Have you ever been caught in a voice mail loop of hell with a doctor’s office or other service provider? Recently, I called a doctor’s office to reschedule an appointment. I tried three times. Three times, I advanced only so far into the system before I was referred to the website to make an appointment.
I wasn’t making one — I was rescheduling one. There’s no option for that online.
Thinking I’d outsmart the system, I chose differently from the menu. I chose an area I was sure would connect me to a person. This time, I was told to email my issue to the “care team” and the bot spat out the email address. And promptly hung up.
I followed the bot’s direction and sent a message with my reschedule request because, according to the doctor’s website, “We care about our patients and will respond to you quickly.”
Here it is a day later and I’m no closer to rescheduling that appointment. Good thing I wasn’t cancelling on the same day as the appointment.
It brings me to a topic that I think we freelancers don’t talk about as often as we should — those skills we need that aren’t writing and editing skills. There’s a lot more to running a successful freelance business than just getting the words on paper by the deadline. Let’s start with that first issue:
A focus on the client.
Despite my doctor’s office assuring me that they are patient-focused and ready to serve, that’s clearly lip service. There is no modern practice on this planet or any other that should be denying patients quick access to a person in that office. That’s a quick way to lose business.
That begs the question — how focused are you on your clients? Do you have more than one way for them to reach you? Do you have hours clearly stated, either on your website or in your emails? Are you set up to be reached during work hours? If you don’t know what that looks like, there’s a simple test here: Pretend you’re the client. What type of availability would you expect?
Better communication.
Obviously, that focus is greatly dependent on you being a better communicator. You don’t have to go crazy and answer each email and phone call is if the client’s house is on fire and you’re delivering water, but are you:
- Spelling out exactly what you heard was the scope of the project
- Asking the right questions to glean the right info for each project
- Giving regular updates on progress, if the project is longer
- Communicating snags or issues quickly
- Revisiting the original conversation to make sure you understood what the client wants
- Staying in touch as needed
Beyond the project, are you focusing on building a rapport with your client? Are you matching their conversational tone/pace? Are you alerting them to issues or new ideas? Build better ways to show your client that you’re interested in them beyond just the project. Get to know them. Trust comes from someone taking that extra step.
Better marketing.
Hey, what’s a post from me if I’m not mentioning marketing? Look at your most recent attempt to market. How long ago was it? If you didn’t say this week, time to get busy. Today, spend ten minutes on social media connecting with and sharing content with those with whom you’d like to work. Yes, it’s that easy. Still, you can stand out a little more if you enter the conversation, offer up ideas and posts that relate to the topic, ask if their expert would be willing to enlighten you further on a topic …. you get the idea. Show some freaking interest!
Other marketing you can do right now:
- Ask a current client if they need any help/can think of anyone who might need a writer with your background
- Advertise your availability to your social media followers
- Send out a letter of introduction to a new contact (one each week would be a nice start)
- Revisit past clients and see how things are going/if they need anything
Time management.
This one is top of mind for me these days. While I’m still working a little, I’ve been transitioning into a different area of writing that isn’t client-focused. At first, I struggled with getting a routine going on my writing, but then I realized why; I hadn’t committed to a schedule.
The same goes for writing (or any freelancing) where you work with clients. You need time in your day for a few things, which should include:
- Answering calls/emails
- The work itself
- Marketing
- Admin and invoicing
It doesn’t sound like much, but when you’re working with nine clients and trying to meet every deadline, it becomes a lot. Having a set routine gives you a clearer picture of your day rather than you sitting down to work and finding twelve emails you need to answer and then the phone rings and … you get the idea.
When I was at my busiest, I would answer client emails and calls once before lunch and, if needed, once before shutting down for the day. Otherwise, you have that situation I had back in 2010 where the client was sending seven emails in an hour and I was trying like hell to chase down exactly what she wanted as she was firing off four more emails …. Don’t enter that vortex. Instead, read multiple emails at once, then respond in one email with bulleted answers. Hopefully it will train your client to organize better by showing them how you do it.
Freelancers, what skills do you think are important for running a successful freelancing business?