Run one freelance client from first enquiry to repeat work

The situation

Hamza is a freelance web designer in Peshawar. His last three projects ran weeks late, one client still owes him half the fee, and he never hears from past clients again. He is good at the work and bad at everything around it.

Set up the client process he should have had: who to accept, a clear start, steady updates, a calm way to handle problems, and a reason for clients to come back. Use an invented client throughout.

What you'll be able to show

• Refuse the enquiries likely to cost money, using written signals
• Start a project with both sides' deliverables and dates in writing
• Keep a client calm with short, regular updates
• Handle a late payment in writing and turn a project into repeat work

What you need

• A word processor or Google Docs
• A simple spreadsheet or tracker
• An invented client and project

Tasks

1. 1Your refusal signals

   Write eight warning signs in an enquiry (for example no budget stated, wants work before agreeing a price, rude in the first message, unclear decision-maker). Then read three invented enquiries and decide which to accept.
   A correct result: Eight signals and three enquiries each marked accept or decline, with the signals that decided it.

2. 2Start in writing

   Write a one-page agreement for the accepted client: scope, price, payment schedule, number of revisions, your dates, and the client's own deliverables and dates (content, logo, approvals).
   A correct result: An agreement that lists what the client must supply and by when, not only what you will deliver.

3. 3Updates before they ask

   Write three short weekly updates for the project: what was done, what is next, what you need from them. Keep each to three lines.
   A correct result: Three updates of three lines each.

4. 4When it goes wrong

   The client is two weeks late paying the second instalment and has asked for extra pages. Write a polite message that pauses work until payment arrives and prices the extra pages separately.
   A correct result: A calm, firm message that pauses work in writing and quotes the extra pages.

5. 5Close it well

   Write the handover message: what was delivered, what was agreed but not done, and one suggestion for what to do next. Ask for a short review.
   A correct result: A handover note with a next-step suggestion and a review request.

6. 6Bring them back

   Set up a tracker of past clients with the date of last contact. Write a no-agenda check-in message you would send three months later.
   A correct result: A tracker with at least five rows and the check-in message.

What to hand in

The refusal signals and decisions, the agreement, the three updates, the late-payment message, the handover note, and the client tracker with the check-in message.

How it is marked