If you want to build a long-term relationship with a client, you need to start off correctly. The best way to get long-term clients is by referrals from existing clients. People who know – and like – your work are the most effective at referring other people who are apt to also like your work. … Read more
Perhaps I should title this series “How I Build Long-Term Client Relationships.” Many of my methods will not be appropriate to everyone. If you are interested in writing for magazines only, you won’t be interested in my advice on expanding your services. However, I hope you will find some helpful tips that you can adapt … Read more
Recently, I wrote about setting boundaries in freelance writing. Dealing with difficult clients is certainly an issue, but at the other end of the spectrum, what about customer service? If you’ve ever been stuck in some company’s automated phone system (and who hasn’t?), you know many companies don’t put a priority on customer service. As … Read more
I recently read a post at Dream Jobs Dialog about the results of a productivity survey by Microsoft. Since many of my readers, like me, are freelancers and work from home, I thought it would be interesting to look at how homeworkers/freelancers compare to employees in productivity. How do you stack up against the average … Read more
As mentioned earlier, most of my clients come from referrals. A few come from search engines and expand my circle of connections greatly. The third way clients connect with me is through barter exchanges. I belong to two such exchanges: Alamo Barter Corporation (ABC) and ITEX. I originally joined ABC back when I owned my … Read more
In the last post, I talked about the main way clients and I connect: referrals. Today, I’ll talk about a different way of connecting that happens much less often. Clients don’t often find me through search engines, but when they do, my circle of connections is greatly expanded. In late 2004, I received a phone … Read more
One of my clients is an executive coach, Barbara A. F. Greene, MCC. She always talks about connecting rather than networking. Networking often turns into an exercise of making contacts for the benefit of the person making the contact, but connecting brings people together in win-win situations. Thinking about this, I considered how my clients find me … Read more
I recently mentioned the variety of editing and writing work I do … and I love it. However, sometimes the number and variety of projects I’m juggling require organization and focus. In the first two days of this week, I’ve edited a board report for a community leader, finished up a church newsletter, created a magazine … Read more