How to Deal with an Unrealistic Client
Everybody wants to “pay less and get more.†As a freelance writer, you will find this to be true more times than not. A client will want to pay as little as they can to get the best writing possible.
Although there is nothing wrong with delivering high quality, timely content, you must make sure that you are compensated accordingly. Along with this, you have to communicate with unrealistic clients to ensure that they know what you can and cannot do for them.
Last week, I had a client ask me for SEO and design work along with five previously commissioned blog posts. While these are services that I offer, there was one major problem: he didn’t want to pay any extra. Instead, he believed that these services should be included along with the content.
As you can imagine, I explained my point of view. Doing all this extra work for the same pay was clearly an unrealistic expectation. And to be honest, it was almost insulting.
Fortunately, after discussing the entire scope of the project he saw where I was coming from and agreed to pay my current rate for such services.
If you are not careful, some of your clients will begin to squeeze every last word (or other service) out of you – without paying the appropriate rate. Obviously, this benefits the client but does nothing for you.
Don’t let unrealistic clients walk all over you. Instead, explain what you can do for them as well as how much it will cost. If they don’t want to pay for the services they require, it may be time to part ways.
