In a tough market, freelance copywriters can be all too keen to grab the next deal, sometimes against our better judgement. Eager to please and allured by the work it can be easy to ignore the warning signs and dismiss our gut instincts, failing to take the necessary precautions from the start.
Many experienced copywriters have their share of client horror stories and will tell you that working with a bad client can cost you time, money, stress and morale. While there is no way of guaranteeing you’ll never have to deal with an ogre client, there are some basic precautions you can take, to protect yourself against any lurking ‘monsters’.
– Don’t accept a brief brief
As commercial freelancers, we work with the input from our clients. Our clients are paying for what they ultimately want and need to let us know how they want us to sell their business.
While we have our own tastes and are able to come up with our own ideas, guessing what the client is after, if they’re not forthcoming or decisive about exactly what they want, could lead to trouble. Even if the client thinks that they know what they want, if they can’t properly tell you, it’s not a good sign.
Always establish the structure and the style of the content to be written, and find out exactly who it’s to be addressed to. Get answers to all your briefing questions. Even if the client is really keen to get the ball rolling and wants to defer giving you these details, always demand a sufficient brief before agreeing to move forward.
– ASAP! Urgent!
Commercial markets can be very fast paced and urgent needs do come up, however if a potential client comes forward with a request for you to structure and create a very large, important part of their marketing content, which they haven’t already got in place…and they need it overnight, you have to ask yourself why.
If this is marketing material critical for their own business, why haven’t they planned ahead? The client may be in a position where they’re aware they haven’t planned properly and feel they can pass this burden of responsibility on to the copywriter. And when it all comes crashing down, you’ll know who’ll be to blame.
– The client knows better
Creative marketing is subjective and the customer is always (and will always believe that they are) right, even if you’re absolutely convinced they’re not. If you have written copy to a brief and the customer states they are unhappy with it, they should be able to tell you exactly what it is they are unhappy with. Vague statements like ‘I don’t like it’ aren’t sufficient.
When you offer to rewrite the copy, the client should be able to provide you details of what they want changed, included or elaborated on. Even if the client is difficult, you should always ask for the information you need. If they feel they know better, but refuse to confirm what they want, there could be a rocky road ahead.
– The client is unreasonable, or rude
As a freelancer, you are under no obligation to deal with a client who is rude, disrespectful or unreasonable, basically unprofessional. If a situation like this occurs, always remain professional yourself and keep your cool. When you confront them, stick to the facts and lay down the conditions of your agreement or contract. Never be tempted to retort to anything said on a personal level. If they are not prepared to change their behaviour and you’re unable to continue working with them, make this clear to them.
– Other clues
From experience you will get a feel for the clients who know what they want and what they’re doing. The best clients will know the ‘drill’ when it comes to working with freelancers and often these jobs can be plain sailing. Other clients may have less experience dealing with freelancers and occasionally may need to be led through the process.
This is fine if the client is willing to be informed about how it works. The client may be disorganised, however be wary of any client who is disinterested in what needs to be done to get to the end result, particularly in providing the briefing information you need. Also, if the client appears to have had relationships with other freelancers that may have turned sour, take this as a warning.
– Always put it in writing
Nothing is bullet proof and even when taking precautions, things can go horribly wrong. Whatever arrangement you come to with a client, always put everything in writing. In the unlikely event of a dispute, you can always refer to the terms and conditions that were agreed upon at the outset.
An agreement in writing is beneficial to everyone concerned. If a client doesn’t want to play ball, walk away. You’ll be happy in the long run for not selling yourself short or ending up in a tangled mess.
– If the worst does happen, it’s not all doom and gloom
The satisfaction we gain from being able to earn money for doing what we love and seeing happy clients far outweighs the negatives of dealing with the occasional bad apple.
Plus there is a lot to be learnt from such apples.
