Thinking about handling all the important project responsibilities can feel stressful even for many experienced project managers.  To put it briefly, managing several projects is not for the faint-hearted. It requires strong focus, multitasking skills and the capacity to adapt to unexpected changes at the very last minute. Anyone who has ever been on the receiving end of a client meeting knows the amount of effort that goes into taking a brief and turning it into a finished product.

Whether you are a freelance marketer, web designer, or copywriter, you’ll need to master the art of client management as the number of your projects grows. Time management skills, the right web tools, and careful planning are essential for efficient project management. You can train yourself to develop all of these abilities needed to manage client projects in a successful way.

In today’s article, we will discuss successful techniques to keep calm while managing multiple client projects.

5 challenges of managing multiple client projects

It can be difficult to juggle several projects at once. Keeping track of the typical roadblocks will help you figure out what needs to be done to keep things running smoothly throughout the project.

1. Scope creep

In an ideal scenario, a freelance designer can successfully plan ahead and forecast the work required to reach the project’s milestones. But even if the designer has years of professional experience, the working environment tends to be always open to change. Client-driven change is the norm rather than the exception when it comes to projects. The requested scope of work changes significantly from the original project plan.  And it can lower your productivity and delay the project’s completion.

In order to manage these types of situations, you’ll need to be adaptable and proactive from the get-go. Given how regular scope creep is, it’s reasonable to factor in some extra time for balancing potential effects on deliverables, task dependencies, cost and resources.

2. Unrealistic client expectations

Freelancers who handle multiple projects at once need a thorough understanding of customer expectations and contractual responsibilities on both sides. That way, anytime a client makes an unreasonable request, they can be up-forward about the associated costs. Transparency and data-driven decisions are key when engaging with customers. Make sure you have the data you need to negotiate with clients and explain how their requirements can change the scope of the project.

3. Poor communication

Managing multiple projects at once can be disruptive to project dynamics. In order to prevent issues, designers must have a crystal-clear mental picture of how things are progressing. With the development of remote work, it is more crucial than ever to have an effective method of communicating with clients to maintain a productive cooperation strategy.

Problems with productivity can arise from ineffective communication in a number of ways. And all these issues can be easily solved with Lynxi. Lynxi was created to solve any kind of communication gap and help you gather the content you need and move your projects forward. As a freelance professional, this is a unique opportunity for you to gather, create and manage your clients’ content – all in one place, resulting in a successful collaboration.

4. Task prioritization

Prioritizing your work allows you to take a more proactive approach instead of a reactive one. It’s not uncommon to have several urgent requests at once, while also watching your to-do list expand. The order in which you complete your tasks will depend on factors such as their importance, urgency, duration, and cost.

When planning your day, give first consideration to the activities that will have the greatest impact and are directly related to your ultimate goals. That is, focus on the most important and time-sensitive jobs first before moving on to the less urgent ones. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, break down the task at hand into smaller, more manageable subtasks. Additionally, you should complete difficult tasks first thing in the morning.

5. Stress

Working as a freelancer on numerous projects at once can be very stressful. They have to manage time, resources and costs in addition to responding to customers and maintaining a smooth workflow throughout the project. 

It may become too much to handle, and if that happens, you risk burnout. The stress of always having to complete work on time might be difficult. An efficient solution to these issues is to start keeping track of time. With time tracking you can create an efficient tasks management process in a quick and easy way.

How to manage multiple client projects?

Taking on too many projects at once might cause stress and lower the quality of your job. Keeping track of numerous projects at once requires mental strength, multitasking skills and the flexibility to adapt to unexpected changes.

Before you can concentrate on getting better clients and building a substantial revenue flow, you’ll need to understand how to manage several clients at once as your portfolio grows. However, with the help of the following 7 guidelines, you will serve your customers in a successful and efficient way.

1. Start using calendar

Make a schedule for yourself so that you can plan your time effectively. Make sure everything is in sync on all of your gadgets so you can view this data anywhere. Good for you if you’re the kind to check your schedule first thing in the morning. If you need some help shifting gears, set alarms to go off 15 minutes before each meeting. It’s also a good practice to examine your past meeting notes before each appointment with a client. That way, you may go into the following meeting with a clear idea of what you want to cover and achieve.

2. Set realistic expectations

Right from the start of the project (preferably before you sign a client contract), it is always a good idea to communicate with clients about how you plan to accommodate them — and provide as detailed information as possible. Communicate the time frame – when you will be available to communicate about the project issues and details and what time of the day is the best for them to call.

