VOLUME 17, ISSUE 1 – JANUARY 2018
THIS MONTH’S MENU:
I. APPETIZER: ARE YOU PERSONALLY CONNECTING WITH CLIENTS?
Friend’s Above-and-Beyond Personal Touch Wows Fellow BNI Members.
II. “FIELD” GREENS: WHAT SIDE OF THE TABLE ARE YOU ON?
CA Internet Business Team Shares Key Secret to Long-Term Client Retention.
III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: IT’S NOT THE ECONOMY, STUPID!
“The Economy” Impacts Copywriting Far Less Than You’d Imagine.
IV. DESSERT: SWEET SUCCESS STORIES & TIPS
NY FLCW: Being Listed in Association Directories (Including Hers) Lands Work!
I. APPETIZER: ARE YOU PERSONALLY CONNECTING WITH CLIENTS?
Friend’s Above-and-Beyond Personal Touch Wows Fellow BNI Members.
Pretty cool story about a friend of mine who undertook a “from-the-heart” project that’ll likely end up being a mighty effective marketing idea. No, it doesn’t necessarily translate directly to our business, but good ideas of any kind can trigger other ideas that DO mesh with what we do. What stood out for me here was her putting the personal before the professional, and in a BIG way.
My friend, a really good real estate agent, is a member of a BNI group here in Atlanta (the international networking group whose chapters allow just one practitioner in any given profession).
At the beginning of every year, she comes up with a word (i.e., change, perseverance, breakthrough, courage, grace, etc.) to guide her thoughts and actions in the coming year. Incidentally, in 2014, when her chosen word was “grace,” she was diagnosed with and beat cancer.
At the end of 2016, she challenged her fellow BNI members to come up with their own guiding word for 2017, and all of them did so, publicly, at one of the meetings. She kept a record of all the words they chose.
In late 2017, she sent out Thanksgiving cards to each member, and invoking their chosen word, let each of them know, specifically, what she valued about them, expressed her hope that their participation in the word exercise had paid dividends for them personally and professionally, and included a famous quote using their word.
With ~40 members, she invested dozens of hours into the project.
Well. To say the year-end cards made a splash would be a huge understatement. She got so much gushing public feedback, and being a reluctant self-promoter, it actually embarrassed her a bit.
Through this personal touch, she showed she cared about each of them, had communicated her commitment to their personal and professional growth, and did it without a single mention of her business, her hope for referrals, etc. And they loved her for it.
Think those people will remember her when they, or someone they know, needs a real estate agent? They could see how much she cared, AND how much time she’d put into the project, and, as such, and could easily imagine her bringing the same hard work, rigor and detail orientation to any real estate opportunity they sent her way.
She already gets 35-40% of her business from the group, and that’s only likely to increase. Give you any ideas? On that “hmmmmm-interesting” note, let’s eat!
II. “FIELD” GREENS: WHAT SIDE OF THE TABLE ARE YOU ON?
CA Internet Business Team Shares Key Secret to Long-Term Client Retention.
Tim Plunkett (Copywriter/Marketing Strategist) and Clint Hanson (Web Developer/Programmer) are co-owners of Calabasas, CA-based Web Out There, offering Internet Business Development, Management and Marketing.
Tim and Clint have been unusually successful at keeping clients around for looooong periods of time, a pretty darn crucial skill to develop. And what I love about their approach is that it begins with a simple mental picture. Enjoy!
People are often amazed to hear that we have clients that have been with us for well over a decade. We’re then asked what our secret is. How do we create such long-term loyalty? You’ll find the key in our business philosophy: We strive to always “sit” on the same side of the table as our client. Here’s what that means…
Any new freelancer/client relationship typically begins with project discussions, maybe some pricing negotiations, and then the signing of a project agreement or contact. All this takes place as you’re sitting—figuratively and often, literally—on the opposite side of the table from your client; both parties are engaged in a business partnership they hope will produce the desired results.
So, if you’re starting off across the table from your client, how do you move to their side?
The first thing, of course, is that you need to deliver. For the freelance copywriter, this means your writing has to be good enough to impress the client and achieve the desired results. Do this, and chances are good you’ll get more work from this client.
You’re providing a service to the client and getting paid for your efforts, but, most likely, from the client’s perspective, you’re still sitting on the opposite side of the table. And perspective is the operative word here. To move over to the client’s side, you need to change their perspective.
The client must believe that, not only are you good at what you do, but you actually have a vested interest in their success; you truly care about their business and want to be part of the team that helps it thrive. Shift that client’s perspective so they see they’re more than just your next freelance assignment, and they won’t simply want to use “a freelancer” for their next project; they’ll feel the NEED to use YOU.
How do you accomplish this transition—going from being one business choice among many, to a necessity? It’s all about stewardship. You need to really care about the person you’re working for and their business. Your prime directive is to make your contact look good, and the business successful.
You communicate your commitment by what you do, not just what you say.
