Search Results for "word of mouth"

How important are relationships to your freelance writing business? If your business is anything like mine word-of-mouth accounts for up to 80% of your paid commissions so building relationships is vital. Meeting new people is important but it is just as, if not more, important to develop and reinforce the relationships you’ve already established. Is strengthening your working relationships one of your goals for 2010?

Writing a recommendation or testimonial is an effective way to boost morale and deepen a professional relationship. If you value the professional courtesy and service you’ve received one of the simplest ways to give back is by recommending that individual to others. A recommendation or testimonial for a job well done creates a lasting impression. People remember you for saying something encouraging and positive.

“Who are the people you most value professionally? Do they know it? More importantly, do others know? In a perfect world, we would all proactively make sure that the people who have earned our trust and respect knew it, and that others knew it as well.” ~ Adam Nash

Write A LinkedIn Recommendation

One of the reasons I love building my network of LinkedIn freelancers is because, as a community, we are encouraging and positive. No matter what level of the industry we stand on there are others around us who support our business and want us to succeed.

On LinkedIn we have an opportunity to connect with new friends or colleagues. We can create a new impression on people we’ve worked with in the past, see what our associates are doing now, find professionals to work with on new projects, and reconnect with talented minds to deepen relationships. But how many of these connections will think of you if they need to hire a writer? What sort of relationship have you developed with your connections?

Writing a LinkedIn Recommendation is easy and it’s one of the most effective ways to put your name on the lips of the person you recommend. It is important to be honest about your experience with that person but every interaction we have with another individual offers us insight into their professional atmosphere. Think about the other writer’s amongst your LinkedIn connections… Have you enjoyed a post or article they’ve written? Have you read their latest book? Have you used them as a source for something you’ve written? Have you interacted with them via social media? Have you been touched by their experience? In what way has that person affected you positively?

“Be aware that the person you’re writing the recommendation for is looking for your words to help act as leverage with a prospective new business partner.” ~ Chris Brogan

Get Started Now! I’d love to connect with you on LinkedIn and exchange recommendations in our quest to get to know each other better. A special shout-out goes to the five wonderful ladies (Michele L. Tune, Mysti Guymon-Reutlinger, Kimberlee Ferrell, Hope Wilbanks, and Jenn Greenleaf) who have recommended me in the past!

#FollowFriday on Twitter

Perhaps the quickest and easiest way to say, “This person is great” is to join the #FollowFriday trend on Twitter. Every Friday, Twitter enthusiasts offer up name after name of fellow tweeters they recommend. I suggest adding a few words about WHY you recommend a particular Twitter user because I like to know why “I” should follow them. But even if you don’t offer any detail, just taking a moment each Friday to name-drop is a rewarding way to let those you admire know they offer value in your life.

“The idea is to think of interesting people you already follow and recommend them to others.” ~ Micah Baldwin

Not only is this a great way to show your support and respect for the people you follow on Twitter but it is also an opportunity to grow your following. You recommend your friends to others and they recommend people you might be interested in getting to know. Writers are constantly recommending fellow writers on #FollowFriday and your recommendation can lead you into further Twitter discussion with your personal Twitterati.

Get Started Now! Follow me on Twitter and join the #FollowFriday craze.

Testimonials, Endorsements, and Reviews

Twitter’s #FollowFriday and LinkedIn’s Recommendations are all about WHO. But another way to build relationships is to share the WHAT. That is where testimonials, endorsements, and reviews carry the most weight. On Writer’s Round-About we have a whole category dedicated to Reviews and Reviewing. If you’ve read a fantastic book, watched an entertaining movie, used an effective tool, or purchased a quality product you can build a relationship with the creator by writing a recommendation of their product.

You can even recommend content you find online by sharing a link. Use bookmarking and sharing tools available on most blogs. Take a moment to thumbs up on your StumbleUpon Toolbar. Use your favorite social media networks to spread the word about what you’re loving online. Write reviews for blogs, send testimonials in to website owners, add your reviews to sites like Amazon, etc.

And you can do this with anything at all. People talk about the food they love to eat, the gadgets they want to buy, the brands they love to use. These simple recommendations develop relationship, not just with the creators of the products you recommend but with the people you are recommending them to. If I’m looking to buy a new game console I’ll remember how much you raved about your Wii.

