Warrior article writers and service providers READ THIS

[Craig Desorcy]

The Warrior forum is a goldmine for getting your article writing
business off the ground. Or any other service targeted to
Warrior members.

But, if you are going to come to the plate with a strong offer
then you're going to have to be an A+ player.

If you say the job will be done in 72 hours, then do it or write
the Warrior that paid you and say you'll be late.

I've been testing writers in the service for hire section here and
am very disappointed.

Some people are not doing the work they were paid for. (I'll deal
with you later). Others are making promises they can't keep.

Here's the deal: you can come here and make a killing selling services
but you have to be a stand up person about it. Have integrity in your
business dealings, and you will not have to do any marketing because
people like me and others will keep you busy.

In Japan, if you make a promise you follow through or throw your
incompetent ass in front of a train. That would at least preserve your
family's honor. A promise is a promise here. From "I'll call you" to
"the checks in the mail".


Craig

[YellowDot Software]

The paying customer is king! But I don't think ritual suicide in Japan is nearly as prevalent as it used to be

It's always risky to deal with individual people as well, because one thing happens and they're out of the game. Maybe someone should make an open source booking program that they can list on their website to show how many jobs they have lined up or something?

Honesty is the best policy, quality is the second best policy

[Kevin Riley]

I'll bring the tar and feathers. Firing incompetents seems to have become an all too frequent activity.

If you're going to offer your services for hire, damn well do the job. You're cutting your own throats, because we all talk about you. Craig and I are on Skype a lot, and we warn each other of those that are unreliable - as we do others in our network.

If you saw my post a few days ago about a certain video hosting service, you'll know how quickly a bad reputation can spread. At the same time, if you do a good job for us, we shall reward you by spreading the good word.

You must decide: Do you want to do this, or not. If you can't meet deadlines with your work, go get a job - preferably at McDonalds where you simply flip burgers.

[Kevin Riley]

Originally Posted by YellowDot Software

I don't think ritual suicide in Japan is nearly as prevalent as it used to be

Tell that to my local Loop Line, where trains are often delayed because someone jumped in front of one.

[TheGodfather]

Originally Posted by Craig Desorcy

In Japan, if you make a promise you follow through or throw your
incompetent ass in front of a train. That would at least preserve your
families honor. A promise is a promise here. From "I'll call you" to
"the checks in the mail".

I totally agree with your post.

I greatly respect Japan because of that. I was disciplined in one of the Bujinkan Dojo's here in Croatia, where we uphold the traditional Japan way of honor.

I Learned to become a man of my word, and thus whatever I say I'll do something - I do it. But when I get behind schedule I at least have the decency to call or contact the one who's waiting for me and notify them on time that I'm gonna be late and for how long (I give a rough estimate). Personally I think it's offensive that someone should be late with something and not notify you on time, I take that personal.

[YellowDot Software]

Originally Posted by Kevin Riley

Tell that to my local Loop Line, where trains are often delayed because someone jumped in front of one.

You certainly would know better than I. My experience of Osaka is the restaurant of the same name I ate at last night

I love sushi and want to get to Japan one day and have some, how is it over there? I heard the tuna melts in your mouth. And to make this reply even more off topic, I also have 4 hamsters, and they're all out and about running in their wheels!

[AdInventive]

That's fairly morbid lol.

However, I tend to agree. I've offered services in the past and the priority has and will always be to make certain I deliver on time and overproduce.

It's easy to become jaded when you've been burned, but often I find the best way to approach a new service provider is to ask them some simple questions.

Have you done this before? (by *this* I am talking about what I am specifically asking them to do, such as write about a specific topic)
Do you have any outstanding work for other clients you are already doing?
Do you have any referrals?

[Gambbit]

Excellent point Craig.

If you quote deadlines, make sure you follow by it. If any serious problem occurs, you should let the client know beforehand.

A few days ago, I handled a writing project to a lady from here, she quoted 5 days for the completed project.

After 5 days, I sent a PM querying about the progress. No response.

Two-three more PM's in the coming week. No response.

I respectfully ask for a refund, suddenly a reply comes that she'll do a outline of the project and send it it a day. A VERY basic outline (maybe 50 words even) was sent to me in 2 hours.

I asked when the project is going to be fully completed. Was asked for one more week. Today, the week ends. I PM'ed only to get asked for another week.

