Is your client “fading” you? (how to know and what to do)

Tell me if this one rings a bell…

You kick royal ass on a project for a client…

You get paid on time (great).

You get a virtual high five for your excellent work (cool).

And a friendly “see you on the next one” to close out the deal.

Ok, nice. Feels good. Everything went well. 
On with life you go with another happy client in the queue. 

Then, a few months later, you see this SAME client posting that they are “looking for a copywriter” for a new project!

(tire skid) WTF!

You’re like, “Uh. Hello! You HAVE a copywriter. Remember? We did a thing, you loved the work, you said ‘we’ll do it again’.”

So, now you’re in the awkward spot of deciding whether you chalk this up to an entrepreneurial brainfart and reach out with a friendly reminder of your recent love affair.

Or, do you assume they remember you just fine, but are choosing to “go a different way” this time?

Or WORSE, they decidedly do not want to work with you again and were lying about liking your work the first time?

Tom Petty claimed The Waiting is the hardest part, but
for freelancers in this spot, it’s The Fading.

Fading is when you’re not quite being ghosted because there was no active negotiation, but there was an IMPLIED and ASSUMED future negotiation and now that person is clearly moving on without you.

Sucks. Mostly because you’re left to wonder WTF?… Why The Fading?

So, how do you stop this from happening?

It comes down to becoming “indispensable” to your client. 

I love that simple definition: absolutely necessary.

Imagine your clients in a financial planning meeting… 

The CEO says, “Okay, what is absolutely necessary for us to grow our business?”

“Well…” one voice quickly says, “[Insert your name here] is one thing for sure. Without them providing X, we’d be losing X fast.”

How great is that? Compared to being way down on that list, or not even considered on that list? 

If you can’t immediately fill in the “X” spots in that statement: the thing you provide of indispensable value that brings your client a measurable reward… 

… then you don’t yet have “gig security”.

My friend Casey Stanton gave a killer training recently in Copy Chief on how to become so valuable to your client they consider your service a “total no brainer” even when you’re charging top dollar. 

It’s called: No Brainer 90-Day Retainers and it’s available now to members of Copy Chief (if you’re not yet a member, good time to use your 30 day no-risk trial and scoop up this training!)

Fits perfectly into my mission to end freelancer frustration (and fading).

I’ll look for you there.

P.S. Ready for more? Here are 3 ways we can go deeper…
 
Tap into the #1 copywriting community and jobs board.

1. Copy Chief has everything you need to sharpen your chops as a copywriter and build your freelance business – including the #1 jobs board in the industry.
   
   
2. Learn how to level-up your freelance business quickly.
   Simply reply to this email to ask our Freelance Coaches any question you’d like about launching or growing your business. (These are real coaches, not sales people in disguise.)
   
   You can also click here to learn which of the 7 “Freelancing Phases” your business is in now. You’ll get the clarity you need to avoid getting distracted, so you can stop “winging it” and focus on the crucial “right now” problems to move your business forward.
   
   
3. Listen to the Copy Chief Radio podcast. Every week we release a fresh new conversation with the top producers and change-makers in the world of marketing, copywriting, and business.