Author Archives: freelancetheconsultantsdiary

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Content Marketing Is the New Ad Copy

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Several times this year,   you will be presented with opportunities to advertise your Freelance consulting services in a print or online publication.  You probably belong to at least one professional networking organization,  whether it’s one that caters to peers in your field,  or a local business association.  The organization will have a newsletter and a directory and you will be asked to make the decision about buying an ad.  What should you do?

The answer is to confirm your budget after checking out the rate card and jump on it if you’re able.  Consider the advertising opportunity as an extension of whatever content marketing you produce.  If you don’t write a blog or newsletter,  then ads are  your content marketing and you must make the most of them.

Consider who will see the ad.  If potential clients are members of the organization,  then you definitely want to advertise in newsletter and directory.  Additionally,  there is  a second audience for your advertisement,  the organization big shots.

Placing ads with the newsletter and/or directory of the right organization will cause the big shots to look upon you more favorably.  They will likely reward you with valuable opportunities for exposure.  In exchange for your ad,   you can expect to be invited to moderate or speak on a panel or receive some other showcasing opportunity.  You may even be nominated to become an organization big shot yourself.  It’s a political thing and if you can scrape together the budget,  you are advised to join in.

Frame your approach to the ad in terms of content marketing,  that ubiquitous new term for advertising copy.   Content marketer and ex- advertising executive  Barry Feldman says that first,  determine what potential clients need to know about where and how your services fit into their business needs and then decide what action you want them to take on the road to hiring you to solve those needs.  Those pillars shape your ad copy,  i.e. the content marketing message.

Your content must be compelling,  communicating the story and providing  information that matters to prospective clients,  even if the audience consists of your peers and not prospects.   Peer organization big shots may be good referral sources,  so take the time to produce persuasive content.  Because life has become a barrage of marketing messages emanating from various media,  create content that makes your ad pop.  Spotlight three or four primary services maximum,  so potential clients and referrers will not become confused about what you do.  Hire a graphic artist to design a sleek and eye-catching ad.

Be authoritative,  never arrogant,  and perhaps be  a bit provocative as you concisely describe the challenges that cause clients to hire you and the unfailingly excellent results that you deliver.  Weave in terminology that clients use,  so that content will resonate.  Remember the call to action,  to inspire prospects to call you when in need of your kind of services.   After they’ve read your ad and decided they might want more info,  what do they do? You must tell them.

Maybe they send you an email or give you a call,  which gets a conversation going.   Maybe they go to your website and fill out a short questionnaire to get the ball rolling.  Generating prospective client follow-up,  also known as in-bound marketing,  entices prospects to commit to evaluating the fit between your services and their needs.  Most ad viewers won’t take the plunge,  but if even one does you will be on the road to good ROI for ad dollars spent.  If you get invited to a meeting with your prospect,  you will be 85%  of the way to a contract.

As I’ve said before,  social media gets all the headlines,  but tried and true forms of advertising are still able to deliver results.  Advertisers must approach ad copy as content marketing now and aim to teach as much as sell.   From the Mad Men era to the new millennium,  if you tell the story in a way that grabs prospective clients,  you will get the sale.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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Taxes: The Home Office Deduction

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Are you about to do your taxes,  Freelancer friend?  Read this post first and find out if you are able to deduct expenses for your home office.  The IRS sets a high bar for this deduction,  but if you pass the qualifiers,  it’s all yours.  Tele-commuters and outside sales reps might also deduct home office expenses.

1.   The space must be used exclusively and regularly for business purposes only and not for your personal life.  The space must be used regularly for business  and not just a few times a year.   Those who live in small apartments are at a disadvantage because no room can be consigned to business only.   However  if you use the space regularly for business,   it is not necessary to partition it off to demonstrate that you have established a separate workstation.   A desk in a corner of a room qualifies as a workstation,  along with a  “border”  of a few square feet.  Outside sales reps who must store product samples and marketing collateral at home can also include storage space square footage in the home office deduction.

