Have you ever had any issues communicating with your clients? Have you ever had a project go out of scope? Have you ever found that you and your client are not on the same page as each other, leading to miscommunications? Wouldn't it be great if you had a tool to inoculate yourself against these issues that also helped build stronger relationships with your clients?

That's where setting expectations comes in. Setting clear expectations with your client upfront will make all the difference in your freelancing career.

By setting expectations, we mean laying out the framework of what your client can expect, and it two main areas: communication and scope.

Communication

There are three main things your client will need to know to build trust and confidence in you

When are you active/available?

• It's important to note to your client any information regarding core hours and time of day that you are likely to be responsive to their messages.

What is the best way to reach you?

• Would you rather get a quick phone call instead of a text or email? Make sure your client knows the most effective way that they can reach out to you!

When will your clients receive updates on their project?

• When working on multiple projects, you focus on getting the work done and don't worry about giving progress updates as long as you are not over the deadline.
• Meanwhile your client might be on the other end wondering, "I wonder how far along my project is?" "Is it going to be done on time?" "Has it even been started?"
• Providing your clients with updates on a regular basis will ease their nerves regarding the status of their project with you.
• Let them know how often you will update them and then follow through on this.

Scope

The key here is to set clear expectations about the scope of the project. Use the article Writing a Great Quote to guide you here.