Over the past few years I have seen a big change among a large number of freelance writers. Many of them prefer web writing over any other type of project. While I am not totally sure why this is the case, I have a few ideas.
It goes without saying that more and more webmasters and companies are in need of web writing. For this reason, freelancers are flocking to these positions in an attempt to pickup additional work. In other words, they are going to where the jobs are at – and this is a very good idea.
With so many web writing jobs you would be a fool to pass them by. But remember this: you don’t want to pass up other opportunities because you cannot see past the internet. If you do, you may miss out on writing feature articles, marketing copy, books, and much more. Do you really want these opportunities to pass you by?
Web writing is a lot of fun, can pay well, and many times results in ongoing work. In short, these projects definitely have a lot to offer. Just make sure that you are not focusing all your time and effort on this one type of project. You need to spread yourself around, ensuring that all your eggs are not in one basket.
With so many benefits, as well as a lot of open jobs, there is no wondering why web writing has become so popular. As long as you continue to seek out other opportunities, these types of projects can help you grow as a writer while making a nice living.
Last week, I dealt with an interesting situation. A client that I had been working with for many years got in touch and needed a few web articles. As always, I quoted him the rate that we always work at. Soon enough the project was underway, and everything seemed to be progressing as usual.
A day or two after our first conversation the client emailed and asked me to send my best quote. As you can imagine, this confused me for a couple of reasons. First off, I thought we already agreed to the same price as always. Along with this, the job had already begun.
After sending an email back, he responded that he was hoping to spend less money this time around. I never saw this coming, and was having a difficult time understanding what he was trying to do.
In the end, things worked out as the client decided to pay his “usual rate†and leave well enough alone. Of course, this didn’t change the fact that the entire situation was quite strange from start to finish.
When a client attempts to change a detail like this, it is important that you do the same as me. First off, communicate your feelings with the client. In some cases, this is all you need to do in order to get back on track. Along with this, don’t back down just because you want the work. If details were agreed upon upfront, both parties should be willing to stick with them throughout the project.
While it would be nice to avoid situations like this altogether, doing so is not always as simple as it sounds. The best thing you can do is be 100 percent prepared for anything that comes your way.
Some clients are easy to get along with, and willing to make things as simple as possible along the way. Others are overly demanding and not much fun to work with. Although dealing with demanding clients can be a pain in the neck, there are a few things you can do to ease the tension.
Here are three tips to keep in mind:
1. Be clear from the get-go. As long as the client knows how you work and what to expect from the start, they can only do so much in terms of making demands. It is important that both parties are clear as to what they expect from the project. Along with this, don’t be forced into agreeing to something that you are not satisfied with.
2. Don’t let them push you around. I have had clients demand that I work on weekends. I have also had those that demand that I show up at their office a certain number of days per week. While there is nothing wrong with negotiating details like this, you have to stand up for yourself and the way that you like to run your business. Remember, the relationship is supposed to be mutually beneficial.
3. It’s not all about the money. Some freelance writers will continually work with overly demanding clients because they are paying a halfway decent wage. While money is important, you don’t want to be pushed around, day after day, just to make a few extra dollars.
The next time you are faced with an overly demanding client consider implementing one or more of the above tips.
