Friday Fun and Frolick

Let's just say I've worked myself sick this week (and have the nasal congestion to prove it), so I think today's a good day to slow it down a little. I have some projects to complete, but I'm waiting on a few return calls, so things are stalled until that happens. I fully intend to meet a good friend for lunch today and talk about writing, relationships, and just plain girl stuff.

So instead of what makes my head explode (besides a blowing a stuffy nose), I think it's time to look around the Internet for some stuff to discuss or be entertained by.

One reason why some clients may not pay you:
Paidlancer? I love Clients from Hell anyway, but this one resonated. It could be why some of us aren't seeing those overdue checks.

Pathetic excuse for a human award:
Man adopts girlfriend. That's not a typo. He adopted his 42-year-old girlfriend. Why? Was she sick? Was it an act of charity? Hardly. The attorneys allege he was trying to protect his assets (he's quite wealthy). See, he's up on charging of vehicular homicide for killing a young man while driving drunk.

Cool phrases if you're Snoop Dogg:
Top Ten Things that Sound Cool When Said by Snoop Dogg. I especially love #1.

Love of the week:

Going Bigger with Nothing. Carrie Link shows us it's okay to just sit on your keister. And I love her for it.

What Fridays should be for:














What's making you smile or talk today?

My Business, Your Business

Yesterday was a bit of a blur. I was here, but I wasn't here. I'm working like mad to finish up two rather large projects by tomorrow, so my day was end-to-end work. It felt good. I'll be done in time, but I'm one who would rather get done early and have some wiggle room than put it off until my back's to the wall and something goes wrong.

I will say that a surprisingly short turnaround time on one project (the biggest one, naturally) had me kicking it into hyper-speed. I'd had the project in my hands maybe three days and was chipping away at it. The added pressure forced me to think faster. The result - my thoughts somehow became clearer. Weird how that happens.

Today is more of the same, though I'm well ahead of the work at this point. I'm about to get another large project in, so the more I do now, the less I stress later.

Did I mention I'm sporting a cold?

I did have a spare minute or two to discuss rates and things with another freelancer. Where she lives, the cost of living makes it possible to live really well on $30K a year. If I tried that where I live, I'd be eating the cardboard my generic macaroni would come in. Our cost of living is ridiculously high (in my small-town opinion), so $30K wouldn't begin to cover what I need.

In a separate conversation with another writer, I realized my truth about needing a résumé isn't her truth. She doesn't use one and doesn't need to. I do. If I didn't have one, I wouldn't be able to land the corporate crowd I target. Her clients aren't asking.

I say all this to illustrate a point - what's true for me may not be true for you. Before you say "Duh", hear me out. I'm about to hit you with one more obvious statement - businesses are different. No one rule applies to everyone.

Okay, say it in unison - "Duh."

It is obvious, but how many of your so-called experts disagree? Plenty. The Internet is choking with advice that fits one person, but frankly stinks for another person. Yet if they're calling themselves experts, the crowds will follow blindly.

So I suggest this. The next time anyone says "You must do this" (including me), measure the advice against these parameters:

Has this been my truth? I can tell you all day you need a résumé, but if no one has asked you for one, is that really what you need? Likewise if someone says you have to have an accountant, an agent, a land line, a blog, etc. If you don't see a real need for it, it's not for you.

How would this change my business for the better? Would having a blog bring in more business, or are the clients you're trying to attract more of the offline sort? What about a website? Frankly, I think every writer should have a website, but I'm not every writer. If you can convince me you're working like mad without one, I'll let that one go.

Would the impact of doing this help or harm me? If you took a week to put together a stellar brochure and paid a thousand to print it, is that an investment that will pay off? If you score one gig, probably. But if you don't, you've wasted your time and money. Weigh every factor involved - who do you send to? How much can you earn in one gig from one new client? Does that justify the time and cost? Will having a blog help you find new clients, or will your strong opinions or lackluster posts make you look unapproachable or incompetent?

Do I trust the messenger? It's tough to know if you've just discovered this messenger that the advice is given without hidden intent or with any type of authority. If you came across Joe Shmoe's site and he was going on about how every writer must take a copywriting course to increase income, how do you know Joe isn't selling courses? Likewise if someone decides they're now an expert. Where did that expertise come from? Is it actual expertise or an embellished background? Do some research. Know whom it is you're following before you take any advice verbatim.

