One of the areas of client work that is often plagued with friction is the process of setting up the project correctly from the beginning. We might discover methods for attracting clients, and offer them rates and services that they are willing to take on, but if we cannot make the start-up process smooth enough, many of those clients will think twice about returning.

I've been told over and over throughout the years (remember, I ask each client for a testimonial) that working with my is incredibly smooth and easy. Literally, those are the words that keep popping up. And that's a good thing.

Gathering Intelligence

As a freelancer, you are the only person on your team. There's no project manager vetting clients and getting the fine details worked out. So, the responsibility falls to you and you alone to discover exactly what the client would like to hire you for. It sounds simple, but there is a subtle complexity that is often overlooked.

Every project should begin with some form of interview. What are they looking to accomplish? What deliverables are required? What specifications do those deliverables need to follow? What is their budget? What is the client's timeline? Who is the point person for the client? How many people will be approving your work?

The list could go on for pages. The goal is not to bore the client with endless questions. The goal is to walk into the project with as much information as possible. Military personnel do this, gathering intelligence from the region they plan to invade. It gives them perspective, and eliminates the need to make everything up as they go along. The more you know, the better you can plan.

I use specific web forms for each type of project that I might work on. There are many free options out there available to you. Google Docs offers of Forms feature within their Spreadsheets application, and that's a good one to use that gathers all of the data into one place over time. I've used a company called Formstack for years, and I've been more than happy with them.

There's also Wufoo and JotForm. Most companies that offer a form service have free and paid package pricing. The thing that separates the free and paid options is usually the number of fields in the form, the number of forms you can create, or the number of results each will store in their database for you.

Forms are a great tool, though. What I like about them is that they allow you to ask the same question for every client, every time. Why worry about whether you forgot to ask for a key piece of information or not? When you start the project off with a form that the client must complete, you ensure that each client is asked to provide the all the details you need.

Forms are a great place to ask for billing info, to receive feedback, or even have the client upload files that you might need to use. My best piece of advice would be to pick the top two or three services that you provide, and then create a form for each that's very specific to the project's unique needs. A project form at the start of a web design project will look a lot different from the project form for a book cover design. You might use a separate form for portrait photography, and another for wedding photography.

Most of these form services will email you when somebody submits the form. What I like to do is copy the text of the form submission email into a text file and then place that into the client folder on my hard drive. That way I always have the notes and survey responses when I need them.

And don't be robotic about using forms with your clients. Tell them though honest and natural conversation that you've found that these forms are the best way to get the most accurate information from them. Clients respect that attention to detail, and it will go a long way towards building trust between you and them.

Clear Expectations

Not only does the client need the opportunity to tell you what they need, but you as the freelance service provider also need to list out your prerequisites. It is highly unlikely that the insurance company representative hiring you to write their ad copy has worked as a copywriter, so they need to be brought up to speed on how you do your job.

I don't expect my clients to learn every aspect of my job, but I do feel that there are specific details that can contribute to the success of the project if they are understood and accepted. Some freelancers refer to this as client education, though I tend to view it more as equipping the client. The more they understand about my role, the better.

When I have been contracted to provide print design, I try to use a small amount of time to explain some of the basics of the print process and how files need to be prepared for the best results. For example, explaining to a client how dots per inch affect the image quality of their brochures gives me a strong position from which to demand better quality images. It's hard to convince a client they have to dig deeper and work harder to find the original photos when they don't understand why they are important.

This can be a challenge for many freelancers due in part to the often-mentioned Curse of Knowledge. The Curse of Knowledge refers to those moments when we, as professionals in a particular field and surrounded by similar freelancers who speak our language, unknowingly communicate with clients in the same manner as those like-minded peers.

When we use industry lingo like bleeds or lorem ipsum with clients, we might as well be speaking ancient Greek. Most people don't understand the majority of our particular occupation, but we communicate as if they do. It is this gap between our words and their understanding that can hinder the success of the project, thus acting like a curse.

My point is simple: tell the client what you need from them and why, but do so in a way that they can understand. The more often they are on the same page as you, the less friction there will be between you both.

