One of the perks of being a freelance writer is that you get to choose whom you want to work with. But the question is how do you decide?
The second stage of messaging/ discussion is the crucial step in deciding whether the client and the project are worth pursuing. It is at this stage that you will be able to review the match between your skills and project requirement. It is also the stage where you negotiate on pricing, project milestones, payment release and project end dates.
Perhaps the client needs the work sooner than you had planned for; the work may involve more hours of research than initially presumed or the client may pay marginally lower than you had bid for. These are all factors that you need to consider in the grand scheme of things such as your level of comfort in writing in the given niche, the long-term work potential and if the client is willing to give you credit for the work done.
But there is one factor that is non-negotiable and that is the respect the client is willing to give you as a freelance writer. In a remote work relationship this is difficult to decipher and perhaps the ‘remoteness’ allows certain clients to be nastier than they normally would be in a face-to-face business interaction.
Here are five subtle aspects that can give you some foresight into a new work relationship:
Freelance writing is a two-way street.Your ability to successfully execute a project depends on client’s own clarity of thought and his/ her respect of the skills you bring to the job on hand. Keep the above warning signals in mind before taking on your next assignment.
Fellow freelancers, would love to hear from you on other ‘tread with caution’ signs in dealing with new clients. Please do share in the comments box below. 🙂