Angry Birds

My colleague, Kevin Wolf, just wrote some thoughts on his blog about high expectations from both journalists and clients. I think he has some excellent points here. Highlights:

"Before sending a pitch, I read what I can about the journalist I’m targeting. I have about five minutes to spend on this because, in case you didn’t know, we’re targeting about 50 journalists per client at any given time.The pitches I develop are clear and concise. The journalists I target should be interested.

Often times I get an email response, but many times I don’t.

Reporters don’t like to be called, so when a reporter doesn’t respond to an email, I basically have no idea why the story I pitched isn’t a fit. Which means I have zero valuable feedback to share with my clients.  Oh, and by the way, clients don’t want to hear our feeble excuses. They pay for coverage, not empty analysis, and many have very high expectations. As a PR rep I’m always trying to “manage” expectations, but usually it comes off as sandbagging. I explain that PR is a process, exactly like sales. It takes time to woo a reporter."

Getting Organized…Or Not

This afternoon I was planting some bright orange cosmos in my garden, freshly purchased from the nursery. My daughters and our babysitter were quietly coloring with sidewalk chalk, when suddenly my eight-year old daughter looked up and asked: "Mom, why are you gardening when Ila is here instead of working?" I told her that I was waiting for some clients to answer e-mails, and I couldn't move forward on work until they did. Always the responsible one, she prodded: "Well, maybe you'd better go check your e-mail again now?"

When work slows down for a few days or a week, it's hard to know what to do with the spare time. I could have exercised, but I did plenty of that already over the weekend. I could have folded the pile of laundry that's been sitting on my couch since last night. I could have even cleaned my desk and filed away the stacks of business documents and the kids’ artwork that have been gathering dust for a month. I could have done a lot of things to make my life more tidy. Instead, I high-tailed over to the nursery for the cosmos, two packs of begonias, a large bag of cedar mulch and some helpful advice on my wilting columbine flowers.

When it comes to client work, I am Little Miss Organized. I keep meticulous notes about projects and contacts. I color-code my e-mail messages according to whether they are personal, related to kids, urgent, or for networking purposes. Long-term clients get their own special e-mail folder. I do not miss deadlines.

When duty isn't calling, however, I'd rather have fun. My college roomies can attest to my apathy for household activities. Warning notes were constantly posted on my bedroom door about what I didn't clean that week. Once, I found dirty dishes on my bookshelf. It's likely that I was at the beach or going on a nice long run instead of loading the dishwasher. (Who can blame me, really, considering that I attended the University of California, Santa Barbara)

I've come to believe that people who have a spic and span desk are also the same people who vacuum the insides of their cars every week. This is not me. I envy them--- but I will never, ever be like them. And that's just gonna have to be good enough for me. My dog Bo (pictured here) is fine with my choices.

He never misses his daily walk.

How to Keep the Good Clients

It wasn’t long ago when I was happy to keep any clients that came my way. Now, I have the luxury of focusing on the good ones -- the ones with smart and supportive people, challenging and consistent work, competitive rates, and of course, who pay on time.

I haven't always been the most diplomatic person. Sometimes, I have to fight my tendency to speak my mind. Working with clients of all temperaments has helped me to be more adaptable, flexible and might I say, a people-pleaser. Because at the end of the day: the customer is always right. Well, almost always right.

Here are a few ideas I have for keeping favorite clients happy. What are yours?

1. Respond quickly. My top job as a service provider is to be an excellent communicator. When a request comes in, even if I can’t tackle it that day, I reply as soon as I can so they know I’m on it. If I don't understand what they're asking of me, I clear that up right away and also make sure I understand their deadline. If I can’t meet it, I’ll always ask if there’s any leeway before flat-out saying no. Very rarely have I had to refuse a client request based on the deadline.

2. Be a perfectionist--or try. My second top job is pretty simple. I treat every job the same -- matter what I'm getting paid. If I agree to write an article, I'm going to make sure it's the best content I can possibly deliver in the timeframe and with the materials provided. I try hard to understand their goals and audience, and make extra effort to minimize work on the client’s end. I'm human. I can't catch everything, but I feel I owe it to the client to proof my own work a few times before the client sees it.

3. Be humble. The client is the expert in their field, not me. I try to get as much information from them about their industry and needs as I can, and I don’t pretend to know something that I don't. If I know I'm right, but the client thinks I'm wrong – I bite my tongue. After all, they're paying for the work and they make the rules. If I make a mistake, I admit it, and then we can all move on.

4. Don’t nickel and dime. It's okay and probably a good thing to occasionally do something for free. If the client has 30 minutes of extra work at the end of a project and I have already sent in the invoice, no problem. If the client wants to do a third or fourth revision, I do it. Once in a while, I have to set a boundary. But for a good client, it does pay later to go the extra mile today.

