Author Archives: Kim Clark

Business Plan , , , , 2 Comments

Business Model Tune-up

by

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

Administrative , , Leave a comment

Got Help?

by

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

by

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

Sales , , , Leave a comment

Face-to-Face Client Meeting Primer

by

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

Sales , , , Leave a comment

Face-to-Face Sales Meeting Primer

by

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

by

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

by

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

Survival Strategies , ,

Keeping Tabs on the Competition

by

Merry Christmas! No matter what business you’re in,  it is important to be aware of the activities of competitors.   We can learn a lot from them,  lessons of  both the what-to-do and what-not-to-do variety.   But be mindful that it is inadvisable to base your marketing strategies and sales stories on what competitors do and say.  Such an approach is reactive.  Your business interests are better served when being  proactive.

In other words,  it’s smarter to be yourself.  That takes a certain amount of confidence,  yet there will be no real success in life or business without a secure and healthy sense of self.  Without that character trait,  one cannot be authentic.  Clients respond best to authenticity.

To help yourself stay true to yourself,  start by acknowledging your strengths and remind yourself of where you excel.  Next,  as you monitor the competition,  rather than obsessing over what they are doing, pay attention instead to what they’re not  doing.  Where and how can you deliver value that clients will value and how can you best package and deliver it?

Another big way to beat the competition is to create a good experience for the client.  Think about how it may feel to do business with yourself.  Do you make it easy? Do your business practices inspire trust and confidence? Are you able to anticipate and show empathy for client needs?

Do some reality-testing  while on an assignment and ask your client this:  “What can I do to make things better,  easier,  faster?”  This little question let clients know that you’re willing to go the extra mile and provide services that make their lives easier.  You’ll  look like a hero,  you’ll strengthen client relationships and you’ll position yourself to grab some all-important repeat business.  You may even tweak your business model if you find out that certain of your practices can be an inconvenience.

If you have friends and family who in their jobs hire Freelancers,  ask them what they’d like to see more of and less of in the vendors they work with.  Ask them about what types of behaviors they consider red flags and deal-breakers.   Ask them if they could hand-craft the experience they have when interacting with their Freelance consultants,  what would it look like?

I’ll let you in on a few pearls that were recently shared with me:

  • Let the client know how you will work
  • Answer frequently asked questions before the  client has to ask them
  • Set up a timetable to let them know when they can expect the deliverables and when key milestones will be reached

Aim to make your clients feel guided and taken care of.  This inclines them to trust you and allows them to relax and know that a professional is in control.  You look like a real pro because you are always a step ahead.  You know how to land the plane,  the project is in expert hands and they look like a genius for hiring you.  This also supports premium pricing because you demonstrate in all ways that you are worth the money.   Ta-dah,  you can and will beat the competition!

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Professional Development , Leave a comment

Four Rs for the Holidays

by

Freelance consultants usually have to grapple with downtime that is imposed upon us during the Christmas holiday season.  After the first week in December,  it can be impossible to drag a project to the starting gate.  Clients will either shift into party mode or year-end mode and concentrate on wrapping up their own projects before December 25.  Unless the client is facing a January deadline ( thank goodness I’ve got one of those this year,  even if the project is miniscule),  they will put the brakes on things until after the first week in January and there isn’t a blessed thing we can do about it.

But time is our most precious resource,  unrecoverable when wasted.  So the question is,  how do Freelancers make hay during the Holidays?  In fact,  there is no reason that the Holiday season should be less than productive for your consultancy.  I offer here a few suggestions of activities that will pave the way to a stronger and more satisfying New Year:

Reflect

Use the Holiday season downtime to reflect on the events of the year,  professional and personal.  How do you feel about how things turned out? Did you recognize good opportunities?  Did you have the moxie to create still more opportunities? Were you able to overcome obstacles,  or dodge adversity?  Did you achieve you financial goals? Did you pick up any good clients?  Did you get repeat business? Did you enter into any good relationships?

Take an inventory of your year.  Make a list of what you consider to have been your major accomplishments of 2012.  What fell into place for you,  what ambitious plans did you initiate and carry out? How did you reward yourself for your achievements? How did those achievements impact how you feel about yourself and your abilities? Look for patterns of behavior that put you on the path to either success or frustration.  Find the lessons and make note of what you must and must not do again in the future.

