It’s SO much easier to avoid difficult conversations.
(Frankly, sometimes I’m so tired, I want to avoid conversations all together!)
But, *sigh*, that’s not the way to be a professional.
On this episode of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, Kate and I are sharing examples of client conversations that you might be tempted to avoid, but absolutely need to have.
I can guarantee that 99% of the time these will be 5-minute conversations that will help you avoid major hassles—like migraines or extra edits (or both!).
Listen now for how to handle these conversations like the pro that you are.
TUNE IN: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Stitcher
Looking for closed captioning or a transcript? Watch the episode on YouTube!
A Sneak Peek at the Episode
[02:11] There will happen a times in your career when people will just overstep boundaries or they might not understand their role in a process or it’s often just miscommunication. And frankly, it’s just easier to avoid. But friends, Avoiding is not gonna set you up for success in the long term.
[04:01] They don’t know how to be the best kind of client. They don’t know often the most effective way to work with you. Give instructions for them how you best receive feedback.
[04:27] First example I’m thinking of is if you send your copy through to a client. And instead of responding, they send you back a document with changes made to it. They went in and just actually changed your copy.
[04:55] Tip number one, don’t send through a Google doc where people can edit it. Just send through where they can view it or track changes option. Obviously we’re recommending track changes and using comments and having them say why and what they like and don’t like. So giving them instructions right off the bat can help avoid a lot of problems.
[11:09] A good phrase to write down when you are in a meeting so that you don’t have to come up with something on the spot of like, how do I defend my work? Not about defending your work at all, that’s not what it’s about.
[02:05] Can you help me understand why? why that headline doesn’t work? What in the document is working and why it works for you? Because then they have to explain themselves. The why is what you need to come back to again and again.
[12:50] I would suggest doing it over a call if you possibly can. Assume their best intention. So thank them for like ‘thanks for sending this back to me’. Going forward though, the best way for us to collaborate is for you to let me know what in the document is working and why? and what doesn’t work and why?. And that will let me craft the copy that meets our goals.
[14:33] You should feel invested in the success of the project just like they are invested in the success of the project. So when you start to think about it like that of we’re all working towards the same goal, our goal. That’s the working relationship you’re striving for in all of your projects.
[17:14] If you’re starting to see stuff come in and you’re getting a little bit concerned about deadlines, and timelines. First of all, talk with your creative team, second part is talk with the project managers. You’re collaborating and you are conversing with people to find the best solution for the whole group.
[18:27] I feel like I’m set up to fail, what do I need to do? What needs to change? What conversation do I need to have so that I’m set up to succeed? Who do I have to talk to about this to see if we can make a change?
[20:11] I think a lot of us want to take on as much as possible. Just having that simple conversation of I don’t have enough hours in the day to do all this, which project is the top priority? People are gonna be so much happier with you doing one thing really well than trying to deliver on two mediocre things.
[22:41] It looks good for you to be the kind of person who’s like, Hey guys!, just wanna raise a hand that this is starting to get a little tight in here. How can we change that up? You look like a problem solver and a good communicator.
[24:21] It’s just a conversation. Uncomfortable for us and then it comes out and we’re like, oh, this is relief. That was nothing. And they’re happy and everyone’s winning.
[24:50] When you’re a freelancer, you have to manage your own schedules. Your clients don’t care about each other and they shouldn’t have to. That’s not their jobs. It’s your job to make sure that your schedule can accommodate what you are capable of accommodating.
[26:00] As a freelancer, the uncomfortable conversation you might have in this realm in terms of timing and deadlines is if a client doesn’t give you feedback when you’ve given them a deadline.
[26:13] You need to give them that deadline. That is on you to manage it. It’s on you to give them deadlines. When they don’t hit the deadline, you can gently remind them. Then absolutely, you can enforce a boundary there.
[28:43] A deadline can be really, really helpful for a client. It lets them understand what they need to focus on in that moment. Again, they weren’t doing it to be difficult. Maybe they’re little scattered. That’s okay. That’s their thing. Maybe you wanna evaluate working with this client moving forward.
[30:05] We all want to put the best work out into the world and we all want to have very pleasant working lives. That’s what we’re all looking for. So have those conversations. Even if at first they seem like they’re gonna be uncomfortable ’cause they won’t be.
Must-Hear Takeaways
As with every episode, we highly encourage you to listen to the entire conversation! But here are a few of the highlights:
“What feels easy at the beginning ends up being really really painful in the long run. It will come back to bite you in the rear end.” -Kate
“Whatever it is, if you want the relationship to continue in a good way, you have to speak up.” – Nicki
“It doesn’t have to be anything confrontational about it. Think about it more in, you’re just explaining. You’re just gently guiding them to the right way to do things.” – Nicki
“The more that we can swap ‘I’ or ‘them’ or putting us into two distinct groups, when you’re talking about yourself and your client and using ‘we’ and ‘our’, it changes everything.” – Kate
“You should feel invested in this project. And I think that just changes your whole mindset around it. If you can swap some of the language and start thinking like that.” – Kate
” If we didn’t have deadlines, we wouldn’t get anything done.” – Nicki
“When you actually think about it, there’s nothing uncomfortable about them at all. It’s just conveying information and bringing people together to come up with a solution that works for everybody.” – Nicki
Mentioned in the Episode
- What Are Your Copywriting Business Rules?
- Episode BONUS – Laser Coaching: How to (Respectfully) Disagree with a Copywriting Client
- Ep. 182: What’s the Best Way to Communicate with Copywriting Clients?
Related Links
- Why Your Copywriting Clients Need Your Guidance
- The Huge Benefits of Writing for Clients that Don’t “Wow” You
- Learning to Effectively Communicate as a Copywriter
- How To Develop a Thick Skin
- 5 Things Clients and Product Managers Wish Copywriters Knew
- Ep. 203: Secrets to Smooth Copywriting Client Relations
Get an *Exclusive* Bonus Recording!
Tell us what you love about the podcast and what you hope to hear next! When you do, you can get access to an exclusive bonus recording featuring five wildly successful entrepreneurs who share what they do (and don’t!) look for when hiring copywriters. You do not want to miss it!
Get all the details on how to get your recording here »
About the Build Your Business Podcast
Ready to turn your love of writing into a successful copywriting career?
Join professional copywriters Nicki Krawczyk and Kate Sitarz to get the tips, tools, and training to help you become a copywriter and build a thriving business of your own. Nicki and Kate have 20+ and 10+ years of experience, respectively, writing copy for multi-billion-dollar companies, solopreneurs, and every size business in between.
Whether you want to land an on-staff job, freelance full-time and work from wherever you want, or make extra money with a side hustle, the best place to start learning is right here.
