At the end of January I mentioned that I was in the process of starting a new blog, Workathomescoop.com. After about a month of constant updates and marketing, it is finally gaining some traction. Not only are more and more people subscribing to the blog, but search engine traffic has been surprisingly solid despite its young age.
If you are an avid reader of this blog you will probably enjoy Workathomescoop.com as well. A lot of the information is similar, but Workathomescoop.com is not related specifically to freelance writing. Instead, it offers tips on starting a work at home career, choosing an opportunity, avoiding scams, setting up a home office, etc.
If you have yet to check out Workathomescoop.com I would love for you to visit in the near future. And of course, if you get the chance subscribe to the RSS feed. This way you don’t miss any of the daily updates!
As a freelance writer I am willing to work with quality clients no matter where they are located. Even though most of my work comes from the United States, I have several clients in other parts of the world as well. This includes Australia, England, Ireland, and South America among other areas. While there is nothing wrong with having international clients you should realize that this will present some problems that you need to become comfortable dealing with.
1. The time difference. This may not be a big problem, but it is something to take into consideration. For instance, when I am working some of my clients in Australia are sound asleep, and vice versa. As long as you discuss this time difference up front you should not run into any major problems.
2. The language barrier. I have some freelance writing clients in other countries that speak great English, but others who can be difficult to understand. Again, this may seem like a big problem but it is not nearly as bad as you may think. Since most communication is done via email I can usually make out what a client wants, even if they do not speak/write the best English. When speaking with these clients on the phone things can be a bit more difficult. Keep this in mind: you may have a difficult time understanding a client and they may have the same problem with you. The thing to remember is that you need to work together so both parties get what they want.
I have found working with international freelance writing clients to be a lot of fun. Don’t limit yourself to clients in your home country. There are opportunities to be had from one side of the world to the next.
Most of my freelance writing clients stay in touch from time to time. This is not to say that they stay on top of me every hour of everyday, but they definitely check in to ensure that everything is going smoothly, to send more work, etc. As a freelance writer you need to learn how to effectively communicate with clients. This is the truth no matter if you are doing so via email or telephone.
Below are three tips for better client communication:
1. Don’t wait too long getting back to clients. I strongly believe that you should not waste a lot of time checking your email accounts, but when you do get a message you should reply as soon as possible. This will show clients that you are on the ball, and willing to help them when they need it.
2. As I have mentioned before, you should answer the phone if clients call. Some freelance writers are against this because they feel that it will get them off track. While this can be true, you need to remember that you will need to get back to the client sooner or later. If you can comfortably answer the phone you might as well do so in order to take care of the client’s needs at the present time.
3. Listen, listen, listen. Some people want to talk so much that they never take the time to listen to what the client is saying. This doesn’t mean you should keep your mouth shut, and not offer any advice or answers. But you should let the client talk, and then answer them accordingly. You will find that this makes for a more time effective and efficient telephone conversation.
Use these three tips if you want to more effectively communicate with your freelance writing clients.
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could find a career that was full of good times and a lot of money without any of the bad stuff dragging you down? While this is a nice dream, don’t expect it to ever come true. As a freelance writer I experience highs and lows on a regular basis. It is my goal to experience more good times than bad, but even then you never know what is going to happen. Simply put, you need to take the good with the bad and learn from every experience that comes your way.
Once you are involved with the freelance writing industry for a few months you will have a good feel for what you want to accomplish and what you want to avoid. This does not mean you will never experience tough times, but the more knowledge you have the better chance there is that you will be able to keep your career in a relatively good position.
The lows of a freelance writer can be really low. You will find this to be true soon enough. No matter if you are new to freelance writing or have been doing so for decades you are well aware that tough times pop up without notice. And even though the lows can hurt you should realize that they will not last forever. Sure, you may lose a client from time to time but this should not hold you back from reaching your goals. When you hit a low it is important to realize this, and then determine how you can move on and subsequently make things better.
Don’t get into the freelance writing industry if you think that everyday is full of fun and profits. There are days when you will experience extreme highs, as well as those that will put you down in the dumps. Take the good with the bad, learn from mistakes, and do your best to reach all your goals. By doing this you will have a chance to experience more highs than lows.
The first few months of your freelance writing career are sure to be hectic. This is usually the case with any new career, and this one is no different. You will run into tough times and questions that are difficult to answer. This is part of becoming a freelance writer, and these experiences will shape your future.
There are several freelance writing startup blunders that you want to avoid. Three of the most common include:
1. Spreading yourself thin. As a new freelance writer you don’t yet have a grasp of what you will be facing as your career moves forward. For this reason, make sure you don’t bite off more than you can chew. In other words, make sure you can handle any project you take on. Even though it may sound like a dream come true, having too much work on your table early on can be a bad thing. Yes, this means you have the potential to make more money. But at the same time spreading yourself thin will take a toll on your work, and in turn hinder your chance of repeat projects.
2. Forgetting to get paid in advance. I made this mistake a few times early on, and got burnt along the way. You need to ask for payment upfront no matter if you are new to the freelance writing game or have been around the block a few times. There are exceptions to this rule, and times when you may not be able to receive 100 percent payment upfront. If you can, you should definitely ask for upfront payment to protect yourself.
3. Not staying organized. Everything about your freelance writing career should be organized at all times. This includes your to-do-list, your office, your desktop folders, and much more. Believe it or not, organization can make or break your career as a freelance writer.
If you can avoid these three startup blunders you will have a much easier time enjoying success as a new freelance writer.
Are you looking for a way to expand and earn money online in different ways? If so, you may want to open an e-store of some variety. In order to do so, you will need a high quality, affordable, and reliable online shopping cart solution. With so many options available you should be able to find software that fits your needs and knowledge, as well as the items you are going to be selling.
