No way, no how am I getting on the phone with a client. This is something I hear every day from members of my freelance writing course, as well as others who just get in touch to talk. Of course, I find this strange because speaking on the phone with clients offers many benefits.
If you think you can continually get away with avoiding phone calls, consider these three benefits and what they can do for your career:
1. It is quicker to use the phone than any other method of communication. While email is fast, it can become slow and confusing in no time at all if both parties are not willing to respond in a timely manner. With a phone call, you can go back and forth, for as long as necessary, until both parties are on the same page. What takes you many days to discuss via email can be handled in a few minutes on the phone.
2. Ask and answer questions in real time. While this is a huge benefit, many freelancers see it as a disadvantage – this is because they do not like to think on their feet. When speaking on the phone with a client, you may be asked questions that need answered on the spot. For instance, what would you say if a client asked for a quote on the phone? The thought of this is reason enough for many people to never use this communication tool. But instead of seeing this as a bad thing, you should realize that the ability to both ask and answer questions is a huge benefit.
3. You learn a lot about the person on the other end of the phone. While you may think you know somebody by the emails you send back and forth, there is nothing like a phone conversation to show you what they are really like.
Even if you are opposed to speaking with clients on the phone, give this a try just one time. You may be surprised by the benefits above, as well as many others.
As a freelance writer you should always be looking to better your relationship with clients. While this may come easy to some, others have a much more difficult time making this happen. Fortunately, there are many basic things you can do to help clients and forge a better relationship.
1. Make yourself available as often as possible. Over the years I have found that approximately 75 percent of clients will have questions or feedback as you are working for them. It is important that you are available for discussion. This does not mean that you have to take several hours out of your day to personally speak with every client. But you should make yourself as available as possible, by phone and email.
2. Meet deadlines. This should go without saying, but many freelancers overlook the importance. If you want to keep clients happy and ensure that they get what they want, make sure you know your deadline and do whatever it takes to meet it. If you know that this is not going to happen, tell the client as far in advance as possible.
3. Ask if there is anything else you can do in addition to writing. You may be surprised to find that some clients need help in other areas. For instance, you may be able to assist in finding images, with marketing related tasks, etc. Of course, you need to decide which services you do and do not want to offer.
If you want to better assist your freelance writing clients you should make yourself available, meet deadlines, and let them know about all the services you offer.
One of the most exciting days of your freelance writing career is the first one. This is when you have finally decided to move to the next level and follow your dream. Although you are sure to be excited, day one only lasts so long. Soon enough you will be faced with marketing your services, dealing with clients, and deciding which moves to make next.
If you are just getting started with freelance writing, it is important to carefully consider each and every move that you make. Believe it or not, there are decisions I made on day one that still effect me today – fortunately, in a good way.
With so many people joining the freelance writing game, competition can be fierce. This may scare you a bit, but you should realize that there is enough room for everybody. To move to the top of the industry, you need to work hard, set goals, and have a plan for moving from one stage to the next. Over my time as a writer, I have found one thing to be true: those with a plan have a much better chance of success.
If you only remember one thing as a new freelance writer, this should be it: you are going to face both good and bad times. It is not about the number of successes and failures that you experience, but instead how you deal with them. Will you let one bad deal destroy your career? Or will you be resilient enough to stick it out over the long haul? You never know what a new day is going to bring; not all of them will be as exciting as the first one. As long as you have a plan and continue to grow, nothing will stop you from reaching all your goals.
Last month I urged readers to send me freelance writing questions that have been boggling their mind. Much to my surprise, my email inbox was flooded. While it took a while to answer all the questions, I had a fun time doing so. And hopefully, those on the other end learned a thing or two.
Now that my inbox has cleared up a bit, I thought I would open this offer once again. Do you have a freelance writing question that has been bugging you? No matter what is on your mind, I would be glad to help. In addition to answering your question, I may also turn it into a blog post.
So, ask away! I will respond to all emails as quickly as possible.
Many people get involved with freelance writing and expect to move from beginner to professional in no time at all. While the progress you make is up to you, it is safe to say that you will go through many learning experiences along the way. How quickly you progress from one stage of your career to the next depends on many factors.
In short, it is easy to progress as a freelance writer – but only if you are taking the right steps. For instance, somebody who has a business and marketing plan is going to have much more success moving forward than another writer who is guessing as he goes along.
One thing I have found to be true is that progress is easy to duplicate, if you know what you are doing right. Once you realize what it takes to succeed as a freelance writer you can lean on this, day in and day out. It may take you a while to get a grip on what you should be doing, but when you do everything will start to fall into place.
Don’t get me wrong, becoming a successful freelance writer is not a simple task. You will have to put in a lot of work, and make many tough decisions as the days go by. That being said, progressing from one stage of your career to the next can be simple enough if you take the right steps and are dedicated to what you are doing.
Are you making progress? Or are you treading water hoping for a change?
When you land a new freelance writing job you are going to be as excited as ever. While you are completing the task, you should be interested in doing more than earning money. Along with getting paid, you want to think long and hard about how much you can learn. As the title says, you want to learn as you earn.