Get Started Now! Have you used a product or read a book that has helped you be a better writer? I’d love to take this opportunity to invite you to submit your review to WRA. Tell others what you think and share your recommendation with WRA’s readers.

A Final Word: Recommendations in Reverse

One final thing to remember is that recommendations work in reverse. If you feel a product fails to live up to expectations, a practice is shady, or a person has falsely presented themselves you can say so. Act with integrity, be honest and forthright. A balanced review will have more weight with readers than a biased one but you should avoid sounding trite or petty.

Remember: What you say about others says a lot about you.

Writing recommendations is a fantastic way to develop relationships with others and there are lots of ways you can express your opinions. Who has added value to your life? How do you show your appreciation? What have you done today to strengthen your business relationships? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments!

Well, a shiny new 2010 is upon us. For a lot of you old hats, it’s another year of freelancing-as-usual. For rookies like me, though, it’s a new year of challenge. We have to keep working hard to establish ourselves, hoping to attract a steady stream of clients. Me, I’ve been passing out business cards at meetings. I get some good work that way. I just slide one to a colleague when her boss isn’t looking, and after she checks “yes” under “Do You Like Me”, she slides it back.

I’ve been at this for six months or so now. It’s been an interesting, confusing, annoying-as-hell ride. Now that I’m a bit wiser, I’d like to share with you the valuable lessons I’ve learned on this journey. If you’re a new freelancer, take heed – the lessons contained within will serve you well. If you’re an experienced freelancer, I hope this list inspires fond memories of your own early freelancing years. You know, like that one time you said to yourself, “I think in ten years I’ll read an article by a funny new freelancer so I can tell all my friends to give him work.”

Now, you may be thinking, “Why should I take advice from a newbie?” I’ll tell you why below:


(Above words of wisdom not available in free version of this article. Please purchase a Professional Edition license to unlock.)

LESSON ONE: For the love of God, don’t become a freelance humor writer.

Don’t get me wrong. I love writing humor. And since writing what you love is one of the best reasons to start freelancing, I’m set. But because of it, I’ve been fighting an uphill battle. Other forms of writing like copywriting and technical writing are far easier to sell to companies. Not so much for humor or magazine features, as I’ve discovered. And I’ve been sending out offers like crazy. Really nice ones, too. Like how I sent an editor my favorite trojan horse and offered to remove it when he published my column.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t focus on writing humor or magazine pieces or whatever, but get smart about it. You’re going to have to work harder to develop your presence, which is why you should…

LESSON TWO: Spend time developing a monster platform.

A “platform”, when not holding the weight of video game characters, is just a bunch of your stuff spread out on the Internet. We’re talking blogs, videos, articles, guest posts, whatever. By creating and spreading valuable content, you’re establishing yourself as an authority in your niche, which will help attract clients. As a bonus, it reminds everyone how great you truly are. Do this enough, and you can get your own holiday just like me. (By the way, happy Matt Willard Ultra Rad-tacular Appreciation Day Explosion 2.0 Maximum!)

Now, I’ll admit my platform is still in development, but I’ve already seen results from it. In particular, a guest post I wrote for CopyBlogger has gotten me attention and a job offer. I don’t know how my platform is going to take shape in the future, but I earnestly believe that it’s worth the time to develop. Personally, I don’t know any other way to fill my weekend, especially since I was forced to retire after several successful heart attacks.

Since how to build a platform is beyond the scope of this article, I’ll go ahead and suggest…

LESSON THREE: Find a “mentor”.

There’s a reason I put “mentor” in quotes up there. By all means, if you can find an experienced freelancer willing to show you the ropes, pounce on the opportunity. But if you can’t find such a person, there’s another option which does not involve a last meal of rat poison crumble in a light bleach and gasoline sauce.

I got this neat tip from SEO writer Yuwanda Black. She recommends finding a good freelance writing blog to serve as your main source of information. And trust me, with loads of blogs out there, it’s easy to suffer information overload unless you apply this tip. If any questions pop up, you can just refer to your “mentor blog” for the answers. Of course, you should learn from other sources, but having a mentor blog will keep your head straight. (Though don’t get me wrong – it’s your head’s choice to be straight or not. I mean, if a male head wants to make mouth whoopie with other male heads, who am I to judge?)

