What’s on the iPod: In Between by The Clarks
Yesterday was fun. I managed one project before life interrupted. Because I work from home, I get tagged to let the work people in for appointments I knew little, if anything, about. This one was the annual termite inspection. It usually takes about ten minutes, but this guy was a talker. Really, he rivaled me. An hour later, he’s gone and I have to dash to the bank. In holiday traffic. And while I’m out, I should stop at the store and get that one gift for my son.
That’s where the time went. Not one thing done on the article. If I can’t get this finished by Friday, it could be weeks. This weekend is my daughter’s graduation (college – yay!), and my step-daughter will arrive as I’m leaving. We’ll be back Monday (a Sunday graduation – really?). Then the shopping for food, which I hope he’ll do while I’m gone. And then finishing up whatever was forgotten.
I had a request (more like an “I need”) from a client. An unpaid request. As much as I want to help, I can’t. There’s just too much paying work being ignored right now. Not that I’m inundated with work, but I do have it and it is more pressing that a freebie. I hate when long-time clients ask the impossible. It leaves me in a position to break their hearts and possibly sever the relationship. But making business decisions requires that. I can’t make money of an “atta girl!” and I need to make money right now.
Today is the article. Swear to you, it’s going to be done or nearly done today. I have the outline in my head Hint: your questions to your interview subjects? Those are usually great subheads. I’m just saying. If you set it up right at the very beginning, you eliminate a lot of guesswork.
Let me leave you with these questions:
Do you ever give good clients free work? If so, what’s your limit?
How do you make your job easier for yourself? Do you have any particular tips or tricks that keep you from wasting time?
15 responses to “Freebies, Systems, and Busy Work”
Freebies need to benefit me as well as the client if I'm going to do it. Lately, the only freebies have been done for charity organizations or my son's kindergarten newsletter. Stuff like that.
Yeah, pretty much along the lines of what Wendy said. I'll take on a pro bono client if it's a charity I love. One of the things I'm running into here is that people think I "miss" being backstage & want me to volunteer. Sorry, like writing, backstage work is my business, not my hobby.
One thing I have found the longer I freelance is how easy it is to say no to freebies. You can do it graciously, but like Wendy & Devon said, work is my business and my charity work is simply that.
Wasting time, on the other hand, seems to be a freebie I frequently give. 🙂
I do freebies for long-standing clients occasionally, but typically it's not at their request, but rather a bonus from me. Client will ask, can you do this one other thing and add it to my bill? And sometimes I'll do it and tell them "no charge, you're a good customer, and this one was on the house." I do them infrequently and randomly, and it's always appreciated. I recently did a job for a client that I could easily have billed $500 for, but I waived the fee. Client surprised me right back by gifting me with some of his product line that he knew I really liked. It's always a joy to work with clients like these.
If it's a client who has been good to me, I don't mind doing a few things gratis (say, following up on unanswered author queries after I've submitted my invoice for a project). I'm far less amenable to freebies if my experience with the client has been less favorable.
On the flip side, I'm grateful to my website designer, who provides light support (nothing that requires much work on her end) without charging me.
Sounds familiar. I procrastinated most of the day on a story yesterday before finally putting it out of its misery. My first challenge was that the interviewee spoke with a REALLY heavy foreign accent, so it took twice as long as usual to transcribe. The second challenge was…he just wasn't that interesting. Nice enough guy, but 100% beancounter personality + mundane topic = hookless story. I did what I could.
On the free stuff: I have sort of a mental, 15-minute slush fund for good clients. Like Suzanne, I have a design partner that will do small tweaks without charging, and I think that's a good model to follow on the word side, too.
Knock me over with a feather. My editor just emailed me with "Nice work!" about the aforementioned story. (I'm glad I didn't whine to her about what a pain in the tail it was, ha!)
I like Eileen's idea of where the freebie is her idea. I approached this from the perspective of the client asking for it.
And a 15 minute slush fund is a good concept, too, Jake. BTW-congrats on the editor's kudos. Isn't it funny how that works out?