You need to be loyal, dependable, and have integrity at all times. You need to be an advocate for your client whenever possible, looking out for their best interests. Do these things and you’ll move over to the same side of the table as your client. And that’s a great place to be.
Look for more from us in future issues, where we’ll offer up some real-world examples, while elaborating on how to achieve business-relationship longevity in your practice. Until then, consider your current client relationships. What side of the table are you sitting on?
III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: IT’S NOT THE ECONOMY, STUPID!
“The Economy” Impacts Copywriting Far Less Than You’d Imagine.
Got this great piece from my friend, colleague, fellow Atlantan, and business coach, Ed Gandia. It first appeared as one of Ed’s email blasts.
While it wonderfully echoes my own rap on the subject (i.e., that “the state of the economy” has very little impact on ONE person’s quest for financial self-sufficiency as a commercial writer), it takes the discussion to a
whole other level.
It’s a solid, sensible response to that oh-so-common question: “Is this a good time to build the business?” (and one usually posed during economic downturns…).
Speaking of Ed, I’m delighted to say he’s agreed to contribute regular pieces to the E-PUB this year. Frankly, I can’t think of a stronger voice to be weighing in on issues of import to folks like us. Thanks, Ed. Good stuff!
Most of us have been conditioned to believe that a dip in economic growth (or greater economic uncertainty) is bad for business. If you work for a decent-sized company, that’s generally true.
Say you work at Shaw Industries, one of the largest carpet and flooring manufacturers in the world. Shaw has thousands of wholesale and retail customers all over the globe.
When the economy is humming along, businesses of all types are generally doing well. And when businesses are doing well, employees generally benefit via pay increases, bonuses and job stability.
(Let’s not argue about trickle-down economics. That’s not what this email is about. Stay with me here…
This income growth leads to more people becoming homeowners or upgrading their homes. Which leads to strong sales in flooring materials. That’s a win for the consumer and for Shaw Industries.
When the reverse (weak economic growth) happens, you get the opposite effect trickling all the way down to carpet and ceramic tile sales at Shaw. In fact, even the slightest movement in gross domestic product (GDP) or new housing starts can have a significant effect on Shaw’s sales and profitability.
So yes, a company of that size should be nervous about GDP, housing starts and consumer confidence, because its health is directly tied to economic activity. It moves very much in sync with the fluctuations in the general economy.
Freelance businesses don’t behave that way.
Here’s why. As a solo professional, you can take on only 4, 5, maybe 6 clients at any given time. You simply don’t have the capacity to take on more.
One of your clients might be a midsize consulting firm. Another could be a software company that helps manufacturers automate their regulatory compliance processes. And another might be a well-funded startup in healthcare information technology.
A dip in economic growth might impact just ONE of your clients. Or it might not impact ANY of them. Why?
Because not every company or industry mirrors economic fluctuations the same way.
At any given time, one company might be struggling as a result of the general economy, while a different company might be having its best year ever. Either because their performance is negatively correlated to economic growth, or because what they do is not really impacted by macroeconomic forces.
In plain English, your freelance business will probably not be impacted by what’s happening on Wall Street.
You can create your own mix of clients, which collectively may not reflect what’s happening in the overall market.
And if you lose a client, that’s OK. You can get another—one that’s in growth mode while others are scaling back.
In fact, one of my most lucrative periods in my freelance business started in December 2008, right in the middle of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. My top client was experiencing tremendous growth. And they were investing heavily in marketing.
That profitable run lasted for years.
So don’t let news of doom and gloom impact what you’re doing today. Stay focused. Keep doing what you know you need to be doing (consistent marketing, delivering excellent work, being a joy to work with, etc.).
Because, thankfully…you’re not Shaw Industries.
IV. DESSERT: SWEET SUCCESS STORIES & TIPS
NY FLCW: Being Listed in Association Directories (Including Hers) Lands Work!
Great combo success story/tip in the form of a resource from Marcia Layton Turner, a Rochester, NY FLCW, ghostwriter for thought leaders, Forbes online contributor, and founder of a ghostwriting association.
She’s seen how many success stories her members have had by being listed in the association directory, and urges all FLCWs to make themselves “findable”! Thanks, Marcia!
About 80% of my current writing income comes from ghostwriting work. Many clients find me through LinkedIn, the articles I write for Forbes.com, and the Association of Ghostwriters (AOG), which I founded.
Many of our members have landed ghostwriting work through their listings on the AOG site. When businesses need writing talent, they often search online with relevant keywords, and when they search for “ghostwriter,” the AOG website often tops the search results. Visitors can then scan the directory for the needed skills.
Many of our members have work land in their lap simply because they’re listed in the AOG directory (and not all members are, surprisingly). In some cases, projects worth tens of thousands of dollars have been awarded out of the blue.
And no, I run it to try and help ghostwriters get more work; I don’t take a commission.
Given the success of our members, I counsel anyone who’ll listen to be sure they are listed in the membership directory for every professional organization they’re part of. If you’re a member, make sure people can find you there. You never know who’s looking for someone with your skill set!