Quite a few years ago, I had this client. She handed me an unwieldy project every year and paid me well to tackle it.<\/p>\n

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 a day, there’s no time to work, especially when your responses net more responses from the client.<\/p>\n

At first, I answered the emails. Then I got the brainstorm idea of answering them all at once. My reply went into one email. Not twelve. One. Because if you’re sending that many emails out, you’re going to have to read them all. And you may miss something. No, you will. You will miss something. She did. She missed several somethings, which caused minor friction until I was able to dig through the emails and resend my original response.<\/p>\n

Hence, the one-email-for-all-questions response was born. And those responses were bulleted. She skimmed over details so often I was constantly repeating the very thing I’d written in the email she was replying to.<\/p>\n

I was reminded of that situation while talking with another writer about a client who complains. The client will promise information, yet never produce it. The writer, forced to meet the deadline without the information, sends a draft with holes in it that the client needs to fill in. And darned if that same client doesn’t bitch because they have to do some work, too.\u00a0 Which of course could have been avoided had the client sent the info in the first place ….<\/p>\n

Oh, you’ve been there too, you say? Why am I not surprised? Seems we writers are often tagged as the scapegoats when the clients drop their end of the bargain. You know, like the client who needs that project now Now<\/strong><\/em> NOW<\/strong> only to wait two more months before providing any feedback — or payment. That feedback? Yea, they want you to act on it immediately. Shocker.\u00a0 But I digress …<\/p>\n

Today, we’re going to hone our ability to preempt the hissy fit, the flurry of questions, and the long-assed wait for feedback. I promise you — it’s going to be an easy fix.<\/p>\n

[bctt tweet=”Yes, you can preempt #freelance client complaints and friction in one really simple move.” username=”LoriWidmer”]<\/p>\n

Here it is:<\/p>\n

When you send that draft, go over everything you discussed on the phone, including the promised information that never arrived.\u00a0 This assumes that you already asked for the promised info in email and were met with either silence or more promises to get it to you. But hey, deadlines being what they are, you have to move ahead. Here’s an example of an email explaining what the client will see:<\/p>\n

“Hi Maurice,<\/p>\n

Thanks again for the conversation last week.<\/p>\n

As promised, I’m attaching the project draft for your review. What you’ll see:<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n
• \n

  The paragraph under “Our History” is a bit sparse. Since the promised information that we’d talked about for this section hasn’t arrived yet, I thought it best to not delay the project and do what I could. I’m happy to fill that section in once we get the information.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n

  \n

  The draft is about 400 words shorter than expected. Again, once the information for the “Our History” section arrives, I will be able to get that up to your preferred word count.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n

  \n

  \u00a0The …<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

  There. You’ve told Maurice — twice — that promised information is the reason there are gaps. You’ve done so in a way that doesn’t point the finger directly at him, but perhaps lights a fire under him.<\/p>\n

  What that does:<\/p>\n

  \n
  • It manages expectations<\/li>\n
  • It stops complaints before they appear<\/li>\n
  • It shows transparency and builds a bridge between you and your client — the language you used is looping them in, sets the parameters without bitching (because yet again, Maurice ignored your emails) and creates more of a team approach<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Now, let’s show you how to use that same method to get beyond Missing Feedback Limbo.<\/p>\n

    Hi Maurice,<\/p>\n

    I hope you’re doing well.<\/p>\n

    Just checking to see if you received the project draft I sent last week. Did it arrive safely?<\/p>\n

    Best,<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Then the following week, because Maurice seems to need the additional reminders, send this:<\/p>\n

    Hi Maurice,<\/p>\n

    I hope you’re having a good week.<\/p>\n

    I’m just writing to check in. I haven’t heard anything on the draft I sent over a few weeks back, so I’m assuming we’re good to go.<\/p>\n

    Attached is the invoice for this one.\u00a0 Thank you, and please let me know if you need anything further on this.<\/p>\n

    Best,<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    That’s right — you’ve given Maurice two weeks to get it together. That’s plenty of time for someone to open an email, review it, and get back to you, even briefly, letting you know the status. If they don’t, you’re well within your right to assume it’s fine and bill them. If it’s not fine, you’ll hear soon enough.<\/p>\n

    Why this works: You’re communicating both expectations and reminders of the project. Yes, Maurice needs to step up. If he isn’t, you should. It keeps the working relationship strong and brands you as someone who is easy to work with and on top of the project even after delivery.<\/p>\n

    Will it stop all complaints? No. But it will greatly reduce the blaming and upset that some client contacts resort to when they’ve dropped the ball. If you’ve left a virtual paper trail, it’s much harder to make a case that you’re the problem.<\/p>\n

    What’s your favorite method for quashing complaints and clients who ghost you after you deliver the draft?<\/strong><\/em><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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