2.   Does your home office exist primarily for your convenience,  or for the convenience of your employer or clients?  If your employer or clients have provided a location at which you may regularly conduct business,  then you are not allowed to deduct home office expenses.  To take the deduction,  you must have no other work space available  (you and your computer at Starbucks is not a disqualification).  Employees and independent contractors may have to give documentation to the IRS.  A letter from the employer stating that there is no office space provided for you and/or receipts for un-reimbursed business expenses and supplies will suffice.

3.  If you have more than one home-based business,  all businesses must meet the first two tests:  you cannot have any office space made available to you by a client or employer and you must devote that space  exclusively and regularly to business.  If any entity for whom you work provides regular office space for you,  then you are not allowed to claim the home office deduction and it’s an all or nothing proposition.   However,  disqualification from the home office deduction does not mean you cannot deduct other business expenses.  You are still eligible to file Schedule C  (Freelancers/Independent contractors)  or Form 2106  (outside sales reps and other employees)  to deduct other un-reimbursed expenses incurred while doing business.

Are you ready to complete Form 8829 Expenses for Business Use of Your Home?  To get started,  measure the number of square feet used at home exclusively for business purposes  (maybe measuring storage closets and the area of your desk,  plus a  “reasonable”  border,  instead of an entire room)  and divide that number by the total square feet in your home.  If your office is 12′ x 12′,  you have 144 square feet of office space.  Let’s say your apartment has 750 square feet of space.  Divide the area of your office by the area of your apartment: 144/750 equals 0.192,  or 19.2%.

That figure represents the percentage of your home that is devoted to business,  the percentage of the year’s home expenses you may charge off to the business and deduct.  There are direct expenses and indirect expenses to calculate.  The fraction applies to indirect expenses,  i.e. the total year’s utilities,  rent/mortgage,  taxes,  home insurance,  etc.  For example,  if you spent $800.00 on last year’s electricity,  you may deduct 19.2 %  x  $800.00 or $153.60 for that category.  Expenses incurred solely for the benefit of your workstation are the direct expenses.  Office supplies,  postage and office furniture are direct expenses.  Add your direct and indirect expenses.

The final test is,  does your home office deduction exceed the revenue generated/income?  Your home office deduction cannot exceed the money generated.  So if your business earned $1000.00 and your home office deduction adds up to $1200.00,  you may only claim $1000.00 for your home office deduction.  But that extra expense does not get wasted.  You may carry it forward to add to a future home office deduction in a year when revenue exceeds expenses.

The bottom line Form 8829 number is recorded on Schedule C  (Freelancers /Independent contractors)  or Form 2106 and Schedule A  (outside sales reps and other employees).  Employees must itemize deductions  (hence Schedule A),  to which the home office deduction is added to other un-reimbursed business expenses and all other Schedule A deductions.  Those deductions must exceed 2% of your adjusted gross income.  For more detailed information specific to your situation,  speak with an accountant or tax attorney.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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Where the Freelance Money Is

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You’ve written a business plan—now what?  Kim is the midwife who helps you take your business from the drawing board to reality in  “Business Plans:  Next Steps”.  Bring your completed business plan and join Kim and other hopeful entrepreneurs in round robin discussions where you’ll get a critique of your business model;  smart marketing/PR/social media  advice;  insights into sales distribution channels that make sense for you and your customers;  and suggestions on how to finance your business in today’s economy.  Wednesdays March 13,  20  & 27  5:30 PM – 7:30 PM at Boston Center for Adult Education 122 Arlington Street Boston.  Register at  http://bit.ly/Zd9dqR   or call 617.267.4430 class ID 9074.