Me, I chose AllFreelanceWriting.com, run by Jennifer Mattern. As I commented on that blog and others, I became more acquainted with Jennifer, developing an informal relationship that’s similar to having a personal mentor of my own. This leads into…

LESSON FOUR: Get chummy.

Make genuine friendships with other people. Yes, there’s a business angle behind this. It’s that demon word called “networking”, which all the business books harp about doing so you can promote your services. They say you should network everywhere, even in the pool. “Hi there! That was a beautiful cannonball you just did, but I think my company can increase your splash radius at no cost to you.”

But here’s the thing. When you look to make genuine friendships, you forge a personal connection that bare-bones networking can’t top. This connection doesn’t just earn you job leads or advice. You get someone you want to hang out with, someone in your corner. That’s a pretty nice bonus. And if your friend IS a corner, that just cuts out the middleman altogether.

Of course, friendships are just as beneficial as normal networking connections. In fact, a lead from Jennifer helped me snag my first client. In return, I drew up a guest post for AllFreelanceWriting.com. As a friend, I wanted to pay her back for helping me out. It’s only fair. (By the way, Jennifer, I want to thank you ahead of time. Just remember – when Frank kicks down your door and asks for the money, stay cool. Mostly because he can cook a turkey by benchpressing it.)

Now, making connections online is easy. Sign up for the right forums and social media, then talk it up. But be respectful. And remember…

LESSON FIVE: Do your own research first.

Ever heard of “Let Me Google That For You”? It’s a website you’re supposed to link to someone when they ask a question that could be answered with a simple Google search. Now, I don’t do this since I am a forgiving angel, but I understand why it’s done. There is no quicker way to tick off your new friends than to bombard them with questions you can research yourself. (Another way is to end all your questions with, “Can you get on that for me, mortal?”)

It might seem cruel, but think of it like this. Successful freelancing is fueled by initiative. If you’re not willing to do your own research, how can you be expected to market your services or meet your deadlines or plan for the future? Yes, writer friends ARE willing to help you with your questions, but YOU need to be proactive and look for the answer first. Freelancing is not a career for those without self-direction. Make sure you know where yours is. Mine has my address on it so people can send it back if it gets lost.

Then again, accepting that kind of responsibility can be tough, so keep this in mind…

LESSON SIX: Don’t give up.

Building a platform takes time. Getting a steady stream of clients takes time. Making enough to live off your passion takes time. Freelancing is not a get-rich-quick scheme. (More like get-rich-by-digging-between-couch-cushions.)

Again, I’m a newbie, so it may not feel authentic when I tell you not to give up. But I’ve got enough experience in other fields to know it’s true. See, I’m a bit of a personal development junkie, and one of the challenges I’ve faced is changing a bad habit into a better one. It takes time and preparation to make a lasting habit change, but once you pull through…man, is it worth it. (Especially since I know how to sell habits to other people.)

That’s what I’m talking about here. You’re going to spend time and energy on this venture, so you need to stay focused and pull through. Hell, sometimes I feel nervous about how my own adventures are going to work out. But I’ve succeeded before, and with that never-yielding determination, I can do it here as well. So stick with it. Let’s get prosperous together.


So, with 2010 before us, what will I do next? I haven’t made any arbitrary New Year’s Resolutions, that’s for sure. I’m still working on old goals from last year, as well as setting new ones to expand my fanbase and develop my presence. That’s my last bit of advice – make plans for each of your goals. Follow them, and update them when they change. Achieving a goal isn’t as simple as making a New Year’s Resolution. It’s a project, an adventure, and you gotta prepare accordingly. (Which is why I’m glad they let me retake the course.)

Well, that’s it from me. Thanks for letting me impart my wisdom, and have a great new year. I know I will. After all, I don’t make calendars. I’m not going to get laid off when the demand for them drops after 2012.

When James asked, “Are Bloggers Creating Their Own Sweatshop?” we discussed what a blog is, and what it isn’t. Ok, so our blog isn’t our product, it’s our platform, right? Why put so much time into maintaining a dynamic site? Couldn’t a static website be just as effective as a business card, portfolio, or sales rep?

