Know When to Cut the Cord

Its hard to know when to let a client go, but its easier to make that decision when red flags start to pop up. Those red flags can sneak up on you or be super obvious.

A few examples of Red Flags that pop up could be:

• Red–Flag 1: “I don’t know what i want, but i’ll know it when i see it”
• Red–Flag 2: Money is stressed more than the outcome
• Red–Flag 3: Why deposits are important
• Red–Flag 4: “I don’t really have a budget right now”
• Red–Flag 5: Low to no communication
• Red–Flag 6: Sporadic Payments

In FHS 17 (Click here to listen), we chat about the red flags that we come across every once in a while.

Sometimes you come to a point where you can’t provide the services that your clients hired your for. Your skills may not be up to par or your availability changed dramatically.

Sometimes you may need to go in a separate direction. Did you decide to stop providing that service? Are you evolving your business to keep with the times? Your growth is more important than holding back and pleasing your client.

Sometimes you have to raise your rates which will then price your clients out. Don’t limit your income by keeping clients that wont move with you. The goal of every engagement is to help your clients gain a positive return in your services. There will be a few clients that you’ll hold on to at your old rate, but you should slowly plan on moving them up to your new rates.

But if you’re reached a point where you need to let them go, be specific about it. Don’t beat around the bush. Don’t lie about it. Be the professional in the relationship and let that client go!

Be SPECIFIC

Don’t be timid or vague about why you’re letting them go. At this point, you should have already had communication about changes you’ve needed to implement.

Maybe the client is unaware of able to resolve the issue. You can never really know what is going on with the client and having that open communication can move things along. A lot of times in your favor. You should have had open communication with your client when problems popped up. From there you may have been able to resolve the issues.

Let the client know specifically why you have to go in a different direction. Don’t be rude or curt, but be professional and firm with the reasons.

Leave on Good Terms (If Possible)

You never know when or if you will circle back to the client. You may have a reason to leave the client because your services outgrew their budget. Or you’re taking on different types of work.

Leave with a good taste in their mouth and help them transition (as much as possible) to an alternative. You never know how they may referrer you to other work.

If you DO want to burn your bridges, make sure this is a bridge worth burning. Don’t let your emotions take over and do a “scorched earth” type of scenario.

Stop Working on Work

Regardless of how you are letting the client go, you still need to stop all work for that client. Do not drag on additional tasks as “favors” or “to help them out”. It is not fair to you or the client if you keep sticking around and working on their tasks.

If you let the client go, that also means you let the work go. There is no obligation to keep working for free….and you should not be working for free!

Don’t Be Shy About It

Being firm and assertive when letting the client go is similar to ripping off the bandage. Its gonna hurt…but only for a little bit.

The post FHS 36 Firing Clients appeared first on The Freelancer Head Start.

Stacey Dandridge – Stacey is a kick-butt Senior Technical Writer with more than 9 years worth of experience in many overlapping industries. She tends to always come back to writing because she loves the ‘puzzle’ aspect of being a technical writer. We sit down and chat with her on finding a technical writer and becoming a technical writer.

Email: stacey@stroberconsulting.com

Website: stroberconsulting.com

What is a Technical Writer?

Someone who can take words and writing that are complex and translate it to something that is easily digestible and consumable. Something that someone can learn from it. It can be considered an art and a science because you have to translate the piece without losing the meaning. The reader should be successful with whatever task with what they are attempting to complete. Think of creating a pamphlet or instructions for a product or service.

Are there any difference between other writer?

Absolutely! The foundation is there between all writers, but a Technical Writer effectively helps to digest a complex piece into something that a layperson can understand. A Technical Writer can also differ based on the industry as the needs, jargon, and outcome of the writing will change. Translating information from an engineer, web developer, or product to something easier to understand. A writer can be involved with user guides, software manuals, whitepapers, regulatory documents, and more!

When should you use a Technical Writer?

The sooner the better would be ideal, but closer to the beginning of the project would help the writer understand the project/product. The writer can also help process move and flow in a more holistic understanding of the product from a customer or user perspective.

Why should you use a Technical Writer?

Technical Writers help create a more polished product by looking at it from a fresh pair of eyes. The writers help by bringing a different perspective to the product, especially from a users lens. The product will be easier to use, retain customers, and have less abandonment. Its obvious when a user guide, documentation, or other information has been poorly written. The same goes for when a technical versus non technical person has written the piece. The Technical Writers expertise will effectively convey your message.

How big of a project should it be for a Technical Writer?

The size of a project is not important. You can use a writer at almost any size of project or company. You do not need to wait until you are a large organization before you can bring on a writer. The writers job is there to help polish your products documentation to convey information in easier and precises ways. You can hire writers for short periods of times rather than full-time staff if you are worried about the size of your project.

Where can I find Technical Writers?

You can find qualified and effective writers from the ‘Society for Technical Communication’ (stc.org). You can use this website for both finding writer and promoting yourself as a writer. The job board is very effective to find professional writers. You can use www.stc.org to find specific Technical Writers based on what you need for your industry and expected outcome!

