According to a recent study by Skyword, relations between freelance content creators and their clients aren’t always hunky-dory.  Nothing shocking there.  Friction is an occupational hazard for any B2B arrangement.

What is notable are its underlying causes, however.  Some of the most common gripes on both sides are also some of the most avoidable.

Without getting into a finger-pointing exercise, let’s hit the highlights.

Client Issues With Freelancers

Skyword found that 1) clients’ main challenges relate to freelancer management, and 2) their biggest time sucks come from lengthy content reviews.  Seems logical.  If the first is done poorly, the second is practically inevitable.

The real issue here is that clients consider tasks like “giving them direction” and “time to onboard” a challenge to begin with.  These things aren’t unexpected problems that need solving.  They’re part of the job, folks.

And let’s be honest.  Effective onboarding doesn’t necessarily require massive presentations or walk-throughs.  Yes, depending on the situation, contractors may need to go all Claude Hopkins and visit your facility so they can see, smell, taste, etc. everything for themselves.  Much of the time, though, education can be as simple as sharing informational materials followed by a Q&A.

Regardless of how you do it, managing contractor learning curves is mandatory if you want quality results more quickly.  Clients who neglect this should expect to spend additional time reviewing and even redoing deliverables that are, unsurprisingly, off the mark.

You can make life even easier by retaining the right support up front.  Top-notch freelancers know how to get themselves up to speed fast.  Finding them requires proper due diligence, so keep a few things in mind:

• You get what you pay for. A $50 blogger writes $50 blog posts.  If that’s what you need, great.  If not, then be ready to invest in quality.
• Talk to them first. Hiring based on an email exchange equates to rolling the dice.  Actual convos convey a sense of the contractor’s personality and professionalism.  Plus, live back-and-forth spurs impromptu questions, revealing much that would otherwise stay hidden behind print.
• Check their portfolio. It doesn’t even have to include work for companies in your industry.  Also, feel free to ask for various types of materials to gauge their range and skill set.

If you make the effort to find exceptional talent and adequately manage it at the outset, you save yourself time (and angst) later while ending up with better output.

Freelancer Issues With Clients

Even the sharpest freelancers sometimes hit roadblocks no matter how well they know someone’s business.  Their top two complaints involve clients who fail to 1) establish expectations and 2) provide clear, consistent communication.

Reality check:  if you’re not getting what you need to do the job, that’s on you.

Although a partnership by definition is a two-way street, you’re going to come across clients who don’t hold up their end of the bargain.  It’s annoying, it’s a problem, and, like it or not, it’s up to you to rectify.

In their bestselling book Extreme Ownership, former Navy SEALs Jocko Willink and Leif Babin apply their combat leadership principles to the business world.  Bottom line:  when things go south, leaders need to look inward first.  What could they have done differently, how could they have better managed those around them to achieve team goals?  As the title suggests, they take ownership rather than immediately casting blame, which is unproductive and often unfair.

How does this translate to freelancers?  You must lead your clients.  Help them help you.  If you don’t, you could end up disappointing them and creating more work for yourself (without more pay), both of which jeopardize future collaboration.

Now, certain “difficult clients” are just plain unprofessional (pro tip:  run).  But, most simply don’t realize they’re being vague or withholding key info.  Others may not know how to manage outside support, to the point of being thankful when their partners proactively take the wheel.

Smart contractors forget the scope and who’s paying whom.  They know this is their chance to show even more value and make themselves indispensable in the process.

By the way, just like companies should thoroughly vet freelancers, freelancers should do the same.  If prospects aren’t cooperative during your courtship, cue the red flag.  Sometimes the check just ain’t worth the challenge.

None of this is groundbreaking for those accustomed to working with or as independent contractors.  But, the way things are going with the gig economy, it’s more important than ever to get it all out in the open.  Freelancer share of the workforce is growing, and 73% of companies that use contractors intend to rely on them even more in the coming years.  Exciting stuff for both sides, as long as we can iron out a few wrinkles along the way.

One Extreme Ownership’s recurring themes is “simple, but not easy.”  The solutions themselves are straightforward.  We just need to commit to seeing them through.

Well, that or only partner with Navy SEALs.  Either should work.

I may not be Special Forces material, but I’d like to think I know a thing or two about leading B2B partnerships from the front lines.  Get in touch if you’re looking for a freelancer who specializes in stockpiling military metaphors for blog purposes.