...

That is not the kind of service anyone would like. Quote a deadline, follow by it. Act professional. Like you say, "A promise is a promise".

[dorothydot]

ABSOLUTELY!

When you take on a client... you have every right to receive payment up front.

Your CLIENT has every right to expect you to meet the deadline.

Your CLIENT has every right to expect your absolute best work that you can possibly produce.

Your CLIENT has a responsibility to provide answers to any questions or comply with any requests like ASAP.

And I personally believe whole-heartedly in providing your client with a bit extra copy than was in the original agreement - overdelivering. But that's my choice.

Bottom line fact:

YOUR CLIENT DESERVES THE ABSOLUTE BEST QUALITY WORK YOU CAN DELIVER - and - ON TIME.

By all means, protect yourself by: getting payment up front, having a kill fee, and not letting your client get away with any big-time changes changes mid-stream, as they say.

Every single client you work with deserves respect. Your client is hiring you to do your very best for him/her. So... Do It!

Dot

[Craig Desorcy]

Buy an apple from me, I'll surprise you with one for free.

Why?

I wanna sell your children apples too.

I want you to tell others about me with out me asking... Cuts down on my
advertising expenses.

Craig

[MrsAuspicious]

Originally Posted by Craig Desorcy

By an apple from me, I'll surprise you with one for free.

Why?

I want to sell your children apples too.

I want you to tell others about me with out me asking.

Craig

If only there were a way to make EVERYONE think that way. I've been around so many that are like "if you will XX then I will XX" Then I'm sitting here thinking, Didn't our mother's use to tell us not to bribe people? I won't say my age but it seems people my age are the WORST at putting off that "you owe me" tone. Its almost crazy.

[Justin Jordan]

Writers, make sure you know what you're capable of. If you can write an article in half an hour, then it might sound pretty easy to write ten articles a day. Unfortunately, there's a substanial gap between 'sounds pretty easy' and 'is pretty easy'.

Do yourself a favor, and I speak from experience here, and always add a nice pad for yourself. Take half as much work as you think you can handle until you're sure what you can handle. Always give yourself more time than you think you need. At the very worst, you'll be able to complete your work early, and people rarely get angry at you for beating your deadline.

[MrsAuspicious]

Originally Posted by Justin Jordan

Writers, make sure you know what you're capable of. If you can write an article in half an hour, then it might sound pretty easy to write ten articles a day. Unfortunately, there's a substanial gap between 'sounds pretty easy' and 'is pretty easy'.

Do yourself a favor, and I speak from experience here, and always add a nice pad for yourself. Take half as much work as you think you can handle until you're sure what you can handle. Always give yourself more time than you think you need. At the very worst, you'll be able to complete your work early, and people rarely get angry at you for beating your deadline.

Yes! Certainly. I learned that from experience as well. When I first started taking on tasks as a ghostwriter, I initially took on too many per day. I started taking 1/2 what I thought I could do and then eventually I was able to work my way up to about 3/4 of what I think I can do. That's great advice!

[OSContent]

I couldn't agree more with what you said about using the quality of your service to get new clients. I actually posted something very similar last night in a reply. I've been managing a team of writers and editors for close to 6 years now; and my business has expanded significantly each year as a result of word-of-mouth referrals. In some years, I didn't have to do any other additional work to find clients. By simply meeting the demands of my current clients without mishap, I was able to find more jobs than I had writers and editors to complete.

[CurtisN]

The writers in question are mostly to blame, but not completely.

Clients who blindly leave testimonials are partly to blame as well. Perhaps it's due to the fact that some clients are scared to leave a negative review amongst a sea of positive ones, or maybe it's because they're just happy that their projects were done in time so they left a good review.

Clients who leave testimonials are providing social proof. New clients are usually skeptical of service providers who are newcomers who lack social proof, so they tend to flock to the service providers who are established. When they see the stack of testimonials that someone has, they drop their guard and spend their money, thereby further reinforcing the mediocre service provider's status as an excellent one.

Writers: don't get too ambitious and know your limits. Above all, always do what you've promised to do.

Clients: review the work that the writers (or other service providers) do for you. Always be honest in your reviews: if they did a great job, give them credit. If they did a poor job, then do us all a favour and let everyone know.

