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?
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