If you don’t work on weekends, say so. If you don’t plan to work after 6 p.m., tell them about your working schedule. Even when it comes to emails and messages, make sure to let them know the times you will be able to check your messages.

Additionally, picking a flexible deadline could add a few extra time to your overall project timeline. Discussing and explaining potential issues that could arise throughout the project lessens the negative impact for clients should these setbacks actually occur.

3. Prioritize

Successful freelance professionals who manage to juggle multiple projects have mastered the skill of task prioritizing. To get the most out of your time and effort, prioritize the things that matter most over the things that are most convenient. Make a daily list that comprises the top five priorities you want to achieve for all your projects on that day. Your list may include project deadlines, new tasks, ensuring timely deliverables and much more.

4. Set clear boundaries with your client

When onboarding a new client, it’s very important that your clients have a clear understanding of how you work. This includes communicating information to them such as:

• When you are available to work on the project tasks, barring any unforeseen circumstances.
• Informing your clients clearly about how they can reach you for routine workflow demands.
• It’s also important to let your clients know how they may reach you in an emergency (for instance, my clients often email jobs through, but if it’s urgent, they will always text or phone).

Learn more about setting clear boundaries with your client in our recent article here.

5. Track your progress and update clients regularly

Tracking your progress will help you streamline your processes and realign your timelines. In addition, it could inspire you to up your productivity throughout the project. Use a to-do list or an app that keeps track of your productivity levels to monitor your development. 

Along with your progress tracking, try to update the clients with significant news as well, as they really hate being left in the dark. Clients always seek and expect direct communication with you and having regular contact with them will help you develop, maintain and foster a good client relationship.

Do not forget to provide all the important details like a changed project timeline and an updated budget. Let your clients know, for instance, if you’re struggling to keep up with their demands or if the circumstance prevents you from meeting your regular high standards. 

6. Don’t be afraid to say no

None of us have superpowers. Not every request from every client can be fulfilled. And that’s OK!

When a customer wants something that you wouldn’t normally recommend, what do you do? Tell them you’re sticking to your advice and explain why you arranged the campaign the way you did and what they’ll miss out on as a result. When anything is asked that is outside the scope of your original plan, you can always point back to it.

Consider the following: Saying “no” and upsetting a single client is preferable to saying “yes” and upsetting multiple clients due to a significant drop in quality.

7. Expect the unexpected

Although you can always try to minimize distractions, they’re still inevitable. So get ready for them. Allow time in your schedule for the unexpected. Make room in your agenda for the unplanned. Be careful not to overbook yourself; you’ll need at least 20% of your available time for unplanned tasks.

You should think about blocking out time in your schedule every day to aid your clients with urgent issues so that they know when to reach out to you. Help them understand what needs your urgent attention and what can wait – as well as the best methods to communicate with you.

4 tools to help manage client projects better

When you have the right tools, it’s much easier to manage numerous projects simultaneously. Here are the 4 tools for managing multiple projects that we highly recommend:

1. To-do list tools

Tools like to-do lists are great for keeping everyone on the same page and setting correct priorities.

2. Workflow tools

In order to keep track of tasks as you and your team progress through various phases of many projects, workflow tools are an absolute necessity. At a glance, you can understand where things stand and what steps are next along with their associated due dates.

3. Communication tools

Earlier, we said that communication tools are more than just a way to get people on the same team talking to one another. They make it easy to share content, ideas, updates, and feedback, they improve morale and they ultimately ensure that everyone stays on the same page on multiple projects. 

Lynxi is a content marketing and AI writing assistant platform that will help you manage all your client content in one place. If you’re looking for a better way to collaborate with your clients, join Lynxi and start dealing with your client communication challenges in the most efficient way.

4. Time tracking tools

It’s considerably more challenging to juggle multiple tasks or projects when we’re already behind on one. Tracking tools increase productivity and efficiency, improve transparency and show you how long and how much it costs to complete specific tasks and projects. This alone can improve the way you manage projects.

Manage multiple clients effectively

Without the proper tools, strategies, and controls in place, managing many projects can quickly devolve into chaos. If you’re ready to take on the challenge of managing multiple projects, we hope the tips above will get you started on the right foot.

Hundreds of web designers, copywriters and marketers already use Lynxi to master multi-project management and efficient client communications. It provides a single place to collect, create and manage all your clients’ content in one place.

And with powerful AI tools, Lynxi makes it easy to deliver multiple projects on time, on schedule, and on budget.

Start using Lynxi today and unleash the full potential of your career.

