Sure, we’re freelancers because we don’t like all that paperwork and red tape. We want to have relationships with our clients. We send them birthday wishes on Facebook, we link to them on LinkedIn, we follow them on Twitter and retweet their witicisms to all of our friends and family…

Ok, that may be overboard a bit, but I believe that in our social networking, touchy-feely world of marketing in the 21st Century, we do often expect to have a more intimate – for lack of a better word – relationship with our clients.

And with many clients, that might work out great. There are some customers that you can be friends with and also have a constructive working relationship with. And then there are the other kind of customers – now, these may try to fool you. They may do all the things I talked about in the first paragraph of this article. They may friend you all over the ‘net, and then…they screw you.

Sorry to be so harsh, but there really is no delicate way of putting it when a customer takes your work and disappears, neglecting to pay you. So my freelance friends, do yourselves a BIG favor: Get It In Writing.

Yes, even from your “friend” clients.

How do you ask these friend-clients to sign a contract without hurting their feelings or straining the relationship, cozy as it is?

By simply letting them know that it is your standard procedure, everyone signs a contract, and it protects them as much as it protects you.

What’s a little paper between friends?

It’s not much actually. But having the paper will clarify many agreed upon items and reduce any confusion – the kind of confusion that often leads to the break down of even the warmest, fuzziest relationships – such as:

• Is there a downpayment, how much and when is it due
• When is the first draft expected
• What sort and how many revisions are included
• When is the final document expected
• When is final payment expected
• Who owns the copyright on the material produced

Don’t get me wrong, its great to have clients you like and that you like working with. Having a contract is not a wedge between you, it is the link that binds you together. It is the comfort level that you both enjoy knowing exactly what is expected from each other.

So, do yourself – and your clients – a favor. Get all jobs in writing!