Wendy, likewise. I don't mind doing so if, like Eileen says, it's my idea. I'm happy to help with a small thing without billing. But I'm not keen on hearing "I need your help!" and then hearing "Oh, we have no budget left." That's taking advantage.
Devon, exactly. I may love what I do, but that's no reason to think I don't want to be paid for my work.
Cathy, I'm with you on the time wasting! If I had every minute back that I wasted on Bejeweled Blitz, I could write a book. Not that I wouldn't just go right back to playing that obnoxiously addictive game….
Eileen, I suspect your clients appreciate you for your own giving. That's a great combination, and a super suggestion.
Suzanne, you've hit on it exactly. If the client is someone who is a pleasure to work with, you don't mind helping out once in a blue moon. If it's a client who's been a bear the entire time, why stick your hand back in that flame?
Congratulations, Jake! What good news! Even the tough interviews can pay off. 🙂 And I love the "slush fund" idea. I'm using that with my favorite clients next chance I get.
First off, congratulations to your daughter and to you her proud momma.
The holidays are not a time to be handing out free work. Even if you're not busy workwise, there are so many other things you can and should be doing with your time. My rule of thumb is if I can answer a question or perform a task in 15 minutes or less, I'll do it for a client who provides me a steady stream of projects. After that, it's taking up time I can be spending on work that pays and therefore is no longer free.
I've currently got an individual at one of the companies I write for who, all of a sudden, likes to gab on the phone. I don't usually charge for phone consultations, but one hour? No, WAY too much.
I decide to give freebies occasionally, too, usually it's tossing in sidebar. One place I write for asks its writers to share interviews sometimes. If I'm interviewing someone they need, I'll ask their questions. If they're already set to interview someone I need, I send them a few questions and they send me the interviewee's answers. It all balances out.
Today I'm fighting to finish (okay…start, if you want to get technical) a small project, but have been hit by a pile of a paperwork from a potential new client. It's a fairly big company, and you have to got through a quick screening to ensure you really are a professional writer and file your taxes, etc… I was going to get my supporting documentation sent in now, but decided I better do that after the paying work is done.
As annoying as it is to prove I'm in business, it's kind of refreshing that in this era of cheap content mill labor, some companies are taking steps to make certain the people they hire are legitimate professionals.
Congrats to you and your daughter?
Annual termite inspections? Here in CA we pray they keep holding hands 😉 and only inspect on sale or when they become visible.
Sometimes I do free stuff for good clients… hard to quantify… depends on what they want and what else is on my plate, but although I do some, it's usually not much.
Hugs
Thanks, Kathy! I'm just bursting with pride. She's a Comm major. 🙂
Solution for that chatty person – when you answer, preface the conversation with "I have about five minutes before I get on another call. Can we rap it up or should we just push this to email?"
It is refreshing, Paula, even with the paperwork! Good to hear. 🙂
Thanks, Anne. Now the task of her finding a job. 🙂
We had termites about six years ago. This is preventative work. After getting rid of them that year, it's been clear sailing. Amen!
Sheesh. It must take a lot of balls to just ask for something for free that normally costs money. I mean, who would ever walk into a store and do that? Anyway, stick to your guns, Lori, and hopefully everything will turn out all right and the client will realize what an imposition they're making.
I have a similar but not quite situation where one of my pro-bono "portfolio builder" clients just asked me if I was available to do another project for him. No mention of pay though. I'm going to tell him I'd be happy to do it for him at a 30% "friends and family" discount since he helped give me my start in writing but that I can't do it for free as I need to concentrate on paid projects now. I'm afraid I'm going to lose the testimonial he offered to give me. I was afraid I might lose referrals from him too, but on the other hand I don't want him referring me to people as the girl who'll work for free either. Who knows though, maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised and he'll agree to pay me for my work. He has been very nice to work with so far.
Jessie, I think he understands you can't be expected to work for free forever. I would hope so, anyway.
Instead of waiting for him to offer payment, tell him you appreciate his thinking of you, and the price is XXXX. Only if he balks should you offer the discount. He may be someone you're fond of and who gave you something to do, but it was unpaid work and any more freebies are taking advantage.
You're right – asking for a freebie is like walking into a store and just taking what you want without paying.