Curtis

[Steven Wagenheim]

Craig, I'm sorry to hear you're having problems getting work done. This is
the second respected Warrior who has had this problem in the last week that
I am aware of.

This seems to be a trend everywhere...not just online. I won't tell you my
personal horror stories but it's getting so that I don't trust anybody who
says they'll do something for me.

You would think, with the economy in the state that it's in, that people would
be turning out top notch work in order to get a jump on all the deadbeats
out there.

I guess it's easier to just sit on a street corner with a tin cup and a monkey
and play "Roll Out The Barrel" on a squeeze box.

[Gambbit]

Originally Posted by CurtisN

The writers in question are mostly to blame, but not completely.

Clients who blindly leave testimonials are partly to blame as well. Perhaps it's due to the fact that some clients are scared to leave a negative review amongst a sea of positive ones, or maybe it's because they're just happy that their projects were done in time so they left a good review.

Clients who leave testimonials are providing social proof. New clients are usually skeptical of service providers who are newcomers who lack social proof, so they tend to flock to the service providers who are established. When they see the stack of testimonials that someone has, they drop their guard and spend their money, thereby further reinforcing the mediocre service provider's status as an excellent one.

Writers: don't get too ambitious and know your limits. Above all, always do what you've promised to do.

Clients: review the work that the writers (or other service providers) do for you. Always be honest in your reviews: if they did a great job, give them credit. If they did a poor job, then do us all a favour and let everyone know.

Curtis

Curtis,

Very well put.

THAT was my mistake, letting off my guard when I saw a flurry of testimonials from some of the most respected Warriors.

[djleon1]

I had a similar problem Craig. Hired someone through WF to re-work a sales page. Their response to my request seemed the best and they were an active member so we agreeed on a fee, deadline and outlined exactly what I wanted.

They missed their deadline by a mile then sent me a rush job that was half-done.

In a follow-up email to me it was their logic that I should pay them half the fee since they did half the work and they needed the money -lol.

Anyway - it worked itself out but the experience has made me very hesitant to ever request services again.

[J Elizabeth Dize]

I tell my ghostwriting students that they only need 3 things to succeed as a writer. Do these and you'll stand out above all the others:

1. Quality research
2. Quality writing
3. On time delivery

Simple, but true.

This is really all clients want and need. If you can do those things on a consistent basis, your business will take off like wildfire. When I was accepting new clients, this is why people came to me so often.

On the plus side, I've worked with some amazing writers and hired some myself. I'd be happy to recommend some writers who I know I can always depend on

[NakMuay]

I'd have to share pretty much all of the same sentiments here. It's atrocious to think that the problem has become so prevalent (regardless of the medium) that there's so many different accounts of problems in just this thread alone. I myself have been burned out of over $500 purchasing services on the WF. So quick to take our money...

As always, common sense alludes many. Do what you say you will do. This applies to conditions you set upon yourself as well (make more money, spend more time with family, etc.)

I would venture to say this is most often the cause for lack of success in people's lives. Guess the bright side to this is it leaves the door of opportunity wide open for service providers who will actually perform the way they promise. Hard to compete with that.

[BigRedNotebook]

I have a decent solution. It keeps me busy and tends to keep my clients happy.

If I don't deliver on time, it's free. Period.

[Barry Walls]

Pay peanuts, get monkeys.

Professionals cost money.

[Craig Desorcy]

Originally Posted by Barry Walls

Pay peanuts, get monkeys.

Professionals cost money.

Actually, I disagree.

I take it that what you're saying is, anyone trying to market article writing
here are monkeys? Come on, you can make a much better of contribution to this thread to earn your Sig file link exposure than that.

Professionals do cost money and no one once here including me said we
are not willing to pay. That's not the issue.

Craig

[Istvan Horvath]

Originally Posted by Barry Walls

Pay peanuts, get monkeys.

Professionals cost money.

Yes and no. Quite a while back I ordered some articles (5-10) in the same niche from two different WSOs, allegedly both "pros" and known around here.

Well, one was of impeccable quality, very well written articles... while the other one just junk: probably spinned by machine/software with sentences without any sense.

The price was the same.

[Barry Walls]

Originally Posted by Craig Desorcy

Actually, I disagree.

I take it that what you're saying is, anyone trying to market article writing
here are monkeys?

Craig

You're the one complaining about them. From what you are saying, you are having a great deal of trouble yes?

