Here, you have decided to choose the performer to your front of works. From him you want maximum involvement in the company and focus on each step. But will a freelancer be able to pay due attention to your tasks if he has 2-3 other companies in his work?
Of course, you may be told “everything is under control, I will manage”. But here the task is to secure yourself and to level the situation if necessary. So, work with competent performers who know how to allocate time to everything.
1. A good freelancer is a mega-planner of tasks.
He likes to paint tasks from the evening to tomorrow. Or he gets up early to “scatter” every action for every project. He lays down time for long and painful approvals, force majeure like a blackout, breakage of charge from the computer or a terrible feeling of well-being.
2. Knows how to alternate tasks in terms of complexity.
During the day, the performer has to communicate with several customers. And perform work from routine to urgent and complex. For example designers use mockups (like these free iPhone mockups) to save time. In order not to get tired too fast and continue to love your business, freelancer switches from one project to another. The change of activity is considered a good rest. And it helps to stay in tonus all the working day. So if a freelancer says “I’ll send you the layout in an hour” and it’s okay with your deadline, he’s probably already switched his attention to other tasks. And he wants to get back to you a little later. Let him do that.
3. He is resting, sleeps well, eats. And, in general, the athlete
If a freelancer works like a zombie all day and night, forgetting about white light and food, it will make thousands of mistakes. And both ridiculous and serious mistakes.
To work on several projects, you need inner motivation, good health. If you hear a sleepy voice on the phone while discussing a project or read a letter clearly addressed not to you, the freelancer is working at all.
What to do? Be tolerant, do not put super-critical deadlines, do not ask to send the project at 3 a.m., because the headquarters is in America and “it is necessary that everything was for their lunch. You also put yourself at risk to give the task “on your nerves” – don’t. Wait until morning and calmly discuss all the moments and deadlines.
4. Warns the customer in advance
Anything happens, both on personal affairs and on workers. We are all not robots and can depend on external circumstances. But a good performer will always warn you in advance about a deadline shift, set a new deadline and as quickly as possible “close” urgent tasks, find a replacement, hire a contractor or set a more important priority for your project.
Such anxiety is a desire to help if deadlines are on fire and “I can’t” is a guarantee for further good relations with you and interest in long-term work.
5. Does the most difficult things in the beginning
This rule is probably what you use in your work. Freelancer is no exception. It is easier for him to optimize time so that complex cases that require maximum energy and effort are not distracted during the day. So if you have a task, for example, to fill the site directory with standard services, and another client – to write an article for Forbes – the performer will first do the second project.
Consider this point and directly ask the freelancer if he has more labor-intensive tasks for the first half of the day.