Things To Avoid When Sending Work To A Client

I am a stickler for perfection and as a freelance writer, I often find myself going through the same process with every client I work for. But this repetitiveness isn't such a bad thing as it gives you an air of professionalism that is unparalleled.

In turn, this means that you will stand out as a writer and have much better professional relationships with your clients.

Doing this is simple, there are certain things that should be avoided at all costs when sending your work to your clients. In this article, I want to explore these with you.

Not Reading Your Work

It is easy to type out your work and miss a spelling mistake or a typo and this can not only look totally unprofessional but could also potentially be the straw that breaks the camel's back when it comes to your client returning with more work.

It doesn't take much time to read back over your work and ensure that it is done to the best standard. What's more, when you read through again, you are likely to notice things that don't make sense, things that need taking away or even points you might like to add.

Not Using Grammarly

When I first started my career as a writer, I didn't understand the importance of a tool like Grammarly. Using it on everything I write has actually made me a better writer. Not only because it spellchecks my work and offers advice but I learn from it.

I have learned better ways to word things and if I look back over my early work compared to now, I can clearly see a difference. I felt like using Grammarly would take my voice out of my work but it doesn't, it adapts to work with you and is so beneficial, I can't begin to explain.

Even as I type this, I have my Grammarly plug-in active and I don't ever see me turning it off again.

Not Sending A Message

OK, you could, in theory, send the work to your client without a cover letter but that would be cold and unprofessional.

A huge part of forming good client relationships is getting to know them and conversing with them. I pride myself on creating a bond with the client, asking how their day has been, explaining the work I have done and why as well as asking if there is anything else they need.

This communication goes a long way in developing lasting relationships.

Not Checking For Plagiarism

I can't tell you the number of times I have been doing research for an article, only to stumble across three, four maybe even five websites displaying the same content, slightly reworded. The problem? If you run these through Copyscape, you'll soon see that they all flag for plagiarism.

Whilst a big part of being a writer is taking ideas and information from the research and coming up with your own work, this should never be a copy and paste job.

Be sure to make your work unique and then ALWAYS do a Copyscape check to be sure that the words are completely your own. If they're not, it could cause the client to reject your work and not want to work with you again in the future.

Being Arrogant

Yes, the client may have come to you because you possess a talent that they don't but that is no need to get on your high-horse and act as though you are better than them.

As we have already discovered, bonding with your clients can go a long way and your attitude towards them is vital in this.

Working with clients can be trying at times, but it is important to always remain professional and go through a process when sending work to them.

If you avoid doing these things, you could stand to lose out on work or cause the client to ask for a refund.

It is so important to take that little bit of extra time to check your work and make the whole experience more enjoyable for both you and the client.