Does this sound intriguing to you? When you are finally ready to move forward you will definitely want to check out the features offered by Biz Shopping Cart, Inc. Not only do they offer four packages, but their customer service is top notch as well. Pricing starts at $44.95/month for the starter package and ranges to $124.95/month for the pro package. No matter which one you decide on, the setup fee is on the house!
Everybody from a one man entrepreneur to a retail company can benefit from the right online shopping cart software. If you decide that selling online is the best way to make money as you move forward, continue setting up your own store using Biz Shopping Cart, Inc. software. You will not be disappointed in your choice.
As a freelance writer you are in charge of sending invoices and collecting payments. All of this may sound easy enough, but as your client list grows you will find this to be quite confusing if you are not organized 100 percent of the time. This is not to say that managing invoices and payments is so difficult that you will stumble time after time. But you definitely need to know that it will take time to setup a system, and that you will need to stay on top of things day in and day out.
Sending invoices is a big part of my freelance writing career. Some clients need an invoice for every job I complete, and others send the money without any type of documentation. This is something you will need to hash out with each client. I like dealing with invoices because it helps to keep me organized, and it shows the client exactly what I did and how much I owe.
Once you send an invoice you need to be prepared for the real fun. This is when you will either receive the money you are owed, or find that the client is late. If you have waited too long you will need to get back in touch with the client, and in many cases resend the invoice. You are going to run into clients that are slow when it comes to paying. This does not mean you are going to get scammed, but it does mean that a reminder or two is more than necessary if you want to get paid soon enough.
Managing invoices and payments is an important task of any freelance writer. If you want to be a success you need to have a system for managing this part of your career. Fortunately, once you settle in you should not have any issues sending invoices and receiving payments on a regular basis.
The beginning of the year is a great time to increase your freelance writing rates. While the ideal situation is doing so on January 1, you still have time to make this happen right now. Of course, it is your right as a freelance writer to change your rates when you please. You don’t have to do so at the beginning of the year; this is only a suggestion.
Whether or not to increase your freelance writing rates can be a tough question to wrestle with. There are definite benefits of doing so, but at the same time you need to be careful because you don’t want to put off current clients or scare away those that may want to work with you in the near future.
Benefits
The main benefit of increasing your freelance writing rates is that you can earn more money for doing the same amount of work. For example, if you charge $500 for a sales letter right now you could increase this to $750 and earn an extra $250 per project. While this may appear to be a huge jump, this is more than reasonable. Remember, you are a professional and as you gain more knowledge and experience you need to increase your rates.
Additionally, higher rates are not always seen as a bad thing. Some clients will see your high rates and be scared away. But others will see them and realize that high rates mean higher quality work.
Drawbacks
There is no denying that you will scare some potential buyers if your rates are higher than the competition. But as noted above, you can play up the fact that “you get what you pay for.” Charging more can be seen as both good and bad, so you might as well set your rates where you feel comfortable and then find clients who are willing to pay.
Should I attempt to raise my rates on existing clients? This has to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. There are times when you can do this, but also times when this will scare away existing clients. Try this: increase your rates with new clients but keep things the same for those that you have been doing business with. This way you don’t risk scaring away good clients, but you can earn more on new ones.
If you are thinking about increasing your freelance writing rates consider both the benefits and drawbacks.
Time management is an important part of becoming a successful freelance writer. If you don’t know how to manage your time you may find yourself checking email and watching online videos when you should be writing. And as you can imagine, this will lead to many issues within your career. Simply put, you need to make the most of your workday. This holds true no matter how many hours you have available for work.
If you are finding it difficult to manage your time follow these tips:
1. Have a to-do list. Early in my freelance writing career I found it hard to stay on track because I did not have a list showing me the way. But guess what? Once I implemented a to-do list I became more productive. Everyday since then has been guided by some sort of list.
2. Cut out tasks that are wasting a lot of time. Do you spend too much time checking email? Are you always walking away from your desk to grab a bite to eat? If so, you need to cut these time wasters out of your day. Again, a schedule will allow you to do so with success. For instance, take breaks just like you would at an office job. But remember, when they are over they are over. You don’t want a 15 minute break to turn into a half hour and so on.
3. Complete the most important tasks of the day first. You need to prioritize to ensure that the most important projects and related tasks are completed first. From there you can move onto others that are not as high on your list.
As a freelance writer you only have so much time to work. Even if you are a full-time writer you probably only have eight or so hours each day to get your work done. It is important that you make the most of every workday.
Are you the type of freelance writer who does not like to call others on the phone? If so, you are not alone. While I believe this is something you should attempt to get over, you can mask this problem most of the time if you know what you are doing. One example of this is relying on cold emails as opposed to cold calls. Over the past few months I have heard from more and more freelance writers who are finding success through cold emailing. If you have yet to give this a try you may want to do so; even if you do feel comfortable calling potential clients on the phone.
To get started you need to know the basics:
1. Devise a good cold email script. You need to get the point quickly because the recipient is not going to waste a lot of time reading a note from somebody they don’t know. If you jump to the point you will better your chance of receiving a response.
2. Use an appropriate subject. While you want to catch the recipient’s eye, you should also remember that it is against anti-spam laws to be misleading. It may take you a while to come up with a catchy, useful subject line but it is well worth it.
3. Do not spam anybody and everybody. There is nothing wrong with sending cold emails, but use good judgment when doing so. Some freelance writers get a bad reputation because they send out hundreds of emails per week. You don’t want to fall into this trap.
4. Customize every email you send out. This corresponds with number three. If you are going to get involved with cold emailing you need to customize your notes. Not only will this help you avoid being seen as a spammer, but it will also increase your chance of receiving a response.
If you are going to try cold emailing follow the four tips above.