5. Have fun. If you have a sense of humor and it's clear that you enjoy your work, it rubs off in a positive way on your clients. Don't take yourself too seriously: try to get to know your clients a little bit. If you're a pleasant and interesting person to work with, and you deliver excellent work to boot, they're going to keep you around.

One of the toughest parts about being a consultant/freelancer is managing expectations. When you have multiple clients, sometimes they all want something from you at once. That can be stressful. Or, they may ask for something that's just unreasonable during the timeframe of a project. Those are the times when you have to get diplomatic and make sure you're not setting yourself up for failure. You may have to negotiate a little, but still ensure that the client knows you have a “can-do” attitude. It's a tricky balance, but nurturing client relationships is just part of the job.

Esteemed client: your lack of planning is not my disaster

Professionally, I refer to myself as a "communications consultant." But in reality, sometimes I think clients and prospects view me as: "sucker who will do anything for money or the promise of it."

Clients expect a lot, especially today, and generally speaking I'm happy to try and satisfy those needs in return for challenging work and a paycheck. However, when you are a freelance writer/marketer/editor/illustrator/designer, it seems like some folks think you're just dying to take their project at any price, under any conditions, because you are a creative and ultimately love what you do and will work at any hour of the day, weekends included, to fulfill your urge to produce meaningful content and change the world. You will even do some pro bono work if pushed. Sometimes all of those things are true —but I still don't like the underlying notion that while the client has lots of boundaries, I seem to have none (in their eyes, anyway).

A few months back, I made contact with a man who owns a startup software company. We had a few phone conversations and he called me into his office for a meeting about a blog that he wanted to produce with my help: one hour to learn about his company seemed like a fine investment of my time. After the meeting, several e-mails and other phone calls ensued with more requests for (apparently free) advice. Finally, I said to him: I think you're ready to get going on this project, so would you please send me over a contract so that we can officially begin work together? No contract materialized. Later, another e-mail appeared, stating that he had to put the blog project on hold to work on some other marketing activities. In my mind, the client was gone—at least for the near term. It happens, c'est la vie. But then, about a month later, I receive an e-mail from the guy, stating: "What happened, are you no longer interested in the blog project?" I replied: "I am indeed still interested, yet your last note to me asked me to hold off for now." I received no further replies or e-mails from him.

What the heck?

I have a real problem with flaky clients —and it seems like they are in ample abundance right now.

I don't put together a strategy plan for free, sorry. I am, however, willing to offer a few getting-started tips— which I did for this guy, to no avail.

Then there's the problem of getting things in writing. It shouldn't be hard -- but sometimes, it's like pulling teeth. A consultant should always have a work contract stating project scope, requirements, and agreed-upon rates and payment schedules. It not only protects the consultant but also the client. A couple of weeks ago, a new client sent over several legal docs for me to sign and fax back immediately. When I asked when I would see a contract for myself, she replied by e-mail: "I've never had this type of a request from freelancers. What exactly do you need? Is this e-mail good enough?"

I don't know, is it? Not for you guys, apparently.

She then went on to say how upright and honest her company is, how everyone always gets paid on time, and so on and so on. That's very nice, but it won't hold up in court. Anyway, I just don't get the big deal here: we're talking about a simple work contract, 200 words or less.

Another new client had a super tight deadline for me to accomplish this week— which I agreed to do, somewhat reluctantly, before our move to Colorado end of next week. The work was supposed to filter into my inbox a few days ago but hasn't appeared yet. Now, I have half the time to complete the project -- and I just don't see how it's going to get done. So I've prepared myself for the next conversation: you're going to need to hire some extra help pronto. I have provided a few reminders about my schedule— as I dutifully should. But I don't see this project ending well for them or for me. To be fair: who knows what's gone wrong here, but I'm expecting that I'll be asked to pick up the slack and if I say no, guilt pangs will certainly attack me in the middle of the night.

And then there's the problem of getting paid on time— don't get me started. But I will, soon, very soon… I have loads and loads of tips from my own experiences and others about how to handle late invoices. Fortunately, this hasn't happened a lot in my career, but enough to make me wonder what I can do to prevent it altogether. Late fees are often in my contracts, but that doesn't usually push a negligent or cash-strapped client to pay me any sooner.

Esteemed client, may I ask: are you late on your rent and utility bills?
Doubtfully. So why can't you just pay me on time, too?

Don't forget: I worked super hard for you, am highly ethical, and have bills to pay as well. This isn't clothing and vacation money—we do actually need to eat around here and buy toilet paper.

At this point you are possibly thinking: wow, is she ever ungrateful. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. I am from-the-bottom-of-my-heart thankful for every piece of work that I get these days, and for good clients, I will do everything humanly possible to meet their needs -- as long as it doesn't adversely affect my kids.

