Finally Some Movement -- a Response!

I got my first actual response from a potential client today!

It's funny, because it's what I've been actively seeking for weeks now.  I have longed for a response. For someone to say they wanted to work with me.

And when I got it, I felt immediate panic.

Well, not quite panic, but nervousness certainly.

I hear this is quite common among freelancers.  Landing that first client (or first several) is quite nerve-racking and anxiety-inducing.  Ok... I'm normal.

Anyway, how did it happen, finally?

Through a simple email sent via LinkedIn.

Yes, that's it.

Remember yesterday when I went through YellowPages.com, seeking personal trainers?

The ones with websites and emails provided, I emailed right away.  But not all had websites.

A handful of people I searched for on LinkedIn, found them, and sent an "invitation to connect."

This morning I found that two of the people had accepted my invitation (so far).

So I proceeded to send them a personal, direct email via LinkedIn.

Again, I didn't use a form, I just wrote an email like I was writing to a friend.

I introduced myself and in as little of a salesy tone as I possibly could, I offered my services.

I was very not pushy about it.  That's just my style.

I simply said something to the effect of, "If you'd like some help getting more clients, or boosting your business, I'd love to work with you."

I also gave a specific offer.  For the personal trainers it was to write a "reconnection letter" to their past clients for a fee of $60.

Again, some of you may be balking at the low fee.  That's fine.  I need to get my foot in the door and get some actual work.

We've all gotta start somewhere.  And as I wrote about in a past post, start where you are comfortable (or maybe stretching yourself a little).

Anyway, I sent the two direct emails to the two individuals this morning.  Within a few hours I got a response!

One of the guys said he would be in touch again soon (he was writing from his iphone or something), but is very much in need of my help!

Such a simple, non-committal response, but yet it got me very excited!  And nervous.

Still, it's what I've been going after, and now it's time to bolster my confidence again and continue going for it!

Lesson learned:  You don't necessarily have to do anything fancy to attract clients.

I haven't yet heard from any of the businesses I sent the letters to in the mail.  But then again, I just sent them a couple days ago, so they may not have even received them yet... I'll keep you posted.

Another ACTION STEP:

I applied for 14 jobs through oDesk this afternoon.

I didn't limit myself (too much), or be deterred by low-paying jobs.  Again, you've gotta start somewhere!

Remember that friend of mine who started by writing articles for $5 a piece?  And is now making more than $40,000 a year (in just her second year at it)?  Yeah.  Start somewhere.

I did only apply for the jobs that actually interested me.  I still believe interest is key.

After all, if I didn't care about being interested in what I did for a living, I'd go back to any previous job that I've had and keep plugging away.

But I do want to like what I do.  That's #1.

#2 is getting paid (well) for it.  The "well" will come in time, I'm still confident.  For now, I'm focusing on the "getting paid" part.

**Another update:  I got notice that I got $8.37 deposited into my bank account for additional books sold on the Amazon UK site.  (Yes, they pay you separately based on which country your books sell in, since the currency is different.)

So... I did make some money today.  I'll count that as a success.

I feel the future's looking up.  I'm encouraged by the response from a potential client.  And I'm content with the jobs I applied for through oDesk.

We'll see what tomorrow brings.  

                                        

  

Send personal emails

Today I've been reaching out to prospective clients.  I'd like to share my technique with you.

I went to YellowPages.com and typed in the category/niche I wanted to search for (today it was personal trainers). 

YellowPages is great because it lists all the applicable businesses in your area (or whatever area you select). 

Then, if the person/business has a website, it sometimes has a link right there for you to click on. 

If not, I typed in the business name into my search bar and searched for it on my own. 

Sometimes I'd find the website, other times not (so I'd just move on). 

But once you get to the website, look around.  Is there anything you can improve? 

Thinking of this niche, what service do you think YOU could provide that would actually HELP the business owners?

For me, I offered to write a "reconnection" letter to past personal training clients (for $60), with the intention to help this personal trainer get a boost in business at the start of 2014 (and since new year's is a prime time for people seeking to get more in shape). 

But I didn't just send a static, form letter. 

I typed out a personal, individualized email to each person I chose to contact. 

Yes, it takes longer.  But I think people can feel that you took time to write the email. 

And form emails are easier to spot.  Not that they're all bad... I used a "form" letter when I sent it out to 50 businesses yesterday. 

I'm just trying to mix it up.  See what works.  I'll let you know. 

For today though, several new connections were made (or at least initiated). 

Hopefully I'll see some results. 

The quote below says it all.  EVERY day isn't "harvest day." 

Some days are planting days.  Other days will be harvest days. 

We have to first plant the seeds in order to reap the harvest.

Here's to planting! 


                                   

Ready for ACTION!

I have reached the point (well, actually I reached it a few weeks back, but am still there) where I'm ready to actually DO something that brings in an income!

I mentioned before that I like structured courses. 

I love learning new things. 

But I'm getting tired of reading, learning, and doing all sorts of things that don't result in a check in the mail.

