What I can’t resist even more is a really good back-and-forth conversation with someone new. New is exciting. New is fun. A new person to email with spikes my interest and amuses me to no extent. The reverse is true as well; someone emailing me with all sorts of quips and interesting bits of information is having as much fun as I am. Together, we ‘click’, and we avoid all sorts of unpleasant things like daily tasks and the grind of routine.
In the outsourcing world, though, fun is a red flag to slow down. Anyone looking for a freelancer should be cautious as hell about choosing the first fun and interesting person to come along.
For some strange reason, people associate someone with a great ability to converse and be social with expertise and skill. I have no idea why, and that’s a blog for another day after I’ve researched the matter. The point is that because you strike up a conversation with a writer and end up having a great time over the course of ten or so emails does not mean that you’ve landed on the Professional Writer of the Year and should award a project or contract to this person.
Wait. Wait to see what a few days brings. You might end up discovering another writer infinitely more suitable to your needs or more skilled for the job. You might find a writer at a similar level of expertise but a lower price. Hasty choice based on ‘clicking’ with a writer that amuses you or makes you feel good may mean you miss a chance at someone better and more qualified.
Of course, you might go through twenty writers only to realize that the first person you’d been emailing really was the best person for the job. That writer will be waiting for you, and will be more than happy to hear he or she rose above all the others.
