The Dealokr workflowHow Dealokr works

How Dealokr works, from the agreement to final files.

The client pays for the fixed-price project before work starts. You produce the work, share a preview and organise final handoff in a workflow where both parties can find the plan and the action expected next.

See the steps

An agreement in a document, an invoice in an email and approval in a conversation: by the end, everyone has to reconstruct the project. Dealokr connects accepted conditions, payment, review versions and file handoff in one project space.

The freelancer prepares the framework, and the client follows a link to read the terms, sign, pay and examine the work. The aim is straightforward: know the basis for starting, what needs a response and what makes final files available.

This is the route for a fixed-price project. Signature, initial payment, the preview decision and transfer each retain their own role; one stage should not be interpreted as automatic confirmation of all the others.

Four reference points for the workflow.

The agreement defines the work and the project conditions.
The client pays 100% of the fixed-price project amount before production.
The preview lets the client review the result and request agreed revisions.
Confirmed transfer opens hosted final files; bank arrival remains separate.

01 · Prepare the project

A clear result, deliverables and responsibilities.

The workflow starts with a project you have already found. You describe the expected result, deliverables, price, schedule and revisions. The client should be able to understand what they are buying and what they will examine before handoff, without translating a list of activities into a concrete outcome.

A person maps the elements of a web project on a whiteboard.

The freelancer prepares; the client can check

For a presentation, for example, specify the material to review, the formats to deliver and what the client needs to supply. Identify who will consolidate feedback too. A useful preview and a clear decision begin with this preparation.

The Dealokr workflow for freelancers develops the provider’s side of this organisation. For the commissioning side, Dealokr for businesses and clients explains how to follow the project and the decisions to make.

One project, five moments to follow

Action	What the client sees	Next step
Prepare the agreement	Result, deliverables and conditions.	Read and sign the proposed framework.
Fund the project	Payment of the project amount through Stripe.	Check payment confirmation before production.
Share a preview	A version to examine and a decision request.	Approve or specify a revision.
Request the transfer	Status changes through the project workflow.	Wait for confirmation.
Hand over files	Access to hosted final files after confirmation.	Retrieve the agreed material.

02 · Confirm the framework

Have the agreement signed before moving to payment.

You prepare the agreement with the operational details: scope, price, deliverables, revisions and review conditions. The client receives a protected link, verifies access by email, reads the terms and signs. The document becomes the shared reference for the rest of the project.

A hand signs a document with a fountain pen.

Explain what the client needs to do

Accompany the link with a little context: which project it concerns, what the client should read and what follows signature. The messages for introducing Dealokr to a client help frame that invitation without asking them to work out the portal alone.

Before sending, check the deliverables, dates and revisions described. A broad expression such as “all necessary files” needs clarification: exports, editable files and documentation are different sets of material. The client can then compare delivery with the framework they actually examined.

Keep the documents consistent

If you also use your own commercial documents, reconcile their terms with the agreement presented in the project. The project details should make sense together. Adapt the documents to the circumstances where a specific clause, applicable formality or change to the commitment needs attention.

Signature confirms the framework; it does not mean payment has already happened. Keeping these separate makes the next action readable: after the agreement, the client makes the initial payment and the freelancer checks its state before starting.

03 · Start after payment

The client pays 100% upfront through Stripe Connect.

For the fixed-price workflow, the client pays the entire project amount before production. Payment is processed through Stripe Connect and collected in the Dealokr platform’s Stripe balance. Funds then await transfer to the freelancer’s connected Stripe account.

A person uses a bank card and laptop for an online payment.

A confirmed client payment before the work

You start from a confirmed state in the workflow rather than a promise of a bank transfer or an image sent by the client. This changes the usual order of a project where work is completed and then invoiced while awaiting payment. The details of upfront payment and protected delivery explain the mechanism.

The initial amount concerns the agreed fixed-price project. If the project has milestones, their allocation does not mean asking the client for new payments at each phase: funding takes place at the start. Transfer conditions then follow the project’s progress.

How this organisation differs from an invoice and bank transfer

The value is in connecting payment to the accepted conditions and final handoff. The client knows what they are funding, while the freelancer can place payment in the project sequence. The Dealokr or invoice and bank transfer comparison helps assess a suitable organisation without assuming every project has the same need.

Client payment is not yet a payout into your bank account. Stripe processes the money movements and applies its checks. Dealokr organises the project workflow; this is not a regulated escrow service or a guarantee against every payment dispute.

04 · Examine the work

Present a preview, then collect a specific decision.

Once initial payment is confirmed, you produce the work under the agreement and share a version for review. The preview shows the result and lets the client respond. It remains separate from hosted final files, whose access follows the transfer stage.

