Answer to #7 of 12 Questions I think are important for commercial writers to know. I think these questions are especially important for people newly striking out on their own.

Never. That’s the answer, period. There are times when you can really be pressed to maintain your composure. But understanding and appreciating the nuances of the situation can help you greatly.

Recognize the Implications of Making Changes

• Clients can present you with detailed or simple changes in the middle of your project. These changes can throw you off your whole schedule. Remember that a delay for you is ultimately a delay for your client. Rarely do clients sabotage themselves.
• Consider that your client may not know your job and what’s involved. And with that, they may not understand what all goes into “small” or “quick” changes. Explain in detail what’s involved, and encourage clients to give you all the details at once.
• If requested changes push back your completion date, be sure to explain to your client. Just remember to always be polite.

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I used to work as an administrative assistant [AA] for a temp-to-hire placement agency. For one assignment, they placed me at this company where their AA was on maternity leave. Their temp worker before me got the flu, so I was up. A very nice man was assigned to walk me through what I would be doing for them through the end of the week. We got along well, and it wasn’t because I was nice and he was nice. It turned out, he was nice to me because I knew stuff. On the second day, he asked me why I was doing temp work with all the skills I had. Read more »