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10 Requirements for Working with Clients in Other Countries

Freelancers are given the opportunity to work for either clients within their respective areas or clients coming from abroad. Personally, as a freelancer living in Asia, I’ve worked only with clients who run their businesses a hundred miles away such as those in the US, the UK, and Australia. I’ve never seen their faces, heard their voices, and of course never tried visiting them at their offices since our only mode of communication is either the email or the instant messenger. Yes, the work is still being done from home as how it is with on-shore freelancing, but international freelancing has certain characteristics that makes it more difficult in terms of communication and security, and I had to learn this the slow and hard way.

Freelancing Limitations

It wasn’t long before I realized that international freelancers are actually limited in terms of communication and security when working with clients overseas. They can’t easily call them during the day because of major time zone differences. They can’t really sue non-paying cheapskates on the spot for non-paid work because the laws and procedures are different and, at times, inapplicable to their situations. It’s a sad reality, but every freelancer working with international clients should expect this and instead take precautionary measures to make sure that business runs smoothly no matter who comes knocking at his or her door.

Requirements for International Freelancing

It’s because of these difficulties that international freelancers should equip themselves to ensure their financial security and their reputation when working with clients in other countries. This can be done by making sure they follow certain requirements that I believe are necessary if they would like to succeed in freelancing. Since international freelancers are working in a global market, they need to remember that without these requirements, they not only will jeopardize their businesses but their reputations as well. Here are 10 requirements international freelancers should possess before getting down to business:

  1. Payment options – International freelancers should arrange their payment options before pitching job proposals and bids so that clients can easily send payments for their projects after receiving their invoices. PayPal, Xoom, Moneybookers, wire transfers, and other options are available for those receiving earnings from abroad, automatically converting the amount’s currency into the equivalent in local currency.
  2. Email and instant messengers – You can either register for a web-based email account under Google, Windows Live, or Yahoo or use the email account provided by your IPS. For instant messengers, there is Skype, Yahoo! Messenger, Google Talk, AOL, Live Messenger, and many more for you to use when you need to contact your clients immediately.
  3. Online portfolio – With on-shore clients, you can easily showcase your portfolio items personally with the help of a professional portfolio book or laptop. With international clients, you only have your online portfolio to present to them so make sure you collate your prized works in such a way that it would look even more impressive than an offline portfolio.
  4. A reasonable hourly rate or price per project – Whatever may be the result after converting your client’s currency to your own, always stick to an hourly rate or a price per project that you are happy working with and that is reasonable. Personally, I’ve encountered clients who think that just because I’m from Asia they can charge me pennies for expensive high quality work. In the end, they turned out to be clients I never ever want to work with.
  5. Good communication skills – With this I don’t mean excellent native speaking and writing skills that can be compared to classical writers and poets. I’m talking about being able to explain to the client your project proposal, updating your clients with progress reports, and explaining to them why this can’t be done or why you think this would make a great feature to the project. Communication is vital to the success of a freelancer and truth be told, a lot of clients do appreciate being updated and informed, regardless if they have slight spelling and grammar lapses in their emails.
  6. Awareness of time zone differences – You know very well that when you start working, your client is already snoozing so you shouldn’t expect an instant reply from him regarding your questions about the work being done. Be patient, use time zone converters to schedule online meetings, and be on time so that you will be able to settle your issues, clarify questions, and complete the project before or on the deadline. You should also inform your clients the hours you are available (insert your country’s time zone) so that there won’t be any confusion and disappointments on their side as well.
  7. Confidence and professionalism – Every freelancer should possess confidence and maintain professionalism in order to prove to the client that they mean business and nothing more; therefore, be confident in yourself whenever you’re proposing to the client your ideas, rates, and your portfolio.  Never be shaken by comments about your hourly rates, where you come from, your language, etc.
  8. Honesty – One of the issues that many international freelancers face is the misconception that freelancers who can’t be monitored directly are dishonest. To fight it, an international freelancer should remain honest throughout his entire career. Just because you can’t be seen by your clients doesn’t mean you can cheat, dilly-dally, and do whatever you please while charging your clients, especially if it’s on an hourly basis.
  9. An open mind to creative and cultural differences – There are many ways to solve this issue regarding creative and cultural differences. For instance, if a client thinks your work is too dull, you can ask or show a sample to get a good and clear idea of what he’s looking for. As for cultural differences, what may seem funny and harmless to you may be offensive to the other and vice versa, so be very careful with this aspect of communication as this can lead to burning bridges that didn’t have to be burnt in the first place.
  10. Security measures for non-paid work – Every freelancer should have a security measure to ensure that they get paid for their work. For instance, when a client has not paid me for my work after 3-4 days, I inform them of their dues through email and that if they do not pay me for the work after another 2 days, I will keep it and use it as an additional portfolio item. It doesn’t compensate me for the time and energy spent, but I can still benefit from it in this way.

The reason why I consider these as requirements rather than tips is because without one or all, you won’t be able to sustain a client, build a good online reputation, receive repeat business, and sadly get paid properly. If you want to be treated as a professional, you are going to have to take extra measures to prove your worth and to stand your ground whenever issues and differences come your way.

Share Your Thoughts

Are you an international freelancer? If yes, what lessons did you learn, tools you used, and tips that you’ve tried that made it easier for you to handle clients from abroad?


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