What if you are a freelancer who has been offered a project only to have the client dither or postpone the working arrangement? This has happened too. Where I have delivered on time, every time, only to have an uncooperative client who makes false promises not just to me but several of staff. It’s a shame, but it does happen.

Sometimes there are jobs I’ve accepted, thinking I would be able to complete them, no problem. But sometimes things come up that doesn’t allow for that: a family emergency, sources who flake out on you, and sometimes the job turns out to be more than you realized. When stuff like that happens, I get in touch with the editor immediately and we go from there. Sometimes both editor and writer have to admit it was a bad match and move on. Better to be honest and upfront and not burn bridges. Communication between editor and writer goes a long way.

This seems to keep my customers happy. They feel they can almost always reach me and almost never go to voicemail. Tuesday I was in line at the Post Office when a new client called me looking to get information on my services. If I had let it go to voice mail because I was not at home, they would have continued calling copywriters until they got someone one the phone.

We live in a “Me” generation, where no one likes to wait. Having worked in NYC, I’m sure Deb understands how fast paced people are. People don’t like to wait, and using a cell phone keeps my business running while I sip my latte and do my Christmas shopping! It works!

Best,
Tina Marie Frawley

… Please read the following. Read twice:

We would like 5 blog postings per week. Each post must be 250+ words. Pay is $55 / month to start. …

I noticed that when I was in a NW Ind. “communicators” group. For most, writing/PR was nothing more than a hobby. I’m hoping to be able to send two girls to college.

When you freelance, the good news is that you get paid for production. But if you are a slacker, the bad news is that you get paid for production.

That said, I’ve had the pleasure (or not in some cases) of hiring freelancers, and yes, many of them are flakes. At first, I was shocked, because I’d never treat a client the way some people have treated me. Then I realized the difference: some people’s livelihoods don’t depend on their freelance careers, but mine does.

I’ve got nothing against people who freelance for extra pocket money, or more for fun than for profit, but those people do tend to be the flakes (in my experience). Those who earn their livings freelancing don’t want to risk losing their clients or developing a bad rep. Those who have someone else bringing in their ‘real’ income don’t need to make a real commitment.

-Melissa Donovan
Writing FORWARD

This is a business. It’s MY business and MY livelihood. While I may not be getting standard benefits (health, vacation, etc.) from my clients, they are still my employer for however long we work together. I value my reputation and want to be professional and reliable. In fact, I must be if I plan to keep working as a writer.

Following through as promised, doing a job even if it’s not the most fascinating, finishing on time… these are all hallmarks of a professional. The writers that think this is a “piece of cake” job and that anyone can write are usually the ones that don’t take their reputations seriously.

So the rest of us have to work harder to make up for that… at least until we build our own reputations.

I’ve been burned on a couple of projects due to “scope creep.” So agreed-upon project prices were far too low by the time project was done. Both were first-time efforts on my part (editing a book draft and a survey project for which no automated scoring was available). So now any time I venture into new territory, I take on clients on a trial basis and spell that out in the agreement.

Started with my largest current client that way. Though it’s a long-term client now, it was still best to start that way.

To Deb’s points, no freelancer who is making ends meet is a slacker — and anyone who thinks that doesn’t have a clue. Like most others here, I sell the projects, do the work, edit the material, handle the billing and make sure (by hiring a tech) that the equipment keeps running. What’s that, 4-5 “jobs?” Try explainig that to a union worker. An 8-hour day would be “slacking,” as would a five-day work week.

I don’t mean to denigrate this job as teeny, tiny, but it is indeed small, but about the one topic that really gets me going and fascinates me endlessly. So I’m not bothered at all!

Work-at-home moms have a lot to prove.

The perception and stereotypes involved for those that work at home are already harsh. I honestly see how hard women who work at home have to work to prove themselves to clients. Hey, I do, and I’m a Dad. Toss in gender bias and kids? No, I do not want to go there.

One thing that is important – fight the stereotype. Don’t perpetuate it. Women work at home, yes. That doesn’t mean they have to come off as frazzled fanatics covered in baby drool with kids on their knees and a household from hell. That may be the reality – your clients don’t want to know that, nor do they respect that image.

I wish the world were different. I wish people had more respect for mothers and women. The truth is, men are still treated differently.

Soemtimes the only difference between a work at home dad and a work at home mom – many times – is just what’s between our legs. I’m a work at home dad and I just don’t perpetuate the frazzled babyslobber dad image. It makes a difference in how clients treat me.

I’m looking forward to the post on Flakey Clients.

Great post!

@ Andrea – I agree. I always go over what the customer wants with an email. This way also I have it all in writing “just in case”.

@ Robin – I’ll have to do a followup with a flakey client post.

@Allena – That’s one of my favorite posts at Freelance Switch.

http://freelanceswitch.com/clients/the-13-breeds-of-freelancer-and-how-to-up-your-game/

What’s great about this job is that we can take a break to go to Starbucks or take a week of sick days – as long as we still get our work to our clients on time and done to the best of our abilities.

I just took last week off to run the book fair at my kids’ school. I knew it was coming up so I scheduled all of my work around it and made sure I didn’t take on any new jobs in the week’s prior to it.

I want to know about the flakey clients. This has happened to me twice now. I get a response saying they loved me work, they want me to do the job and then boom – nothing. I never hear from them again. The first time happened over two years ago, but the second happened just this month. It was an ongoing job I was really interested in, too.

Great post! One thing that always works well for me, and this may be too obvious to really be a “tip”, is to reiterate the job summary before I start work for a client. I’ve found that simply saying, “So, looking at my notes, you need short, snappy blurbs and bullet points that sum up your service points. You want to empasize X…” etc. can make a big difference. If I’m wrong about something, this discussion with the client can make sure we’re both “interpreting” the assignment the same way before I send them work that isn’t quite what they wanted.

I guess I would just second that you really need to act professionally throughout an entire job, even if you never plan to work with these folks again. Toward the end of one project I got feisty in some emails re: “why aren’t my proofing suggestions being made?!” and I was a bit concerned I ticked my colleagues off. But I guess it’s all good – since one was the person who recommended me for the new job. (Still, I was a little embarrassed….)

This may not apply for a lot of small one-off magazine articles, but anything that requires some research you can say, “I will have an update as to where I am going on XXX”. That way they know you are organized and not bug you as much out of mistrust. I think it also helps to have the planning done in advance if you’re asking for top dollar.