Little Red Flags that Whisper, “Don’t Write Copy for This Guy!”
April 2nd, 2008 Dina at Wordfeeder.comI’m not going to lie to you. Some people just do not work well together, and that’s that.
There may be a host of reasons for the mismatch. The reasons may have nothing to do with words like “lazy,” “inept,” “incompetent,” “micromanager,” “control freak” and other easy-stick labels. These are black and white excuses, but real people dress in shades of gray.
The truth is that sometimes we encounter good enough folks with good enough intentions… but a communication breakdown happens for whatever reason. Stress? A rushed and/or poorly planned project? A difference in workstyles and temperament? Maybe even a fundamental difference in the way each of your brains processes information.
You may even question, “Are there other people in this world who not only ‘get’ what this dude or gal is about, but find themselves MORE productive as a result of dealing with him or her?” And it will truly mystify you.
Here are some silly little red flags that pop up during the very early stages of writing copy for a new client. If any of these happen in your dealings with a new freelance prospect, RUN.
1. You and the client misinterpret each other’s words within the first thirty seconds of speaking to each other.
2. Your client cracks a joke and snickers at his own humor but the joke does not make you laugh.
3. You laugh when you think that the client is making a joke, but you find out later that it was not a joke. The client wants to know why you are laughing.
4. The client asks you a question like “Can you do this for me?” So you answer, “Well, I certainly hope so… but there’s only one way to find out!”
(Because that’s the most truthful answer. You really don’t know because he’s a brand new client. You don’t know if his expectations will reasonable in your estimation. You don’t know what his preferred “tone” is and you also don’t know his method of working or if he will be amenable to yours. You can try like hell, but you just won’t know until you know).
And the client responds to your ‘truthful answer’ with, “I need to know if you are an honest girl.”
5. The client writes you an email that says, “…Do not sleep AT ALL, just work, that sounds reasonable does it not?” and this time you DO laugh at his joke.
But then you actually stay up all night worrying about this huge, looming deadline of his and how you will be able to just slip easily into the picture having never worked for him before and having received NO creative direction or even a word count on the content.
If this ever happens to you, the situation may not turn out to be a total loss. But if you’re at all pressed for time or embroiled in other projects… do NOT take the work.
Ever encounter a situation where you and your client are like oil and water? How did you handle it? Did you suffer to the bitter end, or cut loose early in?
The copywriter would love to know.
Dina at Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing
Popularity: 5% [?]
Email Dina@Wordfeeder.com for a copywriting or website marketing quote today.
April 2nd, 2008 at 8:13 pm
I think we’ve all had clients like this. One red flag I’d like to add is when you have a client that approves your copy - tells you what a good job you’ve done - and then comes back a few days later telling you that it’s unacceptable. Best to just part ways before it gets ugly, because it usually will.
April 2nd, 2008 at 9:29 pm
Oh, definitely… I could get really into this and do an entirely new article on the BIG red flags.
Thanks for the comment, Mike.
April 8th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Oh yes - this one’s sooooo familiar. Next to no brief, short Friday afternoon desk-clearing deadline, then fiddle, fiddle, fiddle with the words. What started out as a reasonable old hack of a horse soon turns into a lame donkey.
It’s even better when they get the sales force to critique your work - not to check the facts, but to give their opinion on copy and design. Copywriters should be sales people, and sales people have a powerful role to play - but critiquing creative work isn’t one of them.
Then, after all that, the writer gets the blame.
The skill - in my view - is then down to managing the client to find a way to work together. That takes a LOT of diplomacy and a conscious decision to try to educate the client. Sometimes it’s just easier to wave goodbye…
April 9th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Hi, Mark. I agree, nobody likes a lame donkey. ;)
It really is too bad that we’re forced to “manage the client” as you say, instead of manage the project which is what a copywriter is hired for. But hey, I guess that’s to be expected.
I checked out your website - really nice. Come back and visit again soon.