The World's Tallest Writing Coach

Tell me if you’ve ever encountered this situation. You apply for a freelancing job and the client responds right away.

They’re thrilled with your resume or work experience. They’re excited about the project. They can’t wait to get started on it. They make an offer, you accept, and then suddenly … they get cold feet.

When they first contacted you, you were getting replies from their Iphone every 5 minutes. Now suddenly, an entire day goes by without a reply.

Why do they waffle?

I wouldn’t be writing about this, of course, if it hadn’t happened to me recently. A new client invited me to interview for a position, we put all the parameters in place, and I was just waiting for the confirmation of being hired so i could start working when the silence started.

It broke 24 hours later with a one-line email, asking if I could do the project for about 20% less than the agreed-upon price. When I refused, the silence returned, this time lasting 72 hours, despite frequent queries by yours truly for an update.

Three days later, another one-liner email, with the always helpful explanation of “something came up.” Suddenly, the person who couldn’t stop gushing about their project when we were getting to know each other can’t bother with a three-sentence explanation when they decide to go looking for greener pastures.

The lesson learned? Don’t count your freelancing jobs before the contract is signed. You never know when you’re dealing with a waffler.