Some Freelancers are more likely to earn the coveted but elusive six-figure annual revenue than others.   Maybe you’re there or could be,  with some good luck and timing,  opening doors with the right skills.  Here are six potentially lucrative occupations that attract Freelancers:

Writing

Magazines do not often pay $2.00/word anymore and there are only so many 5000 word articles bring commissioned in this era of short attention spans,   but allegedly there a number of Freelancers still able to pull in big money through writing assignments of various kinds.  This category includes not only magazine and newspaper article generation,  but also technical writing.  I am acquainted with two or three Freelancers who’ve made a nice piece of change in the latter category.  It’s very boom and bust,  but the money is sometimes there.   Also,  Freelancers pay Freelancer colleagues to produce content for websites,  blogs,  newsletters and marketing collateral.   Writers need no special equipment,  other that a computer and writing software like Apache OpenOffice or Scrivener.  

Translating

I have a friend who regularly gets assignments translating Arabic and German to English and vice versa  (hello George!),  although he has other revenue streams in addition.   According to the American Translators Association,  their certified translators average $72,000/year and those without that certification average $53,000.   As you’d expect,  much depends upon the language you translate.   No surprise that there is a big demand for Spanish translation,  with Arabic,  Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin),  French,  German,  Japanese and Korean also showing strong demand.

Photography

Photography has long had the potential to produce a healthy Freelance income.   Wedding photographers have traditionally commanded large sums and they continue to do so,  in spite of robust competition from videographers.   Portrait photographers also command high prices—business owners and corpoate execs need a professional headshot for websites,  annual reports and other promotional uses.   E-commerce fattens the wallets of product photographers,  who make items sold on-line look appealing.  Food photography and fashion photography are lucrative sub-specialties.   Those lucky enough to have an  “in”  with colleges and/or big corporations can make a nice living,   as do those who have relationships with busy special event planners.  The downside is that good cameras and Adobe Photo Shop editing software are expensive.

SEO Search Engine Optimization

Freelancers who hope to drive traffic to their website pay confreres Freelancers for this potentially revenue-generating service.   Those new to the field can expect to bill $50.00/hour and allegedly the best known can command up to $500.00/hour from big corporate clients.  It is furthermore essential to be well-versed in the various metrics that prove your worth to clients,  so that satisfied customers can be recruited to give testimonials that help you obtain more clients.

Mobile App Development

Writing software applications for mobile devices like cell phones and tablets lured one million Freelancers to the field in 2010 and no doubt that number has grown significantly.  App development is like a modern day gold rush.   I recently read an article in the New York Times  (11/17/12)  about those who aren’t making money in the app development business and that is the usual scenario.  As author David Streitfeld details in his comprehensive article,  don”t quit your day job and developing for Apple is akin to sharecropping.   Still,  you may be the one who can retire on the residuals of the next  “Angry Birds”.  Another downside is that you must spend a hefty sum on the technology needed to test your apps in development.

Social Media Strategy

Millions of Freelance consultants and owners of businesses large and small feel that social media cannot be ignored and that in order to maximize its potential and not leave money on the table,  a specialist must be hired.  If you can convince decision-makers that you know how to choose social media that is appropriate for their business,   plan and execute a social media campaign and know how to  demonstrate measurable results,  you can be off to the races.  Newbies to the field can expect to bill $25.00 /hour and top-drawer known experts can allegedly bill $250.00 /hour to big corporate clients.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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Business Model Tune-up

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You’ve written a business plan—now what?  Kim is the midwife who helps you take your business from the drawing board to reality in  “Business Plans:  The Next Steps”.   Bring your completed business plan and join Kim and a group of hopeful entrepreneurs in round robin discussions where you’ll get a critique of your business model;  smart marketing/PR/social media advice;  insights into sales channels that make sense for you and your customers;  and advice on financing options in today’s economy.  Wednesdays March 13,  20  &  27  5:30 PM – 7:30 PM at Boston Center for Adult Education  122 Arlington Street  Boston.  Register at  http://bit.ly/Zd9dqR  or call 617.267.4430 class ID 9074.

A cloud of worry and paranoia envelopes business leaders and other decision-makers and in their role as B2B clients,  they become more fickle and gun-shy every day.  They brag about postponing projects and declining to spend money.

