What’s on the iPod: Gee Baby by Joe & Ann
I’m making good progress on my big project. Having talked with the client, I’m feeling confident that I know what they want. I had provided them with a rough draft for review, because I wanted to get a sense for where their expectations are in relation to mine.
Seems we were close. Another quick phone call helped nail down exactly what they want, so I’m feeling pretty good about getting this done for them within their time frame.
Still, that first draft had me sweating.
You know the feeling — you’re working with a new client or even an existing client, and you send over the first draft. Will they like it? If not, how will they react? The smart client will understand the process includes revisions. The client who isn’t used to working with freelancers — yea, those are the ones you can lose in a heartbeat.
In fact, I’ve lost a few who weren’t thrilled with the first draft. One more recent client paid me half my fee and said thank you, but didn’t give me the chance to understand what they wanted that they weren’t seeing. It was a slightly impossible task for other reasons, but I’ll never know if I could have nailed it for them. They didn’t wait for the revisions.
It’s a problem for freelance writers who have it in their heads that the first draft is just that — a draft. But not every client understands how to work with a writer. So maybe we need to teach them.
Here’s what I’ve done to help alleviate the initial-draft shock:
Explain the process. Depending on the client, I’ve either told them on the phone, in email (usually both) or attached my “How to work with a freelancer” document. Telling them the first draft is not the final draft can do a lot to lower the anxiety level (on your side as well as theirs) and get you to the revisions stage.
Schedule a call. I’ve used Google Drive or even just an emailed copy and walked the clients through the changes. We discuss, hash out what doesn’t work, and I keep them talking to me. The worst thing that can happen is you reduce it to email and they get timid or apathetic about working with you to get it right.
Leave comments. I love using comments in drafts to engage the client in the process. Clients are partners in the writing process. Partners talk to each other and bounce ideas back and forth. Putting questions/comments in the draft serves this purpose, and it shows you’re interested in doing the job right.
Include a bullet-point overview. When there are big changes, or where I’m working with someone new, I like to give a list of things I’ve done or an explanation of what they’ll see and why. Spelling out what they’ll see before they open the attachment can help lessen the shock and get you both on the same page.
Writers, how do you reduce writing client shock?
What’s the worst reaction you’ve ever had to a first draft?
Were you able to resolve it?
"You know the feeling — you're working with a new client or even an existing client, and you send over the first draft. Will they like it? If not, how will they react?"
Great minds Lori. 😉 I just scheduled a post for later this month that touches on this very issue — confidence & self-doubt and how they can occasionally go hand-in-hand in freelancing.
I had a new client this week, and I found myself a bit more nervous than usual about the project. It was just a press release. I've written hundreds of them. I've landed major media coverage for clients with them. I have plenty of PR experience, especially with creative types — this was for a pair of co-authors for their book launch. But I still get nervous, especially when my clients are other writers. I never know what they expect, how they'll react, whether or not they're stuck on certain style rules where they might object to traditional release formatting, etc. Thankfully they were very happy with it. 🙂 But no matter how long you're in this business, nerves can still be an issue. As long as they don't cripple us (and we don't ignore them to the point of taking confidence to cockiness), it can be very healthy, not to mention all the more rewarding when we make a new client happy. 🙂
The worst reaction I received to a first draft? Silence. That deafening, knees gone to mush experience that you know speaks volumes.
Although I always explain it's a draft when I send it. And I tell them to let me know when they are ready to discuss their edits/feedback, this new client did none of that. When they finally surfaced, they said they were disappointed and did the rewrites themselves.
When I received the final version, from my point of view, it had few edits and was not that far off from my original.
I just sent a first draft to another new client (who is very BAD about communicating) so I am sitting here with the Jeopardy tune rolling through my brain. 😉
One of my policies is to always insist on a phone call for revisions for first-time clients instead of email. It's essential to help us get to know each other and ensure we are on the same page moving forward. If there are extensive revisions for a longstanding client, same deal. With most established clients, though, we get into a rhythm where most edits are small and easily handled by email.
Eileen, I do the same thing because I agree that I think it's so much better to talk live to hear the concerns/feedback. Unfortunately, this one never gave me the chance. 🙁
Lori, I wonder if the whole leaving comments comes from doing resume work – the people I worked with had me ask and highlight things that weren't clear to me, or needed more information.
Whenever I send something to a new client, I always say, "Please let me know if you have any questions or need any changes made. Remember, my goal is to come as close to what you were expecting as possible."
With exiting clients I just say, "Let me know if you have any questions."
When I do copy editing for a certain corporate client (technically, my client's client), I include a bullet point list explaining any changes I feel their marketing people (often know-it-all wanna-be writers who wrote the initial copy) will insist on re-correcting – incorrectly, of course. When possible.
I've been lucky so far– no clients who went that far with their "disappointment". But I've had clients who did not respond to several emails asking for feedback, only to call at improbable times weeks later to ask that something got changed.
At least, they let ME change it. They didn't do it themselves.
But yes, first drafts always give me the shivers. I add a lot of comments and premises, often drafts get approval as-is, or with minor edits before they get published, but the scare feeling is there, always as intense as the first time.
I know, not fun. ^^'
~ Luana
Jenn, I can't imagine you being worried! You're clearly on top of your game, but I know what you mean. It's the "newness" sometimes. And for other writers — forget it! I'd be a ball of nerves!
Cathy, same thing. The client who didn't communicate disappointment until he said goodbye will never know if I could "get" what he does because I was never given the chance. Silence is a freelance writer's worst enemy, I think.
Excellent policy, Eileen. I know when it's a new client, hammering it out on the phone makes it easier to feel that connection that's so necessary.
Paula, that could be. I know it's something I've done since starting resume writing. Great idea on giving bullet points on what the marketing wonks will change –that lessens the blow and shows you know how to work with them!
Luanna, consider yourself very lucky! I've had former clients express huge dissatisfaction right about the time the final invoice with the threat of legal action hits their in boxes. If only their dissatisfaction weren't an obvious attempt to not pay…
Ooo, that first-draft feeling… I always have to force myself to stop agonizing, hit the "send" button, and don't stress.
A couple months ago I had a new client not give me a chance to work with him at all. I sent the draft, he paid me, but said he didn't like it, no edits were necessary, he would just go with another writer. Even though I always make it clear that I'm happy to edit until they're happy. Oh well! I guess we just weren't a good fit. Plenty of other fish in the sea 🙂
Keri, isn't that the toughest thing to understand? Could be one of many things:
– He doesn't know exactly what he wants, but thinks he'll know it when he sees it.
– His cousin/friend/drinking buddy is going to take a stab at it.
– He found a cheaper writer.
– He wanted to do it himself.
– He didn't communicate well enough for you to get what he wanted.
– He doesn't understand that no writer gets it right on the first draft.
– He really didn't like it for whatever reason (and you'll never know why).
That's one of those shake-it-off moments. Can't please them all, and it's better to cut bait than try to please someone who isn't interested.
Thanks so much, Lori! Have to remind myself sometimes I can't expect to be a mind-reader (and my clients shouldn't either 😉