What to do when your freelancer lets you down

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You’ve invested a load of your budget in a freelancer or contractor, but they’re not meeting your expectations. What do you do? Here's our advice:

Put your cards on the table

Quite often, you’re approaching the task at hand from two very difference perspectives and this can be tricky to navigate. To make matters worse, us Brits have a tendency to avoid being open about our frustrations (guilty). So, if you’re finding the working relationship challenging, make an effort to really lay your cards on the table about how you want this to work – do you want them to check in with you more often? What elements do you need to sign off? Do they need to take more ownership of the work? If you haven’t already, putting those clear frameworks in place can make a big difference to the success of your project/team.

Set SMART objectives for success

Don’t give up all hope. There may be a way you can save your investment by giving your freelancer some very clear objectives for success. Set some SMART goals (specific, measurable, agreed upon, realistic, time-based) and give them the opportunity to turn this around and impress you.

Don’t accept jargon

Businesses are usually opting to take on a freelancer because they don’t have knowledge or expertise in that area – but a good freelancer will take the time to make sure that you fully understand what they’re doing, particularly if the relationship isn’t quite working. It’s a good idea to ask them to demonstrate what they’re doing, rather than just accept technical jargon.

Don’t deal with it at all

At the risk of this sounding like a shameless plug, letting someone else take care of the legwork can avoid this frustrating and time-consuming situation altogether. Using a reputable agency to find your contractor or freelancer means you’ll have expert assistance with the due diligence and will only be taking on people with a track record for success.

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