Setting boundaries with your clients means establishing healthy professional practices for mutually beneficial results. These boundaries often help you stay productive and happy while engaging with your clients, allowing you to separate your work life and personal life more effectively. If you’re struggling with establishing limits and communicating your needs during the working process, it’s important to understand how to set healthy boundaries with your clients. 

An important lesson in client management, that lots of freelancers learn too late – is that your clients are not actually your friends. In fact, the friendlier your relationship becomes, the less likely it is that the project will be successful.

You, as a freelancer, need to decide what boundaries are important to you while communicating with your clients. Think thoroughly and figure out your own physical, mental, emotional and spiritual limits that will transform your business relationships into healthier ones. 

How to set boundaries with clients

Professional boundaries should be treated as seriously as any other part of business communication. In the early stages of preparing the documents needed to start a new freelance project, you should think about the boundaries you need to establish throughout the project. And when you have already decided to start, here are 11 effective ways for you to set and preserve healthy boundaries with your clients.

1. Visualize and name your limits

The first and most important step in establishing boundaries is to make them clear and concrete. As boundaries feel invisible in our daily lives, often they tend to be confusing and abstract for us. 

However, you may get far more clarity on where you want to draw the line between you and the customer if you visualize your limits and write them down.

Take some time to reflect on where you’re at in life. Create a big circle in the middle of a piece of paper. Put everything that makes you feel relaxed and secure within the circle. Put anything that bothers you, hurts you, annoys you, or drains your emotions on the outside of the circle. These are the individuals and circumstances that are testing your limitations. 

You might think of this circle as a physical representation of your limitations. It’s time to assess everything beyond the arc and figure out how to set up a barrier to avoid similar issues in the future.

2. Be clear on your priorities

In order To define limits or establish your unique priorities, you must first know what exactly you want and which issues are making you feel most uncomfortable. Develop a list of your priorities. Before engaging in any kind of business relationship, it is very important to strengthen your own inner fortitude and liveliness. Taking care of yourself should always be a top priority. Then, the boundaries will appear naturally.

3. Set expectations

Setting up clear expectations from the beginning of the project is an important step in defining your limits. A client should not face any kind of surprise, when it comes to your working hours, the scope of work, response times, etc.

Clarify these assumptions as accurately as possible.  That’s especially important when dealing with a client’s project scope. Some clients may even take advantage if you don’t establish firm boundaries, requiring you to put in more hours than agreed upon.

Document these expectations and discuss them with the client at the first stage of the project. In this way, you will be able to start your journey successfully, reducing the risk of future conflicts.

4. Have proactive conversations

Relax and take time to meaningfully communicate and talk it out. Clients are less likely to push the limits when there is open communication. Clients care about the results, thus written agreements should spell out the roles and restrictions of both the freelance professional and the client. 

By communicating proactively you may control the conversation’s tone and focus in the most favorable light. In this way, you can prevent misinformation from having a negative impact on your business and provide them with the information you want them to have. Proactive communication allows you to steer the discussion and shape how current and potential clients see you.

5. Be ready for confrontations

While most clients are aware of and respectful of professional limits, there will always be others who don’t. As a result, it’s vital to practice patience and know where you may make concessions before getting into an argument. If a client is trying to push your limitations, you should politely explain why this is unacceptable for you and what you would prefer them to do instead.

6. Communicate effectively

Some clients will have similar communication styles to yours, and some will not. Learn the difference and have appropriate conversations early on. Timely, efficient communication should always be a top priority for you. Establish regular communication to assess the project and answer any questions that your client might have. 

The communication process with your clients gets much easier when you use Lynxi. Lynxi was created to solve any kind of communication gap and help you gather the content you need and move your projects forward. As a freelance professional, this is a unique opportunity for you to gather, create and manage your clients’ content – all in one place, resulting in a successful collaboration.

7. Be honest

When establishing limits, it’s important to be honest about your intentions and reasoning. This can help your client understand your boundaries better and even help you maintain them. If you’re open with your client about the stresses you’re feeling while working on a project, they’ll be better able to advise you on any kind of changes you both can make to transform the working process into a more comfortable one, and they might also have a better idea of what resources you may need to achieve the goals you have set for yourself throughout the project.

8. Respect and protect your time

It’s normal for people to sometimes have to come in early or stay late at the office. This, however, should not be the norm. Only in rare cases or crises should work be done outside of normal business hours.

