No way, no how am I getting on the phone with a client. This is something I hear every day from members of my freelance writing course, as well as others who just get in touch to talk. Of course, I find this strange because speaking on the phone with clients offers many benefits.
If you think you can continually get away with avoiding phone calls, consider these three benefits and what they can do for your career:
1. It is quicker to use the phone than any other method of communication. While email is fast, it can become slow and confusing in no time at all if both parties are not willing to respond in a timely manner. With a phone call, you can go back and forth, for as long as necessary, until both parties are on the same page. What takes you many days to discuss via email can be handled in a few minutes on the phone.
2. Ask and answer questions in real time. While this is a huge benefit, many freelancers see it as a disadvantage – this is because they do not like to think on their feet. When speaking on the phone with a client, you may be asked questions that need answered on the spot. For instance, what would you say if a client asked for a quote on the phone? The thought of this is reason enough for many people to never use this communication tool. But instead of seeing this as a bad thing, you should realize that the ability to both ask and answer questions is a huge benefit.
3. You learn a lot about the person on the other end of the phone. While you may think you know somebody by the emails you send back and forth, there is nothing like a phone conversation to show you what they are really like.
Even if you are opposed to speaking with clients on the phone, give this a try just one time. You may be surprised by the benefits above, as well as many others.
As a freelance writer you should always be looking to better your relationship with clients. While this may come easy to some, others have a much more difficult time making this happen. Fortunately, there are many basic things you can do to help clients and forge a better relationship.
1. Make yourself available as often as possible. Over the years I have found that approximately 75 percent of clients will have questions or feedback as you are working for them. It is important that you are available for discussion. This does not mean that you have to take several hours out of your day to personally speak with every client. But you should make yourself as available as possible, by phone and email.
2. Meet deadlines. This should go without saying, but many freelancers overlook the importance. If you want to keep clients happy and ensure that they get what they want, make sure you know your deadline and do whatever it takes to meet it. If you know that this is not going to happen, tell the client as far in advance as possible.
3. Ask if there is anything else you can do in addition to writing. You may be surprised to find that some clients need help in other areas. For instance, you may be able to assist in finding images, with marketing related tasks, etc. Of course, you need to decide which services you do and do not want to offer.
If you want to better assist your freelance writing clients you should make yourself available, meet deadlines, and let them know about all the services you offer.
One of the most exciting days of your freelance writing career is the first one. This is when you have finally decided to move to the next level and follow your dream. Although you are sure to be excited, day one only lasts so long. Soon enough you will be faced with marketing your services, dealing with clients, and deciding which moves to make next.
If you are just getting started with freelance writing, it is important to carefully consider each and every move that you make. Believe it or not, there are decisions I made on day one that still effect me today – fortunately, in a good way.
With so many people joining the freelance writing game, competition can be fierce. This may scare you a bit, but you should realize that there is enough room for everybody. To move to the top of the industry, you need to work hard, set goals, and have a plan for moving from one stage to the next. Over my time as a writer, I have found one thing to be true: those with a plan have a much better chance of success.
If you only remember one thing as a new freelance writer, this should be it: you are going to face both good and bad times. It is not about the number of successes and failures that you experience, but instead how you deal with them. Will you let one bad deal destroy your career? Or will you be resilient enough to stick it out over the long haul? You never know what a new day is going to bring; not all of them will be as exciting as the first one. As long as you have a plan and continue to grow, nothing will stop you from reaching all your goals.
