All posts in the ‘ Dealing with People ’ Category

I hate hearing stories about attorneys who don’t listen to their clients and write them indecipherable contracts that the client can’t understand.

That’s ridiculous! How can you use something in your business if you can’t understand it?

So today, gather round, my freelance ninjas, because I’m going to teach you how to talk back to lawyers.… Read More

If you find yourself in a contentious negotiation where you’re both digging into your positions and you’re pretty sure everything the other side says is either stupid, crazy or both: I have one, simple piece of advice to help turn things around and get you what you need.

Make friends with that stupid, crazy person sitting across from you.… Read More

One of the lessons about negotiating that was easy for me to understand, but that I still have a hard time incorporating into my practice, is that it’s a waste of time to get caught up in what I think of the person I’m negotiating with.

For instance, if I’m negotiating with someone that I think is a real jerk, it’s not helpful to the … Read More

Dear Person With a Great Idea/Product/Opportunity and Little and/or No Money,

Welcome to the blog! I understand that you’re in search of some high quality work  from a freelancer but don’t have a lot of cash on hand.

You may have found this site by Googling “Getting freelancers to work for free” or someone you’ve approached for work may have sent you to this post … Read More

When you’re starting out freelancing it can be terribly difficult to turn down clients. Each possible new client doesn’t look like work, they look like groceries for the week or the gas bill or a car payment. You need  money to pay for these things, and so you need this client.

But that’s not necessarily true.… Read More

You’ve been working merrily along with a client or collaborator. Things are going well and you’ve had good results so far.

Now you’ve reached a crossroads and you need them to make a decision, sign off on the work, or pay an invoice.

You, being a good reader of this blog, tackle the issue head on and ask for the other person’s input, approval or … Read More

Last week I got to join some of the fine folks from Freelancers Union and a number of freelancers from around Oregon to talk about, well, freelancing.

One of the many topics that came up was how best to educate clients so they understand what it means to work with a freelancer. Or at least so they don’t provide fodder for Clients From Hell.… Read More

I’ve found that when people first start negotiating, they tend to put a high priority on being fair.

Being fair is generally a very honorable pursuit. But in negotiations fairness does not always mean what you think it means. At least, not to the other side.… Read More