It’s true that some customers will not value your time. While it’s true that some freelancers have trouble keeping track of time, it’s important to remember that being unorganized always leads to more chaos and stress. The only way to survive here is to set boundaries about your time. You can write a list of jobs needed to be done along with time estimations, in this case, it will be easier for you to define what time will a particular job need and when you will be able to take care of your personal plans.

9. Say no when you need to

A lousy client that refuses to quit is the worst kind of client you will ever meet. You need to know when to cut them off if they are constantly causing you stress. For some freelancers, it might be about money, as the money they’re offering, may not be worthwhile, but if they agreed to up the stakes, it could be doable. The answer is in your hands.

Some customers never change, even though they might be making some promises. In this case, the only way for you is to cut the connection. But there are some cases when you need to give one more chance to the client who is willing really hard to win you back.

10. Understand your workload

It’s always essential for freelancers to understand what makes up their workload and how many tasks they can finish each day. If you have a good understanding of these two factors, you’ll be in a much better position to establish boundaries for yourself in terms of your workload capacity and maintain your productivity throughout the day. Consider timing how long it takes you to complete tasks or counting how many tasks you can complete per workday. Setting goals and maintaining a consistent working pace will help you succeed throughout your freelance project.

11. Respect your clients’ boundaries

Respect your client’s boundaries just as you would expect them to respect yours. Respect is a two-way street, after all. When telling a client your expectations, ask them whether they have any terms of their own. If they do, note them down and be attentive not to push any of the boundaries set by your client throughout the project.

Ready to set healthy boundaries with your clients?

Setting boundaries with clients is critical for a productive relationship. They foster an environment of trust, allowing you to advance professionally while still fulfilling your personal responsibilities. It’s far simpler to prevent boundary breaches than to fix them once they happen. 

Setting boundaries with your clients should never be considered a bad thing in a designer-client relationship. Your professionalism establishes you as a leader and a relationship based on mutual respect builds trust and sets your client up for greater potential in the future.

Ready to take control of your boundaries throughout your client project? Start implementing the 11 effective ways above to set the groundwork for a successful project. For even more control over your freelance projects, check out Lynxi – content Marketing and AI writing assistant platform that will help you manage client content in one place. Using Lynxi, you will streamline your workflow, organize project details and collaborate seamlessly with clients, all within a single user-friendly interface. Say goodbye to scattered documents and mixed-up communication threads – Lynxi simplifies the content creation process, allowing you to focus on what you do best – producing outstanding work that exceeds client expectations. Start using Lynxi today and unlock the full potential of your freelance career.

Being a successful freelancer isn’t all about expert design skills. Sometimes what it really takes is a human touch. No matter at what stage of your freelance career you’re currently in, it can be tough to plan things from a long-term perspective. It’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture when your income and workload are both unstable and fluctuating month-to-month.

However, just like any business must plan strategically to stay competitive, freelancers also need to continuously keep looking forward. The good news? The connections you build on a daily basis are the primary tool for achieving this goal.

Just like marriages and friendships, building solid client relations takes a lot of time and a great deal of work. There will be joyous moments and there will be difficult ones. But like any healthy relationship, it requires work to cultivate trust and open lines of communication. In today’s article, we will share with you 9 essential tips that will help you build effective client relationships throughout your freelance projects.

What does CRM (Client Relationship Management) mean?

 Client relationship management is the process through which businesses interact and foster productive partnerships with their customers. Good client relationships often result in consistent income, loyal customers and a good brand reputation.

On the other hand, if you fail to properly manage your relationships with customers, it may have a devastating effect on your expanding plans. Negative feedback may become viral in a hurry, especially because nowadays it’s simpler than ever to post a critical review online.

That’s why client relationship management is so important, especially for small and freelance businesses.

Benefits of CRM

Prioritizing and investing in client relationship management can lead you to experience remarkable benefits throughout your freelance projects. Here are some of the most obvious benefits:

Good Return on Investment (ROI)

Industry professionals assert that increasing your customer retention by just 5% can result in a profit boost from 25% to 95%. It’s always much more effective to sell to an existing customer than to find brand-new ones.

Valuable feedback 

If you take the time to get to know your customers well and build strong personal relationships with them, they will gladly provide you with honest, insightful feedback for you. Then you can improve your service to meet their needs and ultimately see more revenue as a result.

Word-of-mouth marketing

The opinions of friends and family members are recognized to be much more trustworthy than anonymous advertisements. Practicing relationship marketing results in generating happy clients, who then refer their friends and family members and bring in new business opportunities through personal referrals.

