How to decide if you should reject a freelance Web writing gig and knowing when to fire a client.
I want you to repeat the following two sentences out loud until you believe them wholeheartedly:
“It is OK to turn down a Web writing gig.”
“It is OK to fire a client.”
One of the biggest perks of being a freelance Web writer, as opposed to a full-time writer working for a single employer, is the fact that you get to choose what kinds of clients you want to work with and what kinds of projects you want to take on.
When money is tight, especially early in your freelance career, some writers feel as though they should take on all freelance writing jobs that come along.
I do understand where they’re coming from. I’ve been there – wondering if you’re going to bring in enough work to pay the rent this month, worrying that you might not have enough to cover this bill or that, or knowing that you probably won’t have enough money to go out this weekend with friends.
Believe me – I know.
But believe this too – you need to tough it out!
Just as no one wants to spend their life living paycheck to paycheck, you don’t want to spend your life living gig to gig. That’s what you’ll do if you never let yourself say “no.” You’ll take on gigs that don’t pay enough just to get a few dollars in-hand, when you should instead be spending that time marketing to your actual target market or building your reputation to earn much more in the long run.
ALWAYS think about the big picture!!!
If you’re only freelancing for some spending money, you can ignore that bit of advice. If you’re serious about making freelance Web writing a viable career, you need to take it to heart.
This is also why I often mention the importance of “writing for yourself” by setting up additional revenue streams. You have long-term goals that you need to constantly be thinking about and working towards. That’s true when deciding to diversify your income streams, and it’s also true when it comes to deciding what clients to work with and what clients to stay away from or let go.
With that in mind, here are some situations where you would be perfectly justified in either turning down a prospective client or letting an existing client go:
- The client won’t pay your minimum rates. When you set freelance writing rates, it's important to stick to them.
- The client is extremely “needy” (you know you’ll spend far more than your average time for this type of project).
- The client is asking you to “rewrite” something where they don’t have the legal right to contract a derivative work.
- The client wants you to write about something that you consider unethical (such as adult topics), which may affect your future reputation.
- You don’t trust the particular client (maybe you had a bad dealing with them in the past, or know others in your network that have).
- Writing for a client would be a conflict of interests (for example, writing for a non-profit dealing with gambling addiction and then being asked to write articles on poker).
- The client asks you to do something that you feel would damage your reputation – such as asking you to purposely misspell words solely for SEO, when you’re primarily hired to write authoritative, reader-targeted content.
- Even if the client will pay your minimum or regular fees, you know for a fact that you could be earning more “writing for yourself” or by promoting something you’ve already written (like an e-book) during that same time period.
- You already filled your billable hours – you shouldn’t make it a habit to sacrifice your administrative and marketing time, no matter how full your schedule is.
- You have several clients interested in hiring you, and you have the ability to be choosey – this client simply doesn’t appeal to you in comparison to the other options.
Be “nice” about it if possible. While there are some situations that may certainly lead to bitter splits (such as a client using your content and not paying you, or a client who doesn’t live up to promises or their end of a contract), in most cases it’s a good idea to leave things on a high note. You never know if one of those people will refer you to someone else later.
At the same time, don’t become paranoid about hurting someone’s feelings. Remember – you’re not marketing your services to make friends (although it can be a side benefit of a strong network of colleagues); you’re in it for business. If you allow yourself to be taken advantage of, you’ll begin to hate the job you loved enough to want to pursue in the first place.
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