Yes… & No…

A site’s effectiveness is measured on many scales. One must consider visibility, function, conversion, and return on investment. All of these factors are influenced by your readers and your content.

A Static Site

• The Business Card

If your site offers your contact details and a description of your services/business, it is a business card. But, as with the cards you keep in your pocket, the best way to get your card into the hands of your potential customers and clients is to give it to them. This is 100% “push” marketing. Almost everyone who visits your site already knew about you and what you do. They may even be existing clients/customers.


• The C.V. or Resume

If you’ve added details of your past success, gigs, clips, testimonials, etc. you’ve taken your business card site one step further. Now you’ve got a C.V. or Resume. This is where you not only give your existing contacts a way to reach you but also a way to see what you do. With this additional information they can evaluate your services/products and decide to contact you to get more information or place an order. 80% “push”, 20% “pull”. You’re still doing the majority of promotion but the site is making more conversions and your portfolio will begin to bring “loose change” traffic based on key words (ie. keywords) in your services and products.

A Dynamic Site

Now you’ve decided to step up another notch. This is where you can take one route or the other. The first maximizes your return on investment, it puts in place your potential income streams, and begins promoting product from the beginning. The second is usually done first, because most people don’t realize they need the first to make the second’s ROI (return on investment) profitable or they begin as a hobby and later realize their hobby could make them money.

• The Catalog

Before you develop your blog, I recommend you establish your catalog. A catalog site is not necessarily a list of products with a fully integrated shopping cart. In the simplest terms, a catalog is a showcase of marketable goods and services. Each good/service should have its own sales page, optimized for search with clear calls to action and compelling copy.

Your products/services don’t even have to be your own. If you can recommend useful things to people who would be interested in your CV/Resume you can affiliate and make money in commissions.

Once you have a solid catalog your site is ready for a fourth dimension.

• The Blog

The purpose of the blog isn’t to sell content. It’s soul reason for being is to give your potential customers exactly what they initially arrived at your site seeking. Your blog content is written in a way that encourages indexing and sharing. You want to maximize your blog’s reach.

A blog has the greatest potential for “pull” marketing. You can spend less time actively handing out business cards because your customers are handing them out for you. You’re giving each visitor exactly what they want and word-of-mouth fires up with positive reviews and natural testimonials. Friends tell friends, who tell friends, to the full six degrees of separation.

And, because you update frequently, search engines tell everyone who asks about something you write about that you’re in the know, right now. Search engines LOVE fresh content, in the eyes of those little bots if it’s new its news. If your site was established ten years ago and hasn’t been changed since the search engines don’t come back to look at you. It assumes you’ve said all you’re going to say. It wants to see what people are saying today, not ten years ago.

And, because you’re giving away your blog content for free, customers are getting what they need, loving what they get, signing up for more of what they want, and giving you free access to the upsell.

Building On Firm Foundations

Blogs have the potential to grow larger still. They break out of blog bindings into networks and communities. Every stage increases visibility, functionality, conversion, and return on investment. But you can see why blogging for free isn’t really blogging for free at all. If you approach your site with the mind of building a marketing platform, you build a business, not just a blog.

Want to take your site to the next level? Yep, that’s the business I’m in. Contact me to find out how to put together, the best showcase for your products and services, the best web solution for your business.

As freelance writers, a large part of our business comes from connecting with others. In fact, while many of us begin by trawling the job boards we eventually find word-of-mouth brings at least 80% of our clients hammering on our front door. It is important to socialize and be active in the community, both online and off, but how is it done?

I’m not sure if you’re aware of it, but I suffer from social phobia. For those who aren’t familiar with the term, social phobia is a fear of people, social situations, or the judgment of others. It goes beyond mearly being shy to full-out anxiety attack with all the nasty side effects. My fear of people and social situations has left me feeling like I’m at a disadvantage when networking and building my business. The truth is, I don’t KNOW what I think most would consider common social niceties. So, I’m turning to you, can you help me?

I recently read a fantastic blog post and enjoyed the voice and dynamic of the author, Jay Baer. Being web savvy and a social media expert he provided several methods to connect and keep in touch. But, what is the social etiquette when it comes to introducing yourself to a stranger?

