In oDesk, the
relation between a client and a contractor is a business relation, not an
employee-employer relation. You will love doing business with someone who
respects you, keeps his words and appears honest to you.
This applies
both to the client and the contrac
tor. So, when
we are contractors, we have to do the same. Respect the client, be polite and
professional, keep words and be honest.
The points I'm
going to mention below are based just on my personal experiences, and THESE
ARE NOT ALWAYS OBVIOUS. But I think keeping these points in mind will give
better experience in working with a new client.
1.
Verified Payment Method:
The first and
one of the most important things is to check if the client has a verified
payment method. This will ensure his payments in hourly contracts, and increase
surety in fixed price contracts.
If the client
is new and doesn't have a verified payment method, you may ask politely about
what he is thinking to get his payment method verified. I have found some
clients who are actually under process of getting his payment method verified.
But if someone
says he'll pay outside odesk by paypal etc. I NEVER recommend him. If
you do it you are violating of oDesk rules & regulations.
2.
The Country he lives in:
I found this a
vital point for choosing a client. Choosing a client from a HIGHER ECONOMY
country may be good for a lot of contractors.
3.
Rating/ Feedback he received:
It’s always
better to work with someone who already has experience working with other
contractors and has received good (4 and above) feedback and ratings. This
makes things easier.
4.
Rating/ Feedback he gave:
I know most
people don't consider this. But for me, this is one of the most important
things to consider when I choose a client.
You'll find a
lot of clients who often provides bad rating/ feedback to the contractors and
often criticizes them. When you read both comments of client and contractor,
you'll see that the work was completed successfully without any problem and
there was everything alright. But then also, client gave low rating just
because he doesn't want to praise his team member. I think this is a BOSS type
attitude, rather than a TEAM LEADER attitude. And I ignore these types of
clients mostly. They will often try to keep you in mental pressure and take
advantage of your work without proper valuation.
5.
Fees he pays to contractors:
This is another
vital point I consider. When you try to apply for a new job, and see client's
previous records, you'll see how much he pays to contractors. Some clients are
there who pays $30 for a $300 job. I try to avoid them.
Exception:
Finally, there
is always exception. There are clients who are good but had some bad experiences
with some bad contractors. You'll understand that from their comments in
feedback. I think they will respect you more than the new comers, since they
know the pain of the bad contractors. So, if you are a good contractor, they'll
do everything to ensure you are happy with them.
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