Hi Friend,
A lot of freelance coaches (that is, coaches for freelancers) talk about how important it is to charge for all your work. “Don’t work for free” is an important philosophy for freelancers. It’s even one I’ve written about in previous posts, such as this one from not too long ago, “Stop doing unpaid writing and editing work.”
At the same time, you want to provide value to your clients. Value is what keeps them coming back to you. If they see the value in your work, they’ll be more likely to continue hiring you.
There are only so many hours in the day. (24, according to “experts.”) Every hour you spend working for free is an hour you don’t get paid for. And every time you do something for free for a client, you teach the client to expect things for free. Kind of like how I taught my dog to expect a treat every time he comes back in the house by using treats as a way of encouraging him to come in the house.
So how do you provide value without working for free?
A recent experience of mine highlights the difference.
Lately, I’ve been involved in localization editing. This is where I take content that has been written for one geographic audience (the US) and revise it slightly so it’s relevant to a Canadian audience. This involves:
Changing website links on a page from .com to .ca/en
Adjusting to Canadian spelling (We love a good u and a double consonant before ing, as in travelling)
Changing location names (say from Los Angeles to Vancouver)
Revising product details where they differ (in the US a product might come in 14 colors, in Canada, it comes in 4 colours—see what I did with the spelling there?)
Adjusting any phrasing that isn’t widely used by a Canadian audience.
It’s not highly creative, but it works my brain differently from writing and I’ve come to enjoy it. If you’re an editor in Canada, this can be great work to take on because a lot of global content is written for the US, but good companies recognize we Canadian readers are a breed of our own. (Just look at our bonkers ways of measuring things.)
Interestingly, the person who wrote the content is neither Canadian nor American. They’re from New Zealand. In New Zealand, they commonly use the phrase “on the tools” to mean “heavy labour” or “working in the trades” such as construction, carpentry, mechanics, and so on.
It’s a fun phrase, but it’s not widely used in Canada or the US (I double-checked through a highly unscientific and very small poll on LinkedIn, which verified my suspicions).
In my localization editing for this client, I have access to both the US and Canadian copy, but I’m paid only to change the Canadian copy, which I have done.
Rather than changing the US copy as well, or asking the client if I have the okay to change the US copy (which would constitute working for free), I’ve sent them a note:
“I’ve noticed that the phrase ‘on the tools’ is used a lot in this copy. This isn’t a phrase that’s used widely in North America. I’ve adjusted or removed it in the Canadian copy, but you should be aware it’s also used a lot in the US copy. If you’d like me to adjust the US copy, we’ll need to revise the budget for this project.”
I’ve added value because I’ve pointed out an issue and a solution. But I haven’t done any work for free, because I haven’t made the changes myself beyond what I’m paid to do. I’ve let them know I’m willing to if they pay me. Otherwise, they can certainly handle this on their own.
Value and cost are not the same thing
Too often, we think adding value means working for free. This is probably because people confuse value with price. They think the more they get of something for the lowest price, the better the value. But price (or cost) and value aren’t the same thing.
Other factors that go into value include
The quality of the writing/editing
How effective the copy is at attracting high-value leads
The peace of mind of knowing something is professionally written and edited
The time the CEO/Director of Marketing/Founder saves by not writing it themselves (and by focusing on billable activities)
The embarrassment saved by not having a massive error in their copy
Instead of always throwing in more for free (and devaluing the work you do), consider the following to add value:
Suggesting social media platforms to post links to their latest blog post and highlighting a quote that would work well on social media.
Identifying a potential issue with their copy and suggesting a means to fix it (see above).
Proposing ideas for future content. If something in a newsletter sparks an idea for a blog post, suggest it to the client but don’t write it for free. If your client has video content and you think it could be repurposed as written content, suggest that. If you see they have a series of blog posts on a topic, suggest an ebook that compiles all those posts.
Connecting them with other service providers. If you know they’re looking for a graphic designer and you know a great one, make that connection for them.
Keeping them informed. If you come across important information that could affect their content, let them know. If you read an article they would find interesting or useful, share it with them.
Upselling your services. If they’re producing great content but aren’t sharing it on social media (and that’s a service you want to provide), offer to write the social media content for them, at a cost. They get value because their content will perform better than it otherwise would and you’ve increased the lifetime value of that client.
Getting the work done slightly before the deadline so the client has more time to review it (only use this if it’s not drastically affecting your workday). When I do this, I include a note that I wound up with some extra time and was able to finish the project early, so they don’t expect this on an ongoing basis.
Improve efficiencies. When I’ve worked with clients who don’t have a style guide, I’ve often created one for myself to stay reminded of their preferences. When a project is done, I’ll offer to share my style guide with them. If I give them what I’ve created with no changes, I don’t charge for it. If I add to it or make it more formal, I’ll charge them for it (after they’ve agreed, of course).
Providing value without working for free is important for setting boundaries with your clients. Here are more articles I’ve written on the subject of boundaries.
Dealing with unreasonable deadlines
Establishing boundaries for success
Here’s to your ongoing freelance success,
Heidi
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