What I Did - Broken Appointments
A few days ago told you about a ghostwriting client who broke several telephone appointments and then requested a Saturday appointment even though I normally don’t work weekends. I asked you what you would do.
Most who responded felt there was no need to meet the client on the weekend, although one said they would if it was a well paying client and another felt I should be willing to make a Saturday appointment.
Here’s what I actually did and the result:
- I sent a brief email saying, nicely, that I don’t work weekends and that I’d lost track of her schedule, but was pretty open the following week.
- She wrote back asking if, instead of delaying our talk to the following week, she could call me early Thursday morning.
- I responded, again nicely, that I could make Thursday work. I then pointed out that she’d had a lot going on that resulted in two broken appointments and that when we set an appointment I actually set aside the time and did some prep work, so I wanted to be reasonably sure she could keep the new one she was suggesting.
- It felt like there was a pause, and then she responded with thanks that I’d held her accountable and assuring me she’d keep the appointment this time.
- She did and we made real progress on the ghostwriting project.
There’s some sort of balance between being flexible and letting a client walk all over you. It’s not always easy to know exactly what to do when a writing client starts getting flaky or demanding. My personal trick is to simply get quiet for a few moments, asking internally what I should do, how I should respond. Usually it works out reasonably well.
Write well and often,
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Tags: broken appointments, editors, freelance-writing, ghost-writing, Ghostwriting, home-business, work-at-home, writers, writing-clientsRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Ghostwriting
10 opinions for What I Did - Broken Appointments
Katherine
May 8, 2008 at 11:13 am
Wow - you handled that well and so did she. Thanks for sharing this - it’s a lesson in standing up for yourself. You could have said “sure the weekend is fine”. Instead, you told her you don’t work on the weekend and she readjusted. Very inspiring!
Anne Wayman
May 8, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Thanks Katherine, you know, when I get wimpy, and it happens, I ask myself what a doctor or dentist would do… that often shapes me up.
Kristen
May 8, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Professional AND Effective. It seems like it’s hard to get these two as a combo sometimes.
Question.
I’m wrapping up a huge local project for new publication in my hometown. I have one last key interview to do - a developer in town - and I CANNOT get this guy to call me back. Over the past four weeks I have left no less than 7 messages for him.
All with messages, briefly summarizing my intent and leaving a phone number. I don’t know what else to do.
This morning I even explained that I this wasn’t an advertising sales call, the company would be featured in the editorial content of the magazine.
Sheesh - I don’t even want to give the guy this wonderful press opportunity anymore - though I don’t think that’s my call.
Thoughts?
Anne Wayman
May 8, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Don’t you just hate that? I’d go back to my client and tell them what’s happening… ask if you can interview someone else or if they have a way to get to him… if I’m reading you right and it’s the client asking you to interview this guy… if it’s truly up to you, I’d take the next best developer and try with him… make sense?
Seven msgs is about 5 too many imo
WAHMBrenda
May 9, 2008 at 5:32 am
I’m glad to hear that things worked out so well for you!
Anne Wayman
May 9, 2008 at 11:48 am
me too ;)
George Hunt
May 22, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Flexible with a steel spine that is my trick. I get offers all the time at rates that are insulting. I have started to let these jerks know that I work for fair rates, not what a writer in a thrid world country would accept.
They either go away or meet my demands.
Anne Wayman
May 22, 2008 at 7:39 pm
I’m learning, George, even more than that I”m also learning it’s up to me to bring clarity to the situation…
George Hunt
May 22, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Anne
Yes answer all ads that seem to be for your work and what you would like to do. Always have your rates ready as that is one of the first questions you get.
George Hunt
May 22, 2008 at 7:45 pm
You have to make the client uinderstand that you run a business too and you have to get fees that will pay for your time. I learned the hard way to ask for what I thought was a fair fee.
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