I was as pleased as punch with myself – until I realized that my clients (two of them) were also winning big time. Then I was even more pleased. Quick! Give me a phrase that means “even more pleased than pleased as punch”! Ah! I’ve got it: I was as pleased as the entire bottle store! Hmm. I’m not sure that works. I suspect “punch” in this context refers to the puppet in a Punch and Judy show. Ah yes, so it does. Oh well, as long as we understand each other…

Here’s what happened

A client from a popular South African glossy mag, my oldest client that’s still occasionally active, approached me for an article. In the past, the “payment” for my writing had consisted of a free ad for the company where I was once one of CC members. The firm has since been sold. For a while, I billed the new owners for my work as a freelancer at a very favorable rate, but they took absolutely no interest in what I did, and I began to feel as if I was shoving the darned articles down their throats before demanding payment.

I stopped writing. I wanted to see what they would do. They didn’t do anything. Nor did I. Six months later, in comes the mail from the glossy. “We want articles!”

The long and the short of it was that I offered to write them one for free before washing my hands of the whole business, but they offered to pay me instead. Now that’s right up my street! Moneymoneymoney!

Then I thought about it

The glossy now has an ad space worth more than ten times the amount I charge them for an article available to sell.

See what I mean? Everybody wins!

• My ex firm no longer has to pay for work they don’t particularly seem to want done.
• The mag makes more advertising bucks.
• I get paid at my standard rate!

It’s not just a win-win situation, it’s a win-win-win situation! Well, I think so, anyway. I’m a bit worried that the new owners of the old firm will object when they don’t see their ad any more, but they seemed so uninterested in the whole process, that I can’t imagine they will be. Still, you never know with folks.

Now I’m wondering whether the SA Nurserymen’s marketing committee will pay me for the hour-long Sunday morning radio chats I seem to get the lion’s share of these days. Somehow, I doubt it. Best not push my luck. Perhaps when I weary of it enough to throw my toys out the cot and say, “Once more for old times’ sake, and that’s it!” I’ll get an offer. Then again, I might get a fond farewell, and it’s kind of fun…