At first, the excitement is almost palpable — a new client prospect has reached out. You respond quickly (but not too quickly — don’t want to seem too eager). They write back. The dialogue has begun. Maybe it moves to the phone at that point. If so, you talk about project needs, your background, their…
Tag: negotiation
4 Ways to Get Your Freelance Writing Client to Yes
A while ago, I had a client who liked to talk about how well we might work together. Trouble was that’s all he did — talk about it. It never amounted to anything. Call it analysis paralysis or just lack of knowing how to go forward, but sometimes clients just can’t pull the trigger on…
Guest Post: When Clients Try to Set Your Freelance Writing Worth
I love Mika Doyle. Mika is one of those beginning freelance writers who is carving out a career, but doing it the right way. I’ve watched her from the sidelines as she’s built her freelance foundation, and it’s exciting to watch. Mind you, she’s gone through the same tough cycles and struggles like we all…
The One Freelance Writing Number You Need to Know
It started with an email from a local contact. They needed a writer onsite. Yea, that’s not happening. I declined, saying if the client needed someone on a virtual basis, I might be interested. The response: yes, they’re quite open to virtual arrangements. Except…. The time commitment and the pay; neither were going to work for…
Freelance Negotiating, Used Car Style
Because my life wasn’t complicated enough, I decided to buy a car right when everything was turning to quicksand underneath my feet. The night before I drove west to help my mom with my dad’s care, I was signing papers for my new(er) car. Twelve hours later, I drove it west. When I got home, I…
The (Updated) Freelancer’s BS Litmus Test
Back in 2010, I came up with what I call the BS Litmus Test. It’s a series of questions freelance writers can ask themselves when considering a new client or project. The goal when I wrote it was to get us freelancers to think deeper into the relationship and the project so that we make…
5 Negotiation Tactics for Freelancers
What I’m listening to Free Fallin’ by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Sometimes I wish there were more days in the weekend so I could get everything off my to-do list. We managed to plan part of our upcoming vacation, and I moved some files off my old computer to my new one. That’s the…