In case you missed it, I’ve got a blog post up over at About Freelance Writing. Go on over and give Anne Wayman some link and comment love.
Quoting Tom Petty in the title, I would like to ask an open question – how many times in the past 12 months has someone contacted you with a project and then didn’t return? How long have you waited and kept your calendar clear for The Project That Never Came?
Here’s the thing – clients have different time frames. When a corporate client says “We’ll be in touch!”, I don’t look for anything for the next three months. “Corporate time” is relative to the amount of pressure pushing down on the corporate contacts. If there’s a bigger vice they’re stuck in, that’s the one getting the full attention. The individual client often thinks we’re signing on with them because we love their project. While that’s probably true, we’re in business to earn money, not to dabble in other people’s projects.
Also, let’s face it – some of them think we wait around twiddling our thumbs waiting for their projects. The word “freelance” evokes a different visual for different people. Corporates may think “affordable and available” while smaller businesses may think “at my beck and call.” I’ve had clients get upset because I had other clients. Reminding them that exclusivity will cost them either much more money or health benefits usually solves that issue. But it’s pretty apparent that some clients think our time doesn’t hold the same value as their time.
It’s up to us to educate them. When they ask what our availability is, we have to tell them what our time frame is for the next few weeks. And if we think they’re going to come back in a month expecting the same attention, we have to stress that in three weeks, the time may be filled with something else.
My worst experience with someone’s lack of respect for my time – he was a corporate client who apparently overworked not just his staff but himself. Great, but I sent him a draft of his project and heard nothing for a month. Then he called two days before I went on vacation – a conference call – and outlined my weekly duties for the next week. I said, “I’ll be out of the office next week – can we schedule something for the following week?”
Without missing a beat, he assumed (correctly), and said, “Again? Didn’t you just have a vacation?”
How to answer that inappropriate question – “Is there something pressing that I can do for you in the next two days to keep things on track until I return to the office?” (Never defend your actions – clients have no right passing judgment on how you spend your time unless you’ve not finished their projects at the agreed-upon time.) In the end, I agreed to take a phone call mid-week. He never called, nor did his contacts. I waited fifteen minutes, then decided he wasn’t worth it. He ended our association because I wasn’t willing to drop my plans last minute to please him. Fine. People like that aren’t worth keeping as clients. If they don’t respect your time, they’ll demand even more later.
So let me ask again – how many times in the last 12 months were you contacted about a project that has yet to show up? And how long did you keep your calendar open? The latter question – if you said you didn’t wait, congratulations. You’re a smart business person.
9 responses to “The Waiting is the Hardest Part”
I tell clients I will pencil them in on my schedule for the time frame discussed, but if the signed contract and deposit (non-refundable) don't arrive in a timely manner, I can't hold it for them. If time goes by and I haven't heard from them, I will touch base once, possibly twice by email, but if things don't move forward, I move on. I also stress in initial conversations that my schedule can fill up abruptly.
I do not keep my calendar open. Period.
In early negotiations, I ask about turnaround time and explain my rush fees. I also make it clear to them that I am in demand, and if they don't let me know within 48 hours of our communique with a contract and deposit, the original time frame shifts.
I don't sit around and wait, nor do I keep schedule openings for people who haven't paid for them.
I'm new to your blog, Eileen passed it my way…but I'm loving what I'm learning.
I'm making the jump to full time writer come June (from very steady teacher income). So, I appreciate all the wisdom I can gain!
Eileen, I'm prone to that. I'll ask them once, maybe twice, then it's up to them to contact me and reschedule.
Like you, Devon, I've stopped waiting. I keep in mind the request, but I never turn work down based on a maybe. And I'm more prone to pushing back on the deadlines once they do get back in touch.
Welcome, NormalMiddle! It's scary at first, but you'll be fine! Just remember to stand by your price, get contracts for everything, and market when you're busy. 🙂
Oy, I've played the waiting game before. I used to turn down other projects thinking that the "Big one" was still coming my way, but they never showed. Chalk that up to another lesson learned.
I will wait a short amount of time if they say that they'll get back to me within a few days to a week. Otherwise, I move on if I don't hear.
I often hear vague plans, but two would-be clients in the last year have been convincingly enthusiastic about projects that never happened. I didn't set aside any time for either – I learned my lesson on that long ago – but I was left feeling a little disappointed.
I only set aside calendar time for someone if we have an established history and I feel relatively secure about the work coming in. Even so, I make sure my time is valued.
I'm another sort of newbie. Been doing freelance for a while but in between raising a family. This fall will be the first time I will consider it my primary work, so I'm hoping to amp up my workload and turn my many years of writing into something more consistent. I look forward to journeying with you. I just started a second blog to track my writing journey, and hope you'll stop by sometime. It's Peace Garden Writer (www.peacegardenwriter.blogspot.com)
I loved your advice on never making excuses. I'm going to have to brush up on that skill, so it's good to start practicing now. Thanks!
Roxane
Wendy, isn't it frustrating? It's why I no longer wait. At all. If the contract is signed, then we have a project.
Good plan, Valerie. If you know the client and they're good on their word, then the time is put aside. Frankly, I don't put time aside per se – I just plan to work a little longer and harder.
Welcome to you too, Roxane! Good having you here. Yes, please learn from our mistakes and our successes. It sure beats going through it yourself! I learned not to make excuses by making them and regretting it later.
Just about 2 weeks ago, I had a very major project pulled by a long-time client due to cash flow. I didn't turn any projects down but had hussled booty to get work done in anticipation of the work.
Just as I was going to ask for the green light to the contract, I was told it was put on hold. Normally, this client is good for it but it did put a crimp into April's work.