• How do you approach someone who has never heard of you?
• How do you introduce yourself?
• What do you say on first meeting someone?
• What would be considered rude or inappropriate?
• If you have a mutual friend should you wait, or ask, to be introduced?
• How do you establish a footing for new friendship?
• Do/Should you introduce yourself in blog comments?
• Do others feel frustrated having strangers introduce themselves (like movie-stars constantly hounded for autographs)?
• Do you introduce yourself when you follow someone on Twitter?
• Do you beg and borrow friends from your other Plurk buddies?
• How do you ask to connect with someone on LinkedIn?
• Do you attach a private message to your Facebook friend request?
• How do you build your network if you’re chronically shy?

As you can see, I have many questions and these only begin to scratch the surface. So, I’ll put them to you and I hope you can help me.

How do YOU meet and greet new people?

I had the incredible pleasure and opportunity to pull talented, powerhouse freelance writer Michel Tune out of her busy schedule to ask her a few questions I’d been itching to ask. Today, Michele shares with us her insights on the value of social media and social networking and how she has used the broad range of popular online networks to become THE Raw Juice Girl.

Rebecca: First, let me say, CONGRATULATIONS! In just four years you’ve taken on the world of freelance writing and created a solid niche and brand. Everyone seems to KNOW the Raw Juice Girl or Michele T and everyone I’ve talked to has wonderful things to say about you.

Rebecca: I know you’re active in Social Media. You’re a strong presence on Plurk, Twitter, Facebook, and StumbleUpon. These days, it is important to include networking for success.

Rebecca: Wow, two fantastic tips, Michele. So many of us jump into the deep end of social networking and don’t give much thought to how we want to be seen in the online world. Choosing your personal brand first is fantastic advice and putting heart and integrity into all our online interactions is vital for lasting success.

Rebecca: Of course, social networking can take a lot of time. I know I’ve sometimes found days disappearing as I get sucked into the Twitter vortex.

Rebecca: Wow, there is so much value in all you’ve shared with us today. I truly appreciate your time and want to thank you for spending some of it with me sharing your thoughts on social networking and how it has played a role in your continuing success.

Rebecca: I wonder if our readers have anything to add or any questions of their own?

Queries. The lifeblood – and bane – of many freelance writers. We conceive an idea. Find experts to quote. Do market research. Then send our best pitch to the name at the top of the masthead of the “perfect magazine” for our story. Then we wait. And wait.

Wouldn’t it be nice to build a freelance career without having to enter query letter purgatory? You can. Use these four techniques to find new clients, land recurring gigs with well-paying magazines – and leave the story pitches for other people.

1. Word-of-mouth – Anybody who’s ever read a book about marketing knows the importance of word-of-mouth. Its significance is enhanced in Web 2.0, where word-of-mouth extends to social networking. I’ve landed several assignments through my social networks on Twitter, Facebook, and various forums. But my favorite story about word-of-mouth relates to a long-term client I began working with about 5 years ago. While shopping for paintball gear, I revealed to the marketing director at one of the top paintball distributors in the country that I was a freelance writer. He immediately hired me to write press releases. That job turned into a position as Editor-in-Chief at a leading paintball magazine. I share the story here, on one of my favorite sites for writers.

2. Assignments – My cash cows as a freelancer are regular clients who give me assignments every month. They generate the ideas in-house and, in most cases, provide sources. Since coming up with unique ideas perfectly slanted for a target market and finding sources are two of the biggest challenges in freelancing, this makes my life a lot easier and my business more lucrative.

3. Ads – Sure, responding to ads takes time, and you’re up against intense and copious competition. But if you craft a basic letter that you can tailor to each specific ad, you’ll save a lot of time. The site Freelance Writing Jobs is a great place to start, but you can have even more success by mining sites that aren’t regularly visited by every other aspiring freelancer on the Web. A word of warning: There’s never any need to pay for job listings, you can find plenty of work without shelling out any money. I avoid absolute statements as a rule, but I believe this one. There’s never a need to pay for job listings!