Online reviews

If you consistently use every opportunity to delight your customers and build long-term relationships with them, you will increase the chances of receiving positive reviews online too, which is a very important component of today’s digital world. Receiving positive online reviews is one of the great opportunities of attracting new customers.

Now that we have discussed the definition and advantages of client relationship management, let’s take a look at some of the most effective techniques for successfully managing client relationships.

9 essential tips for building effective client relationships

Successful companies and freelancers often follow some of the common best practices in the day-to-day client relationship management process. Here are 9 essential tips that will help you build effective relationships with your current and potential clients.

Tip #1 – Prioritize people over prospects

Freelancers frequently make the mistake of networking with the single goal of winning clients. However, networking is your unique chance to establish human-to-human connections and gain the most interesting insights of the industry. Discover the values that matter to your professional community and cultivate a sincere interest in their personal lives.

Pets, kids and family, traveling, hobbies — there’s almost always at least one shared interest that will facilitate a good connection with your current or potential client. Take time to familiarize yourself with your clients before presenting them with a project proposal. Understanding their preferences and interests can transform a cold lead into a warm acquaintance, ultimately leading to a potential project opportunity.

Tip #2 – Engage your client in the goal-setting process

Your dedication to the client relationship should be demonstrated from the outset of the goal-setting process. Just because a client approaches you for a solution does not imply they desire to give away full control over establishing goals and formulating strategies.

When both parties are fully engaged in the goal-setting process, it usually results in significantly improved outcomes that are genuinely customized to your client’s requirements.

Tip #3 – Communicate with your clients regularly

Effective client relationships are primarily based on proactive communication, and as a freelance professional, you must be the one who takes the initiative.

Clients shouldn’t have to wait for days to receive a response after sending an email. Instead, you should take the lead by proactively updating your clients on your progress. The goal is to keep your clients so well-informed that they don’t need to ask you about updates or information, as you’ve already provided it to them.

Communication tools like Lynxi.io is a great way to stay in touch and manage projects together with your client on a daily basis. Lynxi creates a unique opportunity for you to reach out and manage all the client content in just one place.

Tip #4 – Promise only what you can deliver

Customers always remember the promises you have made to them and promising something you can’t deliver is certain to lead to a big disappointment. In similar cases, they might even spread information that could seriously damage your reputation on the market.

Given these types of results, it is always essential to get a full understanding of your responsibilities at the early stage of the project just to make the right promises you are sure to deliver to your client.

Tip #5 – Address your client’s needs before they arise

No matter what your role is in the process with the customer, you are ultimately responsible for solving their problems and assisting them in achieving their objectives.

Putting yourself in the client’s position and anticipating their needs will go a long way toward building trust and confidence to provide superior service and deliver better results.

Tip #6 – Remember important events with a personalized approach

Today’s digital habits have significantly weakened our personal relationships. It’s simple to post a birthday greeting on a client’s Facebook wall or click “like” on a post highlighting their business accomplishments and consider it a meaningful interaction. But even small, thoughtful gestures can make a big impression in this tap-to-like culture.

Professional freelancers usually keep a calendar of important dates and reach out to current and potential clients when it’s essential.

Tip #7 – Seek feedback

Always try to actively seek customer feedback, whether by asking directly, or using social media (websites, forums, blogs and other networking sites). Receiving positive feedback from your client will make you sure that you both are on the same page and in case you receive some negative remarks, you will understand which parts of the project you could do in a better way and what you need to work on in a more attentive manner.

Tip #8 – Add value

Leverage what you know about your customers to offer advice and recommendations on additional products and services that may be of help either now or in the future.

Tip #9 – Reward loyalty

Offering referral discounts is always a very effective way to show appreciation and reward loyalty — by providing a 10-15% discount on your client’s next invoice for every new customer they refer to you. Show your clients you appreciate them and grow your business at the same time. It’s amazing how this simple approach will trigger your happy clients to spread the word about you. Without spending any money on advertisements, it’s one of the simplest methods to increase customer retention and broaden your market reach.

Conclusion

A lasting relationship always requires significant time and lots of effort. In order to build long-lasting relationships with your customers, it’s important to put them first and invest in creating a smart customer relationship management strategy.

Lynxi.io is a content marketing and AI writing assistant platform that will help you manage client content in one place. Lynxi makes it easy to plan, manage and report on work from anywhere, helping you as a freelancer to be more effective, improve your client relations and at the same time get more things done.

When a freelancer and the client both have clarity about the work getting done, the ultimate success is guaranteed. Try Lynxi and start collaborating today!