Freelance Writing Clients and Phone Calls
Do you take regular phone calls from your clients? Do you enjoy this? Do you despise it? Every so often I feel like I should touch on this topic. The reason for this is simple: I am always getting questions about how to best communicate with clients. Along with this, you may be surprised at how many freelance writers hate using the telephone.
Personally, I believe that you should be open to taking phone calls no matter what. This may be a big change for you, but in the long run it is one that will help immensely. Simply put, some clients are more interested in speaking on the phone than using email. Is there anything wrong with this? Not in my book!
So, what is the problem? To start, some freelance writers are terrified at the thought of speaking on the phone with clients. They never liked doing this in past careers, and will continue to avoid it at all costs. It is essential to realize that some clients will only want to communicate via phone. If you don’t agree to this you are going to find it very difficult to keep them onboard.
The other issue is that phone calls to take up a lot of time. I totally agree that this is something to be worried about. The last thing you want is to spend so much time on the phone that you are not getting your work done. To avoid problems in this area, you can do a couple things:
1. Set aside certain times of the day to contact clients and/or return their phone calls. This way you are working on your own schedule.
2. Let your clients know when you are best available via telephone. While this does not always work, it will help cut back on the number of calls you receive when trying to write.
To become a successful freelance writer you need to be willing to speak with clients on the phone. This may not come up very often, but when it does make sure you are ready!