Reposition

Once you’ve taken stock and accounted for successes and missteps,  you will be ready to incorporate the wisdom into repositioning yourself,  or otherwise refining and polishing your image.  While you’re at it,  take an objective look at your website,  your LinkedIn page and other social media and  your printed marketing collaterals.  Recite your standard elevator pitch out loud and listen to how it sounds.  If someone walked up to you and gave you that spiel,  what would be your reaction?

Do your marketing materials and elevator pitch address the concerns of your clients and prospects as we approach 2013 and the Fiscal Cliff? Are you relevant? Maybe it’s time to tweak and present you and your skills in a way that will remind clients that your value proposition remains valuable.

Reconnect

The Holidays can be the perfect time to arrange to cross paths with prospects and former clients with whom you would like to forge or renew relationships and get them thinking about ways to do business with you.   If you read last week’s post,  you may have already sent greeting cards to former clients.  There may still be time to make the rounds of selected late season parties,  where you might get an introduction to a prospect you’ve been trying to meet since first quarter.  Check the websites of the more selective networking organizations and see where you might roll the dice.  Even if you don’t meet The One,  you might meet Another One,  who might be less elusive and ultimately more valuable to your bottom line.

Relax

By all means,  unwind and enjoy yourself.  Spend quality time with family and friends,  but earmark some time to be alone as well.  Dolce far niente,  as the Italians say—it’s nice to do nothing,  as least once in a while and we owe that to ourselves.  Catch up on sleep,  schedule a massage or facial if you’ve got the budget.  Downtime is important as a way to reduce stress and recharge our batteries,  which has a positive effect on our resilience and creativity.  When January rolls around,  you will be ready to take it on in style.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Marketing , , 2 Comments

Holiday Greetings!

by

Freelancers know that our business is only as good as our relationships and our relationships are our responsibility to cultivate and nurture.  One of the ways we do this is by sending December holiday cards to clients.  Show appreciation for the business you’ve been awarded and make this small,  yet important,  gesture that is a good relationship building block. 

Sending physical holiday cards,  as opposed to email greetings or e-cards,  demonstrates that you are a gracious and thoughtful professional,  willing to take the time to properly acknowledge and thank your clients at this special time of year.   When you send to your clients a genuine holiday card,   it shows that you understand and respect business etiquette.  Sending  holiday greeting cards is good for business relationships and for business.

 Holiday cards are an inexpensive and effective marketing tool.  They don’t take much time to write.  Your clients will be flattered to receive one from you.  Many business owners and Freelance consultants do not send December greetings to their clients any more  (or if ever),  so when you make the effort to send the card,  you communicate an important statement about who you are and your approach to doing business.  Sending holiday cards helps to distinguish you from competitors,  guards against your being viewed as just another vendor,  enhances your brand and shows clients that you value them.

When shopping for your card,  take special care to select one that will represent you well and will leave the desired impression with the client.  Because it is possible that you’ll have on your list clients who are neither Christian nor particularly religious,  avoid cards that depict a nativity scene or other Christian imagery,  or cards that contain a religious message. 

Scenes of winter or Poinsettias (for example),  with  “Seasons greetings”  or  “Happy holidays” printed within is the business-appropriate choice.  Spend the money to buy a good quality (but not lavish) card.  A small and tasteful card will be perfect.  Expect to pay about $20.00 for a box of 8 cards.

Next,  consider who should receive a card.  Along with current clients,  you’ll also include any clients you’ve worked with during the year.   I send cards to all clients I’ve worked with over the past five years,  as a way to keep my name in front them and remind them that they have not dropped off of my  radar screen.  Later in the new year,  when they’re thinking of whom to call for a project,  I want my name at top-of-mind,  if possible.  BTW,  it’s good to verify that clients from the past are still in the same posts,  so a visit to the organization website or call to the main switchboard will save you from wasting a card.

If you are a very organized Freelancer and had the foresight to order holiday cards printed with your name and business name back in November  (unlike your Diarist),  personally sign your name to the card anyway and write a brief handwritten message.  Along those lines,  do not use pre-printed address labels.  Keep the personal touch going by handwriting the client’s name and address on the envelope.  Verify job titles and always use honorific titles  (Mr. or Ms.).

Lastly,  get your cards stamped (no religious stamps,  use holiday stamps if available)  and to the post office no later than December 15.

‘Tis the season,

Kim