Block out Time to Call Clients
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.
How do you usually handle calls from clients?