Welcome to THE WELL-FED E-PUB!
Serving up
food for thought and tasty tips for the prospering FLCW*. Come on in, sit
anywhere and bring your appetite!
*FLCW,
peppered throughout the ezine, stands for "Freelance Commercial
Writer" – the designation for anyone who freelances for businesses
(as opposed to writing magazine articles, short stories, poetry, etc.), and
typically earns $50-125+ an hour.
*****************************************
VOLUME 9,
ISSUE 6 – JUNE 2010 (Issue #98: August will be 100!)
Publishing
the first Tuesday of every month since May 2002
Read it
Online at: http://www.wellfedwriter.com/ezine/june2010.html
*****************************************
"THE
WELL-FED WRITER" (2010 EDITION) HAS WON FOUR AWARDS!
Check out
the Awards Gallery at http://www.wellfedwriter.com/wellfedawards.shtml
To Order
(FR.EE Bonus/U.S. Shipping): http://www.wellfedwriter.com/ordertwfw.shtml.
*****************************************
AUGUST
GROUP COACHING NOW ENROLLING (w/NEW ENHANCEMENTS!)
Details and
testimonials at http://www.wellfedwriter.com/groupcoaching.shtml.
*****************************************
STAYING
BUSY IN A TOUGH ECONOMY? I WANT TO HEAR YOUR STORIES!
IÕll be
collecting success stories – from 50 to 500 words – for a special
section of the ezine. Send them to peter@wellfedwriter.com.
AND, I NEED
ALL USUAL COURSES. I'm low in ALL departments and would love to get your
strategies, tips and features. See "Coffee" for more details and word
counts.
*****************************************
ONE SALES
LETTER, 77 RECIPIENTS, $80K IN NEW COPYWRITING BUSINESS??
All the
details: http://savagemarketing.com/64000/cmd.php?af=761186
***************************************
THIS
MONTH'S MENU:
I.
APPETIZER: MOST CLIENTS ARE NICE! (WHO KNEW?)
Group
Coaching Participant Corrects His Own Irrational Perceptions of ŅOgreÓ
Clients
II.
"FIELD" GREENS: ŅDRIVE-BY PROSPECTINGÓ LAUNCHES BUSINESS!
IL FLCW
Canvasses Area, Cold-Calls, Builds Biz, & Takes Clients With Her to FL!
III.
MAIN ŅMEATÓ COURSE: GOODBYE
JOB, HELLO EX-EMPLOYER!
FLCW
Advises: Tap Your Own Employer to Help Prime to Pump to Self-Employment
IV.
DESSERT: Sweet Success Stories and Tips
New Cold
Caller Has Prospects Thank Her for Calling (and for Following Up)!
TIP: NC
FLCW Shares F.r.e.e. Simple Accounting Software by QuickBooks!
V. COFFEE,
MINTS AND TOOTHPICKS
- GROUP
COACHING! August Series Now Filling & Offers New Enhancements!
- THE
WELL-FED E-PUB NEEDS ALL COURSES!
- The
WELL-FED WRITER BLOG is Rockin'! http://www.wellfedwriter.com/blog
- MISSED MY
TELECLASS? Full 38-PAGE e-Transcript – Just $12!
- AWAI
Copywriting (& Other) Courses: Register Here, Get 2 Bonuses (no charge!)
- How Can
My Mentoring Service Serve You?
*****************************************
*****************************************
I.
APPETIZER: MOST CLIENTS ARE NICE! (WHO KNEW?)
Group Coaching
Participant Corrects His Own Irrational Perceptions of ŅOgreÓ Clients
When youÕre
starting out as a commercial freelancer with no experience in the field, itÕs
natural to get a bit intimidated by this high-stakes writing field. By
extension, itÕs easy to imagine snarky, demanding clients who routinely chew up
and spit out newbie copywriters, leaving them bruised, battered and near
tears.
AND, youÕd
be wrong. Fact is, most clients are pretty nice people. Sure, there are some
pills out there, but in my experience, theyÕre the exception, not the rule.
Course, it helps to be really good at what you do, exceptionally well prepared,
and flexible.
In my last
coaching series, one of the attendees, Green Bay (area), WI FLCW Roy Rasmussen
(http://www.publishingforpublicity.com),
as part of his feedback on the series, sent me a funny piece about this very
subject. He wrote:
ŅI got a
lot out of the calls, probably most importantly, a big confidence boost.
Particularly helpful was your suggestion to think about big-name clients as
regular people rather than putting them on a pedestal. When you said that it
drew my attention to something IÕve been doing subconsciously.
ŅWhen I
think of Ōbig-name clients,Õ I mentally picture some far-off skyscraper on Wall
Street with a crowded, tense meeting room high on the 100th floor presided over
by a Donald Trump-style executive ready to fire me at the slightest excuse.
