7 Tips for Handling Freelance Writing Clients

Image via Wikipedia

Make no mistake about it — freelance writing is a small business. It’s fantastic to work from home, create your own hours, and essentially be “the boss,” but it’s a business that depends upon you for growth. If you’re not a big fan of sales and marketing, your freelance writing business may struggle to succeed. Let’s face it; you won’t be in business long without clients. Follow the seven steps below for handling freelance writing clients.

7 Tips for Handling Freelance Writing Clients

1. Get everything in writing — a contract is your friend. It’s imperative to get everything in writing. It’s no different from getting a contract from a roofing company to put a brand new roof on your home. You wouldn’t proceed without a contract, would you? If you did, you could stand lose a ton of money and will have to contact Mike Holmes from Holmes on Homes to fix your roof.

2. Create a ‘loose’ fee schedule. Consider creating a stand ‘standard’ rate schedule for bios, blogs, and articles. You can charge per word or a flat fee. Other projects will require separate quotes. A client may want you to write and send out their monthly newsletter, post a blog twice a week, and create backlinks for them. This type of project would require a different rate (bulk). Remember, no two clients are the same. They have different needs and wants.

3. Set and stick to deadlines. How many times have you called the cable company and they give you a ‘window’ of 8 am to 5 pm? This is frustrating because you have no idea when they’ll show up. Give clients reasonable deadlines and stick to them. Also, adjust rates for emergency or rush services.

4. Be flexible. You get to work from home so you have more flexibility than others. Remember, someone in the UK is in a different time zone than the U.S.

5. Say “No” with politeness. It’s alright to say “No” to a potential client or new project. Don’t take on a new client if you don’t have a good feeling about it. Listen to your intuition. There are billions of people in the world some of whom own their own company or run a corporation. You’ll find another client.

6. Take time off. You don’t need permission to schedule a vacation or holiday. You could burn-out if you don’t have downtime. You don’t have to write 24/7, unless you want to. Give clients’ ample warning when you’re taking time off. This way there won’t be any surprises.

7. Say “Thank You” once in a while. Believe it or not, saying “Thank You” once in a while is not a bad idea. Thank clients for using your freelance writing services. Tell them how much you appreciate their business. Remember, service with a smile goes a long way.

Rebecca

Bonus!

Ask for referrals. Don’t be shy about asking clients to refer your freelance writing services. There’s nothing wrong with it. Clients will be more than happy to refer your freelance writing business. Good service is appreciated and people will pay for quality work.

Related articles

• How to Start a Career As a Freelance Writer (distance-education.org)
• 2011 Writer’s Market
• Freelance Writers Have More Free Time Thanks to Social Bookmarking Software (savvy-writer.com)
• Freelance Writing Entrepreneurs (successarticlewritingtips.wordpress.com)
• Freelance Writers Find Paying Markets Here (savvy-writer.com)
• Freelance Writing and Wanting to be a Writer (jacobtullos.wordpress.com)
• Christian Writers Market: Published Article Sample (schroader.wordpress.com)