How much are you paying per word?

[Barry Walls]

Originally Posted by TMG Enterprises

Barry, price really doesn't tell you squat. I've been hiring freelancers for the past couple of months and the price of the service hasn't corresponded at all to the quality of the work or the delivery time. So far, I've only had three out of roughly a dozen writers that were on time. Only one of the late writers contacted me about not being able to make delivery. Every single one of the highest paid writers were late without any excuse or apology for it.

I am a freelance writer and I have missed delivery times before but I do contact my clients when there is going to be an issue. Sometimes things happen offline that cannot be helped. I think the writers are afraid that if they are late, you'll never use them again so their afraid to contact you. As long as the writing is well done and they have kept in touch with me, I can live with a late delivery occasionally.

Tina G

Respectfully, I disagree. I've spent close to 6 figures on freelancers.

The frequency of problems decreases as you deal with higher paid, more professional freelancers and companies in my experience. I don't think I can put this experience down to luck.

They have their act together...hence, they charge more.

To give an example...will a group of 100 $50 article writers cause the same issues as a group of 100 $2 article writers?

Both will produce positive experiences and negative experiences. If I had to bet a lot of money on which would produce more negative experiences, where do you think i would put my money?

Where would you put yours?

[WilliamM]

I have seen this progression happen over and over again.

1. New content provider posts ad offering a big discount to generate clients.
2. A few brave marketers place some "test orders".
3. Content writer does a top-notch job (S/he has few clients and wants to impress).
4. Happy marketers posts raving reviews.
5. Many more marketers place orders.
6. Content provider becomes overwhelmed with work - quality drops and deadlines are missed.
7. Frustrated marketers post complaints.

My suggestions:

Content providers: Know yourself - how much high-quality content you can produce in a day and set deadlines accordingly. If you start receiving more orders than you can handle within the stipulated deadline, either stop new orders or increase the deadline. And communicate well with your clients - ALWAYS.

Marketers: Test the work of each new content provider for yourself, even if the person has received rave reviews. Start with 5 or 10 articles. If the quality is good, deadline met and communication adequate, increase to 20 or 25. If you are pleased with those, increase your order a little more. It often takes some time to get to know the quality of work and the work ethic of a content provider.

[Ian Middleton]

For what it is worth I will throw in my "three penneth"

As a new WF member myself I only have a few people I work with and some I will not use again. By working with people who deliver on time with good content and well crafted articles - we both make money. My clients are happy, my associates are happy, I am happy and so is my bank manager!

It is just bad manners to accept a task and not deliver. It does not cost anything to drop someone a quick line to explain there is going to be a delay. Most people are reasonable and will understand.

I have had a couple of customers wanting regular articles that I did not feel I could do justice to and that would have over stretched me, so I wrote to thank them and explain why I could not accept the jobs. I could have farmed them out, but would the results be good enough?

Better to be in control and try to give a good service?

Ian

[Kunle Olomofe]

Hi Craig,

As a freelance article writer myself I have had offline scrapes that affected delivery and I contacted the clients involved as soon as was possible and made them a simple offer... The emails I sent went something like this...

"Please accept my most sincere apologies for the delay in getting you the articles you ordered. The delay was due to some unforeseen offline hindrances that affected my online access. I take full responsibilty for the delay and I'm happy to inform you that the problem has been fixed and I can now get you your articles within 24 -48 hours from now. As I gave you a guarantee that you get your articles free if I don't deliver on time, I would like to keep that guarantee and offer you your articles FREE within 24 - 48 hours or better yet, if you like I can keep the money, and send you DOUBLE your order within 24 - 48 hours. Either way I will deliver top quality articles as promised. Please let me know how you would like us to proceed. Many Cheers."

Those customers were understanding and chose the double their order free option. I delivered and got back a positive response for my work. Problem solved.

I even had to telephone one of those customers since I did not from her in about 24 hours or so. I got her assistant and left and urgent message explaining the situation and the offer and promising to send a follow up email. I did and within the hour got back the lady's decision. She was IMPRESSED I went through the trouble of telephoning. Not only that, she asked me to keep the money and deliver the double order free offer. She asked for a few changes to her initial order in the process and once again, crisis averted. And it cost only a few minutes on the phone and a couple of emails. Worth it in my book.

