These days, airline pilots have to sit in flight simulators.
After 3 months of no flying, pilots are considered to be out of practice. They lose their certification and have to take the whole “I’m a pilot, really” test all over again. So they sit in simulators.
Other professions, such as copywriting, are not so strict or regulated. That doesn’t mean you won’t forget useful skills you might have had earlier.
For example, I just started working with a new client. That’s unusual.
For the past year or so, I’ve mainly worked with one large client.
It’s been nice and steady work, but it’s put me in a kind of lull. Along the way, I forgot some of my new-client-management skills.
With this particular new client, I forgot to set clear expectations around timelines. As a result, I got an email from him today. It’s been a day and a half since we agreed on the initial test project. He wanted to know whether I have anything to show him. I wasn’t even planning to start on the project until later today.
That’s my fault. The thing is, I should know better.
Back when I used to be on Upwork, I talked to a dozen potential new clients each month. I usually started working with one or two of them. I was very sharp with client “onboarding.”
I even wrote a little book about how to get good clients on Upwork and how to keep them good. In Section 3 of the book, I wrote the following:
“If you never want disappointed clients, then set expectations immediately. Let clients know what you will do, how the final result will look, and what they can expect in terms of results.”
I should have included something there about setting timelines, even if the client doesn’t.
Oh well. “Crash and burn, huh Mav?” Time to get back to the simulator and start practicing again.
By the way, if you haven’t seen my Upwork book, there is a chance you might find it valuable. If you’re a new copywriter, and you’re looking for work, it can help you get that jet off the flight deck. Upwork isn’t as terrible as everybody makes it sound. I managed to make over $100k on there, and I found good clients.
And if you’re not a new copywriter, well… maybe you’re just rusty with your client management skills. I obviously am. So I will reread my own advice, back from the days when I was juggling a half dozen clients at the same time. Maybe you too could use some of these reminders.
Anyways, if you’re interested, then slap on your aviators and ride into the danger zone over here: