• Confirm milestones and payment terms. Decide how you want to be paid and how you will invoice the buyer. Be sure to get the buyer's telephone number and postal address. Use Elance Billing and Payments for quick and easy invoicing.
• Work schedule and pace. State how you prefer to review the project's progress. Do you want to send daily reports? Weekly reviews? Discuss how your performance and pace will affect payment schedule. (For example, as you complete each stage of the project, you might receive a percentage of the total cost.)
• Get it in writing. It is always a good idea to get agreements in writing. You may offer your own standard contract, outlining the above details. For reference, dowload our sample contracts and engagement letters.

Use the Work Space.
Once you accept a project, the Elance Work Space and Private Message Board (PMB) are automatically activated. They are like your own mini web site on Elance, accessible only to you and the service buyer. It's both a storage and exchange system, in place for as long as the project lasts.

• Upload files and revisions. Upload the document or image revisions here, compare current versions with earlier ones, and keep track of the project's progress.
• Full record of messages. Communicate using the Private Message Board (PMB), and maintain a complete record of the project.
• Accessible from anywhere. Log on to it anytime, from anywhere, through your My Elance page.

Keep Track of Communications.
Prompt and clear communication is an essential part of doing business over the Internet. Messages often fly back and forth, and waiting 24 or even 48 hours can make it seem like the other party has forgotten the project altogether.

Make sure you and the buyer are on the right track by communicating often. Provide comments about what your revisions, recommendations, and why you made changes.

• Keep records. Use the private message board to keep track for future reference.
  Confirm messages. Ask the buyer to confirm their understanding of your comments and suggestions.
• Final Deliverable. Once the buyer approves the final version of the project, upload it to the Work Space, where they can then download it to their hard drive. Ask that they send a message approving the final deliverable and are initiating payment.

There is one more step to concluding the project on Elance. It's fast and easy, but also one of the most important steps of all.

Payment and Feedback.

Once the project is completed, send an invoice for final payment through the Elance Billing and Payment system.

Finally, leave feedback for the buyer. Ask that they do the same for you. Leave feedback from the Provider Activity page in My Elance.

• Feedback builds reputation. Feedback is the key to your Elance reputation. It tells others how you have performed in past projects, by the scoring system and project-based comments. As a service provider, you know the value of good feedback. You may want to remind buyers that you also look at their feedback comments when bidding on projects.