FREELANCER’S ANONYMOUSTOOLS FOR BILLING AND CLIENT MANAGEMENT

August 3, 2011 Meetup

Los Angeles / Pasadena

Graphics Designer’s Meetup Group

Noel Saw

@WPVerse

NoelSaw.com/+

Thank you kleverdog coworking• What’s coworking?

Tonight’s Format• Got Google+ ?• Guiding Principles for Web Design (and more…)• Accounting – invoicing and time tracking• Project Management & Collaboration• Misc. Tools

Got Google +• Need an invite?• What it’s good for…

• Ideas, sharing resources, and meeting new people

• Do I need it?

Guiding Principles for Web Design• UX Magazine Guiding Principles

• Understand the underlying problem before attempting to solve it• Don't hurt anyone• Make things simple and intuitive• Acknowledge that the user is not like you• Have empathy• More: http://goo.gl/TUrI

• Actually these are more life skills in general right?

Freshbooks• Good for Invoices, • Sending Invoices, • Time Tracking, • and Tracking Expenses

Harvest• Good for invoicing• Free account is liberal with number of clients

Project and Team Collaboration• Dropbox• Basecamp • P2 Theme for WordPress• Thoughtboxes• Switch to Gmail + Rapportive

Client Management Basics – Best Practices• When estimating projects, clearly state hours as

“estimated” and hourly rate thereafter• Ask for deposits – 25% to 33%• Ask for milestones if possible (film “step” deals)• Under promise and over deliver• Setup draft sites under your own demo URL until

completion and ready to move• Be very specific about time frames like first drafts and

deadlines

Client Crisis Management• Remember to empathize…• Don’t take it personally…• Don’t respond personally…• Don’t attack…• Wait a few hours to respond…• Perhaps don’t respond via email…• Perhaps bring them into an office environment

Misc. Tools• Adobe Kuler• Adobe Browser Labs• Visual.ly• 365psd.com• WeGraphics.net• Quora• Evernote

Thanks for coming!

Contact Me:

Noel Saw

@WPVerse

NoelSaw.com/+