Contract Mistakes to Avoid
Many freelancers are afraid of writing contracts, and so they avoid it. Trust us, that is the worst thing to do!
A good contract protects you and your work, shows the client how professional you are, and eases communication.
Teamup Team
When writing a contract stick to the basics, use clear language, set your main terms, and please AVOID these mistakes:
- Listing only deliverables. Tell the client ‘what you offer’ instead of ‘what they get’ (ex.’ 3 logo concept options’, instead ‘new logo’)
- Not offering ‘add-on’ options. Most clients need more than what they ask for, make sure your contract anticipates those needs.
- Not asking for payment. Include how you want the client to pay you (50% upfront, or in full…) and send an invoice right away.
- Not charging late fees. Not all clients pay on time, so including a penalty for late payment will ensure they do.
- Giving the client too much time to pay. You can shorten the payment window, and ask the client to pay before the project ends.
- Not using milestones. Ease the client’s worry by breaking up the project into steps, and sharing what work will be done when.
- Being too generous with rights. Clients don’t have to own everything you make for them. Your pricing should reflect the rights chosen. The more rights you give, the more you need to charge.
- Sharing your process. Don’t give away the recipe to your success before you do the work. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to.
- Overcommitting to the client’s work process. You’re not the client’s employee, so explain how you work on your terms.
- Agreeing to exclusivity. You can agree to confidentiality, but you’re allowed to work with other clients within the same niche. If the client insists, you should add that to the project cost.
