Quote:
Originally Posted by Rebecca800  I've had a couple of dodgy clients who just picked my brain for hours, got me to write lots of nice articles, pretended we were all chummy.... then kicked up a fuss when I wanted to invoice them - and after that it just got messy. I guess I learned the hard way...  |
Being assertive about time=money is one of the most difficult challenges for any Freelancer to face.
I've gotten good at this... I usually give somebody up to about 30 minutes of my time on the phone, or meet them for coffee, then I say, "If you want more then let's agree on a rate." If they're a mooch I'll never hear from them again, and that's fine by me.
If I may be blunt... there is a bit of a lack of communication on
your part when you avoid price, do a whole bunch of stuff, and then spring a price out of left field without first getting them to agree to it. (No matter
how much you do or how reasonable your price is) It also sounds like it doesn't work out very well for you.
I've had 2-hour-long conversations with freelance writers, coaches, web designers...to sort of interview them. If we're both enjoying the conversation, then why not. However, if they would have said afterwards, "Okay, that will be $250" I would have replied, "Wait a minute, I never agreed to hire you!"
I'm definitely not a mooch... I spend over $20,000 per year on business coaches, lawyers, graphic designers, writers, virtual assistants, etc. But I'm picky and I want to make sure the person I hire is
very good, and also our chemistry is compatiable. I am looking for a long-term relationship - I don't want to get involved with somebody who's afraid to commit.
