As a freelance writer, many people would guess that I have little to no communication with the outside world during the workday. While this is true to a certain extent, I probably send and receive anywhere from 25 to 50 emails per day. Additionally, I usually talk to at least one client a day on the phone.
Although dealing with angry clients is more common in some industries than others, freelance writers are no different than anybody else. The main reason that I am writing this post is because of an email that I received late last night from an angry client.
Last week, this client prepaid $200 and then sent a request for a few web content articles. While this is not something that I mind doing, especially because I have worked with him in the past, I would much rather be paid upon completion for a project like this. Regardless, I sent an email to him saying that everything was a go, and I would get started right away.
After sending the first article over for review, I waited for a couple of days without a reply. At that time, I sent yet another email with the article attached. On a side note, it is always a good idea to check up with clients if they do not reply timely about a project you emailed. Remember, email is far from perfect.
Anyway, he sent an email back to me that read, “What the #*#* am I supposed to do with this? I can’t get it open.†I was surprised to read this response after I had done so much to make sure that he had received everything in a timely manner.
The funny part about this situation is that it has been almost 24 hours since I cordially responded, and I have yet to hear back from him.
Dealing with angry clients is part of the freelance writing game. As a general rule of thumb, no matter how bad you are treated, you should never retaliate. You are a professional, and there is no reason to stoop down and lose your overall level of integrity.
If you are like most, you have experienced this problem. You reach a certain income level, but for one reason or the next, you cannot seem to fly any higher. For myself, as a freelance writer, this is one problem that I seem to deal with every few months or so.
The first couple months of my freelance writing career I was happy to make any money. After all, a few bucks here and there were better than nothing. At that time, I was doing tons of work, but only being paid peanuts. But again, it did not matter because I simply wanted to get up and running. My first major goal was breaking the $1,000 barrier on a monthly basis. Luckily, after my first two months I did this for the first time. In fact, the first time that I broke $1,000, I almost hit the $2,000 mark as well.
In my dealings, the best way to get from one income plateau to the next is to cut back on lower paying jobs, and do whatever it takes to find higher paying ones. Personally, I feel that this is a much better idea than adding more quantity to your workload. This may work for some people, but being able to do less for more money is always a good thing in my book.
To do this, I began to cut out web content articles that were only paying a few dollars for 500 words or so. I replaced these with jobs that paid almost twice as much, and bang, I was on my way to the next level.
But remember, you should not get rid of lower paying clients until you have better ones lined up. After all, if you are just scraping by, you never want to throw any money out the window.
Right now, my situation is more comfortable than it was when I first started on this venture. I am making a good full-time salary, but even then, being satisfied is never an option.
Don’t get frustrated if you are having a difficult time hitting the next income level. Instead, devise a plan, and carefully chart your progress!
Although I am not the biggest golf fan in the world, watching Tiger Woods in the U.S. Open this weekend was something special. Even though he ended up in second place, it was still a thrill to watch him walk the fairways of Oakmont; especially since the course is only a few minutes from home.
Just like anything else in my life, I began to contemplate what Tiger could teach us about blogging. Even if golf is his forte, he probably knows darn good and well that he affects people in a number of different ways. And as a blogger, he definitely did this for me.
Here are three things that Tiger can teach us all about blogging.
1. You cannot always be the best, and not giving up is something to be proud of. Think about it this way. Tiger plays several tournaments each year, and more times than not, he comes up on the losing end of the stick. But with that being said, he comes back time and time again. You may not have the most popular blog in the world, but as long as you stick with things you will make small victories along the way. Do you think Tiger is going to skip the U.S. Open next year because he came in second this time around?
2. It is important to know what you are good at, and then follow through with this day in and day out. Tiger knows what he is good at, and how to make this work for him. Instead of going against your strengths, you would be much better off doing what you are good at. You will find out that this helps you to become a better blogger in the long run. This is not to say that broadening your horizons is bad, but in blogging, you need to do what you know. If golf is your favorite sport, why not blog about it? This is a much better decision than starting a blog on quilting or some other random topic.
3. Persistence pays off. Even when it looks like Tiger is down and out, he is always working hard to reach his goals. Be persistent with everything that has to do with your blog. This includes everything from making regular posts to marketing on a regular basis. If Tiger would have given up after his first loss, where would he be today?
Tiger Woods is an icon, has millions of dollars, and is living large. If you want to follow in his footsteps (at least in the world of blogging) you should consider the lessons that he teaches on the course!
