Walking Away from a Potential Client

May 8, 2012

heidit Business, Writing , , , 9 Comments

For people new to freelance writing, or for those who have trouble making ends meet, it can seem contradictory to walk away from a potential client (or to price yourself out of the client’s budget, putting the client in the position of walking away). I haven’t been freelancing a long time and I’m definitely not in the 1% of financial earners (nowhere close), but lately I have walked away from a few potential clients and I haven’t regretted it.

Usually I communicate with a potential new client via email and over the phone to get a feel for him or her. Sometimes, even after one quick phone call, I can get a sense of whether or not the client and I will be a good fit. (Note: I don’t always get this sense over the phone and the only way I’ve developed it is by having some bad experiences, which is how many writers develop their sense for clients. So don’t feel too terrible if you sign on for some less-than-desirable clients. It’s all part of learning.) The good news is that I can share with you some signs that tell me the client might not be great.

1. Warnings from other writers or contractors.

Sometimes a business relationship goes sour and it’s not really anyone’s fault. But when someone you know gives you a warning about a potential client, listen and ask if the warning seems reasonable. I recently had someone call me about some writing work. He said he was referred to me by another contractor (a graphic designer). When I emailed the graphic designer to thank her, she mentioned that he was a client of hers, was nice, but had gone AWOL halfway through the design process. She advised me to get a deposit from the client before starting work. (This is also a great reason to cultivate relationships with other contractors; they can tell you what to watch out for with certain clients, so you can learn from their experiences.) I decided the job probably wasn’t worth it.

2. Unrealistic budgets.

If you’re being asked to provide content for a full website for $50, the client has unrealistic expectations of what you can do, how long it takes and what you should be paid. Yes, you might wind up with $50 more than if you walked away from the contract, but if the writing takes 10 hours, you’ve just worked for $5 an hour. You’re further ahead to get a minimum wage job. You can’t just look at potential clients as profit–you have to consider how much time you would spend on the job and whether it could potentially pull you away from meeting new clients or making more money elsewhere. Remember, if you take too many jobs at $5 an hour, you won’t have any time for higher paying clients (nor will you even have time to meet higher paying clients).

3. The client says he could do it himself.

This isn’t always a bad sign. Sometimes the writing work isn’t terribly difficult and the client is just being honest–he’s way too busy to do it himself. But, if his comments diminish the work you do or are part of a pattern undermining your services, then be wary. I recently had a potential client tell me, when  I asked about his previous relationships with writers, that he had done all the writing himself. No problem. But then he said, “I just looked at similar websites to mine and changed a couple of words. You couldn’t even tell it wasn’t written by a professional writer.”

Two thoughts immediately went through my mind. First, maybe HE couldn’t tell it wasn’t written by a professional writer, but chances are others could. Second, if he was looking at other websites and “borrowing” their writing, then it’s possible his website sounded professional, because he was probably stealing from a professional writer. Bad signs.

4. The budget isn’t worth the time to complete the project.

With one client, I knew going into the quote process that the budget was probably small. But the writing work was tedious and it wasn’t worth it for what they wanted to pay. So I charged exactly what I normally would–an amount that made the job worth my time–knowing I was unlikely to get the contract. And I didn’t get the contract. But I was okay with it, because the pay simply wasn’t worth what they were asking me to do. I couldn’t justify taking less money for what they wanted done. (The kicker is that I recently saw the finished product and I have to say, the campaign they went with really doesn’t make any sense. But I’m glad I wasn’t responsible for it.)

5. Your instincts tell you to stay away.

You have your instincts for a reason. Sometimes they’ll be off, but as you have more experience with clients, you’ll learn to recognize the signs. You’ll be able to tell when your work is being undermined or undervalued or when the writing they want just isn’t worth what they want to pay you. You’ll learn to better value yourself and your time. You’ll learn that it’s okay to turn down the job, and the money, because you have a bad feeling. And don’t feel too bad if you wind up with a client or two that you wish you hadn’t. We’ve all done it.

(PS, in my examples above, numbers one, two and three were all based on the same potential client. Knowing that he didn’t want to deal with a lot of questions from the writer, before I sent him a quote, I sent him an email filled with questions about the proposed project. I’ve never heard back from him. I’m okay with that. My next post will deal with great ways to walk away from a potential client.)

Things Writers Should Avoid

May 1, 2012

heidit Writing , , , 17 Comments

There are plenty of lists advising writers on things they should do to ensure they are successful, but fewer lists telling writers habits and things they should stay away from. Lucky for you, I’m here to rectify that problem. Here, in no particular order, are some things I advise writers not to do.

1. Develop an Addiction.

Addiction is generally not a good idea for anyone, but for writers it can be particularly devastating. Any addiction puts the writer’s focus on obtaining the item of the addiction and takes the focus off writing. All addictions can be problematic, but writers should particularly avoid addictions to alcohol, drugs, caffeine, coffee, sugar, soap operas, self-help books and sarcasm. Especially sarcasm.

