The month of November is here with us and very soon, multiple year-end holidays will follow.
Beginning with Black Friday (is that even a holiday?), followed by Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, up until when the party stops on New Year’s eve.
What this also means for freelancers is that you’re going to get that uncomfortable feeling that comes from the sudden influx of clients – either the existing ones you haven’t heard from in a while; or perhaps the new ones you’ll be hearing from for the first time.
You know, the slackers who only show up once a year on Fiverr, UpWork or wherever else they find you from – all scrambling for last minute help on the verge of the new year.
The the kind of client who has suddenly realized that its 30 days to year-end, and yet their allocated budget is only 65% spent; or performance reviews are looming, and there’s lots of unfinished projects.
They therefore decide to go on a “use it or lose it” spending spree mode.
What this translates into is that they harass you with tight deadlines; contact you at 3 a.m. your local time (because you’re half way around the world from them and on a different time zone); and their response rate doubles that of your average client.
You don’t want to have to put up with the inconveniences above day in and day out, so below are 9 ways to make sure these festive season clients never ever come back to you with more work after the season ends:
1. Focus on your existing clients.
Avoid soliciting for clients during the festive season.
And by all means, don’t welcome any clients you have never worked with before.
2. On your initial call or chat with your regular clients that you haven’t heard from in a long while, say, “Look who’s here… Long time, no see … You don’t think spending this extra cash you held up on so tightly during the year, is going to get you out of the kennel, do you?”
3. Make sure all your communication and actions reminds clients that its the verge of the new year, there’s limited time and talent, therefore you’re doing them a favor and that they’re at your mercy.
4. Make your official website so difficult to navigate that only the regulars know if clicking on a certain tab leads to the Affiliate’s Disclosure Page, Contact Me Page, or Google’s Policy Page.
5. When emailing completed work to a client, remember to sign off with your favorite quote by Dwight Eisenhower:
Organizations cannot make a genius out of an incompetent. On the other hand, disorganization can scarcely fail to result in efficiency.
6. If working with a team, assign the project to the least experienced team member and don’t bother to cross-check the final output.
7. Find a way to tie your best wishes for the festive season message into a soliloquy on how festive seasons are synonymous with big spending, so as to find justification for over-charging them.
8. Don’t bother telling the clients when is the most appropriate time to contact you. Just ignore the 3 a.m. communications.
9. Be adamant when it comes to incorporating client feedback and suggestions into the project.
Of course, if you actually care about getting repeat business and/or new clients by taking advantage of the opportunities that result from the pressures of the festive season, you might as well consider doing just the opposite.
Image Credit: nuttakit at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
