Robert (Bob) Peryea

This isn't going to be popular, but unless it's your job, don't prioritize anything. Let me explain: I'm a freelancer. I have companies come to me all the time to do their LinkedIn, blogs, emails, or other writing. They expect me to work with a committee of three to seven people, get their opinions, and put it all together. I don't. The biggest delay in our work will be a committee. I ask them to assign one point of contact who can chase everyone down and get their opinions. In my experience, 99% of the time, the person trying to get everyone's feedback is doing it because the people who really should do it don't want to. They know it's a hassle, so they give it away (usually without saying so or paying for it).

How I communicate will depend on the client. Often, I simply tell them no. I won't do anything that I know is going to be detrimental to them. Google is likely to push your website down because of keyword stuffing. It's not only a risk for them, but it's a risk to my reputation. The Google AI is very smart when it comes to making connections between words and ideas. Add a few keywords and lots of quality content and let Google do its thing. Maybe it won't work for everyone, but I simply say no to doing things I know can be harmful to my clients.

An example of what not to do: I had a client who was having his reputation torched - partly by clients he didn't treat well and partly by a competitor's friends, family, and staff. He went right at them online. That was over 13 years ago and some of his comments, where he calls people stupid, morons, and much worse, are among the first things that pop up when you google his name. The internet is forever. Make sure you're engaging in a way that you want to have to answer for decades later. BTW, he has a whole new career now that's different from the web copy business he was so successful with.

Work for people. Not matter how little you are paid, do work for people. If you're volunteering for charity, it's okay to work for free, but otherwise, everyone pays. Even it's one dollar, one rupee, or one apple. People don't value things they don't pay for, so everyone should pay. Besides, if people find out you're willing to work for free, they will expect that. It will take you forever to make a living because people resent paying for something someone else got for free. Never work for free. Cheap, maybe, but never free.

This is simple: "AI has learned from your work." It's not creative, but it can do the same tasks over and over very quickly.

Do, don't talk. Sit them down in front of something that they do every day. Then let them see how quickly AI can do that job. Talk about how AI is not perfect, but it can get 98% of a task completed in seconds. Show them what it does instead of talking about the magic behind the curtain.