Comments on: What Your Clients Want (and Deserve)

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 21:26:10 +0000

Jake, I'm totally stealing that first point for tomorrow's post. I'm a thief, but I'm honest about it. (There's an oxymoron for you!)

I call that type of humor as disarming. It comes in handy, I agree. And you either know how to use it or you don't.

Paula, I'm with you. :)

By: Eileen

Eileen — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 21:10:46 +0000

What Jake said.

By: Paula

Paula — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 19:25:50 +0000

Jake - one of my mottos has always been: Never trust someone who doesn't have a sense of humor.

Why? Self-serious types have a way of making everything unpleasant. (Then again, so do people who are constantly searching for a laugh.)

By: Jake P

Jake P — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 19:16:26 +0000

1) I always classify my approach as "being low maintenance." Deliver what's asked, without a bunch of friction.

2) Be pleasant to work with, no matter what's going on behind your own scenes. That includes being happy and upbeat when you hear from a client (fake it if you must), regardless of why they might be calling.

3) I know you're sorta born with a sense of humor or you aren't, but I know that my ability to "lighten the mood" has saved my butt on numerous occasions. Perhaps it sounds silly or simplistic, but people like to work with people they like. A little bit of charm goes a long way.

By: Paula

Paula — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 19:12:51 +0000

I want editors who respond to my questions. This week it took an editor three days to reply to a question I'd asked Monday, when the article was due. It wasn't even a difficult question, but in order to get the assignment in on time, I needed an answer.

I also expect to receive contributor copies. One place I write for stopped sending contributor copies when they beefed up their website. I understand that since they're looking for ways to cut costs and everything is viewable online. But when magazines that don't post articles online don't send contributor's copies, how much mileage can a writer get from those clips?

I also expect to be paid within a fair time frame. Today I turned down an assignment from a publisher for whom I've already written three lengthy articles. The new article would have be due during the holidays, which made it a no-brainer. That is the one time I year I actually do take a few days off work. I told them if they paid $1/word I'd find the time, otherwise it wasn't worth it. Yes, I can use the money, but they don't pay a lot and can take months to pay. I saw no immediate benefit to accepting the assignment, so I passed. And it feels good.

(You can get up off the floor now, Lori.)

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 19:08:11 +0000

It should be, shouldn't it, Kim? But how often are we disappointed by service or reliability ourselves?

By: Kimberly Ben

Kimberly Ben — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 18:30:23 +0000

I agree with what you said in your last comment, Lori. I've had more than one client complement my reliability (which is sad really because it should be the rule rather than the exception).

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 16:38:00 +0000

People are tired of writers not giving them their full attention, Cathy. I remember one of my first jobs at a large newspaper where I was called back repeatedly by the editor. Why? She said, "You're reliable." At first I thought "Great, I can't write and this is all she can think of to say." (I was young and insecure) But then I realized exactly what she meant - I gave her what she'd asked for in the timeframe she'd expected it.

I'll take that. :)

By: Cathy

Cathy — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 15:38:35 +0000

One of the best compliments (for me) that I received from clients was my professionalism. I didn't realize how important that perception was until two different clients expressed it.

I think it stems from a feeling that as freelancers we want to be taken seriously as the professionals we are. It works both ways and many of the traits you listed here, Lori, will get us that "professional" compliment.

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 14:47:09 +0000

Excellent advice, ladies. :)

Devon, I think there's often a disconnect with writers and their clients. Writers tend to take an oddly adversarial stance, maybe having been burned enough to expect it (and don't we just draw that negativity to us like a magnet?), and they don't do what you and I do. They don't connect with the client long enough to really care about the person's needs or even care enough to do the job properly.

Wendy, so true. Getting it done quickly is evident in so many cases. (and it's why I don't care for content farm writing - obviously done hastily). And like you pointed out in your last sentence, there are exceptions.