What’s on the iPod: Breathless by The Corrs
Last week was a good one for getting work. A favorite editor assigned an article with the caveat that if it gets complicated, I’m free to make it a series. She’s astute (and a terrific editor) — it probably will get complicated. Some of the insurance-related issues are a mire of complexities. This one looks complicated just in the pitch, so I suspect there will be a few articles out of it.
Also had some interest from a new client and contact from a few existing clients. I think most of my clients are snow-stunned at this point. Too much winter, not enough sunshine. I feel the same way.
It could be why my year has been slow so far. January was expectedly slow, but February being just as slow was a bit of a puzzle. It could mean the recession is lifting — one or two clients have reported that they’ve hired inside help. That means my marketing has to shift a bit.
So, how was February? Let’s give it a look:
Queries:
I sent out four magazine queries (including one on Thursday). Two resulted in assignments. As I said earlier, one could turn into two articles.
LOIs:
I contacted 18 prospects, including people I have contacted in the past. At the moment, I had one serious inquiry and a few people asking for samples.
Social media:
Through LinkedIn, I made 16 contacts, one or two of whom were people I have met. It never hurts to remind them you’re there, right? I didn’t push via Twitter mainly because I like to keep it simple — one outlet at a time. My goal is never to sell them on the first contact, but to create that connection. In time, some of these contacts may lead to something.
Existing clients:
My existing clients were once more the bulk of my work this past month. A few of them showed up last week, which has me hoping things open up a bit in terms of projects this month. Also, I got back in touch with six existing clients. That resulted in one client suggesting a collaboration, which resulted in the fourth query I’d sent.
New clients:
I had two new client contacts, and one of them hired me. The other didn’t, which is fine, but there was a bit of weirdness in the way the response was worded. I know I’m not within everyone’s budget, but instead of saying so nicely, the response was unnecessarily unkind. That contact has been flagged on my tracking sheet and I’ll make sure not to expend energy in that direction again. On another note, I did get invitations to meet with a few new contacts at the upcoming trade show.
Earnings:
It was a slightly better month than January, but still not where I want to be. I was within $1K of my target, but there’s no reason I can’t hit the target or surpass it.
Bottom line:
A change is necessary. I’ve been targeting one particular industry pretty hard, but I started work last week on contact lists for a related industry. It could be I’m limiting myself too much. This past month was mostly about magazine work. While I love that kind of stuff, I would like a few more ongoing projects to keep the work on a more even flow.
How did you do last month?
What have you changed that worked? What do you intend to change?
How close are you to your target?
My biggest hurdle this month is getting potential clients to move off the mark.
Marketing: I contacted 2 former clients, 7 potential and created 3 proposals upon request. Lots of emails back and forth, but no gigs – yet. The good news is I am getting more queries from potential clients who found me through social media or referrals.
Existing Clients: They keep me going with regular projects including ongoing business ghostblogging and technical resource documents.
Earnings: Down slightly from the previous month, but if not for one slow-payer, I would have met target.
Bottom line: Encouraged by the new noise. Had some really interesting calls/discussions that I truly believe will evolve into solid work.
Hope springs eternal. 🙂
That seems to be a problem here too, Cathy. They have the projects, but just aren't jumping on them.
Sounds like you have some possibilities. Cool!
I always admire that you do this, Lori. Meanwhile, I proudly maintain my title as World's Randomest Freelancer.
February was darn busy, with one major referral that should add up to a ton of business: a high-energy real estate lawyer who's already had me create direct mail postcards, ads, re-write articles, edit her newsletters, and write a speech. Best of all, I aimed seriously high with my rate, and she didn't flinch. Basically, I calculated that she makes $300 an hour, so why not go for it.
The last day of the month was a bit of a bummer, with a complete hard-drive failure. Mercifully, everything was backed up on my Mac's Time Machine–not the first time that program has saved my butt. Lost a few days and brain cells, but that was all.
I need the distraction today so I'll play along:
Queries/LOIs: Sent three queries. Two were near-misses, the third has potential. Sent 9 LOIs and/or follow ups as soon as the big Harpo article hit print – it never hurts to update those potential clients when you have something great to share. A couple editors said they'd be in touch as soon as they have something to assign. Another has already assigned me to do about half of a massive annual listing.
Existing clients: Turned in three articles and one column. A past resume client asked me to do a cover letter, but has yet to pay so I have yet to work on it. Turned down a pair of low-paying assignments.
New clients: A different former resume client referred someone my way. He agreed to the price and said he'd pay and send the info, but has yet to do either.
Earnings: $750 shy of the mark. That's a big miss for me.
Bottom Line: More marketing needs to be done to leverage that Harpo clip.
Jake, way to go on the fee! Good for you. If only we could get more of those types of clients to show up much, much more often.
Hard-drive crashes scare the hell out of me. Glad you were prepared. I'm glad Microsoft decided to make OneDrive the default save. It saved my (vegetarian) bacon a few times already.
Paula, once again you impress with your results! Hey, tell those new prospects that you've talked to Oprah — that ought to bring them around! Smart idea to leverage the Harpo story.
I love these updates. It's like an anchor in a world of wild success claims.
Like you, I had a slower January and February than previous years. But March, well, this lion's got some toothy deadlines that I'll just get by on (possibly losing some skin in the process). It looks like it might even make up for the Jan/Feb shortfalls y-o-y. So, that's cool.
I agree with some of the other commenters. I love that you share this info, both the good and the bad, Lori.
I'm sorry you missed your goal this month, but it sounds like you have a good idea of how to move forward to fix that. And that's half the battle, right? 🙂
Yo, I suspect the recession is lifting. The people waiting on me at McDonald's are back to being rude. That's my first indicator of how the economy is going. 🙂
That is indeed half the battle, Jenn. 🙂
Hi Lori.
I'll make this short–I'm rushing to get something done.
My February was right where I want it to be–and I turned down a new client.
I swear, do people think writers can't do math? I mean, I told the potential client I charged $75 per hour or $1 per word (wish I could get my hourly rate up; never been successful at that).
She said, sure, we're within that range because I think it'll take you only an hour to write this copy, and we'll pay $60 per entry. (See where this is going?)
Then she sent details. The articles were 500-600 words! I politely told her, sorry, I've been doing this a long time, and I've never been able to write a quality piece that long–including research–in one hour.
Bottom line: I'd like to add more clients. But it's been a while since I got one that cleared the pay bar.
I see where this was going. The shifting sands that we stand on sometimes, huh?
Glad you were able to walk away, Gabriella. Sounds like it was a pretty lousy fit.