Help needed on getting established

Sheila Wilson wrote:

A lot depends on whether you can accept jobs during the week, Luke. Can you check your emails regularly and maybe send off a quote during the week? If you can do that, then you'll be more likely to fill your weekend calendar. Just let them know what time you will be replying, if there's going to be a delay - if they know that they won't get a reply for a couple of hours that may be fine, whereas if they're just left wondering if you're ever going to bother to reply they may give up on you.

Personally, I would advise you to come clean abut the fact that you aren't available full-time. They need to have the idea that you're doing your best to help them, not that you just keep saying "no" because you're lazy or whatever. Emphasise the fact that you're studying exactly what you're doing (i.e. you're committed to this job) and that you'll be available for full-time work very soon - put a positive spin on things, as always. In general, try to avoid negatives, so rather than saying you can't do 3000 words, tell them you have capacity for 2000 if they're willing to split the job.

Wf Anywhere would be a good place to start, though I'm not sure whether it's entirely suitable for highly confidential work. For that, you'd be better off using Wf Classic (if the file's from Word, Excel or Powerpoint) or WF Pro. I believe both can be used for free for an unlimited period - the restriction is only in the size of TM you can build up. Once your TMs are big then you're probably earning enough to convert your licence to a full one.

luke mersh wrote:
I do not understand what you exactly mean by come clean that I am unable to work full time...surely thats clear on my status and calendar.

I am not lazy... I never say just "no"...I am a business person.... as stated I work from Monday to Thursday.

Sheila Wilson wrote:


I was really referring to advice given by another poster to hide your part-time status from clients


I certainly never said you were. But it sounds as though I've probably misread something: I thought you were a student. Anyway, it doesn't alter anything.

Sheila Wilson wrote:

Personally, I would advise you to come clean abut the fact that you aren't available full-time.

Diana Coada, PGDip DPSI NRPSI wrote:
If we're busy, we're busy, that's it.

luke mersh wrote:
3.- notify clients (or not) about availability
4.-Let them know how many WPD you accept

luke mersh wrote:
... Its really just want to save the client time, rather than contacting me, ...

Robin Levey wrote:



That's not a good strategy IMHO.

If you put potential clients off from even contacting you, you'll never get the opportunity to negotiate anything at all with them. If you make it easy for them (paraphrasing your words) to 'waste their time' in contacting you even though you are not going to be available anyway, you will at least have the opportunity to say 'Hello', to make a 'first impression', to get an idea of what their requirements were (and how much they were prepared to pay) - perhaps even to negotiate a longer deadline allowing you to spread the job over several weekends.