VOLUME 17, ISSUE 8 – AUGUST 2018
THIS MONTH’S MENU:
I. APPETIZER: HOW DOES ONE GET TO HAPPY?
Pondering the Age-Old Question, and with Help, Reaching a Healthy Resolution
II. “FIELD” GREENS: HABITS—THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF SUCCESS
GA Ex-FLCW/Business Coach: Focus on Building Habits, Not Perfection!
III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: IS YOUR FREELANCING THINKING GROWING?
Budding ID FLCW’s New Realizations Expand Her Horizons and Income!
IV. DESSERT: SWEET SUCCESS STORIES & TIPS
Buffalo FLCW Gets Out of His Office, Puts in “Face Time,” Lands Big Gig!
TIP: FL FLCW Shares Process for Working with “Subject-Matter Experts” (SMEs)
I. APPETIZER: HOW DOES ONE GET TO HAPPY?
Pondering the Age-Old Question, and with Help, Reaching a Healthy Resolution
As you read this, I’m taking in the beauty of Idaho for a few weeks (anything to escape the brutal sauna of summer in Atlanta). So, given that it’s summer and all—the season for navel-gazing—I’m taking a bit of a vacation from typical business subjects for my opening piece here, to talk about happiness…
Not an idle, fluffy, self-indulgent subject, methinks. After all, its perceived presence or absence in our lives will reliably impact the quality of said lives. Seems we humans expend an enormous amount of brainpower and emotion on exploring the idea…
We search for the secret to happiness. We lament its elusive nature. We wonder if “being happy” is a wise goal. We weigh different life choices, trying to divine if this or that one will make us happy.
We ponder that lovely metaphor story about happiness: That if we pursue it, like trying to catch a butterfly, it will always remain just beyond our grasp. Yet, when we stop chasing it, and are focused on something else entirely, it will softly alight on our shoulder.
These are clearly not frivolous inquiries. Failing to understand the fundamental nature of happiness can lead, sadly and ironically, to much unhappiness.
Über-copywriter John Forde, in a recent issue of his subscribe-worthy The Copywriter’s Roundtable (subscribe here), planted the seed with a pithy philosophical take on the subject. He wrote (excerpted):
Absolutely, without a doubt, life is not about being happy. For proof, you only need to look at all those poor sods who made happiness and pleasure alone their fundamental aim. Happiness…is not supposed to be a permanent state of existence. Which makes it ridiculous as an end goal for the living.
One experiences happiness in tandem with actions or experiences or decisions. Therefore, happiness is but a by-product of another inciting incident. You don’t become happy. You blow through a cloud of it, on the highway to something else. And enjoy it while it passes.
But that’s it. A by-product cannot be a goal in and of itself. It can only remain a by-product. If then, happiness is a leftover from doing something, what is life all about? I’d say… action. Don’t you think?
Yes, I do. Interesting. When I’m between projects or just not that engaged in life, I feel “unhappy”—restless, unsettled, irritable. Yet, when I’m adequately busy (not crazy-slammed), and immersed in something I even reasonably enjoy (no passion required), I’ll suddenly realize I’m happy. How ‘bout that?
Enjoy the rest of summer, and here’s to more happy moments. On that note, let’s eat!
II. “FIELD” GREENS: HABITS—THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF SUCCESS
GA Ex-FLCW/Business Coach: Focus on Building Habits, Not Perfection!
Success in our business is not about getting everything right (what business is?) but rather, about developing the right habits—getting into the right “grooves.” And this foundation-building piece (and email blast) from Atlanta business-building coach (and ex-FLCW) Ed Gandia explains it wonderfully. Enjoy!
It’s really this simple: Worry about developing the habit first… and not about getting it right or perfect. For example…
Worry about sending out a warm email to one prospect daily (ANY prospect in your target market), not about getting these email scripts perfect.
Worry about writing something every Friday during the hour you’ve dedicated to working on your blog, not about writing a masterpiece.
Worry about sitting still for 15 minutes during your guided meditation every single morning, not about getting it perfect every time.
Worry about nurturing three not-yet-ready prospects every week, not about finding the perfect piece of content to send each prospect.
Worry about doing your weight training workout every single Monday, Wednesday and Friday, not about optimizing the workout.
Worry about reading 30 minutes a day, not about finding the best possible book every time.
Worry about spending a few minutes with your kids every day, not about booking the ultimate family vacation this summer.
Why?
Because once each of these activities becomes automatic—you’re on autopilot—THEN you can worry about optimizing your approach and your results.
But until that happens, you’re basically trying to paint a house that hasn’t even been framed. That’s a quick way to get discouraged and fall flat on your face.
So do yourself a favor and work on developing the habits first. It’s easier that way. And you’ll reach your goals faster.
III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: IS YOUR FREELANCING THINKING GROWING?
Budding ID FLCW’s New Realizations Expand Her Horizons and Income!
Got this great “spreading-her-freelance-wings” piece from Boise, ID FLCW Stephanie Nelson. Yes, she’s in the early stages, but moving up the rate scale quickly as she makes some realizations about the potential not only in the field itself, but when you challenge certain conventional assumptions about writing income.
