- They think theirs is the only account you are working on.
And expect you to work on their account 24×7. And I really mean 24 hours. At the payment amount you squeezed me for; I would starve if yours was the only account.
- They think they are paying you the earth.
Really, for the value I bring to the table, it is still not enough! And why do I succumb to your sob stories. I could write a book on my sob stories.
- They expect you to work on their content night and day.
Hello! I need to sleep and eat (and sometimes have a social life), and drive to and fro from your workplace, which you want me to come to, ever so often. I am not your in-office employee. Do you know the time it takes to cover 5 kms in Mumbai, in peak hours? About one and half hours. FYI.
- “You operate from your house; that does not cost a lot.”
Again Really! Pay for my house loan, and see how much it costs; pay for my travel, and see how much it costs; pay for my laptop and backup, and see how much that costs! Pay for the air-conditioning, pay for food, and the erratic hours I keep, because ‘I am working from home.’ Really! Live my life. And see if you can juggle all that I do. See if you survive.
- “You just have to write, that’s easy.”
Really again! If it was that easy, why don’t you do it!
- “You shouldn’t be charging for something that comes to you naturally.”
You are paying me for my experience, you are paying for my expertise; this is the result of education that I put in to be able to write so easily. Talent my dear client, is not something that is easy, it may be natural, but there are years of work put in to be able to look easy. PS: Why don’t you try it yourself!
Then again, there are some client who make all work seem so good!