To survive and thrive,  it is therefore  essential for Freelance consultants and other business owners  to make an annual assessment of the company’s business model and evaluate how the organization can deliver the right services in the right way and demonstrate to clients that the value you bring improves the bottom line and makes clients look smart to the higher-ups.

The business model is the blueprint for the process your organization follows to connect with clients,  deliver services and make and sustain a profit.  The business model reflects what you believe about what clients need and value,  the way in which those needs ought be addressed and solutions delivered and what clients will pay to obtain those solutions.   Additionally,  the business model shows the business leader how to make his/her organization function efficiently for leader and clients. Perfecting it is the cornerstone to success  (along with a healthy dose of good fortune!).

The most direct way to check up on your business model is to take a good client to a restaurant for some combination of libation and/or meal at the conclusion of a project,  when the client’s trust in you is high because you’ve delivered the goods and exceeded expectations.  You will likely be able to persuade your client to open up and tell you what’s going on in the organization as regards challenges and opportunities,  plans for the future,  services that are valued and the preferred method of delivery for those services.

You are certain to learn all sorts of useful information that will tell you how you might refine,  adjust,  package or price your services.  Knowledge of your client’s priorities and concerns is the first step to winning the project that does the work to address them,  says Alexander Osterwalder,  co-author of  “Business Model Generation” (2010)  and founder of The Business Model Foundry  http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com

Knowing how your clients can get the job done without you is also useful (although painful!).  As I mentioned at the beginning,  your real competition may not be another Freelance consultant but the client,  who decides to table the project indefinitely or do it in-house.  That’s not easy to counteract.  Your only defense is a solid business model that helps you position and promote your solution as preferable in some vital way.

Flexibility in your business model is a necessary feature if you expect your business to make a profit.  The need to adapt to shifting client preferences may require you to selectively experiment and reconfigure the services you offer,  or how you package and promote them.

Updating the keywords you use in marketing campaigns and online and print collateral will help clients and prospects to visualize where your services might have a place within their organization,  so stay up-to-date with industry concerns and buzzwords.  Keeping abreast of client needs allows you to successfully adapt your business model and promotional message,  keeping your organization competitive and able to stay profitable.

Thanks for reading,

KIm

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Got Help?

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Freelance consultants usually work solo,  building a client base gradually over time,  developing and refining our personal brand and deriving great satisfaction from operating our boutique enterprise.  We take pride in keeping the show on the road all by our lonesome,  whether we’re making a killing or bumping along.  Especially in a troubled economy,  fear of an inconsistent paycheck causes the majority of us to avoid hiring help.   However,  an unbiased examination of reality may show that this practice could depress one’s earning potential.  To test the premise,  I invite you to ask yourself four questions.  Do any of these conditions exist  in your business?

  • You neglect following up on leads because you’re too busy working,  servicing clients or doing administrative duties such as billing and bookkeeping.
  • You’ve turned down business,  because you don’t have time to take on another client.
  • Revenue is no longer growing because you are not meeting prospects that you can persuade to become new clients.
  • You have only one client (although perhaps a good one).

Hiring help may resolve those problems,  but the process can be scary.  Who can you trust to enter your business,  advance its goals and not make you look bad? Can you be certain that there will be sufficient cash flow to make payroll?  Which duties should you hand over to an outsider?

The decision to hire begins when you let yourself recognize when it’s time to hire.  To ease your fear,  re-frame the scenario and think of an employee not as an interloper and a drain on your expenses,  but as a potential revenue enhancer who will give you time to apply to activities that will grow your business.

You’ll need a job description,  so decide what it is you dislike doing and what functions can be taken from your plate.  For example,  if you dislike billing,  bookkeeping,  answering the telephone and/or making Power Point presentation slides,  you’d hire an administrative assistant.  A call to Katharine Gibbs or other secretarial schools will give you a source of applicants who are vetted through the school and likely to be qualified and trustworthy.

If prospecting and account executive duties are not your favorite,  then you need someone who will help fill your sales pipeline,  follow-up on potential speaking and teaching engagements,  write press releases and assist with certain client needs.   Vetted candidates with marketing and sales skills can be accessed through university MBA programs.

