VOLUME 19, ISSUE 7 – JULY 2020
THIS MONTH’S MENU:
I. APPETIZER: WHAT I LOVE ABOUT WHAT WE DO
Musing on the Worthy Calling of Transforming Chaos into Order
II. “FIELD” GREENS: FREELANCING WITH KIDS UNDERFOOT?
Two-Decade WA FLCW Serves Up Advice for Working in the Time of COVID
III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: DISORGANIZED & OVERWHELMED?
Small-Biz Coach: Organize Your Work Week With the 3-Bucket Method
IV. DESSERT: COMBO SUCCESS STORY & TIP
ATL FLCW Offers Survival Strategies for Lean Times
I. APPETIZER: WHAT I LOVE ABOUT WHAT WE DO
Musing on the Worthy Calling of Transforming Chaos into Order
So, I was steeped in a new project recently (yes, some clients are still hiring!), one that made me appreciate what it is that I love most about our business.
The project? An email campaign/landing page for two distinct products, along with a brochure for one of them. For the first project, my source material consisted of an informational website and an interview with my client.
For the second offering—a brand-new technology—they had nothing in the way of printed/online materials (web site coming). Just a short video describing the process, and a longer interview with a subject-matter expert (SME).
With content in hand, off I went to my garret. I love starting with just pieces—like a big puzzle. Our job is to assemble it all in the most effective way possible.
We need to convey what that reader/visitor/viewer needs to know at that point in the process. Clients almost always want to share more information than is necessary at a given point, and our job is to rein them in from that inclination.
Moreover, we need to effectively convey the info within the chosen medium: website, brochure, landing page, etc. All need to be structured in different ways.
My goal? “Build the case” in the most logical and effective sequence possible. There are different approaches, but this is the one I used in this case:
- Introduce the problem/challenge
- Discuss the negative fallout that occurs from the challenge
- Present the possibility of an alternate solution
- Introduce the solution, and its benefits (i.e., what’s important to that prospect)
- Discuss some features (i.e., about the product and the company selling it)
- (Always Begin with Benefits, Follow with Features)
- Summarize the new reality with the new solution in place, and…
- End with a call-to-action to take the next step: pick up the phone, order the informational report, set an appointment, view the demo, etc.
Fun stuff. Creating order out of chaos. Turning a lump of unformed clay into clean, flowing lines that guide a reader down a path you create.
On the back of The Well-Fed Writer, I assert that, “Writing is the engine of commerce.” A bit dramatic? Perhaps, but I absolutely believe it. No product or service gets explained, promoted, marketed, publicized or purchased, and no one gets informed, educated, pitched or sold…without writing.
And none of the preceding gets done well without good writing. On that “be-proud-of-what-you-do” note, let’s eat!
II. “FIELD” GREENS: FREELANCING WITH KIDS UNDERFOOT?
Two-Decade WA FLCW Serves Up Advice for Working in the Time of COVID
We’re in a different world for sure, and no one knows when and how things will settle down. Got the smart and clever ideas below from a 20+-year veteran FLCW in Washington State, who prefers to remain anonymous. When she contacted me, she wrote:
“Following your advice and Bob Bly’s nuggets of wisdom, I started freelancing full-time back in 1995 and it’s been my full-time work ever since. I’ve never shared my stories about freelancing, because they seemed pretty mundane. But with the COVID crisis, I have some advice that could possibly help the parents going through a rough time.”
How do you maintain a freelance copywriting business when you’re homebound and have to care for a baby or young child? It’s tough, but it can be done. I had a baby and raised a child while holding down a full-time writing business. Here are some things that helped me:
1) Don’t try to multi-task. Trying to work while also holding a baby or playing with a young child is a recipe for disaster. Arrange your time so you’ll be 100% focused on either parenting or working (yes, that usually means working whenever your child is sleeping).
No, it’s not easy, and you will be tired. But, if you can train yourself to drop everything and work the moment your child falls asleep, you can do it and you’ll be less stressed.
2) Plan set activities to gain blocks of time. Each morning at breakfast, I’d set out a “surprise bag” for my daughter that she could play with after she ate.
It hid a bunch of random things—cotton balls, bits of ribbon, leaves, rocks, tape —and she could use them to create whatever she wanted. The rule is that she needed to play quietly with it for an hour, when the timer went off.
3) Set boundaries children can understand. When my daughter was around 4, I used a “stoplight” system on my office door. “Green” meant she could come in. “Yellow” meant she could come in, but if she didn’t need to, that would be better. “Red” meant please don’t come in unless it is an emergency.
This was super helpful, and I say it taught her how to manage her own wants versus needs.
4) Work in your car. An unusual suggestion, but if you have a partner who can watch your child for a few hours while you work, consider working in your parked car versus someplace in your house. When you’re in the house, it’s easy to get distracted.
I hope this will help some parents out there. Be patient with your kids AND yourself!
III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: DISORGANIZED & OVERWHELMED?