How do you measure what's right for your business?

Putting the Customer Back into Customer Service

Happy birthday to my oldest! He's a handsome, good soul, and the source of his mother's pride.

It never fails. When you can least deal with it, something is going to need to be dealt with. That goes for work and now mattress delivery.

I paid for it - the delivery. I scheduled it. I waited. No mattress. Since the delivery was to be between 5 -9 pm, I decided that it wasn't coming when 9:15 rolled around. So I opted to call the store in the morning.

No need. They called me. I can't even begin to explain the amount of confusion the man on the phone was experiencing. He had a mattress set in his office with my name on it, yet he had a delivery confirmation from his delivery company saying my husband signed for it. And here I was saying it had never arrived.

Apparently this guy isn't very good at triage because he couldn't see that the facts were what he should have been paying attention to. Clearly, the mattress wasn't delivered (it was sitting in front of him). Clearly, the customer is wondering where the hell it is. Clearly, the delivery people screwed up. End of story, right? Oh, ye of too much faith....

He actually asked me why I hadn't called the store to ask where it was. Um, because you're not open yet (he called at 9:20- they open at 10). And because the chances of getting someone at that service desk at 9:30 pm is nearly impossible. So he decided he had to call the delivery company and talk to them.

Two hours later, we get a call back. The delivery company is still insisting it was delivered, but by now the store personnel aren't buying that story. They rescheduled delivery for last night. And they gave us direct extension numbers so we could easily check with the store to make sure it's been picked up for delivery. It arrived yesterday at five, one full day after it was promised.

I tell you all this not to bore you, but to point out how a little customer service can go a long way. The gent at the store was cordial - confused, but cordial. And when we got the call back, it was obvious they were rooting for us, not for their delivery company. Since I'm writing an article about outsourced services at the moment (how ironic), it stands out to me just how quickly things can deteriorate for customers when the companies they buy from don't/can't manage their suppliers.

As writers, we're lucky. We have a shorter line going from us to our customers. However, we can still screw it up if we're not paying attention. Here's how to please your customers and show you care:

Put customers first. Always. If you've ever had to stand in line and be ignored while sales clerks carry on conversations with coworkers or you lodge a complaint and they try telling you how it's your fault, you know that even a smidgen of concern from a business can go a long way. Conduct your business dealings with one thought - how it will impact your customer and how you can make and keep them happy.

Don't promise if you can't deliver. The mistake this company made was promising same-day delivery. Here I sit two days later... If you think there's a chance you'll miss that deadline, say so as soon as you can.

Answer them. Don't avoid problems by letting them go to voice mail. Call them back, reply to their emails, and let them know they matter.

Fix it. Even the best situations come with issues. Instead of wasting time defending yourself or trying to affix blame to someone or something, apologize. Then fix it.

Do unto others. Put yourself in your customer's shoes. If you were the one with the concern or upset, how would you like it to be handled?

How do you make customers happy? When was the last time you had a bad customer experience? When was the last time you had a good one?

Monthly Assessment: January 2012

Yesterday was busy, but not as much as I'd expected. I had two phone calls vaporize before they happened. That was probably a good thing because we bought a bed for the guest room and ordering it over the phone meant a week and a half delay. Driving to the store, piling it in the cart, paying for it, and wheeling it over to the delivery desk meant we got it the same day. Guess what I chose. And guess what didn't arrive the same day. I'm done with delivery people charging to do what they want instead of what I expect.

I managed a few small client articles in the afternoon, but my rhythm was shot to hell. Today is packed with appointments, so I'm back at it full force. Amen.

Today is also invoice day. I'm happy because I have invoices sent and paid already - how often does that happen? Rarely. So let's see what this month looks like and where things need to change:

Queries:
I cheated - I sent one out in December that resulted in two article assignments (not the idea I'd sent, either). I sent out or followed up on a total of 20 letters of introduction, so hopefully I'll see some responses soon.

Job listings:
I think I'm just going to stop listing this one at all. I never scour job listings anymore unless it's for the This Job, Not That Job post as an example of what not to do.