Next,  make a quantitative assessment by doing a 12 month revenue projection,  to demonstrate that you can comfortably expect to meet all fixed and variable expenses,  including your owner’s draw,  and also fund an employee.   Search Craig’s List to determine the going hourly rate in your geography for the skill set you need.  Following that,  check with your accountant or tax attorney and get the latest info on tax breaks for hiring within special categories,  such as the long-term unemployed,  and how that can help subsidize your employee.  Your tax attorney or accountant will also advise you on payroll withholding and may do payroll for you  (or recommend a bookkeeper or payroll service).  All those expenses will be included in your hiring process financial projections.

Interview three or four candidates.  Check references.  Start small and hire someone for a three month trial for maybe 8 – 10 hours/week,  to see how things work.  Once you get your new hire trained and operating at full capacity,  you may be pleasantly surprised by how much more revenue-generating work is taking place!  If for some reason your new hire isn’t working out,   make sure that you are communicating expectations appropriately.  If you can assure yourself that you are doing so,  then hire another candidate.

Establishing a profitable business requires the effective  management of all resources and that includes staffing.  Freelance consultants must be especially aware of resource management,  because we go it alone and the  list of what it takes to run a viable business continues to grow.   We love what we do,  but keeping the bases covered is time-consuming and can be  exhausting.  Before you dismiss the idea of hiring help,  realize that doing so may limit business growth and revenue.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Marketing , , 11 Comments

Marketing Mix Remix: 4 Ps for the 21st Century

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The term Marketing Mix was coined in 1948 by Neil Borden,  who was then a professor at the Harvard Business School and James Culliton,  who was dean of the business school at University of Notre Dame.  In 1960,  then marketing professor at Michigan State University E. Jerome McCarthy laid out the original 4 Ps: Product,  Place,  Price and Promotion.

Half a century later,  the 4 Ps  are still considered to be the marketing strategy gold standard.  Over time,  the marketing mix list was expanded to include nine Ps,  with Process,  Position,  Profit,  Packaging and People added.  In whatever number,  the Ps served marketing departments throughout the world for several decades.

But we’re in a new century now and the marketplace has changed.  It is time to re-think and re-tool the Ps for today’s B2B service-oriented economy.  Eduardo Conrado (Senior VP and Chief of Marketing at Motorola),  Richard Ettenson  (Thunderbird School of Global Management)  and Jonathan Knowles  (CEO of Type 2 Consulting in New York City)  have presented a reinterpretation of the Ps that tacks toward offering solutions,  which is what the Freelance consultant’s current and prospective clients value today.  Their model has updated Product to Solution;  Place to Access;  Price to Value: and Promotion to Education:  SAVE,  a perfect acronym if ever there was one.

Conrado,  Ettenson and Knowles posit SAVE as the centerpiece of a 21st century solution-selling strategy that encourages marketing and sales practices that take a client-centric perspective.  The SAVE model gets one into a solutions-oriented mindset and helps a Freelance consultant to devise marketing strategies that target specific client needs.  SAVE emphasizes the value proposition of the B2B solution that is being offered and creates the context for the Freelancer to position him/herself as a trusted source of expertise,  advice and problem-solving.

SOLUTION,  rather than Product /Service

  • Describe your services and bundle your service packages according to the client needs that they meet instead of merely presenting a list of services offered,  with descriptions of their functions,  features and benefits.  Don’t make clients have to think about how to use your services.  Show them exactly where your service fits.  Clients are over-worked and distracted,  so save a step and visualize things for them.

ACCESS,  rather than Place

  • Institute an approach to delivering products and services that is mindful of the client’s entire purchase journey,  from the initial project specs meeting through post-project follow-up support and billing.

VALUE,  rather than Price

  • Articulate the benefits of your services relative to price,  instead of stressing how price relates to production costs,  profit margins,  or competitors’ prices.  Present your value proposition in a way that ensures you’ll be perceived as being well worth the money.

