It doesn’t happen very often, but it has happened to me twice in ten days.
Last week, I had a client kick a project back to me. The client didn’t ask me to revise the project; instead, he said “I’ve already paid you for this half, don’t bother with the other half. This just isn’t what I was looking for.” Upon reflection, I realized that he was right; I’d written the material with a fever of 101.6, and it wasn’t my best work. Not by a long shot.
I had another client, just today, email me saying that she was dissatisfied with my product. In her case, I bit off more than I could chew. Because of that, I didn’t produce the deliverable in a timely fashion.
Now, I’ll gladly take my licks here. In both of these cases, I made mistakes. In the first, I let a product go out, not realizing that it didn’t meet client specs. The fever, well, that’s incidental. I should have known better than to try to write in that condition.
In the second case, I just overestimated how many hours were in a day, and how much time I’d have to meet the client’s expectations.
So, what do I do?
I’m going to do what I’ve always done.
I’m going to admit my mistakes.
I’ve done that, right here. Confession is good for the soul and, while those two clients likely won’t read this, I’ve already contacted them, offering my apologies and trying to set things right. I hate for there to be bad blood between me and anyone, for any reason.
I’m going to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
This was a tough lesson to learn. My instinct is to become indignant. “I was sick! You have to give me another shot!” is what I want to say. But I realize something: as a freelancer, I alone am responsible for what I deliver to clients. If it’s not my best work, every time, then it’s not good enough. If I’m sick, I need to ask for an extension. Better yet, I’ve decided to push out my editorial calendar a bit, just to get a little bit of extra wiggle room for emergencies. So, rather than offering a turnaround time of a week on a project, from now on I might ask for ten days, or even two weeks.
In the other case, I’m learning to let my assistant handle more and more tasks. She’s amazing at what she does, and when I’m overwhelmed she helps me sort it all out. I’m learning to let her help prioritize tasks, figure out which ones can wait, which ones can be outsourced, and which ones I have to jump on right away.
I’m going to focus on the positives.
it’s easy, when a client drops you or when a project gets kicked back, to start dragging yourself through the mud. You start telling yourself you aren’t good enough, that you have no business writing for a living, that you suck at business. But those are damn dirty lies, folks.
I’ve worked with more than a dozen clients in the past month. The overwhelming majority are thrilled with my work. If I extend those numbers out to the past year, I’ve only had three incidents where clients didn’t like what I provided, out of more than a hundred. Those aren’t bad odds.
So, I’m going to dig through some old emails. You know the ones I’m talking about. The ones that put you on top of the world for a full day after you get them. The ones you print out and tape to your desk, just like my kids do when they bring home a test with an “A.”
So, what about you? What do you do when you have a setback of your own making?
photo credit: Dawn Ashley
13 comments ↓
Yes, yes…I just started my full-time writing business on July 7 and immediately had 4 clients! One client wanted much more work than she contracted for…constant revisions; she expected me to be at her beck and call. I finally finished the project. She was about 75% satisfied…not that she would ever be 100% based on what she thought her ROI should have been. I finally billed her for 1/2 of those extra hours I put in and she paid me reluctantly.
I guess I won’t get any referrals from her; but I will send her a holiday card along with my other clients.
I love using an editorial calendar. Helps a lot. But oh, to get a full-time assistant! I do contract my very smart daughter to help out when she has time and I have $ to pay her. That’ll have to do for now…
I do get overwhelmed; the price of success, I guess…hubby said that picture could definitely be me!
Bob, thanks so much for your site…it has been immensely helpful to me…
Beautifully handled and articulated. You should be proud.
Writer Dads last blog post..I Said Stop.
@ Waterprise - I’m of the opinion that, as long as you keep it professional, there never needs to be bad blood with a client. There’s usually a solution to be found, unless the client just simply disappears with your work (another issue altogether).
And, yes, the editorial calendar is a must. I do one every Monday, and it really helps me stay on track.
Success can indeed be overwhelming at times. There’s nothing I’d rather be overwhelmed by, though!
@ Writer Dad - Thanks! I appreciate the thought.