Existing clients:
This is where I cleaned up. I had four clients come around with work. One client is a steady gig now, and I'm handling a number of their projects on a regular basis. That job is growing and I'm loving it. I'm trying to maintain a balance, though. One client providing most of your work and income is dangerous. I don't see this one drying up, but I don't take chances.

New clients:
I have one potential client I've put a proposal together for, and we're going to talk next week. I have had a few inquiries, but nothing has transpired yet.

Earnings:
I'm slightly under my target, but I'm confident February will bring in more. I'm about to negotiate a rate for a new batch of client projects, so I suspect I'll be over my monthly goal next month.

Bottom line:
As much as I love working with this new client, I have to be more prudent with my time management. Too often I've been dropping everything and getting the projects done as they come in. It's the wrong way - I need to schedule it, track it, and bill for it instantly so as not to lose track.

Marketing will continue, maybe picked up a bit since the conference I attend is just over two months away. I have to get cracking so I can line up appointments and lunch meetings.

How did you fare in January?

Lace Up the Running Shoes

Some weekends just outshine others, don't they? This past weekend was as good as they get. It started a little later on Friday - I was busy answering a distant relative's ancestry request, which I love, but took some time. I was a little toasted thanks to a lot of creative work and computer time this past week.

Saturday was cleaning. I spent a little time vacuuming, washing down furniture and fixtures in the bedroom, and doing a little laundry. Then we spent the evening kilted - a friend's Robert Burns Supper kept us happily occupied into the early Sunday morning hours.

Yesterday we spent planning. We're replacing some interior doors with Mission-style glass doors, so that snowballed into a new bed for the guest room, planning out the redo of the master bath, and planning our library and foyer projects. All of this is just creative thinking - except for the doors and the bed, we're not interested in splurging on the other stuff just yet. Our furnace is sounding like a well drilling rig at the moment, and I'm sure the small fix last week was temporary. You can only limp it along for so many years, and as the furnace guy said, this thing was obsolete 15 years ago. Besides, you can't ask much more than the 23 years it's been grinding away.

We came home from Ikea, got dressed, and headed into town. We had amazing seats at the local theater for Steve Earle's concert. It was more than I'd hoped for. He was alone, but he filled that space with sound and emotion. What a talent. He's one of those rare musicians whose also a political musician, so some of his songs were direct hits to various political leaders and situations. Fantastic performance, very intimate space, and a great way to end a damned nice weekend.

Today I'm already in sprint mode. A phone call this morning topped off by at least four projects to be done this week (or sooner, as it usually is). Two are in the works already and the other two are about to be. I can't wait to bill. I want to see that the work I'm putting into all this is paying off.

How was your weekend? How is your workload this week?

Things That Make My Head Explode Part Seven

Super excited - I just published my book, Marketing 365, on Smashwords! It was a lot of work, but I think I've pulled together some useful advice and strategies for you. Think of them as tip-a-day advice that you can apply right away. To snag your copy, head over to Smashwords.

Also, please visit me over at Sharon Hurley Hall's blog, Get Paid to Write Online, where I'm guest posting today.

What a waste of a day yesterday. It started with a dentist appointment, where I got good news. However, it went downhill after that. I came home knowing I had to fix two issues - an email problem and an antivirus problem. That's where it all unraveled.

And that's why I need a Things That Make My Head Explode post.

Clueless Internet providers. First, I called email support. My email service (through a client, not my own) had stopped working Wednesday. I wanted help getting it going again. Fine, but gee, she said, I can't help you because our server is down. Really? You? An ISP? Down? She gave me a case ID and told me to call back. Their servers were the problem. A few hours later, it was all back. Devon, it's your personal "favorite." I see what you mean - they live up to that lousy reputation.