EDUCATION,  rather than Promotion

  • Provide information relevant to your clients’ specific needs at each point in the sales cycle.
  • Re-think and re-tool a broad-brush advertising message and media outlet choices.  Maybe a webinar that helps clients sort out approaches to meeting specific business needs will be more convincing than an advertisement.  A relevant case study,  presented as a story, is invariably convincing,  helping clients to visualize where and how your services can address business needs effectively.

Eduardo Conrado and his marketing team at Motorola used SAVE to guide the re-structuring of its entire approach to marketing and sales strategy development.  Motorola now designs strategies that build a strong case for the superior value of their products by presenting them as solutions that solve problems,  shifting the perception of their sales professionals to that of trusted experts and advisers.  Like Motorola and other multi-nationals,   Freelance consultants who plan to maintain their relevance in a merciless marketplace are advised to bring our marketing strategies into the 21st century as well.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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Face-to-Face Client Meeting Primer

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When you run a good meeting,  you show prospective clients that you can be trusted.  The project will be in good hands because you are a pro.   In your meeting you will show that you are prepared: you understand the clients’ needs and the needs of the clients’ customers.  You demonstrate your value-added and ability to meet or exceed expectations.  You know how to land the plane and they will  look like a genius for hiring you.

Here is the continuation of the meeting primer developed by Geoffrey James,  author of  “How to Say it: Business to Business Selling” (2011).   James  suggests that you follow these rules to make sure that you make a good impression in your next meeting and I totally agree.  I’ve edited and condensed his list.

8.   Don’t start the meeting with a SALES PITCH.  If you are meeting with a prospective client who would like to get to know you better,  respect that wish and be grateful for the chance to build a business relationship.  Do not be crass and push a selfish agenda.   Rather, encourage the prospect to talk about him/herself and the business and what’s gone on in the past, what the preferred future will look like and the role you can play in bringing the business to that point.

9.   RESEARCH the client’s organization,  so that you’ll have a good understanding of what business priorities and concerns are likely to be before you walk into the meeting.   Have ideas of how your services can benefit the organization.  Visit the company website and read the mission statement,   familiarize yourself with the organization’s primary products and services and get to know its clients.  In other words,  do your homework.

10.   Remember the NAMES of everyone at the meeting.   After the introductions,  make a note of the names of all participants.  Offer your business card to all and try your best to likewise get a card from everyone present,  so that you can confirm titles and have contact info.

11.   Take NOTES,  so that you’ll have a record of what everyone has agreed to,  especially you.  Remember to bring a nice note pad or your notebook computer.  It can be very useful to send a confirmation email to everyone,  as a way to confirm any agreements and time tables.

12.   Keep the meeting on FOCUS,  so that you don’t lose control of the agenda and fail to get your questions answered.  It will be up to you to bring the meeting back to the main topic if the client  tends to meander into sidebars.  Make sure the meeting is productive and not a waste of time.

13.   End the meeting on TIME.  Respect the client’s schedule and do what you can to follow the agenda.  The only exception would be if the client is anxious to push forward ASAP and creates space in his/her calendar to spend more time discussing the project.

14.   FOLLOW UP on whatever you agree to do,  within the expected time frame.

15.   Write a THANK YOU LETTER.  If you were invited to meet with a prospective client or reconnect with a previous one,  demonstrate your appreciation in writing.  Get some nice stationery  (time to get your own personalized business stationery printed up fast if you haven’t done so already)  and write a three or four sentence letter.   Drop it in the mail maximum 48- 72 hours after the meeting.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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Face-to-Face Sales Meeting Primer

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Lucky you,  at last you scored a meeting with the dream client you’ve been pursuing for months.   Or did you get back in the door of a former client and sign on for repeat business?  A meeting to discuss specifics has been called and you can taste the contract.  To make sure that you don’t inadvertently put your foot in it and screw up your good fortune,   herewith is a sales meeting primer that will help your face-to-face meetings produce the outcome you want.  These pointers were developed by Geoffrey James,  author of  “How to Say It: Business to Business Selling”  (2011).  I’ve condensed and edited.

