Good news on the work front – a call came in yesterday from what turned out to be a potential client. Honestly, the client identified his company, but having at least 12 calls a day from telemarketers, it wasn’t until I hung up I realized he was calling about work. He’d asked if I had time, which I didn’t, so I scheduled a call for today.
That’s okay, you know? Even if I had realized what he was calling about before hanging up, I’d have done probably the same thing. I was literally walking out the door. I was also not connected to my computer, where all my info on the job, my clips, and my experience sits. I like to be prepared. I may have lost one job once because I talked with the client on the spur of the moment and I left out a few key clips that would’ve proven my experience was what she was looking for. I won’t do that again.
But then it begs the question – is time off unpopular with clients? If you choose to do business Monday through Friday and not on weekends, are you leaving a bad impression of someone who won’t drop everything to please? Let’s hope so.
I’m of the opinion you need boundaries. Even if that means losing one or two clients who expect you to drop all to work 7 days a week, so be it. Ten years ago when I was working with people who would schedule calls at 7 pm because they were still in the office (dumb), I marveled at how the mindset then was of drop-everything thinking. I did lose one client once because of my lack of instant availability. He worked until midnight on at least one occasion (time stamped on his emails). I did not. That was a problem for him, especially when I went on vacation and had the beach house booked the week before he called. He was outwardly put off by it. Sorry – “psychic” isn’t on my business card.
The impression you should be leaving is one of a professional who isn’t desperate. While it’s okay to be eager to help, it does not mean you have to give up your life to please. I think given this economy, it’s even more important to uphold the appearance of a professional who isn’t so hungry for work he/she would take anything and do anything to make a buck.
What are your boundaries? Do you have specific hours in which you work? Are you available for calls at all times? Where do you draw the line and how do you protect your sanity and your personal life?
8 responses to “Is Time Off a Deal Breaker?”
As I’ve said before, I don’t do business on the phone. I check messages twice a day on weekdays and return calls. I do not answer the phone during my workday. Period. 90% of the phone stuff is a waste of time.
I take days off whenever I want or need them, depending upon deadlines. I am not available to corporate clients outside of regular business hours; I’m a little more flexible with arts clients, because that’s the business.
I have boundaries — the mornings are for my work, afternoons for client work, unless I’ve gotten behind in something or there’s a big project with a nice big rush fee attached.
Unless the client is paying me a HUGE amount of money for round-the-clock attention, they don’t get it. Actually, I’ve turned down quite a few of those jobs, because freelancing means making my own schedule, not being on someone else’s beyond respecting a deadline.
I’m a lot less amenable than a lot of freelancers, but it hasn’t hurt my business.
This is a great post, Lori.
I totally agree–boundaries are necessary.
I rarely have clients call me in the evenings or on weekends. It’s typically sources who want to connect then. But I don’t do interviews then unless there’s a crazy reason I have to.
For instance, if somebody is the perfect–and only–source I have, I’ll do an unusual interview time (very rare!). And I once interviewed a lawyer in Hong Kong; with the 13-hour time difference, the best we could come up with was a 9 p.m. call for me.
If I ever run into a client who wants all my time at unreasonable hours, I’ll have to make some difficult decisions. But right now, my feeling is that I’m a freelancer for a reason. I get to choose my own hours. If I can’t do that, why not work in-house and get a steadier salary and health benefits?!
Oh, I had one of those, Gabriella! I drew the boundaries around IMs and cell phone calls at all hours. Either 9-to-5 or not at all for that one!
Yes, we do have to make exceptions, but too often we allow our working lives to intersect with our personal lives to the point where the lines disappear altogether. I’ve seen it, I’ve done it a few times, and I’m avoiding it at all costs!
Most of my clients are sane people who understand boundaries, and don’t expect me to drop everything for them.
But there’s always that one person who’ll appear out of nowhere on a Friday evening expecting work to be done by Sunday morning, and while I took that kind of work early on, I don’t need to any more.
I’ve worked in the rural parts of Asia and Africa, where there was no access to Internet. In one specific incident, I told the editor I would be unavailable for a week because I was going to a remote part of India that is not well-connected, and yet she continued writing to me over that period and dropped me after I didn’t respond.
Some people can be quite clueless. And you’re always better off without these clueless clients.
I don’t work business hours. I prefer to sleep during the day and work at night. So I’m happy to take calls in the evening but not in the morning.
My clients know I’m usually not available for phone calls until late afternoon. I do adjust my schedule occasionally to be available for client meetings during normal business hours.
But I don’t think I have to work 9-5 just because that’s the normal business day for most people.
Mridu, that’s so true. I had a client once who continued to call through my daughter’s high-school graduation party after I’d told her – numerous times – that I wouldn’t be available until that following week. I dropped the client shortly after. Respect is a two-way street. If she wasn’t going to respect my very simple boundaries at the beginning, it was going to be difficult for me to respect her as a client.
Lillie, your boundaries are no calls before you wake up. 🙂 Totally understandable. I have the same ones. Because my clients tend to be more corporate, I accommodate their schedules more than you would have to. But if there’s a call at 7 pm on a Wednesday, forget it. The computer’s off, the brain’s off, and I’m relaxing. 🙂
You raise good points here, Lori. And I agree completely that we need to have boundaries. One of the problems with having a home office is the seductiveness of being able to work at all hours. And when I initially started out freelancing, I might have been more willing to pull long hours, but no more.
That being said, I do believe that whenever my phone rings, it’s a chance for me to be a hero for my clients. I’m here to solve their problems BUT I don’t ever want them to overstep their bounds. I work routine hours, Monday through Friday, but sometimes a client will call at 4:55 asking for something immediately. Depending on the client and the relationship I have with them, I might help them out. But I do it selectively. And I won’t ever work ridiculous hours because of my client’s own poor time-management.
Once a client takes advantage, I “fire” them gently, by being unavailable for future assignments. Life’s too short and there are too many other good clients out there.
Excellent, Cyndy. I’m the same way. If I can accommodate you and it’s not a situation where once again you’re last-minute emergencies are being thrust on me, I’ll help. But I won’t extend beyond the 10 hours I’m already available. I can’t. I need a life beyond work.