Not long ago, I had an email from a potential client.
Well, let me back up a little. It was an email from someone I’d just connected with on social media.
I mean, I’d connected with them in that same minute.
The email was a thank you, but it was also a request. The person wanted me to give detailed feedback on something.
This was someone I’d known for exactly one minute.
Not. Kidding.
You know me — my radar detected BS almost immediately. Every red flag I could imagine was waving wildly.
But there was something about this email that made me respond.
Color me surprised when I learned that not only did this person intend to hire me, but they wanted to have a phone conversation even after I’d spelled out my fee and contract info.
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That doesn’t always happen. In fact, in nearly every other case, this would have gone south immediately after I stated my hourly rate. Or I would have avoided responding at all, as with the note I got last week that stated how this guy wanted me to work with him to get his website populated with content. Why was that a note I never answered? Because he addressed me as “Hi,” and never used my name.
Those “Hi” notes are almost always BS.
But even when you have what you think is a scam sitting in front of you, you can’t always tell. Nor can you tell always that the client who just doesn’t seem to fit will turn out to be one of your best clients.
Then again, maybe you can tell.
[bctt tweet=”As we go through our freelance writing career, we meet our lessons firsthand. ” username=”LoriWidmer”]
We learn by turning down or worse, accepting client work that we know will burn us in the end. We develop the sixth sense it takes to foresee trouble before it happens. And we use our instincts more than we might in any other profession.
In poetry, it’s called a turn — that point in the poem where the thought or emotion shifts and brings on the drama.
That, my friends, happens in your freelance writing life, too. Sometimes it’s good drama. Sometimes it’s a comedy wrapped inside a tragedy (but makes for good stories later on).
Here are a few lessons from my own career that may help you recognize the turn, and may give you insight into whether that client passes your sniff test.
The Tire Kicker Turned Great Client
I remember a first call with a potential client. They spelled out what they wanted, but with each project listed, they asked “How much for that?”
I nearly wrote them off as tire kickers. But I liked the projects they were thinking of doing. So I gave them a proposal. That was six years ago. I’m still working with them today.
How they passed the sniff test: What made them different? They had concerns over budget because they were small, but they were looking to expand and wanted to make sure they didn’t overextend financially. Once they explained that to me, I was in. Plus I asked them what their budget was. When you’re talking with someone who is focused on price, find out why. Not all clients are just looking to get things on the cheap. Some have real reasons for that.
The Congenial Guy Who was Really Quite Mad
We’ve all found ourselves in situations where the client is just not going to fit. But imagine being in a situation in person with the client when you realize hey, this guy is just nuts.
He needed an editor, he said. Since he was local, I met him in his office to discuss his business book. Only …. 30 minutes into it, he’d:
- Changed the book topic to a children’s book
- Introduced me to a colleague with “She’s going to get me published!”
- Linked his book’s success with regaining custody of his children
- Had shared my email address with his mother, who proceeded to email me glowing reports about her son
How he failed the sniff test: To be honest, he lost me on the first point alone. If a client changes direction that quickly, they’re not committed enough to get any job done let alone one job. The other things were irrelevant at that point, but even one of them would have been a deal-breaker. A writer cannot guarantee publication, and he was assuming I could. Any project that has such a volatile, personal issue such as custody as a goal is doomed to failure. And any client who thinks their family members need to convince you of how swell they are is crossing far too many boundaries at the outset.
Just two examples, but hopefully they illustrate the turn and what it could be telling you.
Here’s how to apply that same sniff test to other situations. Ask these questions:
- How much of the project have you mapped out/written?
- Have you completed a project like this before?
- What is your budget?
- Have you worked with an outside contractor before?
- What are your expectations of how we’ll work together?
A few other things that can be helpful:
- Go formal in tone: When you’re unsure of the client’s intentions, use formal language when responding. Why I think it works: it brings the seriousness of the request to the forefront and leaves all the ambiguity out.
- Reiterate terms: If you think you’re in front of someone who’s looking for a freebie, state your terms on first contact — your payment requirements, contract requirements, and anything you think would help drive the point home that you’re taking this seriously and making sure you’re getting it in writing.
- Listen to the response: Look for changes in direction, vague or shifting terms, language that doesn’t answer your questions, or any missing tidbit the client can’t/won’t fill in. If they’re dodgy on facts now, they’re not going to be any more forthcoming after the contract is signed.
Writers, what does your sniff test look like?
What situations caused you to employ such methods?