It May Not Go as You Intend

I already wrote a post today, but something just happened and I wanted to write about and share it as well.

In my last post I shared how this morning I sent out the follow-up emails to the businesses who I sent the original mailed letter to, offering the connection letter for $100.

So.... I have already gotten TWO responses (within two hours of sending out those emails).

Both were nice and sincere... albeit, not the emails I was hoping to get.

The first:  They told me they already send out letters like the one I was offering to write, and they write them themselves.  They politely said they weren't interested.  And I respectfully thanked them for their reply.

The second that I just got:  They told me that my letter/email is being talked about in a B&B forum.

Apparently the "word on the street" is that it's silly to pay $100 for a letter like that.

And it so it seems my offer hasn't been well-received like I had intended.  Quite the opposite.

I'm disheartened.

I'm confused.

I don't know how to reach out to business owners without coming across as a spammer, or not as genuine as I intend.

Perhaps I've just reached the "wrong" people.

Perhaps no matter what, the business owners I've contacted (who are complaining/talking on the forum) simply don't get the value a good writer and marketing partner can bring to their business.

If that's the case, fine... let them go and move on.

This is the hard part of starting a freelance writing business though.

Trying different methods, reaching out to different people, different niches, different businesses, and not (yet) seeing any results.  Not positive ones anyway.

*sigh*

I wanted this blog to be open and honest though, and that it is.

I'm wondering if all, or most, other writers had this same experience and just didn't share it.

If it's common to have multiple "failed attempts."  To reach out to 50 businesses and have just one respond favorably (if that).

This is why I wanted to write this blog though.  To give a real, honest, down and dirty account of a new writer trying to make it in today's world.

For good or bad, this is my experience.  Hopefully yours isn't as rough, but if it is, know you're not alone.

So what's next?