I’m sure more experienced folks can remember when they first realized there were far fewer limits on their income than they’d originally thought. AND, I’m guessing they’d tell her there’s plenty more good news to look forward to. Regardless of where you are, some good reminders here. Thanks, Stephanie!
When I started getting paid to write, I was making $10/hour (15 hours/week) as a “copywriter” for a small blog. After two years, I jumped ship to a full-time writing job that paid $22.50/hour. This was an astronomical increase in pay for me, but it came with a high price—they wanted me in-house as an employee.
I was hesitant, but I felt it was a good stepping-stone for my career. Until I read your book! I can’t describe the shock at finding out I could do this on my own terms, as my own boss, free from the chains of hourly work. I got busy right away.
First, I asked to move from in-house employee with my publication to a full-time, at-home contractor. They said yes—score! Next, I made a plan to side-hustle a few higher-paying writing gigs on evenings and weekends.
I’m happy to report I’m almost done with my first gig of this sort. I’ll be making $50/hour for 20 hours of work, which I’ll probably finish in more like 12 hours—that’s about $83/hour!
It’s given me a taste that will never leave my mouth. Sure, $22.50/hour for a full-time gig was a big jump forward for me. But, I honestly had no idea I could bill by project, and since I’m a fast writer, a per-hour, static rate kills my soul (and limits my income).
How did I get that first gig? By following your cold-calling principles. I reached out to friends, past colleagues and fellow writers privately over Facebook or email to inform them that I’m looking to diversify my client base and take on more projects.
I’ve reached out to about seven contacts and two resulted in real work. One is the gig I just mentioned. The other is a book-proofreading gig with a contract still in negotiation.
Two things I can’t stress enough:
- There is work out there for writers—plenty of work, so no excuses!
- Don’t underestimate the power of your family, friends and Facebook.
Everyone you meet is a potential client or referral.
Make a plan, be patient with yourself, swallow hard when you tell your first potential client what your rate is. But don’t back down! You’ll find the clients willing to pay you what you’re worth.
IV. DESSERT: SWEET SUCCESS STORIES & TIPS
Buffalo FLCW Gets Out of His Office, Puts in “Face Time,” Lands Big Gig!
TIP: FL FLCW Shares Process for Working with “Subject-Matter Experts” (SMEs)
Got this great success story from friend and colleague, Buffalo, NY FLCW Paul Chimera, about the importance of meeting people face to face. In this increasingly impersonal digital age of ours, personal connections are more important than ever. Thanks, Paul!
After that, a helpful and insightful tip from Jacksonville Beach, FL FLCW Donna Kaluzniak on dealing with brainy client staff.
A friend and mentor of mine, who’s become a heavy hitter in all aspects of non-fiction writing (and broadcasting as well), has preached to me for years the value of putting in “face time”—the advantage of being out there and “showing the flag.”
That recently paid off for me in textbook fashion.
A few weeks ago, I joined my area Chamber of Commerce. At a recent small pow-wow with the executive director and another member (Robin), who owns a real estate business, we talked about marketing ourselves as business owners.
Robin pointed out how difficult it is to sell prospects on a certain niche service she provides, having to do with flipping houses and making a healthy profit, while providing home-seekers an alternative path to owning a house in a tight seller’s market.
I chimed in and suggested she produce a short video on CD that could be popped into a laptop and played to potential clients while they’re meeting with a real estate agent.
The CD would be given to agents, who in turn would play it for prospective homebuyers. Everyone wins: the agents, the prospects, and Robin (and, of course, me!)
She thought it was a terrific idea and I set up a meeting with her and her son, where I’ll explain the steps needed to go from concept to completion. I emailed them a rough outline (Action Plan), and they loved it.
The takeaway? The value of face time. I had no expectations of anything coming out of the Chamber meeting, other than gaining new insights into marketing. But because I was out there, not sitting at my home office desk, I was able to be at the nexus of where my writing services and a potential client’s marketing needs came together.
It never would have happened had I not gone to that meeting. By putting in face time, by showing the flag, a substantial writing project fell into my lap. And, presumably, a new client who’ll require additional commercial writing services down the road.
In short, get out of your office more!
As a B2B writer, I’ve found case studies and white papers to be lucrative avenues. Part of the process typically involves interviewing subject-matter experts (SMEs), who may be the authors of the papers.
SMEs are usually highly educated (PhDs) and/or extremely technically experienced. If you’re writing for an industry in which you have a solid background, understanding the discussion may not be a problem. If not, you may need to ask for further explanation.
But here’s the biggest problem: when submitting the draft paper, some SMEs want to modify the writing style to sound more like a dissertation. It may take some finesse to convince them that that style isn’t appropriate for what’s really a marketing piece.
The whole goal of the paper is to convey their big idea to potential customers/clients with clear, direct language. Even technical people may not take the time to read the paper if it looks like too much work. So, let them know upfront that the writing style will be more informal and conversational than they may be used to.