Comments on: Top 10 Phrases No Freelancer Wants to Hear (and How to Fix Them)

By: Allison

Allison — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:42:29 +0000

To Davidlongriver:

You wrote: “Work hard, work smart, try to work for reasonable people, but in the end, as a freelancer, you get what you get.”

With a defeatist attitude like that, you’ve doomed yourself before you’ve even begun. Tell me why professional freelancers should be amenable to settling for less than anyone else in their field?

By: ac

ac — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 00:37:28 +0000

I’ve got to take exception to the fix for #8. I *never* apologize and say “I’m sorry” to a rude person for their rudeness/disappointment/whatever. I will say “I regret that you feel this way.” This applies to professional and personal dealings with rude/childish people. When I screw up, sure, I apologize then, but when someone else is just being a jerk, that’s their fault, not mine.

By: Nafeesah

Nafeesah — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 00:26:58 +0000

There should also be a clause that clients give their real name address and phone number since many of us have deal with clients who only deal with you via email and some who refuse to pay and you can’t even track them down.

By: classicalgeek

classicalgeek — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:36:54 +0000

for #6, I have the solution. I have a friend who owns a debt collection company. He can find even the most evasive clients and convince them to pay.

By: Joanne

Joanne — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:10:12 +0000

I never want to run into a #8…
somehow I don’t think I’ll be the type to grin and bear it

By: Colleen R.S.

Colleen R.S. — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:24:13 +0000

Excellent suggestions. I think I’ve delt with all ten of these just this week! It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who is faced with these challenges.

By: Marc

Marc — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 22:54:54 +0000

Five years of free lance architectural graphics taught me that the client is not happy unless he feels he has cheated you. He has to go away from the project believing that he’s gotten something for nothing. The trick is to build some wiggle room into your contract so that you get paid what you deserve while making it look like you’re taking a bath. One way of doing this is to provide an estimate that’s much higher than what you expect to charge, then offer it as a “guaranteed maximum price” and offer to work for time and materials within this context. Thus, if you expect to take ten hours to do the job, offer a GMP reflecting 20 hours, then bill them for 15 and “give back” the remaining five. They’re happy (they feel they’ve gotten their job for less, and you’re happy (you worked 12 hours, billed for 15, and walked away with the client’s gratitude).

As a friend of mine, a wood carver, puts it “When they get out the chisel, you get out the gouge.”

By: davidlongriver

davidlongriver — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:18:26 +0000

When you do “freelance” you are advertising yourself first of all as “free.” Each of these 10 phrases are things we’ve all heard time and time again, and guess what? They are the realities of life as a free–lancer and there are NO, NO fixes that work time after time. Work hard, work smart, try to work for reasonable people, but in the end, as a freelancer, you get what you get. Sometimes you get paid what you’re worth, sometimes you don’t get paid at all. Sometimes your work gets respect and sometimes the clients are so disfunctional they would not know great writing if it hit them in both eyeballs. No whining, no looking back, no regrets. Write and remember that you are “free” and freedom has its price.

By: #7

#7 — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:53:51 +0000

The word’s spread. I think karma is powerful, too. Having the IRS tracking you can’t be a joyful experience.

By: #4

#4 — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:07:54 +0000

YIKES, #7, let’s hope that’s an extreme example. I hope you spread the word on Preditors & Editors and/or similar sites.