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Question
How do you politely explain to a client that you don’t work for free?
Context:
I work with small businesses, and I frequently get asked to do things that seem innocuous, but are actually veiled requests for free work.
For example, a client will have a short blog post, and they’ll say, “let me know if I need to make any changes.” (Read: Hey, can you proofread this for me for free?)
Most of the time they’re small requests, so it feels rude to say “I need to bill for that,” when it’s just a quick in-the-moment thing, but over time all that free work adds up.
What’s the best way to deal with these requests?
