Comments on: Little Things Matter

By: Kenneth

Kenneth — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 05:45:10 +0000

Hows everybody I was judt droppin by see how everybody was doing…

By: Jodee

Jodee — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:11:21 +0000

@ Kenneth: Nice to have you here at FWJ!

By: Kenneth

Kenneth — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 06:06:17 +0000

Hey jodee thanks for the heads up this is my first day I really interested working with ya’ll I a people person I luv meeting people I’m also creative when I write…

By: Louise

Louise — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 02:43:50 +0000

I actually don’t believe that the customer or client is always right. I have had too many clients who didn’t know what they wanted. But still I was polite, professional and patient because I wanted to get hired. I did as the clients asked and thanked them for considering me or hiring me. I didn’t think it was a “burden” because this is how I was raised. I kust realized that my time was too valuable to waste with indecisive, procrastinating and occasionally rude people.

By: Dawn

Dawn — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 21:14:54 +0000

Louise,
I agree that it does work both ways, but, to go back to that old retail adage, “The customer [the client] is always right.”

In other words, I believe the “burden” of courtesy is on the person being hired. That’s not to excuse rude behavior from clients, but there’s one part of the equation freelancers can control–*our* actions, not those of others.

You did the right thing to dump the discourteous clients… if more freelancers did that, hard-to-work-for clients would soon have trouble finding freelancers to work for them.

By: Jodee

Jodee — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 19:50:28 +0000

@ Louise: Yes, my clients are courteous to me.

By: Louise

Louise — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 19:46:45 +0000

I think this advice cuts both ways. Are clients courteous to you?

I have had both clients and potential clients take weeks to respond to a proposal or email despite telling me that they would get back to me soon. I have called clients at the time they specified only to discover they were not in the office to take my call. One potential client kept taking other phone calls while I was put on hold. Eventually he told me just to call him back in 20 minutes and when I did I got an answering machine. This happened twice.

I was never hired by the people with the poor phone manners and I dumped the clients taking weeks to give me the info I needed to complete the projects. I now only work for large companies which, in my experience, are more professionally run.

By: becky

becky — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 16:11:01 +0000

I am actually amazed, too, when people AREN’T professional and courteous. Isn’t that what being in business for yourself is all about? Well, that’s what I was taught, anyway.

By: Jodee

Jodee — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 14:32:26 +0000

@ Deb: Thank YOU!

By: Deb

Deb — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 14:26:25 +0000

And this, folks, is why Jodee is running the joint now.