I gain an insight in to clients and prospective clients quickly and they gain an insight in to my high standards too.
The first insight is those who don’t leave a message on the Republic mobile. This is a modern phenomenon.
We can’t always answer the phone because we’re busy writing. But if a prospective client leaves a message, I always ring them back.
If they don’t leave a message, I never ring them. The reason is, they’re not committed, they’re not motivated and therefore, not for me. A Republic client would kill to get a job (figuratively).
I call the non-message leavers the ‘triers’. They tried to get someone to help then but it didn’t work out. It’s not their fault. Really. They tried.
When I take a client on, I set deadlines for page one, page two and the review.
When a client misses a deadline and they don’t notify me – even though it might be on a weekend – I usually terminate them.
If they can’t manage their time to meet a deadline (unless there’s a solid excuse such as illness or a death in the family), they’re not ready to work with professional writers and they’re not ready for the job market.
The good news is that clients who do form partnerships with us, who do answer the questions to deadline and who are motivated job seekers, find work.
Pretty simple, really.