Ever looked at a client’s web site and tell yourself that they need more than a writer? Maybe the graphics just were off or out of date, or maybe the SEO had cobwebs on it. Egads, you say as you look further. What a mess.

Oh well, I did my part. Gave the client the three hundred words and now I’ll just sit and wait. After all, they came to me because they DID need a writer. Now is about the time a huge car should happen to drop on me from the heavens. Or maybe I could get away with a duh-oh!.

We writers (yes, I’ll include myself this time) are generally Jacks and Jills Of All Trades out of necessity, well okay, more out of hunger. So why not make use of that? We often forget to include all of our talents when we hang our our shingles , and potential clients may never know what we can do. They will often hire out job specific and not once ask if we can perform other tasks.

But, we are all different and about half of us will say “Hell with that. I’m not doing any more than I’m asked,” while the other half will tell ourselves, “That is ugly and I know I can fix it, but I won’t intrude. Wouldn’t want to piss off the client, you know.”

I’ll just say this; Fuck that.

What if the client would love to bundle services? Don’t you like having all of your related services bundled? I mean, I think it’s dang cool to have a homeless crack whore stop by once in a while. Love, drugs, and the convenience of not having to take her home. So why wouldn’t your client jump at the chance to get a bundled deal?

The only non-benefit I see is the ability for our clients to get work completed on parallel paths. But if we give them a package quote, they may be willing to give a little on the time needed side. Certainly, when we really think about the logistics of seeking more work and having a schedule blocks filled, a bundled deal could pay off for us, the freelance writers.

Next time you find someone in the need of a writer, look around and see if you can offer more. What’s the worst that could happen? A persistent itch or rash? Petty annoyances when it comes to mullah.

© 2009, Alex Crabtree. All rights reserved.