Freelance Writers - 5 Problem Clients You Should Avoid Like the Plague
We've all done it at one time or another.
We go against our own better instincts and agree to write for that client who we know, in the end, is going to turn out to be a big, pain in the..
..
hmmmmm..
..
Maybe you need the money or maybe you were distracted for just a brief moment.
But sometimes they get past our radar and we don't realize until it's too late that we've been sucked in by another problem client.
Here are 5 problem clients you should avoid like the plague.
Mr.
Constant Contact This is the guy who, before he hires you, tells you you'll need to be available whenever he needs you.
He insists that you have Skype and at least 2 other methods he can use for instant messaging.
Avoid this guy at all costs.
He does not respect the fact that you have a business to run, too, and he will do nothing but suck up your time all day, hovering over your shoulder, making his little demands, interrupting you while you're trying to work.
UGH! He's a nightmare.
Run, don't walk, as far away from this guy as you can.
Ms.
Messy This is the client who can't remember which was your sample but she knows it needed some editing.
And then when she DOES find it, it only needs to be edited because she reorganized all of your paragraphs to suit HER and now it won't pass the editors to be accepted for publication.
This woman won't offer you much in the way of pay, so don't worry when you walk away from this one, you won't be missing a thing - except a lot of aggravation.
Mr.
Bwhana This guy thinks he owns you - body and soul.
He thinks he's doing you a favor by letting you bid you his job.
And you can tell because he says things like - "I TOLD you I wanted...
" and "You MUST supply a 500 word sample using MY keyword...
" and the best one is "If you don't use the words "I will work for peanuts" in your application, I'm not even going to look at it!" This guy is a control freak BEFORE he awards the job - what's he going to be like when you're actually working for him? No thanks.
Slavery was outlawed a long time ago.
Ms.
Manipulator There's one in every crowd.
"If I like your work there will be plenty more where that came from.
I have hundreds of sites that all need content.
" And then she wants you to write her fifty 700 word articles for a buck apiece.
Nahhhhh...
If you really DID need that much content on a regular basis, you'd be able to afford to pay more than that for an article.
Pass! Mr.
Manipulator This guy is Ms.
Manipulator's husband and he comes at you from the other direction.
He only needs one eBook and it's only 10,000 words and he's already got all the reference material together for you.
All you need to do is read it and write it up.
Easy enough, right? But after you agree to take this job for some paltry amount of money, he's going to dump an 8 gig hard drive on you full of so much crap you'll be wading through it for weeks before you can even start writing.
That's why he's not doing it himself.
Never, ever, take a job from this guy unless he reveals his cards first.
We go against our own better instincts and agree to write for that client who we know, in the end, is going to turn out to be a big, pain in the..
..
hmmmmm..
..
Maybe you need the money or maybe you were distracted for just a brief moment.
But sometimes they get past our radar and we don't realize until it's too late that we've been sucked in by another problem client.
Here are 5 problem clients you should avoid like the plague.
Mr.
Constant Contact This is the guy who, before he hires you, tells you you'll need to be available whenever he needs you.
He insists that you have Skype and at least 2 other methods he can use for instant messaging.
Avoid this guy at all costs.
He does not respect the fact that you have a business to run, too, and he will do nothing but suck up your time all day, hovering over your shoulder, making his little demands, interrupting you while you're trying to work.
UGH! He's a nightmare.
Run, don't walk, as far away from this guy as you can.
Ms.
Messy This is the client who can't remember which was your sample but she knows it needed some editing.
And then when she DOES find it, it only needs to be edited because she reorganized all of your paragraphs to suit HER and now it won't pass the editors to be accepted for publication.
This woman won't offer you much in the way of pay, so don't worry when you walk away from this one, you won't be missing a thing - except a lot of aggravation.
Mr.
Bwhana This guy thinks he owns you - body and soul.
He thinks he's doing you a favor by letting you bid you his job.
And you can tell because he says things like - "I TOLD you I wanted...
" and "You MUST supply a 500 word sample using MY keyword...
" and the best one is "If you don't use the words "I will work for peanuts" in your application, I'm not even going to look at it!" This guy is a control freak BEFORE he awards the job - what's he going to be like when you're actually working for him? No thanks.
Slavery was outlawed a long time ago.
Ms.
Manipulator There's one in every crowd.
"If I like your work there will be plenty more where that came from.
I have hundreds of sites that all need content.
" And then she wants you to write her fifty 700 word articles for a buck apiece.
Nahhhhh...
If you really DID need that much content on a regular basis, you'd be able to afford to pay more than that for an article.
Pass! Mr.
Manipulator This guy is Ms.
Manipulator's husband and he comes at you from the other direction.
He only needs one eBook and it's only 10,000 words and he's already got all the reference material together for you.
All you need to do is read it and write it up.
Easy enough, right? But after you agree to take this job for some paltry amount of money, he's going to dump an 8 gig hard drive on you full of so much crap you'll be wading through it for weeks before you can even start writing.
That's why he's not doing it himself.
Never, ever, take a job from this guy unless he reveals his cards first.
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