Great post, Bob. And timely. Some planet somewhere must be aligned haphazardly because this very thing happened to me on Tuesday (my blog post on the incident is slated for tomorrow). I wrote a fantastic story on nurses with addictions. Only….I was supposed to write a fantastic story on drugs that combat addiction. Yea. Way off.
What I did - I started rewriting immediately. Hey, I screwed up. The contract clearly states what I was supposed to deliver. I gotta fix it. Luckily the editor has enough time for me to do that.
In any setback of your own doing, you suck it up and move on. You fix it if you can, and you learn to be more careful. Even the best athletes miss a play now and again. :))
Loris last blog post..If You Answer to No One, Is That a Good Thing?
@ Lori - You’ll forgive me, but I think that’s hilarious! Not because you goofed up, but because I’ve done the same type of thing. Fortunately, I caught that one before it went to the client.
I’m a big fan of “suck it up and move on.” I do think we have to learn from mistakes, but you can’t let them destroy you. That’s the key.
Thanks for stepping up to the plate and giving us a poignant reminder of what this business is sometimes about.
Life is about balance, we celebrate the good times and muddle through the bad. It’s critically important to not focus in on, or hold on to, the bad stuff. Don’t let it fester. Spew it out and move on, as best you can.
Thanks for the reminder that we’re all human.
George
Tumblemooses last blog post..Yikes! I HAVE to Quit my Day Job!!
LOL I think we’ve all done that ‘write the wrong topic’ thing before.
I dumped several of those on one of those get paid to write sites, just fr publicity. Better there than collecting dust on my hard drive.
Jamie Simmermans last blog post..Pick Another Pen Men Brain: Charlie Pabst
Getting there. One of the things that I’m doing is implimenting a review in my ‘process,’ before I close the project. It’s fairly lightweight, but I ask: what could I have done better, what did I retain that I can reuse, etc.
Also: expect it. I expect, just days prior to the launch of my business…9-14% churn. I’m doing project management for people, right, and I expect to be not retained by that amount. Because if it’s less I’m not spending enough time selling…and bringing in new business.
genuinechris johnsons last blog post..Perverse Incentives Of Consulting Firms
[...] Handling Writing Setbacks at the Writing Journey. [...]
At least you’re trying AND acknowledging your mistakes (as well as learning your lesson). Nothing teaches like experience, and now you’ll know for next time!
–Debs last blog post..Now, Better Customer Service!
Hi, Bob. Maybe next time you can inform your client if you really can’t meet the deadline like if you’re sick. They will usually understand your situation. But be sure to suggest a tentative date for the new deadline, meet it and blow them away.
Good luck!
Cedric Solidons last blog post..Why Now is the Best Time to be a Freelancer or to Start a Business
Hey, this writing business we’re all ensconced in is nothing if not a huge learning curve. Just as soon as we figure out and master some challenging aspect of it, something else is apt to come along and challenge us some more.
This is one of the most effective ways we learn, though, isn’t it? Thanks for sharing your failures; we all know they mean you will succeed because of them.
These days, a lot of writers I know are especially concerned about the economy and how that will affect the lives of writers. My feeling is that we can only hope to try and fail in order to succeed, so in that way, I don’t think the world has changed that much for us. Whenever there’s a downward spiral, a creative person who’s engaged in the world will always find a way to keep from sinking into the quagmire because, let’s face it, we’ve all been down there before.
Tamara Sellman || Writer’s Rainbow:
“The creative writer’s guide to mucking through the apocalypse”
http://writersrainbow.blogspot.com/2008/10/creative-writers-guide-to-mucking.html
TKSellmans last blog post..RE: ephemera from the writing life
Work it, baby, work it! Take what you’ve written and use it somewhere else. If you don’t think you can sell it to a magazine or e-zine, email a website and ask if you can write a guest post. Or, post it on your blog and tear it apart: edit and rewrite it until it’s perfect.
For me, the best way to deal with situations like this is to use it somehow….it could lead to a whole new client or opportunity!
Laurie Pawlik-Kienlens last blog post..A Panel of Editors, Agents and Publishers Answer Writing, Submission, and Book Marketing Questions
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