Losing a loyal freelance client

September 3, 2010

When you hear you’re losing a loyal freelance client or editor to a new job, your first thoughts are probably something along the lines of “Oh, no! What if I lose the business to the replacement’s pet freelancer? How am I going to make up for the lost income? Has all my good work over the years been squandered?”

Take a deep breath. And then click over to my new Freelance-Zone.com post, “Losing a loyal client.”
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Freelance Follies: “Are you done yet?”

August 26, 2010


Do you have freelance clients with unrealistic deadlines for writing and editing jobs? Of course you do.

A Freelance Follies video short—#2 in an ongoing series.

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Cold calling tips for freelancers

Cold calling is surely one of the most polarizing topics in the freelance-o-sphere. Those who love it can be downright fanatical about its strength as a tool for finding new clients and freelance jobs. Those who hate it are equally passionate about it making us no better than telemarketers.
Count me among the former. If business [...]

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Measuring and promoting freelance client results

Dear Dr. Freelance: When I’ve had my freelance resume critiqued, the advice I got was that I needed more quantifiable numbers and client results to show the impact of my work. But when I send a press release or brochure copy to a client, I’m often not privy to what happens next, and I’m not [...]

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Freelance Follies: “When are you going to get a real job?”

We’ve all been there: A former co-worker, a friend, or (in my case) a father-in-law who’s absolutely perplexed that you could make a living (GASP!) by being a self-employed writer, editor, graphic designer or other type of creative. It’s among Urban Muse Susan Johnston’s “10 things you should never ask a freelance writer,” and you [...]

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Is the handwritten thank you note dead?

Dear Dr. Freelance: I’ve heard people on both sides of the hard-copy, handwritten thank you note vs. email thank you argument, and wondering your opinion on the appropriate way for a freelancer to thank someone for a first client meeting.—Thankful in CT
Dear Thankful: Call me old school, but I am a bigger fan of the [...]

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The doctor is out

Dr. Freelance’s office will be closed till August 2, as I’m headed to the coast for some much-needed, electronics-free R&R. Please feel welcome to ask your freelancing questions via the Submit Your Question form, and I’ll respond ASAP upon my return.
If you haven’t taken a vacation in recent memory because you’re a sole [...]

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Freelance clients who miss their own deadlines

Dear Dr. Freelance: I saw your video “Freelance Writing Follies: Are You Done Yet?” and appreciate how you poked fun at freelance clients who miss their own deadline and then expect me to make words appear out of thin air. But on a more serious note, what can we as freelancers do to make sure [...]

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Project pricing vs. hourly rates

In response to a recent post about “Raising your freelance rates,” commenter Mitch Devine of Love Hate Advertising asked for a followup about my philosophy of hourly rates vs. project pricing. So here goes!
First, I should say that I have no ironclad rules about pricing freelance jobs other than trying to figure out what the [...]

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Creative freelancers wanted for WaterIsLife

Dear Dr. Freelance: I’m the Communications Director for WaterIsLife, a charitable organization that delivers personal water-filter straws to Haiti, Kenya, Ghana and 27 other countries where a lack of clean water can be life threatening. We’re hoping to develop relationships with creative freelancers such as writers, editors and videographers who share a desire to make [...]

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