I have four (count ’em, four) new clients who have promised to be with me long term.
That’s the good news.
The bad news is that they haven’t been keeping me busy! GRRR!
I landed them all around Christmastime and, since then, I’ve only done one or two tiny projects for each of them.
That’s not enough to keep me in groceries, let alone pay for the roof over my head…
So I’m feeling disappointed again.
Two of these folks said they’d refer their clients to me, too.
So far, crickets.
I followed up with all of them, making sure they’re still on board with me. (Yes, they are, all confirmed.)
So then I asked for timeframes, so I can put them on my calendar. The one who got back to me didn’t honor the timeframe they gave me, so I kept my schedule open to serve them and squandered the option to make money during that time in the bargain.
The others haven’t gotten back to me with dates.
I have to confess, it’s frustrating as hell!
Fortunately, a former client just got back to me to see if I write drip mail campaigns because she has two of them she needs to do. I said yes, so she’s working on a list of talking points for those. Hopefully, I will have those to do in a day or so.
If any (or all) of my new clients get back to me during the same timeframe, I’ll have to put them off to a future date, thereby potentially disappointing or frustrating them.
It’s a real hassle when there is no accountability. I do my best to be understanding and diplomatic, telling them, “you’re deadline is mine!” but that might set them up for the false expectation that I will drop everything and serve them the very day they drop back in if they’re on a tight deadline, when I may not be able to do that because another client claimed my time before they showed back up without warning…
And needless to say, given this scenario, I hesitate to go to Upwork looking for more work because I have five clients committed to landing sometime soon, and the runway needs to be clear to allow them onto the tarmac so I can serve them all in a timely manner. It’s anxiety-provoking!
THIS is exactly how creatives like me find ourselves in “feast or famine” mode far more often than we should.
Sitting here twiddling my thumbs when I want to be stringing words together for my clients is no fun at all…
In a perfect world, it wouldn’t be happening.
Alas, as we all know, we aren’t living in a perfect world and perfect clients don’t exist. But the one I’ve had longest (five years, on a retainer basis) comes as close to perfect as I ever expect to get again. She has me utterly spoiled. And she helps me keep a roof over my head, which is why I offer my services to begin with.
IN OTHER NEWS: UPDATE ON MY CAT PATCHES
She’s doing great today, two days after receiving the radioactive iodine hyperthyroid treatment. She’s chatty, head-bumpy, and eating like a horse, they tell me.
I can’t wait to be able to bring her home again (hopefully Saturday or Monday. They’re closed on Sunday…)
