You Set Boundaries With Your Writing Clients

Writer and blogger Lori Widmer has a rant called Disconnect where she’s muttering about clients who always want some change at the last minute, or even after the project has been signed off. As Lori points out, it’s this type of client who calls long after normal working hours and longs for your cell phone so she can get you while you’re at the grocery store.

We all have a client like this from time to time. They are always in a panic and seem to have no boundaries for themselves so it’s impossible for them to suspect we might have some.

Someone in our forum suggested adding after hours fees, which can work, but it sets an expectation that you will be available after hours. My approach seems simpler, at least to me.

First, I don’t have a cell phone. There’s nothing in my life that requires one. My kids are grown and I don’t travel the freeways much. But if I had one, there are only about four people on the planet who would get the number, and none of them are clients.

Next, when I don’t want phone calls I turn off my phone. The message machine takes the messages; I listen to them when I want and I return phone calls to clients when it works for me.

And while I always respond to all client emails, I don’t always do it right away. I’ve been known to wait until the next day just to limit their expectations. I’ll also tell them I usually don’t work weekends and that I tend to get stupid after 4 in the afternoon.

Sure, my clients are important. Yes, I want to give excellent service. But no client is entitled to all of me or any part of me that isn’t part of the writing I’m doing.

It’s totally up to me to set boundaries with clients. They have no way of knowing what I’m willing to do when unless I let them know. Generally, I’ve found my clients reasonable people.

Write well and often,

Two newsletters:
Abundant Freelance Writing – a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision – for those who want to get a book written.