Give the client a version they can examine

Identify what they are looking at and the points to check. Visual work can be presented through an appropriate preview; a presentation should allow its content to be reviewed. Choose material clear enough for a decision while keeping the agreed final package distinct.

The client can approve the preview or request a revision in the portal. Their response stays connected to the project. For files, previews and the scope of access, the protected delivery and preview page explains what the client examines before final handoff.

Handle a revision against the agreement

Useful feedback identifies the version, location and expected result. You can then prepare the agreed adjustments or clarify a new request with the client. A different direction should not silently alter the deliverables or agreed price.

Review is still a discussion about the work. Recorded approval does not mean a transfer has just happened automatically; a revision request should not be confused with permission to hand over the entire final package.

05 · Take the appropriate action

Request the transfer under the project conditions.

Following approval, or when the applicable review conditions allow it, the freelancer requests the transfer from Dealokr. This is separate from signature, initial payment and the client’s response to the preview. Approval alone does not automatically move funds.

A request depends on the actual project state

The workflow takes account of release conditions, including any open dispute and payment-account availability. Follow the displayed status instead of treating a click as confirmation of the result. A request and its confirmation are different events.

If the client stops replying, check the project’s review conditions and the next available action. Reaching a date does not by itself trigger an automatic transfer. Keep the exchanges and information needed to address anything blocking progress.

Milestones without asking the client to pay again at every stage

A project can allocate the amount funded upfront across milestones defined in the agreement. The freelancer then requests the corresponding transfers under those stages’ conditions. This fixed-price workflow does not mean collecting successive partial client payments.

A first milestone transfer does not make all project files accessible. Keep the material to hand over and the remaining stages distinct. You can explain project progress without suggesting that a date or an approval is enough to complete everything.

06 · Organise final handoff

Hosted final files become accessible after confirmation.

Once the transfer is confirmed, Dealokr opens access to final files hosted in the project under the applicable workflow. The client can retrieve the material prepared for handoff. This should match the deliverables and formats described in the agreement rather than a package chosen at the last moment.

A person holds a USB flash drive with a laptop nearby.

Prepare what will actually be delivered

Check the final version, filenames, formats and material needed to use them. Where editable files, source files or supporting documentation are agreed, prepare them in the package. The project connects access to transfer confirmation; preparing the contents remains your work.

A preview does not prevent every copy of what is visible. Adapt the material shared for review and separate the hosted final files. The aim is to organise their access in the right order, rather than make every reproduction technically impossible.

Clear boundaries for external links and the bank

If an item is shared from Drive, Figma, a code repository or another service, permissions remain managed by that provider. An already public link does not become private because it appears in Dealokr. Check those permissions separately and explain what will be available in each space.

Finally, transfer to your connected Stripe account and payout to your bank account remain separate. Bank arrival depends on Stripe’s schedule and checks; opening the files does not mean the bank payout has already happened.

07 · Keep track of the project

Revisit the history and choose the conditions before starting.

The agreement, previews, revision requests, decisions and payment events stay connected to the project. When a question arises, you can return to the relevant version and actual stage instead of reconstructing the work across several conversations.

A weekly planner and stationery are arranged on a light surface.

An operational history for both parties

The timestamped project history helps locate recorded events and their available context. It supports project follow-up and preparation of a factual discussion. It does not turn every item into guaranteed court evidence or decide a bank dispute or disagreement between the parties.

Keep the documents needed for your business too, and check their retention requirements. The project record supports your organisation; it does not replace your accounting, invoices or assessment of a particular legal situation.

Check the conditions before inviting the client

Consult Dealokr pricing to examine the applicable plans, fees and conditions, then read the information presented at payment. Compare the plan with how often you work on projects and their value, then check the fees displayed before payment.

To begin, gather the expected result, deliverables, amount and review conditions. The right starting point is a project both you and your client can understand. Daily-rate projects have their own workflow; do not automatically apply the full upfront payment rule described here for fixed-price work.

Prepare the framework, have the agreement signed and check initial payment before fixed-price work starts. The route remains readable: preview, decision, transfer request under the conditions and access to hosted final files after confirmation.

Back to the workflow

Sources and verification

Dealokr — Fixed-price workflow positioning
Dealokr — Agreement, signature and client access
Dealokr — Initial payment through Stripe Connect
Dealokr — Preview, revisions and client decision
Dealokr — Transfer requests and milestone workflow
Dealokr — Hosted-file access and external-link boundaries
Dealokr — Project history, pricing and responsibilities

This workflow describes fixed-price projects. Client payment, transfer to the connected Stripe account and bank payout are separate events. Daily-rate projects follow a different workflow.