A lot can be said about doing the little and sometimes free things
that will put yourself in a more positive and credible light. Vagueness
aside, I'm talking about more than getting inexpensive but professional
business cards or even an elegant and simple website. I'm talking about
making sure that you're fully ready to take on clients. I'd managed,
since deciding to work for myself, to avoid doing a service agreement.
If you're wondering what or why you need one, you're not alone.
Sure,
you can put up a storefront and you can have a small or even concrete
idea about what services you want to provide and at what price, however,
you have to go beyond the basics if you want to grow your business and
protect your interests. I am a full supporter of Upwork. It is the first
and only freelancer website I've used, back when it was still called
Elance. I found almost immediate personal success there and in so doing I
tailored what would have been some semblance of a service agreement
into the fillable area of my profile. I have since grown from solely
engaging Upwork clients and with that growth comes changes. Sometimes
those changes you're prepared for while others you have to just figure
out, albeit, not alone.
If you're in the business of providing a
service, in my case, as a virtual assistant, you have to make clear to
your clients and sometimes, surprisingly, even to yourself what it is
that you will and won't do and for just how much. Don't allow the idea
of it to overwhelm you. In truth, there are plenty of free sources on
the web where you can find sample text for the service industry and
position that you need. When in doubt, Google it! I devoted 12 hours of
my own personal time to take the next step in becoming a more polished
business. I even feel more in control as a result of having done so.
Why
a service agreement and why now? I felt I needed to devote the time to
coming up with my concrete and negotiable terms in writing. When using a
service like Upwork you can pretty much get away with using a generic
altered form of a resumé when submitting proposals for jobs. After the
first few that I did from scratch each time I took what I realize now
were the first steps in creating a document that I could use in all my
business engagements. And with time and more experience under my belt I
have been able to craft a document that is a lot more in line with who I
am, what I represent and what I want to be doing with my business. In a
document like this, your ego can have a little time to flex but it is
also your opportunity to show your professional self. Show your future
client just why you're worth your rate of pay and worth getting the job.
Service
Agreements often use a lot of legal jargon and can be dry but you can
infuse some of yourself into how it's crafted and how it's presented.
The key thing to remember is that this singular document is one of the
first pieces of yourself and your work that your client gets from you.
It's very much like a first impression. Having a document that is
thorough but concise and fair but stern will often save you and your
client a headache when the project you thought you signed up for changes
in scope and you're taking on more than you may have thought you
bargained for. Please note that I am not a legal expert and thus, this
information is provided solely as a guide with the intention being that
you the reader will research and reach out for help as needed from a
legal professional or legal source.
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