My So-Called Freelance Life - Michelle Goodman [39]
So what can you do to prod a foot dragger like this? A friendly nudge peppered with some “I’m here to help you, Oh Client of My Dreams!” charm usually does the trick. I like to call or send an email that says, “I know you said you need me to write that web copy sometime next month and that you just needed to get the paperwork [contract, money] together before we start. I’m starting to book up quick for [the next month, and the one after that] and want to make sure I leave room in my schedule for you. Ready to dance?”
Most of the time this lights a fire under the client’s butt and the project is handed off to me within a week. But if “next month” is two weeks away and my contact still doesn’t have it together, I won’t hold her place in line—I’ll give it to another client who has the money and assignment in hand.
Though this client mating game may sound nerve-racking, you’ve got to play it cool, lest you scare off your shiny new lead. It sounds so basic, but you’d be surprised how many new freelancers forget to breathe. Herewith three things you should never do, unless you’re hell-bent on losing the gig:
FOLLOW UP EVERY HOUR ON THE HOUR. If the answer was “I don’t have an answer for you yet” this morning, that’s probably still the answer this afternoon. Patience, my freelance friend.
GO OVER YOUR CONTACT’S HEAD. Unless you have reason to suspect your would-be client quit, was canned, or has been hospitalized, don’t ring up her boss to see why she hasn’t sealed the deal with you yet. Not only will this piss off your contact and her boss, it will make you sound desperate.
SEND A CONTRACT BEFORE YOU HAVE AN ACTUAL YES. Ditto for starting the work before the client’s given you the green light. Jumping the gun will warm your client’s heart about as much as a dip in the Bering Sea.
What Doesn’t Make You Race Back to the Cube Makes You Stronger
Obviously your leads won’t always pan out. Some contacts will shoot you down or ignore you altogether. Others will say they want to work with you but bail before sealing the deal due to bureaucratic snags (freelance budget cutbacks), personnel changes (leading to budget cutbacks), or changes in their to-do list (courtesy of budget cutbacks). Turning even 10 percent of your leads into freelance gigs is truly something to celebrate. And a 50 to 75 percent success rate is party-like-it’s- 1999 fabulous.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to try your darnedest to avoid taking the rejections personally. This isn’t dating. It’s business. Even freelancers who’ve had their share of successes have to deal with rejection at times. Los Angeles-based writer and improv goddess Lauren Weedman, who’s performed half a dozen of her one-woman shows onstage throughout the country and has been a regular on such Comedy Central classics as The Daily Show and Reno 911!, told me this story about her trouble finding an agent:
“People wanted me for writing but not on camera, which is basically like being told to your face you’re ugly. I went to Aspen in this comedy festival, which is a really hard festival to get into. This was like five years ago. I was on the fucking Daily Show at the time. And agents were telling me, ‘Well, we only take writer/performers when they’re people like Tina Fey.’ Like, you’ve got to be an absolute proven double whammy. And, ‘We want you for writing,’ because they don’t think your look is that marketable. That was so dizzying to have to hear over and over and again.” (Happily, Lauren’s since landed a great agent, not to mention some kickass new film and TV gigs.)
Moral of the story: The thickest of skins is required. If you find yourself daunted or discouraged by the no’s, Google