There is nothing more disappointing than doing a lot of work for a freelance writing client, just to find that they do not want to pay. In fact, disappointing does not even cover a situation like this. This has happened to me in the past, and each time it felt just as bad as the time before. When it comes down to it, nobody likes to do a lot of work for promise of payment, just to get stiffed in the end.
This year I have vowed to make sure that I keep deadbeat clients at a distance. Through my experience there is not an overabundance of these types, but they are out there. In order to reach my goal, I plan on putting the following three tips into place.
1. If a client has given me a hard time in the past over payment, I am going to drop them from my books. It is not worth my time to complete a project, and then have to argue with the client for months on end for payment. Sure, I may get paid in the end, but the time put into collecting is time that could go towards other more important tasks.
2. Collect 50 percent up front for the majority of projects. While I do not plan on doing this across the board, especially not with current clients, it is a stipulation that I am going to attempt to enforce for all new clients; especially with large jobs. By getting 50 percent payment up front it does two things. One, it shows me that the client is serious. And two, it allows me to get paid at least half the money, even if the client decides to leave me hanging in the end.
3. Research each potential client before working with them. With the help of Google this is not a time consuming process. For instance, if a company contacts me I will first check out their website, and then look for third party information. If I find nothing, it is a good thing. But a negative review or feedback will definitely raise a red flag.
If freelance writing is of interest to you, avoiding bad clients is of utmost importance. Use the three tips above this year to make sure that you always get paid for the work that you do.
The end of the year is always an exciting time for me. This is when I take a close look at how much money I earned for the year, while also setting goals for the future. From past experience, as well as speaking with others, it seems as if December is always a slow month when it comes to freelance writing income. In fact, this holds true for the internet world across the board. The main reason for this is that most people are not working full-time, if at all, at the end of the month. Obviously, this is caused by Christmas and New Years.
Last December, I barely cracked $4,000 of income. While I was not happy with this, as mentioned above, it is something that many have to deal with. Luckily, my freelance writing income for December 2007 was a bit better. Here are my stats:
Number of Completed Projects: 22
Payment by PayPal: 21
Payment by Check: 0
Payment by Bank Wire: 1
Total Income: $6,304.50
When it comes down to it, I have no idea why December ended up being one of my better months of 2007. A bit of it probably had to do with luck, but at the same time I put a lot of time into marketing my services throughout November. This led to a couple new projects in December that pushed me past the $6k mark.
Since this is my last freelance writing income report for 2007, you guys and gals probably want to know what my yearly total was, right? While I am not 100 percent sure because I have to tally some final numbers and add in other income, a safe estimate would be in the $75k to $80k range. It will not be easy to surpass this income in 2008, but I am going to try my best!
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Today is one of the best days of the year for freelance writers. It is a day of renewed hope, and the start of a great year. Use today to relax and get your mind ready for the rest of the year. It is sure to be a great one for freelance writers everywhere!
I’ll be posting my December freelance writing income tomorrow; so make sure you stop by.
