Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Bad News/Good News

Well folks it's been a busy, busy summer for me... between work and going to Burning Man (www.burningman.com) but now that the dust has settled, I'm back to discuss the subject of how bad news could really be good news.

I recently completed 75% of a major web site when I got a call to "stop work". It seems that there was a change of command and the new group of folks wanted a chance to review what was being done.

Now one way of looking at it is: BAD NEWS.

Are the new group of people looking to replace me with someone they know?
Are the new people happy with the work I did?
Are there any problems or issues that I don't know about?

Yes... all these questions popped into my head... but then I stopped and said to myself...

"Hold on! This could turn out to be good news.. in fact it could be great news! I remembered that the Chinese ideogram for "crisis" is made up of two characters signifying "danger" and "opportunity".

Since I know that everyone loved and approved my work to date, it could be that if the new people in charge wanted some major changes made to their site, I would be able to charge my AA (Author's alteration) fees that were spelled out in detail in my signed agreement with them... and that's good news.

Or if they want to take it from the top with an entirely new design, there would be additional opportunities to earn more money.... yes more good news!

Bottom line: A successful freelancer has to make sure that all parties are aware of any additional fees that might occur AFTER approvals are given. As long as everything is done correctly from the start and no one is surprised, you will continue to have a good working relationship with your clients... which will lead to more opportunities for you to make more money in the future.