Many of the location independent professionals I’ve gotten to talk to struggle with whether or not they should let their clients know that they are, in fact, location independent. There seem to be positives and negatives both directions, and many find themselves stuck somewhere in the middle, not wanting to be dishonest but also knowing that there’s nothing about being location independent that should disqualify them from getting good work…

You Don’t Have to Tell

Is there some unspoken ethical requirement out there that says you have to reveal that you’re not in an office like your clients are and that, in fact, you do a lot of your work on the beach, at a coffee shop or on your couch in your pajamas?

I don’t think there is. If you sense that a client isn’t going to give you work, won’t respect you or won’t pay you as much if they know you’re location independent, by all means don’t tell them. The same holds true if you just think it isn’t any of their business.

The agreement between you and a client is professional. Where you live and your lifestyle is personal. Unless your LIP lifestyle is going to interfere with your work for the client or you feel like you have something particular to offer because you’re location independent and want/need to share that fact, there isn’t any reason to share more than you want to.

But What if You Want To Share?

For some LIPs though, the lifestyle is so ingrained into who they are, that they don’t really want to work with anyone who doesn’t know and accept it. Others feel like they need to share because their lifestyle influences how, when, and where they wor, and that changes what they can and cannot offer clients (usually in the opinion of these folks, for the better!).

If you want to share about how you live, there are some things to consider. Unfair as it is, you’ll probably have to do some extra work to convince clients that your LIP lifestyle won’t interfere with your work. Fortunately, most clients who have concerns about working with location independent people fall into one of the following categories:

• They fear you’re unprofessional. It’s not your lifestyle itself that bothers these people, but what they’re afraid it means about your attention to detail and deadline or your ability to be in touch with them when they need you. These clients need to know that you take the “professional” in “Location Independent Professional” very seriously. Having references that specifically mention your timeliness, how easy you are to contact and how you follow strict details of policy can help you out. So will your manner and demeanor. If you act professionally, you will be able to counteract some of this prejudice.

• They fear you’ll disappear. Many clients have had bad experiences with other people who they would lump into the LIP category (even if you wouldn’t). Unfortunately, it’s a lot easier to drop a client mid-project if you’re not only in another country, but working at opposite times of day. Again, good references will go far toward helping you out with this. If you have an extensive client list, preferably filled with names of companies and businesses that the client will be familiar with, all the better. Otherwise, you may have to allow clients to postpone payment until a job is completed or work out something similar to get around this objection.

• You’re not serious. These clients fear that you will take off to some exotic locale or go gallivanting off across the map on a whim, leaving them hanging. They also fear that you don’t know what you’re doing, because after all you’re just working until you can afford to travel again. Some of the same items can help here – good references, a solid client list, a reputation in your field. In addition, letting clients know that you keep regular business hours (and informing them of what those are) or that you’re not taking a vacation until XYZ time can help, too.

• They’re jealous. I think most LIPs would be surprised at how much this influences some clients. Your lifestyle is one they want, if only . . . The fact that you have it and they don’t is threatening to them, even though you haven’t done anything to rub it in. I may be wrong, but there isn’t always a lot you can do with clients like this. Hopefully, they will be mature enough to realize their own feelings and that jealousy is no reason not to work with you. If they aren’t, you may not want to work with them anyway.

Have you encountered any of these attitudes among your prospective or actual clients? If so, how did you deal with them?