Writing with an "attitude"?

Hi,
I know we are in the service industry and theres a very thin line that separates writers who serve their clients with an "attitude" and those who are rude.
Now, when you know your services are better than others, you tend to be picky about your clients. Is it Okay to chuck a few clients out at the cost of others?
I don't know if some of you have faced this precarious situation before or not, but recently, I have been contacted by a number of people who want petty work done. I gave a forthright negative reply. Some deemed as being a "high headed" reply. Is it so?
Let me know your views on this
Regards
Jeewant

 

I think you can turn down work without making the client feel bad for approaching you. Just let them know you are booked, that their budget isn't going to work for you, that you aren't accepting new clients, or that you don't write the type of thing they need--without an attitude. Then, if you want to really be nice, you can give them the name of a writer who might be happy to take on the project.

Getting an attitude with clients--whether it's rude, cocky, or overly sassy isn't going to get you a good reputation. Also, what happens later when the client's budget and projects improve? They certainly aren't going to approach you for help.

Also, how I feel about the quality of my services over others shouldn't have anything to do with how I treat potential clients. If a client approaches me and doesn't like my price and tells me that another writer will do it for less, then I explain that if the other writer's price is closer to their budget they should definitely go to that writer. No attitude, no hurt feelings, and no animosity or insulting attitude about the other writer.

Don't waste your time thinking about how much better you are when you could be spending time working toward how much better you can be.

 

I still try to be nice as much as possible. If they say they can't afford my rates, I nicely tell them that I could refer them to others who might be interested if they wanted to. Most of the time, they never reply.

Or if I'm in the mood, and see outright that they're the cheap-ass type of client, I quote them ginormous rates and imagine they jaw drop as they read my email.

There's nothing bad about telling them that, "this is what I charge, if you can't afford it, then there's no deal." Again, it's a business. I'll only work with people who's willing to pay for my time.

 

It's one thing to be assertive, but you probably don't need to get an "attitude" with them over something like that. I very rarely manage to squeeze in new clients anymore. Unless it looks like a really appealing gig, I usually just refer them to someone else. It tends to work out well that way. Often they come back for another project later if I let them know when I might have an opening again. Just this week I turned down some work with a past client and referred him to another writer because the topics weren't things I write about (I specialize in certain subject areas). He still came back and ordered more afterwards within the areas I do cover. That kind of thing happens often enough. Build your network and refer out what you can't (or don't want to) do.

On the other hand, when I (on a rare occasion) get a PM here from someone wanting to know if I can place a bid on their service thread (where they're paying $.01 per word or something absurd like that), I don't acknowledge it with a response other than sending a link to my rate page for the service. If your info is there for them to see and they won't bother looking, they're probably not the kind of client you'd want anyway.

 

Personally I don't like when people try to get me to do their petty work.
If I'm going to write you good articles you should pay me 'good'

 

If you're marketing yourself well, you just can't do all the projects that come in.

And if you're networking with others, you might have to spend a lot of time turning stuff down, who knows. Sometimes it sucks when you can't take a fun, cool project.

The best route is to simply explain to the person why you can't do the project (conflicts with morals, no time, don't feel you're a good fit for them—recommend someone else if possible, and so on).

Sometimes I get overwhelmed with quote requests, but I try to always reply with a quote even if I'm not going to do the project just so the person has it for a reference. I think it shows sincerity.

BTW, I've given quotes to people I know for a fact wanted "AdSense" writing for $3 an article. Doesn't bother me. Maybe one day they need something else.

If you're dealing with larger companies (or get a request from a larger company), ALWAYS go the extra mile and play nice with all. People move around and you never know—speaking from profitable experience.

CLOSER

Learn these words: I'm sorry [name]

As much as possible, be courteous and let your professionalism shine. Can't please them all (boy do I know this), but at the end of the day, many people will respect you more—and some just won't care.

 

He he he/// personally i write with attitude.. i dont care wat others say aor think but attitude is must fr me...

 

If someone is giving you a slap in the face offer then some tude may be warrented, the thing I try to keep in mind is that they may be able to refer me to a higher paying client, in which case I'm glad I didn't burn that bridge.

Nice R1 btw Jeewant, looks like we have two of them on this thread...is it yours?

 

You probably will have to deal with some less than desireable clients at first. Usually if you price really low (like $3 for a 500 word article) you will eventually get those that do not see you as an integral part of their business plan, but rather a lackey and will treat you as such. It has been my experience that as you go, you will naturally raise your rates and this will get to a higher "class" of client. The best way to deal with a rude client is to be geneal, friendly, polite, do the job and then just be "too busy" to take them on. You can write with attitude if that's what the client requires but never take attitude with the client, even if they are being naughty. Your reputation is far too important.

 

Yeah you really have to be nice as much as possible.
People has different attitude, and its very unpredictable.
I have encountered this before but not with Article stuff, just related with SEO.
Let's always be calm and low our pride.
If you're choosy enough in getting new clients and if there are new applicants coming you can actually
turn them down without hurting or discouraging them. Or just refer them to another, If you can't take the work.

 

I've found that the best way to turn down a business opportunity that is "undesirable" - that is, you don't want to hear from them anymore - is to make your reply polite and as short as practically possible (because the longer your reply, the more they have to read, and so the more involved they feel with you!).

I'm sorry, but due to existing commitments I cant accept your project.

Best Regards,

My Name

It's short, it's polite, and you are being honest with yourself.

The deliberate punctuation error (cant vs can't) is optional. I learned from author Dave Barry to use punctuation to help emphasize my intent, and not always according to proper rules...!

 

I usually turn down the clients who have a lot of demands. In other words, not the way I like to work. Some clients want things to be done how they want it to be. And I usually don't even bother to reply.

And yes, if you help other people you will naturally get good reputation. Other day, a new guy on DP asked which are the best guyz providing link building service.

I simply jotted down some guyz I know who are good and can help the guy. But, then I also mentioned my name. The guy was quite impressed by my help and said most guyz on DP never replied when he asked the same question.

So, again when people ask you to write content for them, you should never be rude as you have a chance of them returning with new work or another chance of them reffing you to their Colleagues.

This whole thing is a community, if you help people they will return back to you or refer your work.

So, yeah you can always show your attitude in your writing and not to the client. This is one of the ways you can impress people by your work.

Hope this helps.

pro.seods

 

But that can lead to your "brand" image being practically ruined...isn't?

 

I'm not familiar with Dave Barry, but I'm thinking that he was referring to other punctuation marks with what he said. Like how an exclamation point can make your sentence sound forceful, and how dashes can be used to break the thought of the sentence.

While it's alright to break certain rules when writing, there are some rules that could ruin your brand when you break them, as jeewant mentioned.

 

Keep in mind, Dave Barry is a satirist--he may not have actually meant that literally. Also, improper punctuation to make a point is one thing (like, maybe too many commas in order to take a heavy hand in the pacing of your reader), but what point is your missing apostrophe making?

 

Not to mention that as a writer, people will discredit you faster than water sliding down a sheet of plastic wrap that's coated in cooking spray if they see anything wrong with your communication, especially simple things.

 

Exactly how?

If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?

If you make a minor punctuation error in a private email, and no one else sees it, does it make any difference?

This isn't turning down IBM - we're talking about turning down an UNDESIRABLE client, right?

For myself, I've got a damned good reputation. Of course, like any successful person, I've got my detractors - but against the din of my reputation they are about as loud as an ant pissing on cotton.