I keep getting interest for my freelance services and then people totally ghost me. This time I got all the way to “Send me your contract to sign and we’ll get started.” Several followup emails later and no response. I wish there were a way to know this outcome before I ever waste time on the back and forth.

What type of clients are you dealing with? Small businesses?

@devdiddydog Small businesses. Large businesses hire internally and will hardly ever consider hiring freelancers. When I do rarely find one that does, I give them the royal treatment.

Small businesses are the worst because they’re always trying to screw you over to “save money”. Ironically, they’ll pay through the nose for repairs if the HVAC at their office goes out for an hour. But if their website needs tending to, they suddenly have no money and want to give you “experience you can use on a resume”. I’m WAY too old in the industry to play that game.

@stackodev I don't know your geographic location, but the way into the larger companies is by sub-contracting through a consultant firm.

Contact a few of them and see if they are interested in presenting you as one of their resources for a small cut of the rate. If the client pays US $100 per hour, US $90 should go to you and they keep 10%.

Larger companies can and should pay higher rates, and if they don't in your country then at least you should easily work steady 40 hour weeks for them, month after month. Also, they don't care if you spend 8 or 12 hours on something, while a small business will hound you about the extra 4 hours and why it took so long.

I don't deal with small businesses anymore.

@stackodev Forgot to add WHY sub contracting works: in my part of the world the demand for skilled consultants is high and most consultant firms don't have suitable candidates for most available contracts at any given time. Their best employees are usually tied up with clients all the time, and that's where you come in. They would be better off getting $10 an hour pimping you out as one of them than to see a competitor get the contract and get nothing.

@stackodev The work I’m trying for is mostly subcontracting so I can work remote and control my hours better. The downside of it all is that nobody’s in a particular hurry to get back to me on much. I have one client whose work I finish within the first week of every month. Now I need clients to fill the other 120 hours.