What I learned was, no matter your screw up, if you act quickly to fix it and show professionalism as you do so, you can still deliver quality work and keep previously disappointed customers happy.

So, thanks for that post. Hopefully article writers will learn from these posts and not keep giving a bad name to freelance article writers in general.

The success formula is simple...

1. Deliver your best as promised.

2. Act professionally if/when trouble rears its ugly head -- Trouble will rear its ugly head, so have a set up in place for when that happens.

3. Where you can not have possibly planned for a particular mishap do your best to still PLEASE the paying customer. Either contact them ASAP and refund them while STILL deliverying their top quality articles, or make them an offer they can't refuse and deliver on time at that point as well.

Simple and it works.

Many Cheers,

Kunle Olomofe

[Barry Walls]

Originally Posted by Kunle Olomofe

Hi Craig,

As a freelance article writer myself I have had offline scrapes that affected delivery and I contacted the clients involved as soon as was possible and made them a simple offer... The emails I sent went something like this...

"Please accept my most sincere apologies for the delay in getting you the articles you ordered. The delay was due to some unforeseen offline hindrances that affected my online access. I take full responsibilty for the delay and I'm happy to inform you that the problem has been fixed and I can now get you your articles within 24 -48 hours from now. As I gave you a guarantee that you get your articles free if I don't deliver on time, I would like to keep that guarantee and offer you your articles FREE within 24 - 48 hours or better yet, if you like I can keep the money, and send you DOUBLE your order within 24 - 48 hours. Either way I will deliver top quality articles as promised. Please let me know how you would like us to proceed. Many Cheers."

Those customers were understanding and chose the double their order free option. I delivered and got back a positive response for my work. Problem solved.

I even had to telephone one of those customers since I did not from her in about 24 hours or so. I got her assistant and left and urgent message explaining the situation and the offer and promising to send a follow up email. I did and within the hour got back the lady's decision. She was IMPRESSED I went through the trouble of telephoning. Not only that, she asked me to keep the money and deliver the double order free offer. She asked for a few changes to her initial order in the process and once again, crisis averted. And it cost only a few minutes on the phone and a couple of emails. Worth it in my book.

What I learned was, no matter your screw up, if you act quickly to fix it and show professionalism as you do so, you can still deliver quality work and keep previously disappointed customers happy.

So, thanks for that post. Hopefully article writers will learn from these posts and not keep giving a bad name to freelance article writers in general.

The success formula is simple...

1. Deliver your best as promised.

2. Act professionally if/when trouble rears its ugly head -- Trouble will rear its ugly head, so have a set up in place for when that happens.

3. Where you can not have possibly planned for a particular mishap do your best to still PLEASE the paying customer. Either contact them ASAP and refund them while STILL deliverying their top quality articles, or make them an offer they can't refuse and deliver on time at that point as well.

Simple and it works.

Many Cheers,

Kunle Olomofe

This is how you deal with missed deadlines and issues, which inevitably happen from time to time.

All the best

Barry

[Jon Alexander]

Originally Posted by Barry Walls

To give an example...will a group of 100 $50 article writers cause the same issues as a group of 100 $2 article writers?

I totally agree with you.. but I'd just like to say this...

would you expect 25x the results from your $50 article writers as from your $2 writers?


Just curious...

[Raydal]

Originally Posted by Craig Desorcy

In Japan, if you make a promise you follow through or throw your
incompetent ass in front of a train. That would at least preserve your
family's honor. A promise is a promise here. From "I'll call you" to
"the checks in the mail".

Craig

Cultures differ in the East and West, don't they?

I don't think that your appeal will make any difference because
these types of behaviors which are deep-rooted from childhood. I grew
up in a society where punctuality was valued. So much so that
you got your butt whipped if you were late for school. That
was the old British system.

So for me to be late on delivery of job give me the same 'scary'
feeling I got when I was late for school.

This issue is more than 'business sense' it's a matter of values
inculcated early in life.

As I tell my clients, a contract is just a piece of paper for me.
It says, this is what I'll do, and this is what I expect from you
and what will happen if either messes up.

BUT it doesn't place a limit on how far I will go to make sure
that you are satisfied with my work--no contract can define
or capture that. And its source is not "business sense" but
personal pride and ethics.