4. Letters of Interest – Want to write for a specific publication but don’t have an idea on tap? You can save time and capture the interest of an editor with a Letter of Introduction. LOIs, as they are known, work best if you have some credentials and quality clips. In this letter, rather than presenting an idea (as you would in a query letter) you sell YOURSELF as a writer. Start with a strong lead, emphasize why you would make a positive addition to the magazine’s team, and end with a call to action, asking for an assignment. Include clips and possibly your resume in the body of the e-mail (never send attachments).

I’m not saying you can easily break into a national magazine without a query (although it could happen) but you can build a successful freelancing career without spending hours on query letters!

Yesterday, I worked flat out for eight hours in glorious Perth sunshine, amongst fun-loving company, in the beautiful vineyard covered Swan Valley, northeast of Perth City, Western Australia. This is my idea of freelance heaven. This is why people abandon their cubicles and steady income, come hell or paid sick leave, and throw their lot into a poky home office (aka the closet) and the uncertainty of bills piling high.

Who could imagine a day of wines, beer, cheese, sausage, nougat, and Margaret River Chocolate Company’s famous chocolate, in Perth’s Valley of Taste could be considered work? When was the last time you made an effort to be involved in work outside of your home office, outside of the drudgery of paperwork and away from your computer screen?

A Swan Valley Wine Tour Is Work?

While this sun shining Saturday hit my tax deductible expense account rather than my profits, the aspect of social connection and interaction involved has the potential to reap rewards well into the future. I might not have cashed a check for those eight hours but what I did cash was industry connections, job leads, and brand.

Who needs to invest several hundred dollars in a corporate advertising campaign when a day out amongst grape vines and exotic tea leaves offers a higher return on investment and fun!

Be Fun But Be Professional

One of the aspects I enjoyed most about this group of industry professionals is they are just that, professional. A wine tour could be the ultimate excuse to get completely trashed, throw up in the back seat of the bus and make inappropriate passes at women half your age, none of these things occurred because my twenty companions were professional. They were courteous, responsible, and considerate.

This is exactly what you must be if you want to make a good impression and experience a successful event. Yes, you can drink, in fact we all tried and tasted about twenty glasses of wine with various alcohol content over the course of a few hours, but you should be responsible. Remember where you are, who you are, and how you want to end your evening (preferably not with your head in a toilet).

Connections Are Key!

Finally, the greatest advantage an event like this provides is connection. Shoulder-to-shoulder with colleagues who have varying specialties and contacts. If you can be genuinely interested in your companions you’ll strike up conversations that naturally migrate to an opportunity to promote yourself and your business. Don’t forget to pass over your business card or collect contact details for followup.

Freelance, The Fun Way

Trust me, freelancing isn’t all about hobnobbing with the industry big wigs and drinking splendidly fresh, vine-ripened wines. These events come along once in a blue moon and the smart freelancer will pounce upon the opportunity and juggle their schedule to accommodate. Snap up as many chances to socialize in a relaxed setting because as freelancers we need to get out into the sunshine from time to time. As writers we thrive on human interaction. As business people we flourish in word-of-mouth functions.

It’s time to go hunting for the next great event! Did you say Christmas Party?

Have you considered how important word-of-mouth marketing is to your business? For most freelancers we credit almost 80% of our commissions to referrals. One of the most important reasons to network and socialize with other freelancers is because you might be just the person perfect for an upcoming job or to fulfill a need.

When was the last time you used this powerful tool in the aid of fellow freelancers? Have you written a testimonial honestly endorsing the work of an employer, vendor, or consultant? This is one of the greatest business tools for yourself, and also a fantastic way to connect with others.

How It Helps You

Lets face it, how many sites have you seen online that share a page of their testimonials? How many add snippets of testimonials to their home pages, sidebars, and public relations media?

Testimonials are an opportunity to showcase your brand.
That’s right, every testimonial has a byline. When your testimonial is quoted, your name, business name, website, URL, and even logo or photograph might be included. Getting your name out there is vital for growth and this is a positive and encouraging means to spread your brand, your name, and your voice beyond your own sites.

Testimonials are a fantastic way to highlight your positive attributes!
When you write a testimonial you have an opportunity to express your opinion of another with clarity and poise. Your confidence and generosity will ring through. When you honestly endorse another you are honestly endorsing yourself.

