At the end of January I mentioned that I was in the process of starting a new blog, Workathomescoop.com. After about a month of constant updates and marketing, it is finally gaining some traction. Not only are more and more people subscribing to the blog, but search engine traffic has been surprisingly solid despite its young age.
If you are an avid reader of this blog you will probably enjoy Workathomescoop.com as well. A lot of the information is similar, but Workathomescoop.com is not related specifically to freelance writing. Instead, it offers tips on starting a work at home career, choosing an opportunity, avoiding scams, setting up a home office, etc.
If you have yet to check out Workathomescoop.com I would love for you to visit in the near future. And of course, if you get the chance subscribe to the RSS feed. This way you don’t miss any of the daily updates!
As a freelance writer I am willing to work with quality clients no matter where they are located. Even though most of my work comes from the United States, I have several clients in other parts of the world as well. This includes Australia, England, Ireland, and South America among other areas. While there is nothing wrong with having international clients you should realize that this will present some problems that you need to become comfortable dealing with.
1. The time difference. This may not be a big problem, but it is something to take into consideration. For instance, when I am working some of my clients in Australia are sound asleep, and vice versa. As long as you discuss this time difference up front you should not run into any major problems.
2. The language barrier. I have some freelance writing clients in other countries that speak great English, but others who can be difficult to understand. Again, this may seem like a big problem but it is not nearly as bad as you may think. Since most communication is done via email I can usually make out what a client wants, even if they do not speak/write the best English. When speaking with these clients on the phone things can be a bit more difficult. Keep this in mind: you may have a difficult time understanding a client and they may have the same problem with you. The thing to remember is that you need to work together so both parties get what they want.
I have found working with international freelance writing clients to be a lot of fun. Don’t limit yourself to clients in your home country. There are opportunities to be had from one side of the world to the next.Â
Most of my freelance writing clients stay in touch from time to time. This is not to say that they stay on top of me every hour of everyday, but they definitely check in to ensure that everything is going smoothly, to send more work, etc. As a freelance writer you need to learn how to effectively communicate with clients. This is the truth no matter if you are doing so via email or telephone.
Below are three tips for better client communication:
1. Don’t wait too long getting back to clients. I strongly believe that you should not waste a lot of time checking your email accounts, but when you do get a message you should reply as soon as possible. This will show clients that you are on the ball, and willing to help them when they need it.
2. As I have mentioned before, you should answer the phone if clients call. Some freelance writers are against this because they feel that it will get them off track. While this can be true, you need to remember that you will need to get back to the client sooner or later. If you can comfortably answer the phone you might as well do so in order to take care of the client’s needs at the present time.
3. Listen, listen, listen. Some people want to talk so much that they never take the time to listen to what the client is saying. This doesn’t mean you should keep your mouth shut, and not offer any advice or answers. But you should let the client talk, and then answer them accordingly. You will find that this makes for a more time effective and efficient telephone conversation.
Use these three tips if you want to more effectively communicate with your freelance writing clients.Â
