VOLUME 17, ISSUE 10 – OCTOBER 2018
THIS MONTH’S MENU:
I. APPETIZER: DISCOVERING THE “OTHER” WRITING WORLD
Yours Truly Cheers FLCW’s Transition to a “Higher-Writing-Income” Mindset
II. “FIELD” GREENS: INVESTING IN YOUR BUSINESS?
NC FLCW: True Writing Professionals Spend Time and Money on Marketing
III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: THE POWER OF A QUALIFICATION FORM
More Billable Time + Less NON-Billable Time = Higher True Hourly
Income
IV. DESSERT: SWEET SUCCESS STORIES & TIPS
UK FLCW Ignores CEO, Creates Brochure That’s Used Widely, Earns Thousands!
TIP: Need Images for Blogs, Articles or Client Projects? Get ‘Em Here Free!
I. APPETIZER: DISCOVERING THE “OTHER” WRITING WORLD
Yours Truly Cheers FLCW’s Transition to a “Higher-Writing-Income” Mindset
An oversimplification, but… The difference between the highest-paid
writers and the masses of struggling ones boils down to Skills and
Neighborhood. “Well-fed” writers…
- Have skills NOT shared by countless others.
- Look for work in places where people value—and pay more for—good writing.
(NOTE about #2 above: Many talented writers struggle trying to compete with countless others in the low-wage, article/blog-post ghetto. Meanwhile, other writers of more modest talents out-earn the first group, simply because they go where the pay is higher. But, without stronger skills, even that second group will plateau out.)
One of the most gratifying things for someone in my position is to see the proverbial light go on in someone’s eyes about our business.
Last month, I picked up a buyer for my Well-Fed Craft course, after she’d glommed onto the promo headline for the course in this ezine:
“Ready to Pull Away from The Article/Blog-Post-Writing Crowd?”
Apparently, she was, and in a follow-up email, wrote: “I’ve had it up to here with being a word monkey (i.e., X# of words for Y# of dollars). I know a couple of locals who busted out of that trap a long time ago. Both make good money, and aren’t scrambling for work with clients who don’t appreciate what they do.”
Amen to that. So many people just don’t realize there’s this whole other world of copywriting, running parallel to the low-paying one, but where clients respect and pay well for your skills.
And they do so because your stronger skills make you more valuable.
By contrast, if you’re stuck in the article/blog post world, how can you expect a client’s respect and higher fees, when your skills are worth no more than those of countless other writers?
But upgrade those skills, AND start prospecting in a whole new “part of town,” and voilà, you’ll suddenly be far more valuable to a whole different class of clients—clients who invite you to sit at the big table, view you as The Professional and reward you handsomely.
My new buyer’s disillusionment had grown over time. She noted: “I wasn’t getting much work except articles and blog posts. I tried to re-position myself as a ‘strategic’ copywriter, but it’s hard to do when your portfolio’s brimming with…articles and blog posts!”
After going through some of the course, her next email had me realize her journey to a higher writing income had officially started:
“The first part of this transition is the discovery of a different mindset. On these high-paying projects, it sounds like it really pays to understand the audience before writing a single word.”
She’d never done that on her article/blog post projects. After all, she asked, “What sort of word monkey asks such deep, penetrating questions?”
Of course, “Who’s the audience?” is the first question you ask at the start of any project. While that’s Commercial Writing 101 to most of us, it’s exciting to see someone take that step.
This is where higher writing income starts—with the realization that, to earn more, more is expected of you, and that you’re learning the skills to rise to that expectation. On that happy “I’m-done-being-the-starving-writer” note, let’s eat!
PB Note: However you choose to build the additional skills needed to leave the herds behind, take the time to build them. The writing life is a whole lot more fun and profitable when you do. Maybe you read some books on the subject. Or perhaps you study the online portfolios of a bunch of successful FLCWs.
And yes, maybe you take a look at Well-Fed Craft, which was specifically designed to short-cut the process of upgrading and expanding the skills you’d need to confidently handle anything a seasoned—and well-paying—commercial-writing buyer could throw at you.
II. “FIELD” GREENS: INVESTING IN YOUR BUSINESS?
NC FLCW: True Writing Professionals Spend Time and Money on Marketing
Got the following solid advice piece (along with an account of putting her money where her mouth was…) from Hendersonville, NC FLCW J.M. Lacey. It’s easy to convince yourself that your professional marketing image is “good enough,” but for whom? It may be fine for you, but will it resonate with those you’re trying to reach? Enjoy.
Social media, “build-your-own” website companies, and other free or “so-cheap-you- don’t-blink” marketing avenues have become the norm. They’re also usually a poor representation of professional businesses. Which is why companies hire marketing personnel and use experts to help build their brand.
Companies spend money—lots of money—to look good. And, you should too.
Developing the mindset that you’re a professional and need to look like one, is a start. We can only do so much on our own. Once we recognize we need help in certain aspects of our marketing, the next step is to create a marketing budget and a solid marketing plan.
My business underwent some major rebranding a few years ago after I clearly defined my goals and what I needed to accomplish. I listed all the marketing that needed to be attached to those goals.
My focus was specific to my audience and what I needed to do to be attractive—and valuable—to them.
