Thread: Repeat Clients

Hey guys, I was wondering whether or not the majority of you work with repeat clients or "one-shot" clients. What are the pros/cons of each?

I've tended to work with repeat clients, honestly I dread working with new clients, you just never know what they want until after you've given it to them, and then find out their requirements are different from the instructions they gave.

Having been a writer for many years, around 90% of my clients gave me repeat business over an extended period of time. Many have also become friends.

The pros of working with repeat clients are that you get to know them, you get to know the context they work in, and where your work is going to appear. You also get much better references and more word of mouth referral business from them.

On the downside, repeat customers often expect more frequent discounts. There are a lot of other financial problems that can arise from repeat business, for example delays in payment (you're just another supplier), to tax problems if you work too closely with a single client (difference between being a contractor vs employee)

Frankly, I'll work with whoever wants to hire me to write for them but I do appreciate clients that bring in repeat business because I know that I can call them up when I hit a slow patch and they will have work for me (or be able to refer me to someone who does).

That, I think is the biggest pro of repeat clients--though I do agree with Elbandelero that the financial side of things can get sticky if you aren't careful. I've had a few clients who assumed that, since we were on friendly terms, they could delay paying me without asking first or who would expect me to drop everything for a last minute project of theirs...which I would do when I could of course

For one shot clients, the biggest downside is not knowing what to expect. It takes time to learn someone's communication style and you might think that you are on the same page when you have vastly different ideas about what is expected of your work. Worrying about whether someone will pay on time (or at all) can also be stressful. On the pro side, one shot clients can inject some much needed variety when you need it most!

I prefer to work with repeat clients, although I do work for new people every now and then. What's great about working with the same people is that as time goes on, you start to feel like a part of their company - like you play a big role in what they do. Also, I am much less likely to get scammed if I work for the same people.

This is an interesting topic. I'm sure all the posts almost covered all pros and cons of each client type.

I personally like both repeat and one-shot clients. However, I'd prefer repeat clients, because I feel more comfortable and I'm sure they feel the same

Working with new people introduces risk. Repeat clients have generally set a bar, and they expect your work's quality to be above the bar every time. This helps motivate me.

From the other side of the cover, as a buyer, I feel safer purchasing from the same seller, already knowing the sort of quality work that I should be receiving from them.

If I've already got people that are able to create high-quality work, at reasonable prices, I see no reason why it is necessary for me to try new solutions. There's only so much that needs doing.

I work a lot with repeat clients. It's good for the income stream and when I build a rapport with them they usually refer me to friends, family and business associates.

Repeat clients work better for me as I know what they want, and I know they pay me in time. Only when I have free capacity do I look for new clients. Yet, this did hardly happen recently.

I have been thinking about outsourcing article writing, but then "my" articles would lose some of their characteristics which would be noticed and could have a negative impact on me.

I like both but I generally stick to long term repeat clients.

I have some repeat clients but I do have a one time client only since the scope of work is different each time. But I have lot of repeat clients