-Ray Edwards

[CmdrStidd]

While I am not in any way trying to make excuses for anyone, it may not always be the fault of the writer or his/her client. A while back I had an offer on the WSO for $1000 in articles for pennies on the dollar. I had the articles all ready to go and zipped up. I got 5 orders and I sent out the packages only to find out from some of the clients that the one set of files were completely corrupted. I tried to find the problem on my own and when I couldn't I closed the WSO so no one else could order as I did not want anyone else expecting something that I was now not able to deliver. It ended up that I had to send my computer into the shop to have them look it over.

The computers at the library do not display the WF in a way that is usable at all so I could not leave a general message. I attempted to keep in touch with all the clients that had bought the package. When all was said and done I had to rewrite half of the articles that I had in the package. During the downtime I landed a job outside the home and it quickly became a nightmare for me. I work at a local amusement park and one of our rides is not working like it should. They have been claiming it is a computer program error but we only recently realized that when the cars are coming into the station for the passengers to get off, it is coming in so fast that it is literally jumping a few links on the braking chain and it is throwing the placement off with each run. Anyhow, I have been working 12 to 16 hour days on this and it has been 6 days a week. needless to say, when I get home, I have just been too tired to work on the articles and in fact, they have been the furthest thing on my mind. I did send out what I had and I still have about 78 more to write to complete that package.

I am throwing in a ton of extras for them including a software package that I have written to say thanks for being so understanding.

I am just saying that there are times that things outside the control of the writer can cause delays and that they may be things that happen at the last minute. Now, if a writer is having these "accidents" every time you have them do something then I would say that person needs to find another line of work.

PS. The job situation is one of the primary reasons why I disappeared from the forum for a while. Now that we have that problem behind us, I hope to be caught up with everyone soon and have more time for the forum too. After all, I have missed you guys here.

[Barry Walls]

Originally Posted by Jon Alexander

I totally agree with you.. but I'd just like to say this...

would you expect 25x the results from your $50 article writers as from your $2 writers?


Just curious...

Define results.

[blogginvixen]

Originally Posted by Justin Jordan

Writers, make sure you know what you're capable of. If you can write an article in half an hour, then it might sound pretty easy to write ten articles a day. Unfortunately, there's a substanial gap between 'sounds pretty easy' and 'is pretty easy'.

Do yourself a favor, and I speak from experience here, and always add a nice pad for yourself. Take half as much work as you think you can handle until you're sure what you can handle. Always give yourself more time than you think you need. At the very worst, you'll be able to complete your work early, and people rarely get angry at you for beating your deadline.

That is great advice! While the prospect of taking on a job sounds good at the moment, once you factor in research, revision, and any other duties you have on your plate, as a writer you'll quickly realize that you truly don't have enough time in a day to promise someone a 24 hr turnaround.

[Justin Jordan]

Originally Posted by Jon Alexander

I totally agree with you.. but I'd just like to say this...

would you expect 25x the results from your $50 article writers as from your $2 writers?


Just curious...

I'd expect them to be infinitely better. The gap between someone who can write a relevant, entertaining article and someone who is just able to string sentences together is vast, and the effects of using the better writer isn't necessarily obvious.

Over time, I'd be surprised if the difference in results, from a purely monetary standpoint, wasn't way more than u25x using better writers.

Fifty dollar writers don't STAY fifty dollar writers if they don't deliver commensurate value for their clients.

[InternetMarketingIQ]

So what you are saying is there are too many people posting WSO's that should not be there? We are not in Japan. So what is the recommended solution that benefits all?

[CurtisN]

Originally Posted by InternetMarketingIQ

So what you are saying is there are too many people posting WSO's that should not be there? We are not in Japan. So what is the recommended solution that benefits all?

People who want to post WSO's can post all they want as long as they abide by the rules.

Clients, on the other hand, who want to hire content creation services should wake up and start hiring writers who can actually speak and write fluently in English.

Shouldn't red flags start popping up when the very threads that advertise content creation services are laced with spelling errors, grammatical errors, and colloquial phrases which are sure signs of a non-native English speaker?

Curtis

[AlanCarr]

Content providers: Know yourself - how much high-quality content you can produce in a day and set deadlines accordingly. If you start receiving more orders than you can handle within the stipulated deadline, either stop new orders or increase the deadline. And communicate well with your clients - ALWAYS.

Nope - if you start receiving more orders than you can handle, raise your price.




B.