Step By Step

Most of the furniture in my office is from Ikea. That means it was inexpensive, heavy and came completely unassembled in a large cardboard box. That's not a bad thing, though. I love a good puzzle, and putting it all together was mildly therapeutic. One of the pieces I bought, however, did not have instructions in the box, and that complicated things a bit.

Instructions do a few things for us. They make it clear that success is possible. They list out the pieces or procedures that will get us there. Finally, they guide us to the end goal one step at a time. The better the instructions, the more pleasant the construction process.

Being a successful freelancer means providing your clients with detailed instructions for the project that will lead to the greatest chance of success. Clients don't like surprises; they love to know what step is coming next. They have a business to run or a job of their own to perform, and giving them a description of the project's roadmap helps them relax, let go and trust in your professional services.

When I'm hired by a client to design a logo, the first document they receive from me is a PDF that contains the values and philosophy behind my design process, my different pricing options, and a step-by-step description of each step that my logo projects follow. They know from the very first moment that each logo project begins with an interview, moves on to the development of a small batch of unique logo options, and then moves on to a deliberate refinement over a series of revisions. They understand where in the process I expect to be paid, and they are made aware of the exact list of deliverables they can expect at the end.

Each of my clients sees the complete map before they take ever the journey. This removes the friction that comes from the unexpected. If your client reacts negatively to your deposit invoice, then you failed to explain the process to them. If your client sends four emails explaining their vision for the item they hired you to create-in the middle of the project-then you failed to guide them through the right hoops in the right order.

Lead, don't dictate. Communicate your plans early to save headaches later. Websites like ClientsFromHell.com exist not because all clients are monsters. It's a testimony to how poorly most freelancers lead their clients. Do your part in removing this friction by giving your clients clear instructions and expectations.

Constant Contact

In every freelance profession, whether it be design or writing, development or managerial assessment, there are phases of the project that take a very long time. In those moments it can be easy for the client to feel as though they have been forgotten or that their project has been given less attention than they were expecting.

I can't blame them. When I install updates to apps on my phone, I like to see the progress bars fill up. It helps me know where I am in the process, and that aids my patience. Clients are no different, and they often benefit from a figurative progress bar.

When you're tackling smaller parts to a larger project, it's easy to keep the client informed. A simple email letting them know which part was just completed helps them feel like they're part of your team. Small projects also mean less time between those emails. It's when parts of a project take weeks that the client can start to wonder.

If you are spending a couple of weeks hand-coding a custom WordPress template for a client, don't wait until you are done before checking in. Send them a weekly update at the very least, and tell them what you've accomplished, what's left, and how this affects the timeline. I can't think of a single client relationship I've been part of that could not have benefitted from a bit more clarity regarding my status and progress.

Clients who nag and send constant emails aren't from hell; they are looking for help from you. Provide them with regular updates to the project in a clear and professional manner, and you'll eliminate a prime source of client friction.

Explain Yourself

The last piece of advice I can offer in regard to setting up and running a project for a client is to be sure to explain all of your decisions. You might understand all the reason for the choices you've made, but the client might not, and the better you explain it to them, the more they will trust you.

On an obvious level, the client has hired you, a professional with a specific skill that they themselves lack. It would make sense for them to trust your judgement all of the time, but many clients come to the table with opinions and preferences of their own. That baggage competes with your ability to run the project smoothly and deliver the results they are expecting.

When submitting a batch of unique logo options to a client, I don't just send it over without comment. I precede that submission with an email detailing the key areas of interest, what went into my decisions regarding them, and why I felt they were the best choices to make. I weigh in as a professional, rather than just tossing a bunch of art at them and expecting them to see the logic of my decisions.

Your client might have a strong preference for their new website's navigation to run down the right side of the page. That's fine. After researching the client's audience and examining the content they wish to display, however, you might be convinced that a horizontal navigation is better suited to the task. If you ignore their request it can be seen as if you do not care about their opinions. The better choice is to explain to the client, objectively and with tact, why you think there is a better way to tackle the problem, and then to offer a solution grounded in your professional experience.

Explaining your choices and actions can go a long way toward smoothing out the road ahead. For your projects to be frictionless, you need to state your case and sell those decisions to the client. The better you become at doing that, the less friction you will experience.