What’s on the iPod: Hate Music by Owl John
After a month of full-out writing, it was nice to have a break yesterday. I sent out some queries, contacted a few potential clients, and did some grunt work (a.k.a. things I’ve been putting off, like cleaning the desk).
News on the home front: daughter has just been offered yet another job– this one in her chosen field. She had a moment of panic (didn’t want to turn down an offer she’d already accepted), but I think she realized the opportunity being handed to her. Here was a job that was more than a stepping stone. I think she’ll take it.
I was talking with another writer offline about clients, client reactions, and what I think might be the cause of some of the reactions and low-ball offers we see. It may not be everyone’s experience, but my own experience is one that sees occasional insults or other odd behaviors. I think those reactions — at least two of them — are directly related to two factors: being female and not appearing “bigger.”
The female part I can’t control, nor will I go out of my way to prove to someone I’m “just as good” as a man. If they can’t tell from my portfolio, screw them. Sorry, but I’ve no time for sexist behavior.
I’m too busy working for people who value my skills for what they are.
But that second part — the “big enough” dilemma– is one I’m still trying to come to terms with.
It’s not just a perception, either. In a few cases, I’ve had clients:
1) Give me their toll-free number to save me money
2) Ask if I’m still freelancing
3) Explain what a W-9 is
4) Treat my invoice like junk email
5) etc…..
It’s only recently I’ve wondered if I should do something about it. It was after a potential client signed off with an asshole remark about my rates. It was then I wondered if he’d have done that had I been a man, and if he’d have done that had I been a company.
While I can’t say if either of those things would have changed his unprofessional behavior, I do wonder sometimes if having a larger presence — like your own company name — would make rates easier to digest for some clients.
So I’m going to do a brain dump right here. I invite you to play along.
Pros of doing business under a business name:
More impactful presence. If I do business under my registered business name — LDW Publishing — there’s a bit more of a professional persona attached, don’t you think? Instead of saying “She’s nuts to charge $125 an hour!”, potential clients might think “That company is a bargain at $125 an hour.” Or they could still say I’m nuts, but at least now they’re saying it about the company.
Less pushback on price. I could be simply inserting my own dream into this one, but I’ve seen companies hire other companies and never flinch at the price. There’s some sort of detachment that keeps things from getting too out of control when it comes to negotiating.
Invoices are taken seriously. That’s my hope, anyway. I would suspect stiffing Jane Doe is much easier to get over than stiffing Primary Writing Services LLC. Both might threaten legal action, but the company gives off the image of having a staff large enough to handle that.
Cons of doing business under a business name:
Lack of personal touch. That’s been my biggest reason for continuing to work under my name. Not that having a business name changes anything, but it’s all about perception. If the client is hiring a writer for the first time, they may want someone who seems to be accessible.
May chase away some clients. I get a few clients who are individuals and not businesses. Would they get in touch if they thought they were reaching a “corporate” presence? Also, some clients may see the business name and think I’m out of their price range when in fact I’m right in their price range.
Current clients lose you. And another huge reason for me to stay who I am — I don’t want my current clients to have troubles finding me, nor do I want them thinking I’ve grown beyond being able to serve them.
Writers, what do you think? Do you do business under your name or a business name?
What reasons can you think of to either choose a business name or stay with your own name?
I use my own name, Lori, and have no way of knowing if some people have been put off by that. I think the personal connection – the fact that people know who they are dealing with – is helpful, and my business has continued to grow. And if people are put off by gender, ethnicity or the fact that I don't have a business name, then they're not right for me. 🙂
I don't suppose it's possible to do an A/B split test? That is, to one group of prospects, you're Lori Widmer, and to the other you're LDW Publishing.
Just being honest here but for me (and me only), I feel a site that is a sole proprietor behind a "big business" name doesn't ring true. You know the one with web copy written to sound like it is more than the sole proprietor. I have the same reaction if I would call myself CEO.
I understand it. And I feel there's nothing wrong with it. It's a personal choice. It just doesn't work for me.