[CurtisN]

Originally Posted by TMG Enterprises

The ones who jump into buying from posts like that are only worrying about the price. Those buyers are often the same ones that post how terrible the service was or how they had to spend an hour fixing the articles.

I always want to say, duh? LOL.

Tina G

Haha...exactly!

What I'd like to see more, however, is more honest feedback as opposed to the generic
"great articles, thanks". If people started leaving testimonials which accurately described the quality of the service in question, many service providers would be put out of business

Curtis

[AmyBrown]

Isn't part of the problem that whenever someone asks how to make money online quickly the recommendations are to write articles and list a WSO? Article writing requires a specific skill set, including time management, yet it's an almost universal recommendation. It's not surprising to me that many fail to deliver on their promises. Those recommending that path as a way to earn quick money share some responsibility.

[JayXtreme]

Find a writer.. and stick to them..

I treat the two girls who I use like queens... they are, hands down.. the BEST writers I know and I want them to get what they deserve...

I'm sorry to hear of all the trouble people seem to be having finding reliable content writers.. but I'm keeping mine under lock and key

You can never treat a good writer too well.... respect their skill.

Peace

Jay

[JackPowers]

First post and this thread made me join instead of lurking!

I respectfully have to say to the OP that he is fighting a war he can not win!

Instead of calling out writers, who may or may not read this thread, he should focus on telling us HOW to get better results from writers.

As a writer, booked solid with big projects, I know a thing or two about this subject.

I have had many clients since I began writing and some have been great to work with, some have become potential business partners, while others have been a pain in the neck. I have declined several clients because of their behaviour.

As always in business, empathy, the ability to take on another position, is the key to succesful dealings.

I have found that many IM'ers neglect to even consider the position of the writer. Look at it this way: A writer is someone who like everyone else must make decent monthly income.

Many writers in the IM field accomplish this by lowering prices to break in, and then writing like crazy for a few weeks on everything and nothing until they break down. Because that's what happens you know!

After churning out 10's of Adsense fodder articles for a few weeks, you literally feel nauseous writing another word. Yet, this understanding is lost on many buyers of articles. That's why articles are late and quality detiriorates.

Are you a slave driver? Do you know you are underpaying while making big demands on what you want? Then I am sure you will experience the things you describe.

On the other hand, if you choose your article writers carefully with regards to how they fit your project, then you will most likely not encounter problems.

If I find a new writer that really delivers, is my first reaction to place an order of 50 articles for a penny a word, maybe even ask for discount?

No.

Instead I would make sure that writer feels appreciated and valued. I pay them MORE than they ask for. I tell them that they are doing a great job, so I want to pay them a bit more for their efforts. Who do you think gets priority with the writer?

If I want someone to write Adsense/SEO articles, do I just leave them with some keywords? Of course not, I give them a few links to where they may find the info needed. Why you ask? Isn't that the job of the writer to research? Yes, but when you are dealing with cheap writers, they are going to write many articles an hour to make it work. I would rather they focused on digesting the material and actually writing, than surfing around looking for an ezine article to rewrite.

I think some of you bring these problems on yourself. Quality and On Time Delivery cost more than 1 cent pr. word.

If you receive cheap and good service, better make sure you appreciate it, otherwise you may be better of with spinning software.

[Barry Walls]

Originally Posted by JackPowers

First post and this thread made me join instead of lurking!

I respectfully have to say to the OP that he is fighting a war he can not win!

Instead of calling out writers, who may or may not read this thread, he should focus on telling us HOW to get better results from writers.

As a writer, booked solid with big projects, I know a thing or two about this subject.

I have had many clients since I began writing and some have been great to work with, some have become potential business partners, while others have been a pain in the neck. I have declined several clients because of their behaviour.

As always in business, empathy, the ability to take on another position, is the key to succesful dealings.

I have found that many IM'ers neglect to even consider the position of the writer. Look at it this way: A writer is someone who like everyone else must make decent monthly income.

Many writers in the IM field accomplish this by lowering prices to break in, and then writing like crazy for a few weeks on everything and nothing until they break down. Because that's what happens you know!

After churning out 10's of Adsense fodder articles for a few weeks, you literally feel nauseous writing another word. Yet, this understanding is lost on many buyers of articles. That's why articles are late and quality detiriorates.