1.    Have a specific GOAL, or list of OBJECTIVES,  that will define the purpose of the meeting.  When the meeting is called to discuss a specific project,  then your goal is to get the information you need to determine how you will meet the client’s expectations and the project  time-table.  You must also determine whether you can do the job on your own,  or if will you need to subcontract some part of it.  A few days before the meeting,  start jotting down questions that will bring out the necessary info.

2.   Create a meeting AGENDA,  which can be that list of questions you’ve come up with.   

3.    Arrive EARLY to the meeting,  15 minutes ahead of time.   Go to the restroom and check your appearance.

4.    Turn off your PHONE.  

5.    Do not TALK TOO MUCH.  Remember that the meeting’s purpose is for you to gather information and for the client to communicate project needs and timetable,  confirm that you are qualified to do the job and get a sense of how it will be to work with you.  By all means,  greet your client with some friendly banter that reveals your authentic self.  A minute or two of social lubricant is necessary to relax everyone.  Just don’t let the chit-chat go on and on.  You are the one who must gracefully segue  into the business conversation.

6.    Don’t be PASSIVE.  Remember that you’ve been invited into the meeting to make a contribution,  to add your expert insights and opinions.  Speak up when necessary.  Ask questions,  provide answers.

7.    Don’t ARGUE with the client.  If your client has a business practice or opinion that seems unusual to say the least,  diplomatically ask what has brought him/her to that conclusion.  There may be a compelling reason that you haven’t thought of.  Be careful not to make the client feel as though he/she is out in left field,  or behind the times  (especially if that is exactly the case!).  

Social media gets all the hype and we all love the convenience of email.  Still,  there’s no way to underestimate the value  of human interaction.  For many conversations,  the telephone is better than email and a face-to-face meeting is the best of all.  Learn how to make the most of your meetings.  I’ll be back next week with more on how to run good meetings.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Survival Strategies , , 3 Comments

Find the Time to Do What You Must Do

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It is not easy to stay focused and manage one’s time effectively,  especially when Freelancing.   Working from home presents so many opportunities for distraction,  from the laundry,  to the vacuuming,  to the suddenly gross- looking bathroom sink.  How can you avoid letting the household chores fester and still successfully complete an in-house project,  keep an eye open for potential new assignments,  create additional revenue streams that sustain financially during the inevitable gaps in contracts or client slow-pay situations and somehow find time for professional development and networking?  Fear not,  Freelancer friend,  there is a way to keep those plates in the air.

The secret is to prioritize and be resolute about it.  Learn to value yourself and your time.   Allow yourself  to acknowledge and honor those things that you Must Do and things that you Want To Do.  Equally important,   allow yourself to recognize low-priority tasks and have the courage to let them fall to the wayside. 

We all have obligations and preferred activities and we have about 16 waking hours each day in which to act upon them.   To manage time effectively,  become more productive and refrain from burning yourself out,  priorities must be made and adhered to.   Be brave.  Climb into the driver’s seat and decide which activities and people mean the most to you and let those choices guide how you allocate your time.

Where to begin? Start with work,  because that is how you earn money.   Make a time line for important projects and/or goals and create a what you Must Do manifesto.  Draw up an action plan to ensure that all deliverables are in hand by the desired date.  Identify important milestones along the way and reward yourself when they are reached.  This will help you to establish the right things to do and when to do them and that is the essence of prioritizing.

Next,  think about your personal life and what you Want To Do.   Are you married,  maybe with children,  or do you have someone special in your life with whom you want to spend quality time?  Refer back to your project/goal time line and brainstorm approaches to Must Do priorities that can increase the amount of Want To Do time.  You still may not show up at all of your son’s football games,  but you’ll be more likely to be at the important ones. 

