Day after day I hear the same cry from freelance writers: I never have time to speak with clients on the phone. I know where you are coming from on this. That being said, making time is part of the job. If you are not good at time management you are going to find it difficult to succeed as a freelance writer.
One trick that I use is to “block out†time to call clients. What does this mean? Instead of making and taking random calls throughout the day, I try to lump this all into one time frame. This makes it easier to take time away from the computer, while also ensuring that every call is returned within 24 hours at the most.
There is no denying that taking calls throughout the day can be a time consuming effort. You have to decide when it is best to answer your phone, and when it is best to wait and subsequently return the call at a later time. Even though I try to return all calls at the same time, usually when I am done with my writing, this does not always work out. Simply put, there are times when a client will need to talk or vice versa. In this case I have to readjust my schedule and take or make the call on the spot.
Do you think this trick will work for you? If you block out time to speak with clients on the phone you may be able to better manage your day. At the very least this is a method that is worth trying.
Are you finding it difficult to set your freelance writing career in motion? In other words, you think about getting started but for whatever reason you never make any real progress. This is a common setback that many aspiring freelancers run into. The question is: how are you going to solve this problem so you can eventually move onto the next steps of your career?
If you can pinpoint what has been holding you back you will be in good position to fix the problem. Are you scared of getting started because you don’t have enough money in the bank? Are you worried about the time it will take to find your first few clients? These are just a couple of the more common reasons that slow down many freelance writers. It may take a while to dig down deep and determine what is really holding you back, but if you stick with the process you will eventually find what you are looking for.
Just like anything else in life, once you identify the problem you can then create a plan that will help you get past it. Sticking with the above example, if you are worried about money you should continue to work your current job until you have a large enough emergency fund. This will ease your mind and give you the time necessary for a proper start-up phase. No matter the problem there is a solution – even if it does not present itself right away.
Sometimes the first step is the most difficult to take. Once the wheels are in motion and you are working as a full-time freelance writer you will have the time and dedication to begin your ascent to the top.
When you work as a freelance writer you are tied to your business 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are anything like me you probably think about your job a lot – even on the weekends. Whether or not you work on the weekends, in any capacity, is up to you. In the early days of my career I was always at my desk on Saturday and Sunday. Recently, this has died down a bit.
Do you ever receive calls from clients on the weekends? This is something I have come to expect over the years. Believe it or not, a lot of people work on Saturday and Sunday and want to be able to speak with you during that same time period. You have to make a decision on if you are going to make yourself available.
While I never plan my weekend around receiving a call, unless the client tells me in advance, I am willing to answer the phone if available. After all, showing that you care about the client and helping them when possible will only make your relationship stronger. Of course, you may need to draw the line somewhere. Unless you are working a full day the last thing you want to do is answer call after call.
It is not easy for me to give advice on this subject. Some freelancers love working on the weekends, but others will not do this no matter what it means for their career. Where do you fit in? Do you ever take work related calls on the weekends?
