The lifeblood for many freelancers is referrals. Most freelancers get a fair portion of their work from former (or current) clients who have referred them to others. Whether it is from other freelancers or from clients, they can make a world of difference to a freelancers bottom line. Referrals do matter – whether you are making the referral or are the recipient of a referral. If you are considering referring another freelancer to a potential client make sure you know the following things:
Quality of their work - Before you refer a potential client to another freelancer, make sure you are aware of the type of work that they produce. Unfortunately, your future with that client may depend on the quality of the person you referred. Try to get a birds eye view of the type of work that they produce. Don’t just look for quantity, look for quality. If you refer someone to a client, you want to make sure that they are doing high quality work so that it does not reflect poorly on you later on.
Know their commitment - Another hazard is the freelancer who does not take new clients seriously and accepts assignments with the thought that they’ll get to them. Make sure that you know if this person is too busy that they will not accept new work. A freelancer who steadily works forty hours a week is probably going to be smart enough to not accept work they cannot complete in a timely manner. Those who are “fly by night” might take advantage of loose schedules.
Follow Up – Once you have referred another freelancer to a potential client, follow up with both parties. Find out how discussions went, if there is anything you can do to help, and make sure that both parties are satisfied. This shows that you did not just blow off the potential client, but that you truly cared about making the referral valuable.
Summary
A high quality freelancer can easily find another high quality freelancer. You should never over commit your own time to please a client. One option is referring the client to another freelancer. However, make sure you are fully aware of the reasons that referrals matter to your future as a freelancer.
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