Rebranding is similar to starting over. The slate is clean and you’re excited about adding all the pieces. I started with a new “look.” I hired a designer to create a logo and theme I could incorporate into future marketing materials.
I hired a professional photographer so that my new photo would not just be updated, but would tie in with my brand.
My designer gave my website and newsletter a thorough overhaul; I created a company Facebook page; and revamped my LinkedIn profile. I subscribe to Adobe to use top-quality professional images for my blog posts and other marketing materials.
I spent quite a bit on all this rebranding and continue to invest in photos and graphic designers to make sure my marketing is top quality. I know my limitations. I need an expert in design and don’t have the time to do it myself—two very good reasons to pay someone else.
Marketing my business is time-consuming, and it demands I understand my goals, and the steps I need to take to achieve them. I have a marketing calendar with clear directives for projects and deadlines.
Just as we schedule client work and understand their goals, we need to do the same for our own businesses.
III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: THE POWER OF A QUALIFICATION FORM
More Billable Time + Less NON-Billable Time = Higher True Hourly Income
Great strategy (no surprise there!) from friend, colleague and Atlanta small-business coach, Ed Gandia. In our business, since all we have is our time, we need to maximize our hourly rate, and this is a solid tactic for doing just that. Thanks, Ed!
One of the best ways to increase your billable time and your internal hourly income (i.e., your earnings per hour for all hours worked) is to minimize time spent on non-billable tasks.
This includes time spent qualifying prospects.
I’m a huge proponent of qualifying and screening prospects by phone to learn more about their needs and determine if (and how) you can help. These discovery calls, when done right, also dramatically increase your chances of converting a prospect into a client.
But if you’re booked solid (or close), or trying to maximize your billable time, it might be time to add a pre-qualification form—a powerful triage tool—to your website.
The form asks prospects to submit some details about their project or challenge. You can then determine if it’s an opportunity worth exploring further. Given the prospect’s answers, you may find they don’t have anywhere near the budget necessary to work with you.
Or, maybe they’re looking for help in an area outside your domain. Or they don’t seem to know what they want. Or they just seem like the kind of prospect you’d never want to work with (are their answers short and abrasive, or they seem to want “something for nothing”?).
Knowing this ahead of time can keep you from scheduling an unproductive phone call. Instead, you can just email them to let them know you can’t help them (and why). And, when appropriate, you can refer them to someone who’s a better fit.
While the questions your pre-qualification form should include is entirely up to you and your situation, the following is a solid template for what to ask:
- Name & Company Name
- Email, Phone, Website
- How they found you
- What they need help with
- Their timing for getting this done
- Budget range
A couple of things to look for, along with a quick tip…
First, note how they found you—and start keeping track of this for all prospects. Over time, you may notice that prospects who found you through, say, a Google search or a particular industry directory, are typically not the best fit for you.
Second, consider how much time they took to provide you with answers. This is important. Did they give you two- or three-word answers? Or did they take the time to give you at least some helpful information?
TIP: Don’t make the “budget” answer an open field. Instead, consider having a drop-down list with several budget ranges. And start the lowest range with the bare minimum you’d even consider for any project with a new client (i.e., don’t start that range with zero).
Of course, their answers may not give you everything you need to decide if they’d be a good prospect. But they’ll enable you to filter out the terrible ones right away. And for everyone else, you’ll have a much better idea of what you’re walking into before you respond.
Just getting started in your business? No need to add this step to your qualification process. Better to remove this obstacle and try to connect with every prospect you can.
Why? Because when you’re new, you want to build any kind of forward momentum, not just optimize your time.
And if you’re a seasoned pro who’s hit a really slow patch, you could take down your form temporarily to maximize the number of inquiries.
But if you’ve been at this for a while, or if you’re busy with client work, consider adding a pre-qualification form to your Contact page.
IV. DESSERT: SWEET SUCCESS STORIES & TIPS
UK FLCW Ignores CEO, Creates Brochure That’s Used Widely, Earns Thousands!
TIP: Need Images for Blogs, Articles or Client Projects? Get ‘Em Here Free!
Got this very cool success story from a UK-based FLCW who asked to remain anonymous. Wouldn’t necessarily recommend executing a project that hadn’t been approved, but this writer had a feeling it’d work out, and boy did it.
After that, a great tip from Toronto, Ontario travel content writer, Adrian Blake. If you want to graphically spice up publications (or client projects) with royalty-free images, here’s your source. And, check out Adrian’s web site (love his fun home page).
I crossed paths with a commercial real estate company selling a hotel in Central Europe. They’d decided they didn’t need a brochure and that an email of just facts and figures would be sufficient to draw in bids.
I went ahead, without their knowledge and created a sales brochure—researching and writing all the content. I presented it to the CEO.
The outcome? The brochure is now used in all correspondence with property agents and potential buyers from China, USA, Canada, Russia and Europe—including Germany, UK, Ireland, Italy and Spain.
Invoice: Thousands of euros. Value to the company: Priceless. Slice of humble pie the CEO is eating: Huge!
For anyone looking for professional quality, high-resolution images that are free to use for blogs or social media, I highly recommend Unsplash. I’ve found a lot of gems on the site that really grab readers’ attention.