Here's the thing. We all have to start somewhere. 

If you already have some knowledge about how to making a living as a writer, great!  Get on it!

But if, like me, you really have (had) no clue how to make a living as a writer, you will need to learn some things first. 

So learn those things.  Read all you can.  Do courses if that floats your boat. 

I'm in a couple forums for writers.  One of the FAQs is "Will I ever feel ready to seek out paying clients?" 

The answer is: "YES!" 

I felt the same way for a long time.  Months. 

I kept signing up for more courses.  Reading more articles, more blogs, more.... more. 

Then something flipped in my brain. 

I was tired of reading and learning (though that never really stops) and just wanted to earn a living already!

Now let me add, I am crazy for inspirational, motivational "stuff."  I eat it up.  I absolutely LOVE inspirational quotes (I even considered starting a business around that once). 

But I've had enough! 

I don't need another motivational essay. 

I don't want another course that teaches me what I "absolutely must know how to do." 

This may sound like I'm ranting a bit, and I am.  And I believe it's a good thing! 

If you're still in the "I'm not ready, I need to learn more" phase, continue on.  Keep learning.

Just rest assured that there WILL come a day when, while you know you don't know it all, you feel like you know enough. 

That day has finally come for me, and I'm grateful! 

Now on to the business of making MONEY! 

What am I actually doing to make that happen?

Yesterday I mailed out 50 letters (in the actual mail) to business owners in a specific niche (doesn't really matter what that is... you can pick something that interests you... hardware stores, dog groomers, CPAs). 

I made a specific offer. 

This is the key, and the key I was missing until recently. 

In my attempts to contact prospects before, I basically just introduced myself and my services, and said, in effect, "If you ever need help with any written marketing material, I'd love to work with you!"

I got nowhere with that approach.  (That's the approach I used when I contacted all those racing-related businesses a couple weeks ago.) 

Then, within about two weeks, two different people suggested making a specific offer when I reach out to prospects.    

For example:  Whoever you'd like to work with, send them a letter in the mail, email, or call them on the phone and offer to do X for them for $Y.

Specificity is the key!

Your offer will depend on your skill set and interests. 

And your dollar amount will depend on your experience and what you feel comfortable charging people/asking for. 

In full disclosure (since I promised you an open and honest blog), I offered to write a one-page sales letter for $100. 

Some of you may be balking at how low that price is.  Balk away. 

I have ZERO experience writing sales letters (except for practice). 

I also have ZERO income right now (well, that's not entirely true... I just got a notice from Kindle Direct Publishing that $4.84 will be deposited into my bank account at the end of the month for book sales).  Woo hoo. 

Probably the biggest lesson I've learned so far in my short copywriting career (and trying to launch this business) is to start where you are. 

Get started! 

If you feel comfortable asking for $200 or $500 for a sales letter, go for it!  That's your comfort level. 

My comfort level is $100. 

For now.  I fully expect to raise my rates as I get more experience.

And on that note, if you feel more comfortable asking for $50, do it! 

I think I put off seeking clients for as long as I did partly because I didn't feel qualified to ask for high fees. 

I saw price lists of accomplished copywriters, and I heard what others were charging for certain things.  And that intimidated me. 

Sure, I'd love to make that kind of money.  And I believe I can, and will... in time. 

But as they say, you've gotta crawl before you can walk... and walk before you can run. 

So start crawling!  Start limping along.  Start moving in any manner you can muster. 

One thing I know for sure, I won't make a single cent sitting here, reading and learning even more, doing things for practice, and not contacting prospective clients (for whatever reason/excuse).

Another ACTION STEP I took is putting Google AdSense on my blogs.

Apparently it takes about a week after you sign up for the ads to start running on your site. 

So you'll see them on here soon, and on my other blog (Be You. Live Your Dream!) as well.

I'm curious how that will work and what kind of income (if any) I'll make. 

I will keep you posted. 

But it feels good to actually be doing something for a change! 

It felt great to write those letters and drop them in the mail! 

It felt good to get this blog up and running! 

And now I'm off to write another letter to another niche area.... keep taking action! 

                                         

                                       

Finding your "Niche"

I have mixed feelings on "niching" yourself. 

Time will tell... but for now I'm back on the "general" train. 

When I first started learning about copywriting, it seemed everywhere I went, people were saying "Pick your niche!" "You'll find greater success once you settle into a niche!" 

That may be true, but I do not advocate jumping into a niche from the very beginning. 

I tried that, and I found it very difficult. 

First off, trying to decide on a niche when you're new... you don't know what you'll actually like doing and what you'll be good at. 

I "picked a niche" like 3 times within a month. 

Then each time I delved a little further into that particular niche, I found it either didn't interest me after all, or something interested me more.

So I switched.  (Some may call this shiny ball syndrome, but I believe in following your heart.) 

In two of the niches I went so far as creating specialized business cards for myself. 

So now I have 3 sets of business cards. 

