work processes, tone and follow their lead. You’ll probably have to pay a percentage of what you earn or you’ll be on a set rate card where they take a share of the profit. Oh, and you’ll probably need to have a longer review cycle while they check the work is to standard before sending it on to the client for review.
In any ghosting situation, make sure you have a contract that includes:
How you get paid- amount, cut taken, what payment cycle etc
Who has their head on the chopping block if things go wrong
The protections to be observed to ensure the ghosting remains secret- so you know what you can and can’t do and so if the relationship is discovered, the responsibilities are clearly outlined
A general non-disclosure agreement
The bottom line on partnerships
Always know what you want to get from the process and don’t be too overjoyed with the prospect that you forget basic coverage.
And build partnerships with people you enjoy working with. The same things as last lessons apply to this style of partnership in terms of having in-line goals and attitudes.
What you want from a partnership is better opportunities and level to reduced workload. Anything less than that and it’s not worth it.