Testimonials reap testimonials.
When you write a testimonial there is a strong chance others will reciprocate. If you’re providing a professional and considerate service to others then you have something worth endorsing. When you write an endorsement, chances are they’ll return the favor and write one for you.

How You Help Others

While you might begin to see how ’selfish’ writing testimonials for others can be, the truth is you are providing a service and offering a benefit that goes beyond yourself. Not only are you giving one person a boost of confidence, encouragement, and that warm feeling of appreciation and gratitude, but you are also allowing their potential clients to discover a depth and integrity they might otherwise never find.

Your testimonial is influential on future sales and commissions. Your praise builds trust. This benefits those you have recommended, those who are considering doing business with them, and also yourself.

Sounds Win, Win To Me

How long will it take you to write 100 words right now? Taking a few minutes each day, or week, to write a testimonial is a valuable investment of your time. I recommend you make it a part of your regular routine. Schedule it into your diary and when someone does you a service consider taking a moment to write them a short thank you.

Your Gratitude Means A Great Deal.

• Write Recommendations For Your LinkedIn Associates
• Send Your Testimonial Via Email
• Write A Hand-Written Thank You Note
• Add Gratitude To Your Blog Posts
• Special Mentions At Speaking Engagements
• The Dedication Of Your Book
• Your Appreciation or Gratitude Journal
• Say “I Love You”: The Importance of Verbal Recognition

R. Alexander Spoerer shares his thoughts on, as he describes it, <cite>”Reading, writing and the search for the perfect cup of coffee.”</cite> I’m not sure if there is any such things as a ‘perfect cup of coffee’ but the search for one is a noble quest. Do you search for ideal cups of tea and hot chocolate too? *grins*

One of Renegade’s latest adventures is Calling Home. He describes this new quest in an entry on his blog, “Calling Home: A Plurk and Twitter Science Fiction Story“. Could you tell a story in a sequence of 140 character digital transmissions?

Learning the basic commands, Come, Sit, Stay, and Heal are only the beginning when training your dog. In the same fashion, writing is only a part of the process for a writer. Each day we must dedicate time to put words on the page but being a freelance writer involves more than the time we spend writing. This is where learning to beg, fetch, and shake becomes a vital lesson when you dog train your writing skills.

Beg

Dog have this adorable look when they’re leaning on their hind legs with that pleading look upon their faces. Writer’s mightn’t look half so cute begging but it’s an important part of a freelancers routine. Ok, well, begging might be an extreme term but in a way that is exactly what it is.

Writer’s must go out into the world with their tin cup a-rattling. We need to actively seek out work. We need to become visable to potential clients and show them our talents and skills. If you sit back, waiting for work to come to you there is an almost 100% chance your career will never get off the ground. You’ve got to get out there, make eye contact, raise your paws, and truly show people why it is important they give you money for the services you can offer them.

Fetch

In the same way we must be proactive about fetching when an opportunity comes our way. Potential clients might post an opportunity on a job board, or a listing in the local newspaper. To a writer, these are sticks to chase down. There are a multitude of jobs requiring freelance writers that you don’t need to beg for. You need to fetch, grab the opportunity in your jaws and bring it home.

Other opportunities you should fetch are those that come by word of mouth. Anyone who has come to you, showing an interest, mightn’t be sold simply by the initial contact. They’ve thrown the stick, and it’s important that you do what you can to ensure their needs are met. Fetch their stick by maintaining contact and the relationship you develop may lead to jobs in the future.

Shake

Finally, with all these deals you’ve begged for or fetched you must learn to shake. Put your writer’s paw into the hand of your potential client and make a firm pact with expectations clearly marked. Freelancers should design a contract and make sure the terms are spelt out clearly for all parties. Get signatures on these documents. It might seem unappealing to you at first, as if you’re lacking trust, but the truth is, our freelancing career is a business and your clients will respect this business-like approach.

Some clients may have a contract of their own they would like you to sign. Read these carefully before shaking on their deal. Their contracts are usually straight forward and if a client has a contract they would usually prefer to use your own. It still makes sense to have your own contract outlines available if needed as not all clients will have one.

Stay tuned for next week when I’ll wrap up the Dog Train Your Writing Series!