It’s the holiday season. One down, several to go before January. Now is the time when client budgets are either spent or being spent rapidly.
It’s also a time when clients make unusual requests. Some of those requests are boundary breakers. And it’s up to us writers to know when to say no.
One example: A friend of mine is neck-deep in two large projects and a number of smaller ones, all with tight deadlines. As she was wrapping up her work day on Wednesday (the day before Thanksgiving), she got a call from a client she’d spoken with earlier in the year. Not month — year. As in March or April.
The client had an urgent request. Could this writer take a look at a paragraph of copy and rework it? Oh, and could she do so over the holiday weekend?
Couple of things wrong with that, Karen.
- This is a client who had needed the writer to set aside time for a big project she would be delivering. A project that never materialized. No explanation was offered.
- Now she was back, wanting help right away for a project someone else was apparently doing, for she was asking for this writer to fix it.
- Did I mention the work-the-holiday-weekend request?
How about “No”?
None of us are strangers to the client with the last-minute, urgent request. Sometimes, they hit you up on a weekend because they really do have their backs to the wall due to someone else’s inability to get their shit together. But sometimes it’s because they can’t get it together without a sherpa and a GPS.
[bctt tweet=”Are you falling victim to the #freelancewriting client who breaks boundaries?” username=”LoriWidmer”]
That’s what’s happening — this client is not respecting the writer’s boundaries, nor are they cognizant of the fact that writers get to have time off, too. Especially around the holidays, these requests feel that much more thoughtless.
It’s also a time when clients will pile work on you — too much work. Is there such a thing?
Hell yes, there is.
Imagine the client who gives you six projects in a month when you’re used to getting — and budgeting time for — three. Now imagine all your clients doing the same thing. Around the holiday. Expecting you to give up your holiday for their projects. Because they asked nicely.
Or maybe it’s not the holiday, and they’re just overwhelmed with work, so they’re shoving it off on you.
Here’s what’s going to happen:
- You’re going to burn out. Fast.
- You’re going to start resenting that client.
- You’re going to be stretched beyond your capacity.
- You’re going to lose sleep when the clients, hell honey, they’re sleeping like babies.
So how do you get off the roller coaster?
Say no.
You can still do this, you know. Know why? Because you’re not a freaking employee. You’re a small business owner who decides your own schedule. That means you decide what work to accept — and what work to turn down. If it’s too much, turn it down. No explanation needed. Just “No.”
Reinforce the boundaries.
Over the years, I’ve had to do this a few times. It’s an easy note to write, despite your angst about it.
Dear Client,
I need to discuss the workload with you. At the moment, I have quite a bit of work, and I cannot take on any more. Let’s talk about solutions together — I can take X projects per month, but any more than that means the quality will suffer. Also, I could recommend another writer with whom I’m happy to share the work.
Simple. Any client worth keeping will understand that you are a contractor, not an employee and certainly not a servant. You can take on what you can take on and no more. State the boundary, hold firm.
Raise the price.
Yes, you can, and yes, I have. When the work outpaces your ability to keep up, raise your price. Some clients may disappear, and if your price goes high enough, the ones who stick around will be more thoughtful with the amount they send your way. You’ll earn more, which means you’re making more for working less. Bonus.
Years ago, I raised my ridiculously low rates when I was inundated with work. I lost two clients, but I was able to make more money and attract clients who were less stressful to work with.
Quit the client.
I had to do this when the client signed a contract for X price, then decided they didn’t think there was a difference between the two projects that were priced differently (there was a significant difference) and then TOLD me I’d be getting less. After I referred him to the section of the contract that he was breaching, I finished the project and fired him. He came back once, asking to have me work with him “at any price.” However, that “any price” meant that now, he was going to want several revisions on press releases. Buh-bye.
You don’t have to keep people who cannot respect your boundaries. If your client honors your wish for two months, then piles it on again, send your warning. If things return to craziness, fire them. It’s not worth it to be stressed about a job you’re supposed to love doing.
Writers, how have clients broken your boundaries — or tried to — in the past?
What did you do to remedy the situation? Did it work? If not, what would have worked in hindsight?
5 responses to “4 Ways to Reinforce Your Freelance Boundaries”
I am happy to say I haven’t had this problem for years. The last time I had a client who didn’t seem to understand boundaries, there were red flags from the very first phone call—and in the end they stiffed me for $450. My attorney charges $500 for a demand letter, so it wasn’t even worth it to chase the money.
Since then, I’ve paid closer attention to the signals and trusted my gut feeling much more. It was an expensive, miserable lesson (and it wasn’t the first time I’d experienced it, just the worst one), but now my client roster is full of people who seem to understand the proper dynamic between vendor and company.
As always, excellent post and very timely.
That happened to me a few times, Dava. Thankfully, the clients I’ve worked with in the last decade aren’t that way. But those lower-priced jobs are nerve-wracking for that reason.
Did they argue the price? Just curious. So many at that price point have for me.
They ghosted! It was so crazy. Every time they contacted me, they acted like I was interrupting them. My main contact would schedule conference calls, then not show up. I wrote a whole 700-word piece and they said, “Nah, this isn’t what we wanted, try again.” And, like a fool, I re-wrote it from a different angle. They said, again, it was no good. I suggested we just wrap it up and they go ahead and pay me, and they never replied again, nor answered calls. I sent all sorts of emails, and quoted our contract, and tried contacting their accounting department directly. I think I even contacted their CEO. It was a fairly large and well-known company, too. So I guess they didn’t really argue the price (which was very low, I know now) — they even accidentally added me to an email chain where they were discussing working with another writer who was charging them $20,000 for a series of blog posts! — they just pretended I no longer existed.
WOW, that really is crazy! I just can’t understand the thought process a group like that goes through. It was a small job, small amount. Just pay and be done, right?
What a joke. I’m sorry to hear you went through that.
It was uncomfortable, but ultimately, it was a good thing because I finally learned to pay attention to my instincts. I remember the very first time they called me, it was in the afternoon, and I was on a walk with a friend. I answered, and the person was whispering – because she was in the middle of a meeting! When I hung up my friend said, “That sounded promising!” and I said, “I don’t know. I guess we’ll see.” I knew right then. There’s no way now that I would agree to work with them after a call like that!