Here is my take on the whole niche idea:

Yes, if you specialize in a certain area, you will gain more credibility in that area, more people will know you in that area, and in time you can get higher fees for your work. 

BUT

If you're new, you haven't built up the credibility, no one knows you in that field (unless you worked in it in previous jobs), and people aren't likely to pay high fees to a no-name stranger. 

To make this personal, I had finally "realized" that my niche would be the racing industry.  And to be even more specific, IndyCar. 

I chose that because I genuinely enjoy racing. 
I've grown up around it, to some degree. 
I would like to learn more about it.

Those are all great reasons to pick a niche. 

So I jumped in with both feet (as I do with pretty much everything). 

I totally changed my website.  I ordered new business cards. 

I started reading anything IndyCar-related that I could find. 
I signed up for online forums.
I joined groups. 

And I started marketing my services to businesses that sold to or worked with IndyCar racing. 

It didn't take long for me to feel like I was in over my head. 

The reason being, while I had the interest in IndyCar, I didn't have a lot of personal experience (beyond that of a casual fan). 

While I did learn some stuff in a relatively short period of time about the industry, I still felt like I had a far ways to go. 

I still felt like everyone else in the industry knew way more than I did.  This rocked my confidence. 

And when you're marketing yourself and trying to get people to pay you for something, you better have confidence! 

So after some deliberation, I decided to back out of the IndyCar niche and focus on copywriting in general.

What this did for me is it took the pressure off! 
It opened up my world. 
I felt freer to pursue ANY business and ANY route that grabbed my interest. 

My energy and excitement was back.  -- Yes, when I focused so specifically on my chosen niche, I felt a gradual decline in energy and interest. 

What I've come to realize about myself is I have a wide array of interests.  And I'd like to be open to pursuing any one of them, should an opportunity or idea arise.

My advice to you, is to pay attention to your energy, #1, and #2, don't do something just because people tell you you "should." 

Chances are, you're choosing to be a writer for the freedom of it.  Why take away that freedom by focusing on a tiny field? 

Unless, of course, that tiny field is your heart and soul and the only thing you want to focus on.

In time, I'll let you know how this decision impacted the trajectory of my career. 

I know I'm interested to find that out and watch what happens. 

For now, though, don't worry about choosing a niche. 

Listen to your heart, your gut, and follow your energy. 

And don't be afraid to change! 

Once I had declared that my niche was IndyCar racing, I was proud of it! 

This presented an ego problem when I realized I wanted to change my mind. 

I had announced to everyone the area of my focus! 
What would they think? 

Who cares! 

This is your life... your writing career... you're free to do whatever you want! 

So get out there and let your heart and energy be your guide! 

                                                      

Job Boards and Paid Work

I finally got my FIRST PAID JOB (not including my fiction novels) in November of 2013. 

(And for a quick update, I made $16.23 in November for my fiction book sales.)

A common place for writers to look for paid work is on job boards.  I won't mention them by name here, but there are plenty. 

Paid ones.  Free ones.  Good ones.  Not-so-good ones. 

People have had success on them all. 

For that reason, I believe they're worth a shot. 

You never know. 

But tying to my last post, don't expect to simply cruise job boards and in a few short weeks be raking in the cash. 

While people have had success, I have yet to hear of that kind of success. 

And if I did, I wouldn't believe it.

The thing with job boards is you will typically get low-paying work from them. 

Not always, but generally speaking. 

And there's nothing wrong with that! 

You may want to hold out for those high-paying clients.  Certain lines of thought encourage you to do just that. 

But coming from someone who's been "holding out" for over 6 months (and much longer if you count the time after writing my fiction novels), I say get paid to write!

Even if it's $10. 

You've gotta start the ball rolling at some point. 

You will gain momentum, and your paychecks will increase over time. 

So what was my first paid assignment? 

Writing a bio and editing some marketing materials. 

I got paid $30. 

And you know, I was very happy with that $30! 

Very few people (if anyone) start out making hundreds or thousands of dollars on their first paid writing assignments. 

The key is to START! 

Another key to finding success in the job boards is to apply for a lot of jobs!

I read someplace recently that the average person applies for 60 jobs, just starting out, and gets maybe 1-5 of those.  (That percentage increases over time as they build their reputation.) 

So don't be discouraged if you've applied for 10, 20, 30+ jobs through job boards and have yet to get hired for any of them. 

One of the nice things about these boards is it's relatively quick and easy to apply. 

So apply away! 

Be realistic, but be fair at the same time... to yourself and to the people you're applying for. 

When asked to set your price, choose a price you'd be ok working for. 

And keep your ego in check here! 

You'll likely need to start low, and win some jobs at the start, then raise your rates over time. 

A friend of mine started out writing articles for $5 a piece.  Currently (just two years later), she's making over $40,000 a year. 

I'd say that's pretty good!  And she's on track to increase that income even more in 2014. 

So job boards can be a good place to get your start. 

To get some sort of income via writing.

Check them out.  If you have any specific questions, feel free to email me at sarah@sarahdizney.com.