Are you a slave driver? Do you know you are underpaying while making big demands on what you want? Then I am sure you will experience the things you describe.

On the other hand, if you choose your article writers carefully with regards to how they fit your project, then you will most likely not encounter problems.

If I find a new writer that really delivers, is my first reaction to place an order of 50 articles for a penny a word, maybe even ask for discount?

No.

Instead I would make sure that writer feels appreciated and valued. I pay them MORE than they ask for. I tell them that they are doing a great job, so I want to pay them a bit more for their efforts. Who do you think gets priority with the writer?

If I want someone to write Adsense/SEO articles, do I just leave them with some keywords? Of course not, I give them a few links to where they may find the info needed. Why you ask? Isn't that the job of the writer to research? Yes, but when you are dealing with cheap writers, they are going to write many articles an hour to make it work. I would rather they focused on digesting the material and actually writing, than surfing around looking for an ezine article to rewrite.

I think some of you bring these problems on yourself. Quality and On Time Delivery cost more than 1 cent pr. word.

If you receive cheap and good service, better make sure you appreciate it, otherwise you may be better of with spinning software.

Outstanding first post. Welcome to WF.

All the best

Barry

[tranquility]

As an aspiring ghostwriter (and student of Jenn Dize's course) I've been soaking up everything that's been said in this thread. I'm about to start putting my service and website out there, and the one thing that I'm the most concerned with (after making sure the articles are well-written, of course) is making sure that I meet or beat my deadlines. I'm anal about that sort of thing, and start to feel really stressed if I feel like I won't get something done when I said I would.

So far, it hasn't happened ... but I'm realistic enough to realize that life doesn't always cooperate. So I agree that contacting clients and maintaining great communication is half the battle. I think that, for the most part, people understand.

And I also agree with what JackPowers said. I know how much effort I put into my work ... the research, the writing, the continual tweaking to get the words just right. When I see people selling articles for $2 I can't help but wonder how in the world they're writing them. I am getting faster at writing articles, but still I can't see writing more than 5 quality articles in a day - that would be a FULL day. So my turnaround time wouldn't be as fast as some others I've seen, but my articles are GOOD, darn it!!

So anyway, just wanted to throw in my 5 cents (adjusted for inflation) from the point of view of someone just trying to break into the business.

Have a great week, all.

Debbie

[slvrsrfr]

Originally Posted by YellowDot Software

The paying customer is king! But I don't think ritual suicide in Japan is nearly as prevalent as it used to be

It's always risky to deal with individual people as well, because one thing happens and they're out of the game. Maybe someone should make an open source booking program that they can list on their website to show how many jobs they have lined up or something?

Honesty is the best policy, quality is the second best policy

great product you have by the way. i've used it and been very happy.

[slvrsrfr]

craig,

thanks for this post. it's unfortunate that such a post even has to be made. but as a newbie here, i'm relying on the rep of warrior forum to some degree vet for the best providers.

it's hard enough starting an im business without having to deal with scoundrels.

[ebizstrategies]

thanks for the heads up, good to know and to add a little caution to your judgement when dealing with others (anywhere online really).

[jessewrites]

It's hard to know who to trust. Only asking for 1/2 payment upfront and offering as many revisions as necessary are the only ways I know to demonstrate my trustworthiness to a potential client who doesn't know me. Asking a lot of questions upfront also helps to avoid misunderstandings. I'm amazed to hear of the bad experiences you've had, Craig. Not being on time is one thing. Weeks late for work you've been paid for, without any explanation is appalling. I guess the difference is: are you writing to earn extra cash, or do you consider yourself a professional?

[traces2757]

Not too long ago I literally stayed up all night long to finish a writing project so I wouldn't miss the deadline. I'd overestimated how soon I could get the articles done, but I considered it my problem that I was wrong, not the client's. I got the articles done and then passed out for several hours. I don't usually estimate the time wrong. I try to give myself plenty of time and I usually deliver early, but of course there are times when you miscalculate. Right now I'm making my entire full-time living as a writer; I can't afford to be lackadaisical when it comes to my work.

Even if it wasn't my only source of income right now, I'd still do my best to deliver quality product on time. Frankly, I'd feel lousy if I didn't. I realize unforeseen things happen, but those instances should be few and far between or it becomes suspect.

When clients trust me with their writing projects, I take that seriously. I don't understand people who don't.