Here are three ways to learn as you are completing a freelance writing job:
1. Through your writing. As you write more and more you are going to become comfortable with your style, as well as what you are doing right and wrong. You should look at every piece of content that you create as a learning experience
2. What is your client telling you? Although you will run into some clients that are going to complain about every last thing you do, others offer feedback that you can implement into your day to day writing. It is very important that you take client feedback and use it to your advantage.
3. During the research process. For example, if you are writing a piece on “how file your income tax return†you may learn a lot about this process as well as other details such as what forms you need, how to receive a refund, etc. All of this information can then be used for future articles, or to pitch new ideas to your current client.
If you want to become a more successful freelance writer you should learn as much as you can as you are completing work for your clients.
If you currently work as a freelance writer it is safe to say that you have some goals you are chasing. What exactly are you trying to accomplish? If you can answer this question you are on your way to making it happen. But if you can’t, you need to reassess.
Over the years I have found that most freelance writers are interested in accomplishing one or more of the following:
1. A job that offers the freedom to do other things. If this is what you are after, being a freelance writer is a great choice. Not only will you have time to do other things within your life, such as activities with your family, but it will also open up other career related opportunities. Sure, I work as a freelance writer but on the side I do many other things such as blogging, building web sites, etc.
2. Make a lot of money. This may not be the number one reason to become a freelance writer, but the opportunity is definitely there. If you want to earn a lot of money, the freelance writing industry can help you reach this goal. Just remember this: it may take some time to reach your desired income level.
3. You want to find a career you enjoy. For many, this is the most important thing they are trying to accomplish by becoming a freelance writer. There is nothing worse than working a job that is stressful, tedious, and offers no rewards. Even if freelance writing is not the right career for you, there is something else out there that you will enjoy – go and find it!
So, what are you trying to accomplish as a freelance writer?
Working as a freelance writer means that you are going to run into angry clients from time to time. This goes along with the territory, and is something you should get used to dealing with. Don’t get me wrong – your clients are not going to be mad all the time. But here and there, something is sure to happen that gets them fired up.
If you are attempting to best deal with an angry client, here are three things you should do:
1. Find out what the problem is. If you did something wrong, you need to pinpoint the issue and discuss it with the client. The last thing you want to do is guess at what went wrong. This may end up making things worse in the long run.
2. Ask the client what you can do to make the situation better. For instance, they may be looking for a rewrite. While this can be a pain in the neck, if doing so will make the client happy you should oblige. Of course, you need to determine if the problem is directly attributed to something that you did wrong. If it isn’t, you have every right to charge for your services as you help your client find a solution.
3. If you are at fault, do not delay in helping your client fix the problem. The quicker you come to the rescue the better chance you have of keeping the relationship in good terms in the future.
Let’s face the facts: dealing with an angry client is not fun. The next time this situation comes up, see if the above tips can help you better your situation.
One thing I learned early on as a freelance writer was that having a budget for my career related money was very important. Although I don’t spend a lot on expenses related to my career, they do come up from time to time.
Here are three money management tips to rely on:
1. Never break your budget. It is very tempting to spend a lot of money on the latest gadgets, or the best of the best in terms of office supplies. If you have the money, and you are willing to spend it, there is nothing wrong with splurging. But remember, you don’t want to go overboard to the point of spending more than you have in your budget.
2. Save what you don’t spend. Every month I put aside a certain amount of money for freelance writing expenses. But guess what? I never spend all of it. Instead of looking at this as a bad thing, I just roll it over into the next month. There is no need to waste money on things I don’t really need.
3. Write it down. No matter if I am spending or saving, I write this down on paper while also tracking it with an Excel spreadsheet. This may be overkill, but it makes me feel in total control of my budget. At the very least, make sure you know where your money is going at all times. This way you can look back to see what you have been doing, whether or not it is working, and if you need to make any changes.
With these three tips you should be able to better manage your freelance budget.
As of late, many aspiring freelance writers have been asking me what they can do to better their career. Although everybody is unique, the one thing you should try to do is get inside the mind of a successful freelance writer. In other words, learn from those who are already doing what you are trying to accomplish. This is what I did when I started out as a freelance writer, and soon enough it began to payoff.
What can I learn from others? Shouldn’t I spend most of my time gaining firsthand experience? While you definitely want to work on building your career, there is nothing wrong with picking up advice from a handful of freelancers. Below are just a few things you can learn:
1. How to market your services. If you have the chance, you will definitely want to speak with other freelance writers about how they drum up new business. This is a big part of becoming a freelance writing success – make sure you focus on this detail as much as you can.
2. How to make the most of the freelance writer – client relationship. While this is something you have a “feel†for, you can learn the ins and outs from freelancers who have already made the mistakes you are trying to avoid.
3. Money, money, money. A freelance writer who has been around the block a few times can give you advice on how to set your rates, what to do when a client isn’t paying, where to turn for more lucrative jobs, and much more. When it comes to money, you can learn a lot from an experienced freelance writer.
If you have the chance to get inside the mind of a successful freelance writer you should take full advantage.