ŅWhatÕs
ironic about this is that I used to write in a bank headquarters and was on a
first-name basis with many of the executives, and I experienced no intimidation
in that actual environment, in contrast with the imaginary mental picture I've
subconsciously built up. So realizing that helped me put things in perspective
and gave me a confidence boost.Ó
PB: The
folks youÕll work for in our field are no different than the business people
youÕve no doubt crossed paths with in past/present jobs. Remember that. Might
just give you one less thing to angst about. On that happy note, letÕs eat!
*****************************************
*****************************************
II.
"FIELD" GREENS: ŅDRIVE-BY PROSPECTINGÓ LAUNCHES BUSINESS!
IL FLCW
Canvasses Area, Cold-Calls, Builds Biz, & Takes Clients With Her to
FL!
Got this
great piece from Tampa (by way of Chicago) FLCW Eileen Randle (eileen@EileenRandle.com), about an unorthodox prospecting approach that
delivered the goods and helped build a business (and for the record, not saying
IÕd recommend it or NOT recommend it!). And her clients loved her so much that
when she moved from IL to FL, they happily continued to work with her! Enjoy.
*****************************************
Peter: I
started freelancing in 4/08 and seriously wondered if I could make a living at
it. When I read The Well-Fed Writer six months later, I realized my focus
needed to be on writing (my core expertise) and I – AND my clients
– have never been happier.
So, I
started by driving through the big corporate parks near my home. I wrote down
company names and addresses as I passed them (real high-tech, eh?), then
researched them online. With the larger companies, frequently the only actual
name I could find online was the PR contact, so I started with them. Heck, if
they werenÕt looking for a FLCW, then maybe they could put me in touch with
another department that was. HR? Training? Marketing? Communications? That was
my pitch and it worked well.
In early
January 2009, I made about 60 calls. One ended in a well-honed voicemail left
for the Media Relations contact I pulled from a company press release. She
called back saying that although she did use freelancers, she didnÕt have a
need currently. Turns out she was the VP of Communications. You never know who
youÕre talking to!
A
follow-up chat in March and another in May led me to a nice $1000 per week in
regular work for the next six months. All the follow-ups helped me begin a
relationship that, when it officially started, we both knew was going to work.
My
husbandÕs job is relocating us from Chicago to Tampa, and although many of my
clients are happy to continue our relationship long-distance, I have the
confidence my business will thrive in Florida – thanks to cold-calling!
Update:
Two weeks into my life in beautiful Florida, and havenÕt begun my local
cold calling because IÕm staying busy with work from all my Chicago clients!
IÕm proud those relationships are strong enough to continue long
distance even though some initially contacted me BECAUSE I was local.
Looking forward to growing my business here!
*****************************************
*****************************************
III.
MAIN ŅMEATÓ COURSE: GOODBYE
JOB, HELLO EX-EMPLOYER!
FLCW
Advises: Tap Your Own Employer to Help Prime to Pump to Self-Employment
Got this
great success story from a West Coast writer who prefers to remain
anonymous. She claims her success
was good luck, but I disagree. Sure, she had some things going for her, but she
stepped up in a big way. And no one makes a six-figure income on Ņsheer good
luck.Ó Just being modest, we have to assume! Enjoy.
*****************************************
I suspect
not everyone scratches and claws their way to prosperity. I have huge respect
for those who do. I, on the other hand, made $78 shy of six figures in 2009
through sheer good luck. (PB: Not sure I agree, but humility IS a good
character trait).
When I
resigned after 12 years from a health care organization in 2002, green in the
gills from over-exposure to corporate life, I had inhaled TWFW and gave myself
two months off before launching a freelance business. I was on fire. I was
ready. Then, my best-laid plans went awry: my husband was laid off. I found a
survival job as a communications manager with municipal government, which
nearly killed me. Escaped after 18 months to become communications manager for
a health and safety company, where I lasted two years before finally bursting
onto the freelance scene in 2006.
HereÕs the
clincher: all I had lined up when I quit was a project management gig for a
consultant IÕd met while in municipal. It would barely pay expenses, and was
ill suited to my personality. Nevertheless, I wanted out of the corporate world
so badly that I left my employer with no expectations of writing for them on a
freelance basis.
Surprise:
the minute I tendered my resignation, they came to me. In response, I wrote up
a PowerPoint proposing a retainer to do recurring projects like e-newsletters,
annual reports, articles for their print publication, etc. But, other factors
played to my advantage. The new manager who was replacing me, for
example—the person I now work with most closely—has strengths and
talents in other areas AND continues to be hugely appreciative of having my
writing skills on tap. How lucky am I?
Also, after
resigning, I had the good fortune to have my previous municipal employer call
me to help THEM out. Then the retired president from the health care employer
before THAT served as a glowing reference for a competitor, so I picked up even
more work.
Looking
back, my success so depended on being forced back into the work world for two
more terms. My last two employers became two important clients.
So my story
is a combination of luck, a good reputation with past employers, word of mouth,
and more good luck. IÕve never really had to market my services. God help me if
my world crashes and burns, as I wonÕt know how. I will say this, though:
writers who are thinking about leaving an employer to go freelance have to be
basing that on something: i.e. confidence in writing skills that are in turn
valued by an employer. My message to them: youÕre just around the corner from
an enormous opportunity. Milk it.