2. Get Drawn into Social Media.

Social media can be great in small doses, but it really eats up your time. For example, I decided to write about social media for this post, then I went to check my Facebook page and got drawn into a variety of links and games. You can’t tell, but an entire year passed between the time I started this paragraph and the time I finished it, that’s how much time social media can waste.

3. Read books by anyone less than half your age, especially if the author has been named to any lists like “Top 30 under 30,” or “People who totally blow our mind because of their intense genius.”

Why put yourself through that? It’ll just make you angry, bitter and sad, especially if you’re 25 and the genius whose book you’re reading is 12.5. That’s the sort of anger that can lead to addictions, such as an addiction to sarcasm.

4. Read poorly written books.

Especially if they’re best-sellers. Don’t tell yourself you’re reading them so you know what mistakes not to make when you write. All you’ll do is make yourself angry that such a poorly written book could result in a publishing deal when you’re still languishing over your computer, desperately trying to come up with an idea that could result in a compelling paragraph, let alone an entire book.

5. Stay home all the time.

Writers are often a solitary people but most of life is lived outside of the home–at least most of the interesting stuff that results in brilliant ideas for a book. Tempted though you might be to shun the outside world, a great deal of inspiration comes from out there. Even if you prefer the warm comfort of your home, it’s a good idea to go outside once in a while, just to make sure trees, democracy and laughter still exist.

6. Listen to everyone else’s advice about writing.

What matters is what works for you as a writer. Every writer has different things they do–or do not do–that work for them. Their personality, their habits and their style are unique and therefore the activities that help them are also unique. Some people do their best work early in the morning. Others do it late at night. Some do it in silence, others need hustle and bustle around them. Some write on their computer, others do it with pen and paper. The important thing is that you find what works for you and do that. So if developing an addiction to sarcasm and self-help, reading poorly written books by 13-year-olds and checking Facebook 10 times a day actually helps you get your writing done, then by all means go ahead.

But I still advise leaving your house at least once a week. You need the fresh air.

Do the Right Thing

April 19, 2012

heidit Business, Writing , , , , , 4 Comments

In this day of companies constantly doing the wrong thing and apologizing later without really meaning it, (I’m thinking of you, drug and oil companies) it can be easy to shirk doing the right thing; in fact it’s almost expected. But as small business owners–and freelance writers–it’s vital to do right by our clients, not only to generate repeat business but ensure that when our clients talk about us, they say good things. Plus, to be corny, it just feels good.

I speak from experience. A couple of weeks ago, I took on a short-term client who needed some copy written in a hurry. I agreed, got all the necessary information, wrote up the copy and sent it to her one day before the deadline.

Or so I thought (cue ominous music).

In fact, when I thought I hit “Send email” I actually hit “Save draft” and didn’t realize it. When I hadn’t heard from the client for a few days, I thought she was busy and would get back to me eventually. She did, three days after my deadline, to ask how the writing was going because she hadn’t heard from me.

In a panic I went through my email and realized my terrible error. I sent off the copy in a hurry, with an apology for the delay. The next day, I followed up with an email to confirm she received the work. She responded that she had received it, that I had done a lovely job and that I should send her an invoice so she could pay me.

After brief consideration, I sent her the invoice but cut a third of the price (it wasn’t much to begin with) to make up for the delay in her receiving the copy. Even though the deadline wasn’t critical (it was a loose deadline), even though she may never need my services again and even though she did not ask for a price reduction, I offered it and the thank you note she sent along with her cheque shows me that she appreciated it.

It hurt that I had to give up some of my income–no matter how small–because of an incredibly stupid error on my part, but lesson learned. I’m glad I learned it when there wasn’t a lot of money at stake and when the client was so understanding and just happy to have the work done. The situation could have been a lot worse, for both of us.

Sometimes it feels good to do the right thing, even if you were forced into that position by your own foolishness (it was one of the dumbest mistakes I have ever made). But it was the right thing to do and I’m glad I did it. I don’t just want to be a successful, happy freelancer. I also want to be thought of as a good person to work with, and someone who does right by her clients.  (I am not talking here about going out of my way for unreasonable, demanding or difficult clients. I don’t believe that the client is always right. Sometimes, the client is a jerk. But that’s a post for another day. When you have committed an error, and you’ll know by the sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach, it is up to you to make it right. It doesn’t always have to be a reduction in price, it just so happened that in this case the price reduction worked for me and the client.)

If you operate your own business, chances are at some point an error will happen that affects your clients. No matter how careful you usually are, something incredibly stupid will happen. That’s how life goes. The important thing is to take responsibility for what happened (at least with your customer, if you want to blame your puppy later you go ahead), address the issue and offer something to make up for the error even if the client doesn’t ask for it. Your client will remember it and will appreciate it.

Did I mention I blame my puppy for this error (that’s how I take responsibility)? The lost income is being added to his bill.

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