www.inkthinkerblog.com — I’ll be blogging my notes for the WIW 2008 Annual Conference and posting them between sessions throughout the day. I’ll be fixing typos later!
I missed the beginning of Peter Bowerman’s speech because I was working the registration table, but I came in at a great time. He just said, “Make what you bring to the professional table predictably pleasant.” It’s easier to succeed if you give people something to remember you by preferably something positive. Get known as the “blank” writer and get pretty good at it. Example: Michael Stelzner, whitepapers. Specialize, specialize, specialize.
Peter says he’s recently gotten a taste of the benefits of specializing by “spot specializing” when he realized that he’s been getting a lot of tagline work. He created a portfolio specifically for those types of projects and put it online and his regular portfolio, and about a year ago he pitched the new portfolio to a potential client.
The moral is, Clients don’t want o hunt around endlessly for what they need. Clients want the hiring process to go fast and successfully, so show they what they want to make it easy to hire you. “Word has gotten around that I’m a good writer, which is a good box to put you in.” Billings for the new potential client are close to $15K since November.
Why not create a separate portfolio or website for your specialty areas? You can still be a generalist, but show where you are powerful.
Another option is “memorable diversity.” Show the clients everything you do. It’s always easier to get more work out of an existing client than a new one. Example of a writer who includes at the bottom of each invoice, “Your work is valuable to me. If you should need help in the future, I offer services in the following areas: a, b, and c.”
“Memorable by teaming” is a proven strategy for commercial freelancers. PB has been working wiht the same designer for 15 years, and he’s become part of her value proposition because her design is supported by strong copy. And because she is steadily landing work for herself, she’s also landing work for him that he does nothing to earn except to answer his phone.
Approaching clients as a team is the concept of solutions-oriented marketing. People don’t want writing services or graphic design services, or whatever. They want their problems solved. Most projects they hire a writer for require more than just writing. “Mr. Client, I can take your project from beginning to end with design, etc. Would that be of interest to you?” Heck yeah. You morph from writer to partner, from vendor to solution provider.
The teaming thing means absolutely no more time or hassle than a solo gig would, and often less.
If you work with clients in several key industries, why not receive feeds about those areas? If you can pass on news items about what is relevant to a client, this will endear you to them and is far more effective than showing up and saying, “You got any work for me?”
“Memorable by testimonial.” Example of an Atlanta design firm that sends out mini case studies about quarterly that describle the client, the challenge, the project, the result, and a quote from the client. Why can’t writers do this? Third-party testimonials are exceptionally effective doubt relievers and memory improvers.
“Memorable by being forgettable.” — “After they give me the parameters and I ask a few questions, they can forget all about me until the get the finished product in their inbox ready for prime time.” The desire for reliable, predictable competence will always trump cost. And they have never questioned his fees.
When price is paramount, the quality will suffer.
Be “memorable for attitude.” PB has a professional crush on UK writer John McCollough, who gives clients the product and “all the advice they can swallow.” such as “stop answering the bloody phone just because it rings.” When you answer the phone only by appointment, it makes you a hot commodity, in demand. You must never allow a client to believe you need him more than he needs you. Success is as much about mindset as talent if not more so.
Another memorable box is confidence. While top-notch writing ability is key, it’s also about delivering the goods and being easy to work with, not just jaw-dropping talent.
Ask you loyal clients why they come back. Do you really know why? Find out, and put that in your marketing materials.
Especially for book authors, “memorable by confidence” is possibly the most important box. Marketing is most important! But what about writing an excellent book about a subject people are interested in and harness the power of thousands of sales people (happy readers).
“Memorable by ubiquity.”
“Memorable by credibility.”
“Memorable by spinoff.” Platform, ancillary products, less dependence on the whims of the industry. E-books, downloads, teleseminars, speaking engagements, etc.
Speaking of memorable by ubiquity, social media. Anything that puts you in touch with potential clients is a good thing. Focus on these sites as TOOLS, not OUTCOMES.
“Memorable by blogging.” About 30% of the room raised their hand when asked who blogs. If someone has a small following, it might not be worth it for a while. There are lots of blogs out there where people are just talking to themselves. If you have a niche, a following, and products to sell and you could become an industry thought leader, it might be worth it. PB now averages 25-30 comments per post and posts only weekly. Take your ego out of the equation. Posts need to be pump primers. End with questions. Open it up for commentary.
Tags: freelance writing blog, freelance writing, freelance, writing, washington independent writers, WIW, peter bowerman, well-fed writer, inkthinker, kristen king
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Hey Kristen,
Wow – you either got a copy of the speech or you take absolutely outstanding notes. I’m hugely impressed. I think I NOW have a professional crush on YOU…;) Thanks for the kind words and re-creation of the salient points.
Glad it was worthy of a post. And I’m about to check out your other posts of the event…
Great to see you – keep up the amazing work…
PB