As a writer in business, there are things you already know which you’re too scared to do. Maybe you fear that you’ll end up turning customers away if you implement these ideas. However, one thing you must understand is that clients are most likely going to take you for granted if they sense your fear of losing them. It is already established in my previous posts that treating clients with respect is non-negotiable, in fact, you must make your clients feel special and deserving. Nevertheless, this does not imply that you should make them lord over you. Remember that the clients you’re targeting are those who will value the service you render and the products you sell, and not the clients who’ll make you regret ever going into business and make you doubt your skills and competence. You don’t want clients who’ll get you into trouble and make you consider closing your business. These are the reasons you must carefully apply these tips below because they will serve you long term and help you establish a healthy relationship with your clients and in your industry.
1) Don’t collect physical files or anything that ought to be returned to a customer. This will save you stress in case the deal was unsuccessful.
2) Don’t ever negotiate prices, but you can charge 60k where you would have charged 100k, but let the person know about your kindness, also let him know that the fresh price is not negotiable.
3) Don’t ask potential clients how much they were previously charged by competitors, it’ll put you in a difficult position on the right figure to charge. Even if they offer to tell you, let them know that their previous experiences do not affect your decision.
4) After negotiation, respectfully make it crystal clear that work starts only after full payment is confirmed and that you don’t accept instalments. Stand by your words. They can go elsewhere if they’re not comfortable. This will save you from the misery of debt recovery and lack of payment or complete payment. It’ll save you from troublesome customers.
5) If you’re a registered business, prepare documents for clients to sign as agreement. Try and issue receipt and written work schedule after full payment is made. This shows the serious nature of the job.
6) Don’t accept every job that come your way as a writer, vet clients properly to know if they’re ready to cooperate, and if they have the potential to appreciate the outcome.
7) Don’t ever insult your clients or treat them in a degrading manner even if they started they conflict themselves. In business is one place you must always be the bigger person. However, this does not mean that you should allow yourself to be trampled upon. It simply means that even when you’re terminating a deal with a client, try to be as diplomatic and kind as possible, yet very firm and unwavering. Do this even if it’ll mean taking longer steps and time than if you had simply lashed out and ordered them out.
8) If you need to teach a client a lesson, don’t let yourself be caught in a trap. While discussing with the client or anyone else about the issue (no matter who the person is and under whatever circumstance it is), don’t say or do things that you could be held responsible for later. Always make sure that you’re not caught off guard and that you don’t expose yourself to possible blackmail.
9) Offer one-off special treatment to your most loyal clients. It could be a discount, a different sort of prize, or something cool that they’ll love. This is also a good way of settling disputes or misunderstandings between you and your clients. Why it has to be one-off is so that it’ll still feel special next time you offer them a similar thing next time they deserve it. Also, if it’s one-off, they’re more likely going to be loyal once more knowing they’re appreciated and could get something meaningful out of their loyalty.
10) Create a warm, honest and friendly environment for your clients. This is something they hardly find and would be glad to have.
These ideas are not exactly a no-brainer, however, as new business person who is still very much afraid of the future of your career, it’s easy to succumb to the temptation of ignoring these tips out of fear of losing your clients or not getting enough jobs to pay the bills. I must be very honest with you though, the beginning will be tough, but you’ll enjoy the beautiful benefits later on if you persevere.
Originally published on dilju.com in 2023
