Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 2: Today's tip is to be easy to work with. If
Speaker 2: you want people to want to work with you, making
Speaker 2: the experience as.
Speaker 3: Painless as possible is a good way to make that happen.
Speaker 3: So today's tip comes courtesy of a friend who has
Speaker 3: been freelancing for a long time. She was working with
Speaker 3: a new editor and turned in a piece that was
Speaker 3: exactly the right length, written in the same tone as
Speaker 3: everything else in the publication, and she turned it in
Speaker 3: with the proper supporting material a few days early. To
Speaker 3: hear her tell it, the editor was so excited that
Speaker 3: she thanked her profusely for all she had done, which
Speaker 3: of course made both of us wonder were other people
Speaker 3: not doing this. Completing an assignment as assigned seems like
Speaker 3: the bare minimum, but we all know that not everyone
Speaker 3: is easy to work with. People miss deadlines, people don't
Speaker 3: do what they agreed to do. Sometimes people are not
Speaker 3: particularly pleasant with those they are working with. They are
Speaker 3: late to meetings, or they are unprepared. They are constantly
Speaker 3: trying to upsell to the next thing, and maybe it
Speaker 3: works sometimes, but most people who have a choice tend
Speaker 3: to seek out pleasure and avoid pain. If you work
Speaker 3: with two vendors and they are basically the same in
Speaker 3: terms of cost and performance, wouldn't you be more likely
Speaker 3: to give future business to the one who isn't a jerk?
Speaker 3: Wouldn't you be more likely to choose the one who
Speaker 3: seems happy that you gave them the business? I know
Speaker 3: I would, and pretty much most other people will do
Speaker 3: the same. So if you want people to want to
Speaker 3: work with you, being easy to work with is a
Speaker 3: pretty good way to stand out, particularly in a competitive
Speaker 3: market where it is hard to compete on price and
Speaker 3: everyone does more or less the same thing. Being easy
Speaker 3: to work with is the one place you can truly
Speaker 3: distinguish yourself. What this looks like is probably different in
Speaker 3: every industry, but being nice goes a long way everywhere.
Speaker 3: Returning calls promptly and thanking people is always a good idea.
Speaker 3: Doing the job you said you'd do in the time
Speaker 3: you said you'd do it in is going to make
Speaker 3: anyone happy. I know it doesn't always work out. You
Speaker 3: work to build a relationship with someone and they quit
Speaker 3: or go elsewhere. A project can turn into a disaster
Speaker 3: despite everyone's best intentions. But careers are long, and if
Speaker 3: you have been in the same business for decades, you
Speaker 3: will likely have the experience of someone reaching out with
Speaker 3: a job or a project in the future precisely because
Speaker 3: they did enjoy working with you in the past. You
Speaker 3: were easy to work with and they want to continue
Speaker 3: that easy feeling as long as possible. In the meantime,
Speaker 3: this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making
Speaker 3: the most of our time.
Speaker 1: Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you. You can
Speaker 1: send me your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just
Speaker 1: connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before
Speaker 1: Breakfast Pod. That's b E the number four then Breakfast pod.
Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com. That before Breakfast is spelled
Speaker 1: out with all the letters. Thanks so much, should I
Speaker 1: look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a
Speaker 1: production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the
Speaker 1: iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your
Speaker 1: favorite shows.