There are different kinds of clients in freelance writing business, some good, and some not-so-good.
Here are the types of clients you might encounter and to best deal with their uniqueness:
All Business
These clients are wonderful to work with, but don’t expect them to cut you any slack. They expect you to be as professional as they are, and you’d better live up to their expectations or they’ll drop you in a flash. To get along best with them, be prepared and well-organized. Gain credibility by being honest at all times, even if you have to deliver bad news. They’ll respect you the most if you take hold of the project and work on it with minimal guidance or supervision. Cut to the chase with this type of client and they’ll think of you first the next time they need a freelance writer.
Dictatorial
This type of client is a control freak. They not only want you to do the job, they want to tell you how to do it. If their instructions make sense and you can work with them, bite your tongue and do the job as they tell you to do it.
If their instructions don’t make sense, you could be in for trouble because if things don’t work out as dictatorial clients expect, they usually think it’s your fault.
When working with a dictatorial client, maintain your professionalism. Don’t insult them, but don’t kowtow to them either. Gain their respect by thoughtfully listening to what they tell you to do, and then, if you have suggestions, make them tactfully.
Gain the confidence of dictatorial clients by keeping them apprised of your progress often and suggesting something that can improve their ideas about the project. Once you can gain their confidence, they generally leave you alone, which is the ideal situation.
Inexperienced
Sometimes, large companies especially will place an inexperienced person in charge of writing projects. This type of client usually is very nervous and tries to hide his or her anxiety by micro-managing.
The best way to work with inexperienced supervisors is to let them know that you’re there to make them look good. Gain their confidence by nonchalantly mentioning things they should know about writing in general and managing their project in particular, then smile and agree when you hear them parroting what you’ve said to their bosses.
Cheapskates
These are Clients that try to beat you down on the price. They can afford more, but they want to see how little they can get you to charge. These kinds of clients often want a lot for a little. Getting you to do the work for a small price is like a game to them.
I worked for a client who was like this very early in my freelancing career. This fellow was a very likeable person who was in charge of the publications department of a large, well-known seminar company. I enjoyed the work and was just learning how to set my prices, so I didn’t consider how much I was providing for the price this fellow and I agreed upon.
One day, however, when I was meeting with him, he made a comment about how much he liked “hungry writers” and started bragging about the bonus he’d received for the amount of money he’d been saving the company on freelance expenses.
As he talked, I thought of the times I’d stayed up all night to meet his unrealistic deadlines and how when I’d figured out how much I was actually getting paid hourly for his jobs, it wasn’t that much. This company had been my first “big” customer and my thought had been that if I showed them how much I could do for them, the benefits would come later.
As I sat there listening to this man brag on himself, I realized that so long as this person was in charge of the publications, he would constantly be pressing for more work for less out-of-pocket. I also realized that by doing so much work for this company, I was putting myself in the position of not being able to market myself and find work with companies that paid better.
I made a snap decision in that meeting. First, I told the fellow that I was sorry, but I wouldn’t be able to work on the project he’d called me in to discuss, and second, whenever he called in the future, I was always “too busy” to meet with him. I never worked for him again.
Indecisive
These are clients who can’t tell you what they want. When trying to work with someone like this, Ask a lot of questions and make suggestions. If possible, make them think that the final concept was really their idea, even if it wasn’t.
[Image via Kalexanderson via Compfight cc]
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