Freelancer Roundtable 2012!!

This marks the fourth year of the annual Freelancer Podcast with Dylan Meconis, Erika Moen & Bill Mudron.… Read More

Unsucking Small Talk

“So what do you do for fun?”

I was at a party and had just been introduced to a friend of a friend. Unfortunately, my friend was called away almost immediately and we two not-quite strangers were left staring at one another.

And that’s when it happened.

That is when a seemingly simple question made me want to run screaming from the building.

Small talk … Read More

Good Advice #9: But I Hate the Phone

It’s time to answer another question from a dashingly attractive reader!

This week’s Good Advice conundrum is as tough as it is common: what do you do when you want to handle a conflict but you hate talking to people on the phone?… Read More

For Your Bag of Tricks

What if you knew exactly what to say when your client comes to you with the most ridiculous, impossible, outrageous requests?

What if you knew the magic words to make your client reconsider their horrible idea and give into your expertise?

What if you could stop having to delicately explain that your client’s 14 year-old’s idea for the new website is, well, terrible?

Friends, I … Read More

Be a Freelance Rock Star

No matter what it is you do—design, act, write or make music—learning the business of freelancing can be hard.

Business skills aren’t usually taught in school. Even if you’re lucky enough to land a class with a helpful teacher,  the teacher isn’t there when a client calls demanding (another) revision and I’ve yet to see a “textbook example” in real life.

Education by experience is … Read More

What to Do After They Say “No”

One of the biggest fears that novice negotiators have is hearing the word, “No.”

They think that “No” means rejection, means an end before things really begin, means failure.

But it doesn’t. Not really.

“No” is a point in a negotiation, but it’s not the end of the conversation. It’s an opportunity for you to learn more about the client and figure out if this … Read More

Horrible Disease Affecting Negotiators. Are You at Risk?

Have you ever described a difficult negotiation by saying:

“They’re being unreasonable.” or “I don’t know why they don’t care about fixing this.” or “They’re just jerks; that’s the problem.”

If you answered “yes” you may be suffering from a serious, but curable, condition known as conflictus conflatiitis.  … Read More

Why Email is Awful

You’ve been emailing back and forth with a client about the details of a new job: hours, what you’ll do, what you won’t, and of course, how much you’ll get paid. You think you’ve laid everything out fairly clearly in your last email and are feeling good that this negotiation is (finally) coming to a close.

Just then an email from the client pops up … Read More