Whether it is a report card, a restaurant or project, good feedback is imperative to guarantee quality deliverance. One way to evaluate and measure feedback is the “Star Rating” Method. In this particular method, a client gives you a review by giving you a measured amount of “stars”. This method is also relevant to the freelancing world, irrespective of the niche and the market. With a lot of competition building up in the freelancing, good feedback from your client or a 5 STAR RATING may benefit you in getting more future growth chances and prospects. Getting a 5-star rating is easier said than done. It depends on several factors, which you need to concentrate on, for attaining perfection. Here, in this article, we will navigate you through some established tips and tricks, which, if followed thoroughly, will help you satisfy your client to leave positive feedback for you. The tips apply to any freelance marketplace.
Table of Contents
If you follow even few of these practices you will see visible difference in out put.
Clear Communication:
This is, without a doubt, the most important aspect to focus on. When a client reaches you out, keep an open-line communication between yourself and the client. Make sure you are knowledgeable of every single aspect of the project you are signing up for. If a client has reached out to you via any previous contact, be clear to him about your boundaries, milestones, and payments. It may seem rude to discuss all this within the very start, but this protects you from a lot of future hassles and scams.
PROFESSIONALISM:
While dealing with your client, act as a professional freelancer. Use properly structured and grammatically correct sentences and try to do all your communication in English. Do not use plenty of emojis while writing out a message. If needed, use one or two at the most.
CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS:
While doing the project, make sure you are following every trivial detail provided by your client while hiring. This includes word count ( In case of content writing ), specific color scheme ( In case of web or graphic designing ), keywords ( In case of SEO ) and so on. Keep in mind any supplementary instructions proffered by your client.
PROGRESS REPORT:
If your client has given you a week, keep him updated on your work progress, like if you are a web designer, you can let your client know how many pages have you designed, etc. Even though this is not an essential step, however, this will leave a positive image of yours, which is exactly what you need for a 5-star rating.
RESPONSIVENESS:
Respond to your client’s emails and messages at your earliest. This does not mean that you need to be available on your email account or your freelancing profile 24/7, but it is great if you try to respond to the queries within an hour or two. This leaves a pleasing image on the client who is now sure that you are not a scammer.
RESPONSIVENESS:
Being a little informal and courteous, when needed, may leave a genuine impression on your client. This includes using the name of your client, starting your business conversation with a Good Morning, instead of a regular hello, ( if you are aware of the time zone of your client ) or adding an event wish if your client has one going on.
Example:
Good Morning XYZ,
[Business message]
And a merry Christmas 🙂
Thank you,
ABC.
CONTACTING TIME:
Be mindful of the time, you are calling or sending a message to your client, especially if he belongs to a different time zone than yours’. The most approved and professional time for any businessrelated communication, be it is through email, message or a call, is in the morning after 7 am. Again, it is important that you follow your client’s time zone while doing so.
DEADLINES FOLLOW-UP:
We cannot highlight the significance of this one point. ALWAYS keep your deadlines in mind and complete your projects religiously, preferably a day before it. The last thing you should do to your client is presenting a list of justifications for not ending the work on time. All your problems are your personal issues, and should, in no way, interfere in your work life. If your reason is valid, only then, ask the client to extend the deadline.
EARLY BIRD:
Be an early bird and try to submit your project two days before the deadline. Even though this is not critical, however, this one special favor from your side will drive your client to leave you with a 5- star review. He may come back to you for more work, since he is sure that you will produce him the work on time and he may refer to you more people, hence widening your network.
OVER-DELIVERANCE
This means giving a little more to your project than the client’s original demand. For example, design him 3 pages instead of 2, give him the content of 1000 words if his requirement was 900 words. This, again, is optional but will help you have a glittery 5 star on your profile.
REQUEST YOURSELF:
Once you have reached the completion of your project and have delivered it to the client, graciously ask him to leave a review for your account. Never instruct him to leave a 5 star, instead just emphasize him on being honest and letting others know too about your service.
FREE SUGGESTIONS:
When you have completed a project, and your contract is about to end, drop some free suggestions based on your expertise for your consumer, for example, describing him what else he can do to enhance his website, how he can get more traffic, etc. Your client will acknowledge this kind gesture from your side, hence, he may give you a genuine rating for this.
