Unprofessional Potential Clients

This week has been quite a world wind. This transition has not been easy however you have to keep the mindset of never give up and never surrender, and my all time favorite...Take another NO. As with anything that you have to do in life, you may not always get it right away, however the effort that you put into will definitely place value on it. 

As of yesterday, I had 5 potential candidacies lined up, 4 of which I am psyched about. This leaves one which had quite a bit of opportunity for learning if the Client was more professional in his approach. 

This was all wrong from day one and this is how it turned out:

1. He requested to have an interview for an unassigned day and time within a time zone that differed from mine. No clarification when you inquired further about the schedule
2. He was never online on Skype where he wanted the interview to be conducted. 
3. He indicated that you either left him a voice-mail message or started a chat dialogue with him and he would respond at his convenience.
4. After finally getting a response from him, about 10pm at night, he wasn't willing to give me 2 minutes to get to my computer and get ready for the interview. His words where "Too bad, not too much preparation, try again tomorrow if you wish"
5. I had to indicate to him professionally that I was no longer interested in the post and wished him luck in his search for potential candidates.

I understand that I did want to acquire this contract nor the opportunity to provide him with my exceptional services, however it got to the point where I did not think our professional working styles would have co-existed in a virtual working environment. Therefore this would not have been a conducive working environment for either of us and would have potentially had the contract ended long sooner than expected.

Remember Respect is EARNED not DESERVED
Some of the less Clients that I have come across believe that though it is a virtual environment, they do not need to show the same level respect to a Contractor. Feelings may not be displayed immediately, however mistreatment of a contractor actually puts your work at risk, especially given the fact the contractor isn't physically there in your site at all times.

Payment does not guarantee quality
Whilst Clients think that hiring the cheapest contractor saves them money, it does not save them time. It also does not always resolve a great outcome. If you want quality, you should be willing pay for it. I believe that to get fair work, you should count on fair pay. As in my line of work, especially during the application process, some Clients have ruled out entire countries because they have been dissatisfied with the results. They have been tricked out of their money, received the run around and at the end of the day the work is not done or it is of mediocre quality. Don't get me wrong, sometimes they strike it lucky and get a good cheap worker (less than $3/hr for a project - full time) and they unfortunately get the quality they pay for. This though is not always the case. Let's not forget the language and cultural barriers that have to be taken into account.

Some Lessons Clients should Take into Account

• If you are going to post a job/project and you don't have a big budget for it, suggest you put a lump sum budget and pay per milestone. This ensures that if the job is not getting off to a good start (time and quality-wise), you can cut your losses early and get another Contractor that can get the job done right. 
• Only post hourly jobs, if you know for sure that you are willing to pay fair prices for good workers. Don't just hire on price, but quality, experience and communication practices.
• Ensure you are clear in your requirements when posting the job. Don't feel the need to save all your requirements for the interview. It will be easier to filter and make your short listing process easier.
• Don't forget to respect your Contractor by keeping the communication open and professional. Critic but do it constructively and ensure that your Contractor can accept criticism the same way or you may have retaliation on your hands. 
• Lastly, don't make promises you can't keep especially when it comes to incentives/bonuses. Most Contractors work towards that and in that they exceed your expectations. 

Thanks for reading. Cheers
"Keep Moving Forward"