Oversell and pushy people. Avast Internet Security stopped working. Errors all over the place, so I got on the phone. This time, I had to call through a company called iYogi. I'm thinking it's named that because it's the antithesis of a zen experience. This one took at least an hour. First I talked to Naveen (everyone's name gets written down), who walked me through what I thought was a ten-minute diagnosis. No, that was his sales pitch. See, Naveen took control of my desktop, ran a few scans, then showed me how many terrible, corrupt files I had on my computer and how desperately I needed his company to clean up my registry. Worse, he said it would cost $300 at Best Buy (his quote, though he doesn't work there?) to get it all cleaned. Or... he could help me out by offering a cleaning for $399. Wow, and that's $399 for three years of monthly jerking with my computer files remotely. Not only that, he was showing me these "critical" problems that were in my Temp folder. Really. How stupid do you think I am? Yet the hard sell continued. If you've never dealt with Indians selling you something, know that they're extremely pushy and enjoy challenging your common sense. Luckily I know plenty of Indians, so my monotone "No thank you" was repeated until he went away.

Not trusting the customer. When Naveen was done with me, he passed me on to Ajay. Ajay was my "chat" buddy, and he proceeded to take over the desktop and actually fix what I'd called for. However, as I watched, I realized the only fix needed was to uninstall/reinstall the program. And why couldn't I do that? Oh wait - because they didn't tell me that's what I needed until they were already controlling the desktop. Whatever. I had the furnace guy at the door and didn't have time to watch, so he's probably installed lord-knows-what on this. See, I don't trust them, either.

National Geographic. What did they do wrong? They have a website devoted to green living (called Green Living). Guess who's writing it for them? Our "best" friends at Demand Media. Time to boycott.

24-hour days. Not that they're too long. They're entirely too short. I've felt like I'm being yanked through a keyhole at 75 mph - and I'm wearing heavy boots. I could use about four more hours a day right now. If I weren't organized, I'd be in a real state.

But hey, the dentist appointment went really well. So there's that.

What's making your head go boom?

The Résumé Debate

Yet another busy day yesterday. I tweaked an article, interviewed for another one, organized a few more details for another client, and started a template for an ongoing project. And I marketed. Always that.

I did have time to hit the forums and the blogs. I'm seeing this prevailing theme among writers - "You don't need a résumé." I've heard it four times this week, and it's only Thursday. Some writers state the case for why résumés don't matter anymore.

Too bad it's not true.

Okay, so when they say "résumé" they're referring to that chronological, dry nightmare of writing that makes no sense to any client's eye. That's not the only kind of résumé there is. There are several ways to put together a résumé that shows your talent, your successes, and highlights those skills that make you the perfect fit for their project.

Call it what you will - CV, portfolio, whatever - just don't think you can go without it entirely. There will always be a client out there who wants to see what you've done.

Let's start with what a résumé is:

According to Wikipedia - A résumé "is a document used by individuals to present their background and skillsets."

So taking that literally, your website is your résumé as much as any traditional resume. So is your brochure, if you've added your project successes to it.

But I'm a freelance writer, you say. Those things are for "employees." Why do I need one?

Because you want to show your clients a snapshot of your background. Without it, you've got nothing.

So if you're still with me and still think you want to put a résumé together, let's see how writers can do it.

A traditional "print" freelance résumés should be set up so that the skills you have are highlighted first, followed by a list of project successes that relate to your client's business area. For example, my résumé starts with a short summary of my career. This one is for technical writing:

Experienced, skilled specialist with proven results in both media and corporate communications venues. Trusted developer of media collateral and technical documents that advance client goals. Technical writing specialist widely published in risk management and commercial insurance areas.

Next, list your areas of expertise. Like this:

Insurance • Risk Management • Healthcare Management • Human Resources
Customer Relationship Management • Internet Security • Business • Finance
Technology • Security • Educational Writing • Real Estate • Energy • Life Settlements

Next comes your professional experience. Depending on the client, your list can change. For instance, when I'm reaching out to magazine clients, I start with a list of magazines where I've published. When working with Web clients, the list of Web projects goes first. And the same with corporate clients.

I typically list my education and additional training, mostly because I paid through the nose for it, but also because my degree is relevant to what I do. If I had a degree in say Archaeology, I wouldn't list it unless I'm pitching to do some writing in that field.

That's it.

Setting it up for the Web is a little different. I recommend a page dedicated to listing your services, such as ad writing or press releases, and then another page with specific projects (and links where you can).

On both the résumé and the Web portfolio, feel free to list any client kudos you've received (with their permission, of course). These are also great to add to your brochures and marketing copy.

How do you show clients your background? What has worked for you? Do you call it a résumé or something else?