Be a Boss Day 4: Clients

This post is part of the Be a Boss series. To see more posts in this series, check out the list on this post. They’ll be linked as they are posted!

You can’t have a freelance writing company without clients. There are good clients and bad clients, but the client that matters most? The paying client, of course!

Image: sxc.hu

The Best Clients for your Company

Here are some of qualities you want in a client for your freelance writing company. These things not necessarily what you want in a client if you’re an individual writer.

• Clients with high volumes of work
• Clients who will send work regularly and long-term
• Clients who are using the work themselves (you don’t want yet ANOTHER middle man)
• Clients who have topics that can be easily researched by anyone
• Clients that don’t mind you’re a company, not a single writer

That last one needs a little discussion, I believe.

Finding Clients Who are OK with a Company

Many companies ordering work want an individual writer, because they think they’ll have fewer problems. While that’s not necessarily true, you might as well get used to hearing it. There are a few things you can do, however, to reassure clients that your company is the right choice.

• Note that you can do a high volume of work.
• Reassure the client that you (or an editor) reviews every single article.
• Offer to do a small “test” group.
• Make sure that revisions are (within reason) free.
• Send samples from various writers.

Some More Client Tips

A down-and-dirty list of other client-related tips:

• Don’t share your writer’s information with your clients (and vice versa). You should also put a clause in the contract that prevents your writers from knowingly directly contacting your clients. Protection – you need it.
• Try to get your clients to commit to a certain number of articles per month. Steady work is best. Offer a discount for high volumes of work.
• Check in with clients about half-way through the project to reassure them that the project is going well (or to ask questions).
• Ask your clients for their format preferences. It’s little details that keep your clients coming back for more.
• Deal with revisions as quickly as possible.
• Match writers to certain projects.
• Take your clients’ praise and criticisms seriously. Some of your writers might need to be let go, while others might deserve a bonus.

Remember, if you have any questions, I’ll be answering them all at the end of this series. Feel free to leave a comment or email me at allison@abcontentonline.com with your “Be a Boss” question.

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