Commissions over compliments

One of my favorite Planet Money episodes explained the origin story behind the price tag, a tool which enables business owners to sell merchandise at a fixed price. The price tag essentially eliminated the practice of haggling over goods with customers. How ingenious is it to declare what an item or service costs? 

If only an attitude like this existed in the freelance realm. 

I realized this week that I wanted to try a similar approach when vetting freelance clients. The thought arose after an unfortunate pattern re-emerged recently. 

I had a call with a potential client who needed some copy written. The call was pleasant and I looked forward to starting work with this company. Before scheduling the call, I took a closer look at the company, which had fewer than 50 employees and worked with a range of clients that brought in between six figures and multiple millions in revenue. 

I was disappointed, after drawing up a contract and proposal outlining our previous conversation, to learn that the company had abruptly decided to take a different route. It was quite a surprise given that the company sought me out after coming across my work for another client, referring to me as a “higher caliber” writer than the one they had on staff. 

A similar outcome happened after reaching out to a lead I found via LinkedIn ProFinder. The company had listed multiple well-known financial services firms as part of its client base. The company, to my surprise and delight, responded requesting a rate for a lengthy blog post. Of course, after I told them $1 per word, I got crickets… 

One hand, I understand that everyone has a budget. We all have a bottom line we need to adhere to in order to keep ourselves financially afloat. I’m not a perfect writer (which you obviously know if you read this blog), but I strive to make sure I provide value to my clients. I don’t want to break their bank, but I do want to make sure that I’m not undercharging relative to what others are in the industry. The Writer’s Market has been particularly helpful with this thanks to its writers’ rates survey.

But on the other hand, I’m always concerned about the devaluing of writers and workers overall. Whenever I talk with prospects, I not only review my qualifications, but I also explain the costs associated with crafting great copy, including transcription software, copy editing software, errors and omissions insurance and equipment. Sometimes I wonder whether companies fully understand how much quality—or in my case, caliber—costs. 

I’ll be changing up my client vetting strategy in the future so as to avoid clients who don’t value my time and expertise. As 2019 rapidly comes to a close, I’m focusing on 2020. This year, my motto was “a comma for every check,” which I didn’t entirely live up to but was a great motivator. In 2020, my goal is not just to survive but thrive. I hope I can travel more for work and pleasure. I hope I can travel more for work and pleasure.  

How do you ensure clients are right for you? Tell me in the comments or email me at contact@thefreelancebeat.com.