Saying “No” to a Freelance Job

The value of "no" from incedogroup.com

If you are a freelancer–writer, designer, event manager–you have had to say “no” to a client. It’s hard, particularly if you like the client, need the work, or find the work interesting. If you feel yourself overworked, exhausted, or frustrated, here are some times you have to say “no.”

1. There isn’t enough money for you to make a profit. Your time is worth money. In America, time is money. If you take a job that doesn’t pay you what you are worth, you will have trouble making the mortgage on time and paying the bills. “Some money is better than no money,” is an excuse I hear all the time. It may not be. If you are working on a job that underpays, you are missing the chance to bid on the jobs that pay well. Jobs that underpay keep you working longer hours every day. Cure: don’t lower your prices to get the job. Under-bid and the amount you quote is how your client sees you. You will be stuck at that price point.

Time moves at different speeds for client and freelancer. Image: Trade King, http://tinyurl.com/7pvapn3

2. There isn’t enough time to do the job well. Freelancers are often called in when the company with the job didn’t plan well, or has run out of time. Beware the time-crunch job. Many companies believe that freelancers work only at night and on weekends. They become offended when you don’t want to work from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. on their job. In 25 years of writing for other people I have learned one truth over and over: You hand in that rush job on time, squeaking under the deadline. You are a hero, you think. You nailed the deadline. Wrong. Once the deadline has been met, the priority immediately shifts to quality. And if you don’t have it, you won’t get paid.  Cure: Quality is your first responsibility. If you can’t deliver quality within the deadline, turn down the job.

3. You are asked to take less pay this time, and the company will “make it up” on the next job. Just say no. This has never happened in the history of the universe. Why would a company that knows you will work for $X an hour one time, pay you $2X the next time?  You will hear the same story the next time, and the time after. The person who says it may mean it, but they aren’t the decision makers. And in the end, they will leave, and not be around when the next job is discussed. Cure: If you have done a project for less money before, remind the client that this is the time you need more money. If this is the first time they ask, tell them as much as you would like to take less money, you simply can’t. Don’t explain or talk about your finances. You deserve good money for hard work.

From projectscopecreep.com

4. The job suffers from “scope creep” in a strict budget. You are asked to quote the job. You hand in a proposal. The budget it set. Two weeks into the project, the project grows a new arm and leg, and you are asked to cover those, too. Without extra pay. Cure: Cover yourself quickly by discussing how you will handle scope creep in the original proposal. Present a list of tasks you will do and a second list of those not included. Add a paragraph that says if the project expands, you will stop work and submit a new budget for approval. Then stick to it. Nothing frees up money than stopping the work. If you don’t manage scope creep early, you will never make a profit as a freelancer.

5. The client doesn’t return emails or phone calls in the proposal stage. The time a client will treat you best is when they want you to work for them. If they don’t return your calls or emails, it’s a sign of the lack of communication you will experience for the entire job. When the job is then late, it will be your fault. The cure: set deadlines for replying to emails or phone calls. “Please let me know by Friday if  X is what you are looking for,” is one way to help your client set priorities that match yours.

–Quinn McDonald is a freelance writer who has made all the above mistakes more than once. She’s like to help other freelancers avoid them.

Saying “No,” Losing a Client

The year I worked for the newspaper was the year of no Thanksgiving. Oh, the holiday was there, but my family brought me a sandwich at work because no one else would work that day.  I was scared of my supervisor, and the people who worked for me weren’t scared of me. I figured my family would forgive me. I still haven’t forgiven myself.

Saying No. Torn paper collage.©

Now that I own my business, I get to choose the path–and the consequences– because I’m the CRO (Chief Responsibility Officer).

This past week I said “No” to a client. I didn’t start from that point, I wanted to say “Yes.” The first email asked me teach one of my classes, and I agreed, subject to agreeing on a date.

The second email asked to see several previously-used workbooks, because everyone of my classes is a custom class. I prefer to run training classes built specifically for the client’s needs. So each class has a separate and specific workbook. A little more work on my part, but much higher client satisfaction and quality for the participant.

Training is a tough environment, and the occasional unethical  client will ask to see the workbook, then tell you they have taken the class “in-house” and use your sample workbook to run the class. So I offered a compromise: once I knew the client’s specific needs, I would send a detailed outline, which she could accept or refuse. If she refused the class at the outline stage, there would be no charge.

The client didn’t see this as a benefit, and I received a series of emails, each more strident than the last, pushing me toward a fast delivery deadline. I have an absolute belief that if you agree to a deadline that sacrifices quality, the client will never appreciate the met deadline, but will focus on the lack of quality.

I tried to shift the conversation to the phone, but it didn’t work. Emails don’t deliver the best communication.

The next email set a date and time for a training session in an online training software that I was to use. I had thought the class was in-person, converting it increased the lead time.  At that moment, I knew I couldn’t do a good job in the scheduled time. I had a big family commitment in the middle of the client’s schedule. I was going to honor it. Even though the pay for the job was good, even though I needed the money. I was not going to bail out on the commitment I made to my family.

I took a deep breath and turned the client down. It was hard, and I’ve had second thoughts. The loss of money is noticeable. The client was not pleased. Here is why I ultimately turned her down:

• I had made a commitment to my family first, and that needed to be honored.
• If I’d accepted her terms this time, they would have set a precedent for our relationship–I would not be able to negotiate on time or delivery in the future. “But you did it last time,” is a hard act to follow.
• Quality. There was a big likelihood that I wouldn’t meet my standards of quality, and one reason I opened my own business is to deliver quality training.
• If I didn’t deliver quality that met the client’s standards or my standards, the client would be unhappy and not use me again, possibly not pay me. Too much to loose.

It’s hard to turn a client down, and harder still to offer names of colleagues who could do the job. But that’s what I did. And I’ll learn to live with it. That’s why I’m the CRO.

–Quinn McDonald is a life- and creativity coach, writer and trainer in business communications. She has a business website and an art website.