4 things you need to know to work with large groups as a freelancer

Large groups are a great opportunity to boost the growth and financial sustainability of freelancers. But these businesses are not the easiest to access. Due to a complex organization and dense administrative processes, independent consultants must redouble their efforts to access these prestigious missions. You must both convince the Business Departments of your expertise, but the Purchasing Department keeps the final decision since it defines the budget allocated to intellectual services. What actions should be taken to maximize your chances of collaboration with large groups? In this article, we give you 4 keys to understanding better understanding the specificities of this collaboration.

Summary

Collaborating with large groups: the advantages

4 actions to promote collaboration with large groups

Collaborating with large groups: the advantages

Sustaining your business

As large groups generally have larger budgets than SMEs and ETIs, missions are likely to extend over a period of several months. Large groups therefore have the advantage of offering you long-term projects. Unlike an SME, which often focuses on strategic positions (e.g. commercial deployment or interim management), large groups also have the ability to call on experts in more operational areas, such as project managers for example.

Often lasting 6 to 12 months, missions in large groups allow you to devote almost all of your time to deploying the project for which you were asked. This increased financial stability is a major advantage, as it offers you the assurance of income over a long period of time, without fear of trough periods.

So effectively, large groups are restricting the entry opportunities for independent consultants. However, this reservation is understandable given the size of the budget allocated to freelance missions. If a consultant, whose TJM is 800€, is present four days a week for two years, the company will check whether it is not more advantageous tointernalize this profile in a permanent contract.

Capitalize on your references

We know it's hard to stand out when the market is saturated. In order to stand out from the crowd, some freelancers do not hesitate to specialize in a very restricted niche. Others prefer sectors of activity, which gives them the advantage of collaborating with companies according to specific criteria: size, culture, scope of the market, etc. While one generally starts working with SMEs because they offer greater freedom of action and are easier to access, large groups are also a guarantee of growth for one's independent activity. It actually depends on your professional project: for example, do you plan to take part in large-scale projects for several months or do you prefer to meet the needs of several customers on one-off projects instead?

In fact, what could be more rewarding than having worked with companies like Thalys, Disney, or Nike? These references ensure credibility and weight with other market players. This can also promote the creation of relationships of trust with new customers and/or service providers who gravitate around these large groups. If you specialize in the transport sector, for example, Thalys will certainly be a great gateway.

Of course, these references are not there to decorate your resume. They are real social proofs that demonstrate your know-how and your ability to succeed in complex and demanding environments. By capitalizing on these references, you will be able to build a solid career and ensure a successful business.

Joining a team from another department

The transfer of skills from one department to another is also an advantage that should not be overlooked. It is obviously not a systematic practice, nor adapted for all expertise in mission. However, this process is possible, due to the size of the company and the multitude of internal projects. Each department has its own needs and objectives, so you could be called upon at the end of your initial mission. Since you are already known by the internal administrative department, the transfer procedures between two departments will be facilitated.

Let's say you're working with the marketing department of a large group for a digital transformation mission. Your expertise and results may draw the attention of other departments, such as logistics or operations, which may also benefit from your skills. Your initial interlocutor, familiar with your working methodology and having tested the quality of your deliverables, can recommend you to other decision-makers within the company. At the same time, this internal recommendation reinforces your reputation within the large group.

This flexibility can be transformed into a new mission and, thus, gives you the opportunity to explore various issues in an environment that is already familiar to you. Enough to enrich your skills portfolio!

4 actions to promote collaboration with large groups

1. Be referenced with Purchasing

As mentioned earlier, it is the Purchasing Departments who manage the budget for intellectual services. Moreover, this organization is moving away from medium-sized companies where business departments manage their budget. Purchasing is therefore responsible for selecting, referencing and negotiating with suppliers, including service providers. In order to limit their number, Purchasers often tend to favor trusted third parties, who are already referenced and have an established relationship with the company. Given this dynamic, independent consultants often face cumbersome administrative procedures to hope to be referenced. On the other hand, companies like Beager make sure to promote fair relationships that will strengthen Purchasing confidence for the independent consultant.

What you need to remember: save time in your efforts by approaching a trusted third party who is already listed in the large group with which you want to collaborate.

2. Familiarize yourself with political issues

Because of the multiplicity of decision makers, departments and processes, it is crucial to understand the internal policies of the company. It is important that you secure your place in order to value your results and the relevance of your intervention in the company. Several departments can be involved in the project, each with its own priorities and goals. You must therefore identify who has the budget, who has the authority to validate your deliverable and who to turn to for the support you need to carry out your mission successfully. It's easy to feel like David facing Goliath... But with the right allies and intermediaries who have influence, you will have all the keys in hand to make your way there quietly. You can already obtain this information during the interview or rely on networking companies that provide neutral support for each of the parties, the company as well as the self-employed.

What you need to remember: get closer to the main decision-makers and create relationships of trust, in order to benefit from support throughout your mission.

3. Anticipate administrative deadlines

Large groups tend to have complex management processes. There may indeed be a delay between the signing of the contract and the official start of the mission. Payment terms are very often extended, sometimes reaching up to 60 days after the month in question. This temporality is explained in particular by internal administrative procedures that are not very flexible.

This time lag between when you perform your work and when you are paid can be a major challenge, especially when you perform this mission full-time. Diversifying your sources of income can be difficult. This is in particular one of the reasons that hinder freelance collaboration and large groups, which want to avoid any economic dependence for reasons of commercial and legal security. If the company proves to be the only client of a self-employed person for an indefinite period of time, this collaboration could be reclassified as an employment contract. This explains the precautions put in place by large groups, as well as the multitude of conditions that frame the mission.

What you need to remember: anticipate deadlines by having a precautionary cash flow and/or identify third parties who can accelerate these deadlines, by taking care of the payment of your mission, for example.

4. Framing the conditions of the mission

We often think that missions are framed by the delivery of a deliverable or by an agreed number of days. But independent consultants in large groups generally contract on a fixed basis. This means that a specific number of days per month is agreed upon or for the overall duration of the mission, if a certain number of days worked per week is agreed upon, for example. Remuneration is Calculate by multiplying the TJM by the number of days worked. The results of the project will be measured in the form of a deliverable. The latter often corresponds to the concrete realization of the project. For example, if it is a merger project between two companies, the expected deliverable is therefore its concrete and optimal implementation.

But sometimes some missions measure progress and therefore its effectiveness more through intermediate deliverables that make it possible to observe the progress of the intervention. Since the conditions of the mission vary from one major group to another, it is essential to clarify them at the beginning of the collaboration.

What you need to remember: clarify the terms of the mission in order to measure the results expected by the company.

In summary, collaboration with large groups offers major advantages such as greater financial stability, greater credibility in a sector of activity, and the possibility of developing long-term relationships with internal teams. However, these advantages come with their share of constraints, which need to be understood and anticipated. Collaborating with large groups is not always easy, especially when starting a freelance activity. Purchasing may, for example, prefer to go through intermediaries who are referenced and who will be able to provide the necessary needs to the Business teams while respecting the agreed budget. Having a large group on your reference list is indeed rewarding, but remember that the size of a business is not everything. SMEs and ETIs also need your expertise to increase their business and gain in innovation.