I come from a military family. My father loved the military, specifically the U.S. Army, and served four years. He instilled in me many values which include honesty, trust, and loyalty. In addition to stressing honesty, trust, and loyalty, my mom and dad taught my sister and me the importance of keeping your word and making sure you know beyond a shadow of doubt that you can keep a commitment. If I couldn’t keep a commitment, I was told I had no business saying I would do something if I couldn’t follow through with it.
Honesty, trust, and loyalty are becoming very rare these days. When a freelance writer signs a contract with a company, they expect the project to be solid. After all, who would waste time and energy drawing up a contract for a freelance writer and then back out of it? This isn’t the way to do business and you could gain the reputation of not knowing what you’re doing.
A company shouldn’t put an advertisement online if it’s not 100% certain of the direction of a project. Many freelance writers will apply for the opportunity, especially if it’s an exciting one. Before you get their hopes up, make sure you know the project is a done deal.
A freelance writer who spends time filling out paperwork only to find out the project is a bust could have spent time marketing and speaking to another potential client who has a solid direction for a project. There’s nothing worse than wasting precious time when you could have been working on another project.
Freelance writers will encounter disappointing clients from time-to-time. If you do, brush yourself off and learn a lesson from it. Before you commit to a project, make sure it’s a solid one. Make sure the people in charge know what they’re doing and are absolutely sure of the direction of the project. Life happens, but there’s no excuse for sloppy business.
Rebecca
How many times have you had a client go back on their word? Share.