by Catherine L. Tully
Mike’s post on Wednesday got me thinking about what I do to “go the extra mile” for clients. The truth is–I do a lot!
This business is all about building relationships, and to do that, you have to give as well as take. If you want to stand out as a “go to” person, don’t just do the job…exceed expectations.
You’d be surprised at the things I hear writers complain about. “The editor wanted me to give her captions for all the photos,” or “I can’t believe he wanted me to re-edit the piece in just two days”. Guess what? If you do more than the required work, suddenly you get more valuable in the eyes of the editor. After all, anyone can just do the job…
I find that when I go the distance for an editor, karma brings things back my way. I’ve gotten a raise and had deadlines extended. I’ve even had one editor refer me to another. It’s a two-way street, and if you are willing to do more than your expected share, you’ll probably find that the editor you are working for is too.
Keep that in mind the next time you find yourself tempted to grumble about a “special request”.
Hear, hear! It seems like we’re all thinking along the same lines–a few weeks ago I posted about how helping out a client in an emergency can create loyalty (as long as they’re not ALWAYS in emergency mode).
It’s for this reason that I think it’s helpful for a freelancer to have been in an editor’s or client’s shoes at one point or another–you know how important the “go to” people are! One of my commenters used the word unflappable, which I thought captured it perfectly.
Totally agree Jake! (and I do think we are all on the same wavelength!)