What to look for in a Technical Writer?

The writer should have some degree of industry knowledge. That person should be able to talk about the subject in some aspect to show proficiency in the chosen industry. You can also request an editing test with strategically placed errors that range in difficulty. This can be used to determine the level of expertise.

Pay attention to the type of technical writer as well as their specialty. You may have a personal product that you need a writer for but the interviewed writer is more experienced with industrial products. The skills may be similar, but the writer may have a different audience focus when writing.

What separates a superstar Writer from a common Writer?

A rock star Writer will be big on paying attention to detail, breaking things down into smaller components, use less words, and look at the document from the lens of a teacher. Keeping up with your industry as well as best-practices when it comes to writing and the tools that are used with writers.

What rate should I expect?

The level of experience as well as location causes this to very. A mid to entry level would be looking at about $60,000 while a senior and larger organizations can make well into the 6-figures. A senior writer at Google, for example, can make around $120,000. The more you can add to your portfolio, skill sets, and industries can help raise your base pay.

For hourly rates, this also varies. An average of $20-25/hr is an expected rate for a Technical Writer. You’ll be paying more for a more experience writer as well as someone who is more niche to what you need. A small project team can take advantage of this by hiring a writer for lower engagement hours to help keep cost down.

How much time should you take towards Technical Writing?

This answer is complex because it ranges based on the engagement. Something as basic as business writing case studies your looking at something significantly lower. A large engagement or document such as a product re-launch or in-depth guide would take longer and therefore cost more.

How to estimate time needed?

There is not really a formula because each document is different. Describing the work, content, industry, etc about the document will allow the Technical Writer to have a better handle on what to expect. The writer will then be able to give you a more accurate quote.

An alternative route to take to get a closer estimate of the final cost would be to budget a small engagement amount, such as 5-hours, to allow the technical writer to flush out the potential cost of the piece.

How to become a Technical Writer? 31:28 Mark

Learn the Industry that You’re Aspiring to Go Into

• IT space
• Finance space
• Medical space

Find organizations that are in that industry you are attempting to branch into. You’ll be able to “talk the talk” when it comes to interacting with the customers. When you specialize, you can be tapped to do the job much easier, command a higher pay, and find work easier than most.

Educational Programs and Track of Learning

Programs in college can help get you started, but it can be very broad. There is not a requirement to have a degree in technical writing as you can have a large variety of technical background. One commonality that helps make people successful is an interest in writing beforehand. There is not a specific degree such as “Technical Writing”, but something that is related to the field you’d like to write for would be greatly beneficial.

Build a Portfolio

Building a very impressive portfolio to show and market what you’re capable of. Someone who is just starting out may think that they don’t have anything, you can create samples based on case studies and/or technologies of what you already know. You can use this as a proof to potential customers and leads on what you’re capable of doing.

Cater and tone your portfolio to the role that you are applying for.

Resumes for Technical Writers

Your resume is different when it comes to a technical writer because this will be your first sample. People who will be reviewing your resume will be looking for small things such as Jargon, Flow, Punctuation, and other writing techniques. The person reviewing your resume will be using your resume as an example of what they will be hiring you for. The more important of a job, the closer they will be looking at your resume for techniques, style, and errors.

Cater and tone your resume to the role that you are applying for.

Research the Potential Client

Research the industry and the potential client. You’ll be able to specify your resume and understand the client a lot better. It speaks volume if you’re able to have a conversation that shows that you have knowledge about the client and industry.

Get Involved

Start networking no matter what level you are. You’ll find that you have more and better opportunities when you do start networking. Join professional groups and get involved. Create a profile on LinkedIn, Society for Technical Communication (stc.org), or Write the Docs (writethedocs.org).

Finding Jobs and Opportunities

Use the internet as your tool with sites such as indeed.com, stc.org, and LinkedIn.com. Don’t limit yourself geographically! You can widen the net of prospective clients by searching for “remote”. This world is getting much more disconnected, you can connect with almost everyone almost everyone in the world.

Make Your Worth

A first time technical writer should be commanding close to $22-25/hr, but you have to show your worth. Don’t short change yourself and leave money on the table. Your skill is valuable and important. As you progress in skill, experience, and specialization, your rates will and should go up!

Push the envelope and get the earning potential you can get!

Don’t be afraid to ask for ask for more money to the organization or company that can afford you. Pay attention to the company or organization and scale your proposal accordingly. You’re valuable and worth it.

Quick Picks

• Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL
  • New phones from Google with amazing camera abilities, portrait mode with impressive clarity, and snappy aps
  • Difference in phones are only in the size
• Lynda.com
  • Learning, training, and understanding with online courses to help better yourself
  • Impressive gambit and size of library of learning

Links List

• Strober Consulting – stroberconsulting.com
• Society for Technical Communication – stc.org
• Write the Docs – writethedocs.org

The post FHS 8: All About Those Technical Writers appeared first on The Freelancer Head Start.