 When on a serious deadline you’ll probably be basically unavailable while the pressure’s on,  but with careful planning you’ll meet most obligations  (buy take-out food and consider hiring a cleaning service to get you and the family over the hump during a crazy-busy period).   You might even be able to have the occasional quiet dinner with the family or that special someone,  which will give you some much-needed relaxation and battery-charging.  You might be able to accept an invitation to a good party,  too.

Other aspects of your personal life involve only you and those needs should likewise be honored,  because they are what you Want To Do.   One way to get more things done  is to get out of bed earlier,  so consider going to the gym at 6:00 AM or 7:00 AM.   If you’re really busy,  exercise will help you to stay strong,  focused,  creative and in reasonably good humor.  If necessary,  limit work-outs to 30 – 45 minutes,  so that you’ll stay on your time line,  checking off the boxes of what you Must Do.

Along the way,   it will be necessary to recognize which activities and unfortunately,  people,  are time-wasters and limit or eliminate your exposure.  Toxic and/or time-wasting people should be diplomatically ushered to the door.  You have no time available to indulge  nonsense. 

Social media is yet another potential time-waster.  Limit social media activity  to 30 minutes two to four times a week.  Even if your custom has been to spend  lots of time on Twitter because it could be good for business,   ask yourself if you need to post every day? If the verdict is that you must,  then limit tweet  time to 15 minutes/day.

Finally,  learn to forgive yourself if a few things don’t get done.  Do what is necessary to achieve what you Must Do and Want To Do and maybe let the vacuuming wait a few days.  Celebrate your progress and remember to find time to relax and enjoy time with yourself,  family,  friends and special someone.  Give yourself the gift of work – life balance.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Professional Development Leave a comment

Business Resolutions for 2013

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Becoming a successful Freelance consultant requires any number of competencies,  in addition to a dose of good fortune.  First,  one must be able to position oneself as an expert in one’s field.   Second,  one must know how to sell that expertise to potential clients.  To create the conditions for success,  it is necessary to maintain expertise in order to maintain credibility;  meet and build relationships with those who will hire or refer you;  promote oneself and the business by being visible in the business community in which one operates;  manage  business finances;  and stay optimistic,  focused and disciplined.

It’s a tall order.  Since we’re at the start of a new year,  I respectfully offer you a few suggestions that you may want to adopt as resolutions that will get you rolling in 2013. 

1.  Make money

Sounds like a no-brainer,  no? Still,  you must get into the no-excuses  mindset and lead your business to profitability.   Review your business model.   Re-evaluate your pricing.   Nurture your referral network.   Keep an eye on expenses.   Figure out which self-promotion activities are most effective in making you visible in the circles that connect you with potential clients and noteworthy peers.  Develop business practices that will encourage clients to give you repeat business and make referrals for you.

2.  Invest in professional development

Education keeps you at your professional peak and introduces you to new and better solutions that you can offer to your clients.  Seek out online courses,  check out the business best-seller lists and select titles that address your business challenges and /or attend a seminar or two.

3.  Connect with influential peers

Get to know other Freelance consultants or other small business owners,  including those who offer products and services that complement your own.   Think about creating an informal advisory board and support network that gives you inspiration and encouragement when you need it (and remember to give as good as you get).  You may find a new referral partner.  You might find partners with whom you can develop mutually beneficial programs for clients or peers,  like a webinar.

4.  Re-evaluate how you promote your business

Social media is here to stay,  so confirm that you’re using what reaches your target audience.  LinkedIn is where you start.  If your clients follow Facebook, Twitter,  Google +, YouTube,  etc.,  then establish your presence and keep the content fresh and relevant.  Budget the time for face-to-face activities such as volunteer boards,  participation in charity events,  speaking at conferences,  mentoring programs and teaching courses.

5.  Value your personal life

Work not only hard,  but also smart.  Establish boundaries and unless you’re on deadline,  give yourself time off.  Take vacations as budget allows.  Stay in contact with friends.  Go to the gym.  Learn how to speak a foreign language or how to arrange flowers,  if that’s something you want to do.  Live your life to the fullest.

Happy New Year and thanks for reading,

Kim