After three years of working in a cubicle, I became a full-time freelance writer in 2010—and from the first day I left my office job, I’ve been learning what it means to write from home.

While I started with multiple clients, today, I write predominantly for one Chicago-based marketing agency, a routine that gives me increased stability and more consistent hours (a freelancer’s dream come true!). And after years of writing for this marketing agency, I’ve also seen what it takes to succeed in this role.

Are you interested in freelancing for a marketing agency? Do you wonder what’s involved if you do?

If so, here are some tips from my experience. These are the habits to practice when you’re managing one single client instead of a handful of them, writing regularly in one style instead of many different ones, and reporting to one company instead of juggling dozens of contacts. 

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Do you hate selling?

Does the idea of approaching strangers and asking them to give you money make you want to curl up and die? Do you feel all dirty and slimy talking about prices?

Well, I have good news and bad news for you.

The good news is that you’re not alone. A lot of people feel that way. The bad news is that when you’ve picked freelance writing as your career, being able to sell is about as important as, oh… let’s say oxygen.

But before you throw in the towel to pursue a career in accounting or fry cookery, let me make you feel a whole lot better about this scenario by sharing some inside sales guy information with you.

You’ve been lied to. Or at the very least misled.

Sales is not what you think.

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If I were to ask: “I need a freelance blogging job. Where do I go?”

What would you say?

Let me give you a couple of seconds to think this through.

Job boards, am I right?

Even if that wasn’t your final answer, I’m pretty sure it was on your mind nevertheless.

Job boards (actually, all kinds of publicly available job listings, forum sections for freelance deals, sites like Fiverr, and so on) are THE obvious place to go for any kind of freelance-related work. It’s surely no surprise that many new freelance bloggers rely on them exclusively when hunting for their first gigs.

I did too.

And don’t get me wrong, they are very good at getting you employed. However, in the long run, they are not that great of a tool to keep your career advancing.

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During my time as a freelance writer, I’ve had the chance to speak to dozens of bloggers, entrepreneurs, and clients. Those conversations have often produced invaluable insights and taught me lessons that I would not have otherwise learned.

With the above in mind, I set about interviewing a number of people from different backgrounds for my freelance blogging guide, Paid to Blog. While I felt I could put together a complete guide on freelance blogging myself, I knew that including the thoughts and opinions of others would elevate the course to another level.

Besides many others, I ended up interviewing two of my clients. That’s right folks — I spoke to the very people who pay our bills to discover what they want from us. I thought their perspective would be refreshing and unique when complemented by my own experiences. I was right.

In this post, I’ve selected the most compelling and valuable points made in my interviews with them. Read on to see what I learned! 

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