… Hm, our thoughts are still mulling over this.
Do you prefer sunny beaches or high mountains?
Well, everything depends on what you’re looking for and needing!
In the end, it all boils down to how you feel when you work with someone, whether it’s an agency or a freelancer. Remember, it will always be humans working with humans! Getting an excellent job done 10x faster is possible with some agencies because they are so agile and easy to communicate with. In contrast, some freelancers are so rigid and hard to communicate with that they make you feel as though you’re working with an enormous, chaotic agency.
People Come First
Therefore, before deciding if freelancers or agencies are the best solutions for you, think about what your story is. What are you trying to accomplish? The most important thing is that your business succeeds; it doesn’t matter whether you hire a freelancer or an agency. What you need is the right people beside you to help you reach your goals and get where you want to go.
Whether you’re dealing with an agency or freelancer, it’s people you’re interacting with.
Make sure you calculate the true cost of your decision
Many people claim that agencies are usually more expensive than freelancers… But, what is your definition of expensive? Let’s assume a freelancer delivers you an average result in a month for X amount of money, and an agency delivers you a highly targeted result within 2 weeks for 2X that amount. In your opinion, which one cost you less at the end of the day?
In other words, everything starts from the same point. What are you trying to achieve? Could it be more convenient for you to have a single point of contact that handles everything for you, or is it more convenient for you if you have more than one specialized person involved in your project?
It’s common for companies to leave agencies disappointed and find freelancers who do exceptional work, but we also see many examples where companies prefer an agency that delivers what they promise and on time, regardless of the cost.
Comparing apples with oranges
In order to make what was said more clear, however, you need to understand why an agency is more expensive than a freelancer.
It’s because they want to make a higher margin; their resources are layered; they have a lot of employees and pay more in salaries; they invest in your documentation, create playbooks, train your staff, or because they just estimate differently (and, in most cases, more professionally) the time and effort required for your task as part of their quality control process.
So, when you compare agencies with freelancers, have you made sure you are not comparing apples and oranges? These are the questions that you have to make so, that comparisons will be apples with apples.
- What are the deliverables of the engagement?
- With whom you will be in contact?
- How often the periodic meetings will be performed?
- What’s the reporting procedure and if it includes any one-line reporting tool?
Keep in mind that there is an old saying that goes: The more, the merrier; A larger team of professionals working on your project may result in more thinking and better results.
Verdict
All of the above could be summarized as follows:
When you have a meeting with an individual agency or freelancer, how do you feel? If it was an agency, did you ask to talk to the one who will be in contact with you?
What kind of feelings do you get from them? Do you feel cared for? Are they interested in serving you well, or do you get the impression that they are already thinking about their next project while you’re closing the deal?
What kind of questions do they ask?
Your doubts are confronted in what way?
Did you give you value from day 1, or they were expecting you to sign the contract?
Did they lock you in a yearly contract, or do you have the flexibility to stop them at any time?
Remember that and always keep it in mind: At the end of the day, it does not matter whether you work with an agency or a freelancer. You should care about how people are making you feel while interacting with them and, if you are concerned about possible higher costs, just remember that a good corporate relationship generates money – possibly a lot of them. You should always prioritize grit and openness over budget when there are people with grit and openness on your side.
