Avoid Client Trouble through better Communication
As a freelance writer I communicate with clients day after day. Some days I only send emails, others I spend a lot of time on the phone. And from time to time I even meet with clients in person. What does all of this mean to me? Simply put, effective communication can go a long way in avoiding trouble with clients. This is why I strongly suggest to every freelance writer that they make themselves available to clients through various communication methods.
You don’t like talking on the phone, right? I get this a lot from aspiring freelance writers. They prefer to talk with clients via email if at all possible. While email is a great way of communicating with clients, keep in mind that sometimes it just doesn’t cut the slack. You can accomplish more in a quick phone call than you can in a long email chain. On top of all this, there are some clients who will simply prefer to talk on the phone. So if you want to keep the gig you do not really have a choice.
When you effectively communicate with clients you can avoid a lot of trouble. For instance, if you are going to miss a deadline you need to let the client know as soon as possible. Or if you run into a problem this is also something that you should communicate. It is better to get in touch and stay in touch than to disappear and only talk when the job is complete.
Over the years I have found communication to be a very big piece of the freelance writing puzzle. Many people think that being a freelance writer means hiding out, completing jobs without guidance, and moving onto the next task. While some of this is true, communicating with clients is also a very important part of your job description.
If you are open to communicating with clients in many ways you will find yourself running into less trouble. In turn, you will have happy clients that pay on time and send repeat work.Â
