Every so often a freelancer will contact me with a tough question: is it okay to work for free? Believe it or not, I also receive inquiries from companies and webmasters that want me to work free of charge for a specific period of time. While there are two sides of this story, it is important for you to use your own common sense when making a decision.
It is not difficult to see the downside of working for free. You are spending a lot of your time and not getting compensated for it. Instead, you are making money for somebody else. If you look at it from this point of view, it goes without saying that working for free is a bad idea.
Additionally, when you work for free you will have a more difficult time getting that “client†to pay you in the future. After all, they already know you can do the job without charging. For this reason, they may find it difficult to justify paying your rates when the time comes.
When does the free agreement end? This is something else you have to consider. If you do decide to work for free, you need to have an agreement in place. How long will you do this for? Is there a chance to make real money when the initial time expires? The last thing you want is to provide free services for an indefinite period of time.
What about the benefits? For one, you can build up a nice portfolio. Over the years, I have found this to be the number one reason why some freelancers will offer to work without pay. Although you have to be careful of the arrangement that you agree to, being able to collect some clips and work experience is a definite benefit.
Along with the above, you can also forge some great relationships. But again, make sure the setup is mutually beneficial. It is not in your best interest to work hard, without pay, just to make somebody else money. You have to benefit in some way, shape, or form.
It is impossible for me to say that you should or should not work for free. Instead, you need to consider your situation and decide on a case-by-case basis.
Earlier this week, I spoke with three new writers who are dealing with the same situation: they completed a job for a client, but have yet to receive payment. And unfortunately, it has been more than a couple of days. Two of them have been trying to get paid for more than a month, while the other is going on six weeks.
If you are going to work as a freelance writer, there will probably come a point when you are stood up and not paid for your services. While this is part of the business, it does not make dealing with the experience any more enjoyable.
There are two types of non-paying clients: those who are in communication but won’t pay, and those who simply disappear. Obviously, it is better to be in communication with a client than to never hear from them. But in either case, you have your work cut out for you.
While you want to put some time into attempting to collect, going overboard is a mistake. You only have so much time to work, so you want to make sure you are focusing on all the right areas of your career. In my experience, if a client does not pay after a month, and is continually hiding, you are never going to see the money. At this point, you should make a determination on whether or not to move on and forget about what has happened.
Any time you get stiffed by a client you are going to be angry. This holds true for new freelancers, as well as those who have been around for a long time. It may not make you feel any better, but remember that all of us go through this. It is one of the bad parts of the business.
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.
