All posts with the ‘ communication ’ Tag

Dear Person With a Great Idea/Product/Opportunity and Little and/or No Money,

Welcome to the blog! I understand that you’re in search of some high quality work  from a freelancer but don’t have a lot of cash on hand.

You may have found this site by Googling “Getting freelancers to work for free” or someone you’ve approached for work may have sent you to this post … Read More

When you’re starting out freelancing it can be terribly difficult to turn down clients. Each possible new client doesn’t look like work, they look like groceries for the week or the gas bill or a car payment. You need  money to pay for these things, and so you need this client.

But that’s not necessarily true.… Read More

Alright freelancers! Let’s kick some butt and take some names, shall we? The Ace Freelancer’s Guide to Asking Questions continues with questions that can help you win friends and influence people.… Read More

If you’ve ever had trouble getting much needed information from your clients, this week’s installment of the Ace Freelancer’s Guide to Asking Questions is for you!… Read More

Questions are some of the easiest, cheapest, and most time-efficient tools you can use to get better results from your negotiations.

But people don’t use them.

When I ask freelancers why they avoid asking questions in their negotiations, I get one of two responses: they don’t know how to ask questions effectively, or they worry they’ll come off as rude if they ask too many … Read More

When I talk to freelancers and artists about why they’re afraid of negotiating I often hear

“What if I don’t know what to say? What if they say something outrageous and I don’t know what to say and end up blurting out ‘yes’?”

It’s a perfectly rational thing to worry about. And you wouldn’t be the first one to do it if it happened.

There … Read More

If you want to know how to write a better client email, an email that will be understood and appreciated, an email whose directions will be followed, scratch these words out in a bold color on fine paper and hang it right above your desk:

It’s not about what you want to say, it’s about what you want them to hear.… Read More

You’ve been working merrily along with a client or collaborator. Things are going well and you’ve had good results so far.

Now you’ve reached a crossroads and you need them to make a decision, sign off on the work, or pay an invoice.

You, being a good reader of this blog, tackle the issue head on and ask for the other person’s input, approval or … Read More