*****************************************
*****************************************
IV.
DESSERT: Sweet Success Stories and Tips
New Cold
Caller Has Prospects Thank Her for Calling (or for Following Up)!
TIP: NC
FLCW Shares F.r.e.e. Simple Accounting Software by QuickBooks!
Got the
following testimonial for cold calling (and direct mail phone follow-up) from
another FLCW who prefers to remain anonymous. I love how this person had their
whole perception of cold calling completely rewired based on the response
received.
And I
wholeheartedly second the advice on follow-up – itÕs crucial. Enjoy!
*****************************************
So, I did
my first cold calls this week. Turns out itÕs not the dreaded nightmare IÕd
envisioned. IÕve actually had prospects THANK me for calling. Go figure. And
one person said that not only does she have future projects for me, she knows
half a dozen other people who probably do, too! ThereÕs a secret to cold
calling: I sort of have to psyche myself up to do it, but then once I get
started itÕs almost hard to stop. ItÕs like you get on a roll and keep saying
to yourself, one more call, one more call.
And hereÕs
another interesting thing I found: it makes absolutely no sense to send out
mailings if you donÕt follow them up with a phone call. Before, I was sending
out mailings to prospective clients with no follow up, and getting a slightly
better-than-zero response rate. Now, if I send a mailing to someone, I call
them in a week to see if they received it. ItÕs amazing how often they say, ŅI
have your letter right here and was planning to email you.Ó Despite their good
intentions, that probably never would have happened, but my follow-up call
started the conversation.
*****************************************
Got this
great tip (about F.R.E.E. stuff!) from Forest City, NC FLCW Chris Fuller (chris.fuller@performancewriting.com, www.performancewriting.com). Enjoy!
Possibly
the only thing writers hate more than cold-calling is dealing with finance,
taxes, and the record-keeping that goes along with them. IÕm a one-person
business, and IÕm always on the lookout for free or low-cost tools to help me
manage my business. In case anyone else is in the same boat, I can recommend
IntuitÕs QuickBooks Simple Start. ItÕs a no-charge way to use their service,
with the option to upgrade to a paid version later.
Simple
Start is a beginnerÕs version of their well-known accounting software. Even
though itÕs scaled down, it offers lots of features, such as invoicing, cash
management, customer and vendor management, and plenty of reports. Download a
f.r.e.e. version at http://quickbooks.intuit.com/product/accounting-software/free-accounting-software.jsp. If you outgrow it, you can
purchase a full-featured version and import the Simple Start data youÕve
accumulated.
*****************************************
*****************************************
V. COFFEE,
MINTS AND TOOTHPICKS
- GROUP
COACHING! August Series Now Filling & Offers New Enhancements!
- THE
WELL-FED E-PUB NEEDS ALL COURSES!
- The
WELL-FED WRITER BLOG is Rockin'! http://www.wellfedwriter.com/blog
- MISSED MY
TELECLASS? Full 38-PAGE e-Transcript – Just $12!
- AWAI
Copywriting (& Other) Courses: Register Here, Get 2 Bonuses (no charge!)
- How Can
My Mentoring Service Serve You?
****************************************
AUGUST
GROUP COACHING (WITH NEW ENHANCEMENTS) NOW FILLING!
In the
start-up stage of your commercial freelancing business? Looking for guidance,
confidence and camaraderie? Check out Group Coaching August series now
enrolling! For all the details, new enhancements, and a pile of glowing
testimonials from past participants, visit http://www.wellfedwriter.com/groupcoaching.shtml.
*****************************************
I'M
SERIOUSLY LOW ON ALL WELL-FED E-PUB COURSES!
Got a great
strategy, approach or specific expertise you're willing to share? Turn it into
a Feature (MAIN COURSE) for the EPUB (400-500 words; query first). ALSO, send
your "GREENS" (200-300 words), TIPS (150-200) and SUCCESS STORIES
(200-300) to peter@wellfedwriter.com.
Archived issues at http://www.wellfedwriter.com/ezine.shtml.
*****************************************
The
WELL-FED WRITER BLOG is Rockin'! http://www.wellfedwriter.com/blog
*****************************************
MISSED MY
TELECLASS? "Thriving as a Freelance Commercial Writer"
38-PAGE e-Transcript! $12: www.wellfedwriter.com/jan07tstranscript.shtml.
*****************************************
AWAI
COPYWRITING (& OTHER) COURSES: Register Here, Get Your Choice of Bonus CD
Program! Six-Figure Copywriting, Graphic Design, Internet Writing, Fundraising,
Health Market and more! http://www.wellfedwriter.com/awai.shtml.
*****************************************
HOW CAN MY
MENTORING SERVICE SERVE YOU?
For details
and testimonials, visit http://www.wellfedwriter.com/mentoring.shtml.
*****************************************