Client meetings are part and parcel of freelance life, especially if you have long-term clients and work with an in-house team.
From the initial discovery call to project update meetings to project completion, here are 4 considerations to ensure your client project meetings are effective, productive and a win-win for all parties involved.
Agree on meeting schedule/frequency in advance
At the start of a project, agree in advance on the number of meetings you will be expected to attend, the duration and the purpose of the meeting.
For example, for long-term projects, there may be regular check-in meetings, strategy meetings, ideation meetings, etc. You should also clarify if these meetings will be in-person or online. Knowing and agreeing on meeting attendance (and etiquette) in advance can mitigate project scope creep and hopefully ensure there will be no surprises (for either party) down the line.
You’ll also want to include your time spent at meetings in your project fees/estimate. In-person meetings will require you to budget for travel, accommodation, food and drink expenses, etc., and, of course, time spent ‘out of office’.
Naturally, this should all be recorded in writing as part of your freelance proposal and written agreement.
Take note of meeting etiquette
An often overlooked factor to take into account with client meetings is the expected etiquette.
If you are joining a team of in-house employees, do they run their meetings in a set format, or is there a specific reporting requirement for update meetings, or perhaps there are set ways they are managed and run?
For example, is there a requirement for minutes, and if so, who is responsible for them? What about changes to meeting times and agendas, and what do you do if you cannot attend? If you are attending meetings online, is there any particular software you’ll need to download to attend securely – and is the requirement to have the camera on or off, or is it optional?
If you are to attend in-person meetings, is there a requirement to dress professionally (you could be presenting to the board), or is it more casual?
You could also take these opportunities to add a little extra personal touch – bringing in donuts or cookies on special occasions or just stopping by the local coffee shop and bringing in refreshments for the team.
You don’t have to overdo it – but remember this; a little goes a long way in forging successful freelancer-client relations.
Make the best use of time
How freelance project meetings are run will most likely be led by the client, but you might want to set some boundaries on your time so that your contribution to any meeting is as productive and effective as possible.
Generally speaking, meetings should have a clear objective and be kept as short as possible to get the most value and not to inadvertently waste anyone’s time – especially if significant time zone differences are involved. Therefore, if you are in a meeting that you don’t need to be in – or the course of the meeting changes, you should be able to politely excuse yourself if your presence is no longer required.
It’s advisable (even if you aren’t responsible for the minutes) to take your own notes at meetings. If you are online, you could even use a recording and transcription tool, but make sure everyone is aware and okay with this before you do so.
Also, make sure you are aware of the outcome of the meeting, what needs to be done, by whom and when. If you haven’t received an agenda, politely request one before the meeting.
To charge or not to charge
The waters may become somewhat muddy with some client interactions.
For example, if you are invited to a social event, should you charge for your time and travel expenses or view it as an excellent opportunity to further bond with the team and potentially win more business and, therefore, waive your fee? Likewise, should you charge for your time if the client has invited you to be a special guest at an industry event? What about one-off ad hoc meetings that don’t fit the regular project meetings (or aren’t even part of that particular project but an opportunity to be briefed about another project)?
These are all factors you need to consider when starting a project and ultimately billing your clients. There are no right or wrong answers; it will all depend on the way you run your business.
Fortunately, Invoice Ninja has some super client and freelancer-friendly features that are perfect for project billing and keeping seriously organized.
Our tasks and project features allow you to create projects and tasks and track time spent on billable work. When you’re done with a task or series of tasks within a project, simply click and send your work time to an invoice with just 1-click!
We’ve even got a nifty Google Chrome extension and super handy project management Kanban boards designed to make planning, managing and completing tasks easier.
With our recurring invoices and auto-billing option, you can automatically bill long-term regular clients – perfect for retainer and project clients.
And, of course, it goes without saying that you can also send regular, professional-looking customized invoices for any ad hoc meetings and one-offs at the click of a button.
Try it for free here.
We hope these tips are helpful. If you know of anyone else who might benefit from them, please share. Thank you!
