I love #FreelanceChat on Twitter. The topics are often solid and the discussion gets lively. (Every Thursday at noon ET.) In a recent open-mic chat, someone asked the question: How do you know when that client prospect is not going to hire you? That’s pretty important to know, right? Let’s look at this scenario and…
Client issues
Freelancing 2023: Are You Reading Your Client?
In conversation with a colleague the other day, we were discussing a situation in which a business person had introduced a controversial topic and then had continued to push the topic with someone they wanted to do business with who was clearly not interested. As my colleague had said, “They need to learn to read…
Winning the Freelance v. Bot War
Anyone else tired of hearing how bots are going to wipe out freelancing? Chat GPT, BARD, whatever. None of that should be of concern to serious freelancers. While there is some truth to the rumor that bots could generate content successfully enough that some writers could be out of work soon, it’s not a done…
Winning the “Do you write this?” Freelance Interview
Show of (virtual) hands — how many of you have had conversations with prospective clients that go something like this: Client: Tell me a little about yourself. You: I’ve been writing in the XYZ industry/writing ABC projects for the last eight years. My clients include 1, 2, and 3 plus a few clients whose work…
Freelance Files: Is This Freelance Client Worth It?
Welcome to a new series on the blog. No matter where you are in your freelance writing career, you’re going to come across a client that seems like a great find on the surface. Dig underneath, however …. I hope with this series, we’ll be better equipped to vet clients — even existing clients —…
One Preemptive Move to Reduce Freelance Client Friction
Quite a few years ago, I had this client. She handed me an unwieldy project every year and paid me well to tackle it. What she didn’t pay me for was the barrage of emails she sent. Each time she thought of something, she’d send an email. When you’re receiving and answering about 12 emails…
Freelance Ethical Boundaries (and how to spot attempts to cross them)
Not long ago, I had a conversation with a potential client at a trade show. The prospect was indicating a strong need for my services, and he promised to call me the following week. When that call came, I was prepared. Since the prospect had told me his needs — thought leadership articles — I…
1 Freelance Move That Nets More Work
“I liked it a lot. It looks like you have been with this company for years.” That’s feedback that a writer friend received from a new client. One two-hour job that was written in the company’s voice to the audience they’d stated. Know what that does? That small job netted my writer friend some serious…
Ending the Freelance Rate Dance
I’m betting you’ve had a conversation just like this at one point in your freelance career: Client: …. so that’s what we’re needing. Any questions? Writer: Yes, what is your budget for this? Client: Well, we’re hoping to find a writer who fits with our needs first, then we will go down that route. At…
1 Top Freelance Switch for Better Clients
I saw an article promoted last week on Twitter that was labeled “excellent” by the poster. It was writing-related, so of course I clicked. Should have saved my digits the energy. It turned out the article was the basic beginner freelancer stuff. Not that there’s a single thing wrong with helping freelancers get started. I…