5 Tips for Freelance Mentor Relationships

credit: antonella.beccaria on flickr

January is National Mentoring Month in the United States. Wherever you are in the world, I suspect that many of us have a mentor (or five) to thank for our freelance successes. I personally have a handful of generous, wonderful people who helped connect me with potential clients, find my voice as a writer, and navigate contract negotiations when I was first starting out.

I still turn to several of these mentors for advice periodically, but I’ve also found myself on the other side of the table, mentoring up-and-coming writers as they build up their confidence and client base.

Here are some of the tips I’ve learned about being a good mentee.

First do your homework, then ask questions.

Many long-time freelancers get repeatedly asked basic questions from those who are starting to freelance (or considering freelancing). There are tons of online resources and books that already answer the big, open-ended questions like, “how do I find clients?” or “what’s a query letter?” Instead of asking these kinds of questions, which could take the recipient hours to answer, do some preliminary research first. Then you can ask more specific questions like, “I noticed you write for several food websites – any tips on breaking into those markets?” or “I love the way you set up your portfolio, and I wondered what program you used?” (Yup, a little flattery doesn’t hurt either.) Also, don’t be surprised if someone refuses to divulge trade secrets or doesn’t have time to talk shop for hours. Not everyone has the time or desire to be a mentor, but plenty of people do have a mentoring mentality.

Avoid treating your mentor like a therapist.

Freelancing can get lonely at times. When you get rejected by your dream client or your wireless goes on the fritz or your invoice “gets lost” for what feels like the zillionth time, it’s tempting to want to vent. Hopefully you have a supportive family and friends or a good therapist. Because sending long tirades to your mentor about things he or she can’t fix may not create the most polished impression. If you need advice on what you could have done differently to land that dream client next time or ensure that collections runs more smoothly, ask away. Just try to keep it professional.

Show your appreciation.

Mentors are busy people, especially when they have their own business to run and clients to keep happy. So, it’s important to be gracious and always thank them for their time. When your mentor really goes above and beyond, it’s appropriate to take your gratitude up a notch, too. One writer who emails me regularly actually sent me a custom magnet from CafePress as a thank you! Another emailed me a photo of a birthday cupcake to show how excited she was about a new client I’d helped her land. Get creative!

Don’t blindly follow advice.

Just because someone tells you that cold-calling or email blasting is the best way to get clients doesn’t mean it’s the most effective strategy for you. Maybe you’ll have better luck networking in person with local business owners or using social media. But if you decide to disregard your mentor’s advice, then don’t complain later that you can’t find new clients/didn’t land the project you wanted/couldn’t meet your deadline. I’ve had colleagues ask me to connect them with editors or other people in my network, then been surprised (and a little disappointed) to discover that they never followed through after I gave them an introduction. It’s hard to be sympathetic to someone who laments their lack of clients but doesn’t follow through when you’re practically handing them an opportunity.

Cultivate multiple mentor relationships.

Mentors get busy. Sometimes they leave the industry to start a family or pursue other interests. Sometimes you outgrow them. That’s why it’s a bad idea to rely on one person for all your freelance advice (not to mention the fact that you could exhaust them with questions if you aren’t careful). Some freelancers or small biz owners create a formal or informal “board of advisors” instead of seeking advice from a single mentor. That way you can consult a mix of people with different expertise and target your questions accordingly. For instance, you could have an attorney friend who knows the ins and outs of copyright law, a fellow creative you can bounce ideas off of, and a few others to fill in the gaps.

Photo credit: antonella.beccaria/flickr