In conversation with a colleague the other day, we were discussing a situation in which a business person had introduced a controversial topic and then had continued to push the topic with someone they wanted to do business with who was clearly not interested. As my colleague had said, “They need to learn to read…
Tag: client advice
Winning the Freelance v. Bot War
Anyone else tired of hearing how bots are going to wipe out freelancing? Chat GPT, BARD, whatever. None of that should be of concern to serious freelancers. While there is some truth to the rumor that bots could generate content successfully enough that some writers could be out of work soon, it’s not a done…
Freelance Files: Is This Freelance Client Worth It?
Welcome to a new series on the blog. No matter where you are in your freelance writing career, you’re going to come across a client that seems like a great find on the surface. Dig underneath, however …. I hope with this series, we’ll be better equipped to vet clients — even existing clients —…
One Preemptive Move to Reduce Freelance Client Friction
Quite a few years ago, I had this client. She handed me an unwieldy project every year and paid me well to tackle it. What she didn’t pay me for was the barrage of emails she sent. Each time she thought of something, she’d send an email. When you’re receiving and answering about 12 emails…
1 Freelance Move That Nets More Work
“I liked it a lot. It looks like you have been with this company for years.” That’s feedback that a writer friend received from a new client. One two-hour job that was written in the company’s voice to the audience they’d stated. Know what that does? That small job netted my writer friend some serious…
Ending the Freelance Rate Dance
I’m betting you’ve had a conversation just like this at one point in your freelance career: Client: …. so that’s what we’re needing. Any questions? Writer: Yes, what is your budget for this? Client: Well, we’re hoping to find a writer who fits with our needs first, then we will go down that route. At…
What You Can (& Should) Say to a Freelance Client
A close relative of mine is a stickler for obligations. That’s good. And bad. See, if a doctor’s office hands her an appointment time, she accepts it, even if it means rearranging her entire life to make that appointment. It never occurs to her to say “That won’t work. What other days do you have?”…
Your Freelance Client Magnet
What does a successful freelance writing career look like to you? Ask a hundred freelancers and you’ll probably get that many different answers. Success could be something as lofty as making enough to retire by age 50. It could be making enough to pay the bills and bank a little. Or it could be working…
Freelance Artist or Just Freelance?
I was talking with a writer chum yesterday about some reno work she’s having done. The contractor doing the job suggested a trim board that he said would cover a problem area and look great. Then she saw the piece of trim. Let’s just say the guy is better at repairing than planning. It’s also…
A Freelance Decision You Don’t Want to Make (but should)
Something happened a while back that’s been sticking in my mind. It’s not one of those “Look what that nasty client did to me” events, either. It was subtler than that. If I hadn’t been paying attention, I wouldn’t have noticed. It was when the work outpaced the pay. The client was a fairly new…