You know what I always say. There is no right or wrong. Just different. 😉
I'm selling my prospects on my 30+ years of experience and who I am as a business person so that's why I don't do it, although I could see a business name as long as it's clear, I'm the person they are hiring – like Miller Communications.
I suppose it all boils down to the types of clients you're after. If you want to land large corporate clients, a corporate type name is probably best. Small businesses, individuals or other non-corporate entities might respond best to you as an individual.
Wow! Love the ideas and discussion here! Thanks, everyone.
Sharon, so true. It's the reason I've not gone with my business name — because it doesn't feel personal.
Great idea, Eileen! Your ideas usually are. 🙂 I have some clients — and ironically, they are the smaller companies — that seem to respond better to bigger names. Maybe they don't know that working with freelancers can be a good experience?
Cathy, exactly my fear. It's a balance between being taken seriously and looking seriously pretentious. And you make an excellent point about the experience that's being hired. Can't always convey that with a business name.
Paula, there's my issue. The bigger clients never balk at working with me. It's the smaller guys that have troubles understanding how to work with a freelancer. Not in every case, but in those few cases where I've had insults or argument thrown at me, they've been a mid-size company or smaller.
Great discussion!
I think how you're treated has more to do with the client than you. If you're presenting yourself as a professional, then the problem is theirs.
In my opinion, the same people who treat solo professionals poorly are probably also lousy clients when they deal with corporations. (Of course, when it's just you it seems more personal.)
My daughter came home from her job at a mid-size corporation the other day really upset at the very ugly way a client had treated her. She's not a writer, but the point is that some people are just hard to deal with. It's not you, it's them.
I think most of my clients realize my business is very small. I make a serious effort to deal with people who view me and treat me as a professional.
I tried to strike a balance: my business name is Smiling Tree Writing, which doesn't sound "big" but is also not my name. When I started I wanted to leave the option of hiring others writers.
Even though I have and use a business name, it's very clear that it's just me.
Laura, great seeing you here. 🙂 I do agree with you — it isn't something I'm doing but rather something they're not doing that's a problem. They're not acting like business professionals. Maybe some people think that because social media brings us to a more intimate level, it's okay to act like a jerk. Or maybe it's that they have egos bigger than their brains. Hard to say.
All of my clients treat me well. If they didn't, I wouldn't be working with them, as Sharon has said. I hope your daughter learned from that awful experience. It's a damn shame how some people in charge behave.
Dava, that's a good approach! You're right — it's a business name, but not an overbearing one.
Nice seeing you here, as well. 🙂
I do business both ways. I operate under the business name (3 Beat Media) but I still do most marketing and networking under my own name. And honestly, I haven't seen much of a difference either way. Hubs operates similarly with his software dev business (has a company name on invoices and contracts, but clients do business with him on a personal, one-on-one basis). No difference there either.
You still get clients who push off invoices (or at least he does; I make them pay up front almost always so I don't have that issue). You still get clients who think their business is bigger or more important than yours. You can still build personal relationships either way. And you can still get rate pushback (which seems to have more to do with the type of work than the type of business — I get it more with blogging than copywriting for example, and I think hubs gets it more with things like phone consulting than developing custom software solutions). If clients perceive something as more difficult or more valuable, they're happy to pay more.
As for the sexist nonsense, I haven't come up against it in a long time. So I'm sorry that you've had to deal with it. I tend to take a firm handle on things with new clients with a very no-nonsense approach. And I suspect that helps. It's clear I don't go into the relationship to make a friend, though "firm" is still handled politely. And I have no qualms about saying "no." I put my foot down once about things like rates, and if they keep pushing, I offer to refer them elsewhere rather than entertaining lower rates. That's generally when it stops, and quickly. Either they go away and find someone cheaper (maybe 10-20% of the time), or they agree to the rates we were discussing. I think that's a part of the issue we can have as women. Sometimes we care more about making people like us than men do. Once I got over that and truly separated myself from my business on a personal / self-worth front, I haven't felt any sexist pushback from clients or prospects.
Jenn's last point resonated with me. Once I stopped worrying about saying no, I got less pushback.
Such a great post, Jenn. Thank you. Like Sharon, I think your last point resonates the most. So true.
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