My telephone conversation with Client #6 was not entirely reassuring. He says things like, “What’s going on?” and then I say things like, “I’m requesting links. That ranges from pitching stories to NPR and Wired.com to directory submissions.” And then we have a long silence. Then his phone cuts out.
Then he calls back and asks interview type questions like, “How do you follow up on requests?” or “Do you use bot submissions?” Fortunately, I had answers for these questions. But then there are long silences. His phone cuts out again, so I go outside in case that will help and call him back. He mentions a couple of SEO celebrities, I recognize their names for him, and there are more long silences. He is calling me again on Friday, and I am going to have to come up with something to say.
With my other clients, I can inform them that they now have twice as many links as they had before (over twice as many, in fact, Formerprincess), but with this guy, I would have to say something like, “You did have a mere 1,999,194 links, and now I’ve requested a further forty-three, and what the heck, pretty soon you’ll hit two million.”
Janalisa pointed out that the mere fact that the Chief Technical Officer, one of the founders of a company that went online in the prehistory of the internet, is bothering to call me at all must say something. And he did send me an email of notes on linkbuilding from a seminar he attended with a major light in the field — and I was already doing just about all that it suggested. I found that reassuring. Maybe I should use more SEO jargon. Maybe I should claim to have tight code, although you, who have seen the inaccuracies of my lace, know that I don’t.
I then had an IM conversation with Client #2, who was very happy with the materials and how the presentation went. “I’ve enjoyed working with you on this project,” I typed, “and I hope we’ll work together more in the future.” He didn’t respond at all. Of course, that could mean that someone walked into the office or he went to get a cup of coffee, just as easily as that he never wants to work with me again.
So I am getting to feel somewhat insecure, which is of course good for the old humility.
Client #4 is coming to my house this morning so I can show her things about her website. I have no idea what financial arrangement she has in mind, but I am frankly hoping for something steady. “Steady,” in fact, is my primary goal right now. Before she arrives, I’ll need to come up with a formula of some kind, balancing steadiness with an hourly rate, so that I can determine what degree of steadiness it would take for me to accept what kind of fee.
That is, I’m accepting a fee of $XX per hour from Clients 2 and 6 on the grounds that they are offering me relatively steady work, and will charge one-shot people more, should I ever have any of those. If Client #4 is prepared to offer a set amount per month on a permanent basis, say, then how much would it have to be for me to offer her the same level of service as Clients 2 and 6? Ideally, I should be able to come up with a percentage. Then I could have my official hourly fee, and apply discounts: so much for an assured number of hours per week, so much for a definite commitment for a number of months, so much for actually putting me on the payroll…
I think it should be a really cool-looking formula, though, not a chart. It should have twiddly bits like accidentals in music, and possibly some parentheses. Then, when someone asks me my rates, I can just show them the equation and offer to plug in their variables.
Having a client come over also means that I have to tidy my house. What level of tidiness would you expect from a Computer Guy? Maybe I should add some pizza delivery boxes.
#2 son is going camping with friends, in celebration of the end of the school year. They are not taking any adults. They are all 16 or 17. I expressed some concern over this as he loaded his grocery cart with meatitude and sweetitude, but he said, “We have cell phones,” witheringly, as though new technologies could be expected to change life entirely. Adults are no longer needed, and there are no more dangers, because they have cell phones.
My oldest son (also 16) is very glib about the magical powers of his cell phone. It would be swell if he remembered to keep it turned on. Or would use it to call when he went to another kid’s house…just so I knew where he was. And boy #2? He forgets to charge his up. So do most of his friends. So there were a few panicked phone calls from the parents of his friends wondering where they all were (ie: snowboarding, or on the bus on the way down).
Ah, cell phones. The magic of today.
Yes. Cell phones make teenagers act responsible.
…. I am kidding, of course.
I think the long silences of the one client are probably caused by being as clueless as I am about the topic you’re discussing.
I just went through a thing with Google, trying to get my new blog listed, and most of their directions might as well have been in Sanscrit for all the sense they made to me.
I’m going to have to find a book titled “How to get people to read your blog if you don’t know anything about SEO” or something.
If you happen to know of a book like that, let me know. DON’T go out of your way.
If your son is going camping, how does he know that he’ll be able to get cell phone reception there? And how does he plan to recharge the phone while camping?
Camping, if you ask me, isn’t a good idea this weekend. Of course, we’re also experiencing “violent long-lasting storms” with “tea cup sized hail” and whatnot. The threat of tornado is so real, in fact, that they called off the tornado siren testing today. Since there were actual sightings of actual funnels, they decided it best not to cry wolf, I guess.
Good call, really.
@lostarts – Increasing traffic to blogs is one of the things I am doing for clients. I think the absolute #1 thing is to post regularly and well. Then submit your blog to directories, join webrings, and be social with your blog — comment at others in the same niche as yours, leaving your URL, post it at facebook and technorati and other similar sites, etc.
I’ll keep praying and I’m sure the next meeting will go better. Now you know what to expect so next time you can wow his socks off!
Teenagers always think they are invincible but you seem like you are a very good mother and your children have been raised right so I think you can trust they will behave for the most part (and prayers never hurt!).
@JewelE19 – The prayers of the righteous availeth much!
In fact, I just had that phone conversation, and the guy said “What you’re doing is great.”
Whew!
AWESOME! I knew you could do it (& God is GOOD)!