There is, however, one thing I can say say with certitude: some clients are worth losing, for your own sanity. Know when to cut the cord, respectfully of course, and work even harder for the clients who treat you well. Because when it's all said and done, the customer's always right (even when they're not).

Lowering expectations (can be) the key to happiness

By nature, I'm an idealist. As a young girl, I wanted to be an artist. Later, I imagined myself a photographer -- but my practical, scientifically-oriented father (he holds a PhD in Geophysics) informed me that it would be best to seek a career that actually paid. Darn. Then I went on to journalism school, hoping to catapult myself into the world of foreign correspondents, or diplomacy. Naturally, my first job was with a small, barely funded local newspaper in the suburbs of Denver, writing about the high school prom, burglaries, new restaurants, foreign exchange students, and other glamorous topics—for $7 dollars an hour.

You get the picture. Life isn't always what we expect; in fact, often it's quite foreign from how we had envisioned it when we were wrinkle-free and had few worries other than final exams and whether Joe Hunk will ever call back. (the photo here is of a much younger me, as a college student in Italy...the world was my oyster!)

In my visions as a teen, I was going to be married at the age of 28, traveling internationally at least twice a year, living in a tranquil ocean-side home, doing meaningful, intellectually-stimulating, and well-paying work. Yep, that's just about how things have worked out—minus a few details. I do get paid well for my work, when I get it. So that part, thankfully, came true.

Disappointment comes in many different forms, I've learned.

Sometimes, our image of ourselves is cruelly-shattered, with no warning, from the people whom we love the most.

This morning, which happened to be my birthday, I was driving my four-year-old daughter to preschool, who cheerfully announced from the back seat: "I wish Cooper's mom was my mommy. She has really pretty hair and nice clothes and I really wish that she was my mommy."

Silence.
"Huh,” I replied, in my best "who cares" voice.
"But you are my sweetie lovey-girl mommy and I love you."

Somehow, she redeemed herself with that statement. But still—if I am not appealing to her now, what will she think when she's 13… and I am… over the hill?

As working parents, particularly those of the female genotype, we can be viciously hard on ourselves. We must be perfectly on time, intelligent and responsive to clients! We must always shop organic, cook delicious meals that are never from the freezer, and God forbid give our child a second cookie or more than 10 grams of sugar per day!

We must exercise regularly, straining our stomach muscles because they are the "core" of our physique and without the core we are toast, lift weights 4x/week to avoid the drooping shoulder syndrome of aging women, get plenty of rest, drink 64 ounces of water daily so that our skin doesn't look like a grey sack of potatoes by the time we are 40, use natural cleaning products, attend every field trip at the children's school, volunteer at the children's school at least once a week because they don't have enough help, blah blah blah.

I would like to offer, that it's okay, occasionally, to skip the regular workout. God, nor your mother, will judge you if you serve chicken tenders and pizza from the freezer -- two nights in a row. It's okay, occasionally, to have a glass of wine at 4 PM. You will still be a respectable person if you actually decide not to volunteer at school, church, or elsewhere this year, because you need time with your family.

It's particularly hard for some people to lower their standards and be content with what they can achieve without killing themselves— and look back with fondness at where they have come from and the good people in their lives they been fortunate enough to know and befriend. Because at a certain point, something's got to give—either your standards or your sanity. Trust me, from someone who's been on the other side of sanity at least once in her life, you don't want to go there.

Here's a benefit of working for yourself: when you have a slow week, that's an invitation to actually go do something that you couldn't do if you work in an office for the big mean boss: go to the gym for the "executive workout" in the hot tub, grab a book and head to your favorite coffee shop, call a friend, see a funny movie, walk your dog, shop for something relatively inexpensive yet frivolous. Oh, and here's a wild and crazy idea: take a nap.

If you're like me, and you feel guilty even thinking about doing such things when you could be working on your business, pursuing new clients, cleaning the floors, or revamping your webpage: don’t. I am now giving you a coupon for a guilt-free afternoon before the children come scampering and screaming home from school or daycare, demanding dinner in five minutes and your complete undivided attention at the same time.

Speaking of lowering expectations, we are doing a "staycation" next week, instead of spending money we don't have on a relaxing, lovely, inspirational, stunningly picturesque vacation at a beach resort. I expect to be disappointed -- but I'm also planning to surprise myself (and the little ones) with some fun things to do that don't cost a lot of money. We will go on nature hikes and collect rocks, splash around at the health club pool, eat take-out a couple of nights, and concoct munificent tropical drinks. The kids will stay up a bit late. We’ll eat yummy and occasionally unhealthy snacks. We will do as little housework as possible. And finally, we will lower our expectations about the experience -- and hopefully, be pleasantly surprised at the outcome.