Small-Biz Coach: Organize Your Work Week With the 3-Bucket Method
Got this great, week-simplifying strategy (and antidote to overwhelm) from our regular wise contributor, Atlanta small-business coach Ed Gandia. If you feel like you’re reacting more than initiating, and have too many “to-dos” NOT done by Friday, read on!
It’s Monday morning. You’ve had a fun weekend and are ready to tackle the workweek ahead. But as you look at your list of projects and upcoming deadlines, you struggle to figure out what you should do when.
Fast-forward to Friday afternoon. You look at your to-do list and realize you still have many unfinished tasks. You probably left your day job to become a freelancer because you wanted more freedom and flexibility. But now you find yourself busier than ever. And always behind.
Here’s a solution that’s had a profound impact on my business (and sanity!). It’s something I learned from the legendary business coach Dan Sullivan, founder of Strategic Coach. And it’s all about organizing your week into three buckets.
Here are the three buckets Sullivan recommends:
- Focus Days.These days are all about production. For writers and copywriters, this is when you focus on client work. It’s when you do your writing, research, outlining, mind mapping, brainstorming and editing for client projects. It’s also when you have client project calls and do your interviews.
- Buffer Days.These days are all about preparation, learning and catching up on miscellaneous items. On these days, you shift gears from production to:
- Learning
- Reading
- Planning
- Preparing
- Practicing
- Delegating
- Tying up loose ends (catching up on email, doctor appointments, etc.)
- Free Days.These are exactly what they sound like. It’s when you take time off to rest, re-energize, clear your mind and reflect.
I implemented this three-bucket system a few years ago, and it’s been a lifesaver! Here’s how I organize my week:
Mondays are my buffer days. I use them to catch up on open items, prepare for the week, plan, read and delegate. This is when my team and I also have our weekly team call.
Tuesdays through Thursdays are my focus days. I use them to prepare course material, write articles and other content, write promotions, hold coaching calls with students in my coaching programs, interview podcast guests and so on.
Fridays are my free days. I take time to do things I normally don’t allow myself to do during the week. For instance, I’ll play golf with a friend, go on a hike or long walk, get a massage, catch a movie, read, relax in my patio, daydream and come up with new ideas.
I’ve found that giving my week this kind of structure helps me maintain discipline. It enables me to be more focused and productive during my focus days. And it reduces overwhelm.
Having just three days of pure production per week forces me to stay focused. Having a buffer day helps me plan better and gives me the breathing room I need to make smarter decisions.
Forcing myself to have a free day adds balance to my week. Because even though I’m pretty disciplined about taking weekends off, I rarely do something just for me on those days.
Don’t Let Every Day Become a Work Day
Does my work still spill over into Fridays or Mondays sometimes with this system? Yes. But here’s what I’ve found: If you don’t create boundaries, every day becomes a work day.
So, if you struggle every Monday trying to decide how to allocate your client work, or you always have a long list of uncompleted items going into the weekend, give this approach a shot.
IV. DESSERT: COMBO SUCCESS STORY & TIP
ATL FLCW Offers Survival Strategies for Lean Times
A great combo success story/tip, AND solid advice, from Atlanta-based financial-services FLCW Don Sadler. Don’s strategy is like having a built-in financial cushion!
The coronavirus pandemic has thrown a wrench into the plans of almost every business in America, including self-employed freelance writers like us. There’s a good chance your writing business has taken some kind of a hit over the past few months—whether drastic or a mild slowdown—as many clients have reined in spending on outside freelancers.
Like everybody else’s, my business has been impacted by the pandemic. But so far, the impact has been fairly minimal. And there’s one main reason why: I have a stable of regular, steady clients I’ve worked with for a number of years who still need my writing services.
For example, I’ve written a monthly article for a healthcare magazine since 2011; quarterly newsletters for several different financial publishers since 2013, 2014 and 2017; and weekly blogs and a quarterly newsletter for a financial planner since 2015.
Earlier this year things were shaping up for 2020 to be my best year ever. I’d landed several big new clients and had a number of really solid prospects who were likely to hire me. Since the pandemic hit, I’ve lost all the new clients and none of the prospects came through.
Even worse, my prospect pipeline is dry. But so far, my income is steady, thanks to my long-time clients.
The lesson: Building a freelance business that can withstand a major shock like the coronavirus pandemic requires building a stable of regular clients that aren’t going to vanish when things go south. Of course, this takes time; it won’t happen next week or next month. But this is something to consider as you think about how to prepare for and weather the next big crisis.
PB: As Don notes, this certainly isn’t an easy thing to pull off. It starts with directing your prospecting efforts towards identifying “steady-need” clients. That happens when you tell prospects you’re interested in building long-term relationships, and asking if they foresee the need for ongoing help.
Not that you’d turn down the “one-off” project, but start looking more carefully at the types of businesses you’re contacting. Good bets for steady clients?
- Larger firms with multiple divisions, all of which might need your help
- Companies doing ongoing content-marketing campaigns
- Larger “middlemen” clients (design/marketing/ad agencies, etc.) with steady business
- Industries selling products with steady demand regardless of economic conditions
Happy hunting!