What’s on the iPod: 1983 by Neon Trees
Do all Mondays come with little surprises that need more brain power than humans are capable of at the start of the week? Logging in here today proved interesting. Blogger, where this blog is hosted, now has a completely new format and is no longer compatible with my browser of choice: IE8. Don’t say I need to upgrade to IE9 as it’s not compatible with plenty of websites. I’m not a fan of Google Chrome. However, Google is now forcing me to use it in order to access my blog. Or I can upgrade to one I hate or use Firefox, which is okay but not great.
Time for me to evolve, I guess.
The weekend was meh. I got into the garden Saturday and struggled to get the weeds out. It hadn’t rained in close to two months, so the ground was hard, cracked, and impossible to dig through. It’s bad when the onion grass dies! I had to rescue my daughter, too. Her beloved Jetta developed a mechanical “head cold” and started coughing as she drove home from work. It’s something minor, the mechanic assured us, so she should have it back today. Neither of us can complain about its performance — at 207K miles, it’s been fantastic. I can count on one hand the number of repairs I’ve put in it since it was new. She can do better. She’s owned it three years and put just $90 into a new coil pack that we changed out ourselves. Volkswagens can be great little cars.
Then there was hockey. Friday was a great game, but yesterday’s game was sluggish. The teams were worn out and frankly, the ice didn’t look “fast.” My team lost, which didn’t exactly thrill me, but I’d have been less depressed had it been a good game to watch. It was just plain boring. However, congratulations to Flyers fans — well fought series otherwise, and a great series to watch and be part of.
Then the rain came. Oh, did the rain come! It started Saturday night with a heavy downpour that blew in for about 30 minutes, then disappeared. However, that was the precursor. Yesterday was an all-day rain, the one we’ve been needing. Right now it’s overcast and in the 40s, but hopefully more rain will come tonight. I’d be quite happy with a four-day rain as some areas around me are getting (it’s a Nor’easter), but we’re expected to see sun maybe today and certainly tomorrow. This again could be worse — my parents, who live on the other side of PA, are expecting 6 to 12 inches of snow. Having grown up there, I know that April is unpredictable in general. Never trust that first warm day to last!
Today’s to-do list includes finishing up and sending out my portfolio to conference contacts. I’ve decided to go electronic this year. However, I intend to send written thank-you notes accompanied by my business card and a brochure. I want to send them something they can hold physically. Handwritten notes leave a good impression.
So how many points of contact to make with potential clients? Here are my points:
Initial email. The introduction letter goes out this way. I send it this way because it’s less formal for me. I can get a little more personal, slightly casual (but never overly so), and talk to clients instead of present to them.
Follow-up email. If they’ve responded or not, I will follow up. Usually I give them a month before trying again. If they respond, I try to get something scheduled as soon as possible.
Initial meeting. Sometimes in person, most often on the phone, I’ll talk with them. Even putting a voice to a name helps sometimes.
Next follow-up email. That quick thank-you note often includes the things we’ve talked about, along with mention of any additional materials or clips they’ve requested. If I can’t attach them, I’ll mail them.
The mailed thank-you note. I just like to add this for the personal touch. It’s also going to accompany any materials I’m sending.
Still another follow-up email. If I’ve mailed it, I’ve made an excuse to follow up on it. “Did you receive the materials? Do you have any questions?”
I can’t end the points of contact list here because the list doesn’t really end. Once I’ve established contact or built a rapport, I’ll check in regularly. I like to wait about 6 to 8 weeks before checking back. There are clients I know who have said, “Check back after January” or “Give us a call in about three weeks.” Those I put on my calendar right away.
How many points of contact do you have with your clients and potential clients? What’s worked for you?
6 responses to “Points of Contact”
I use Safari and don't have any problems with blogger. I like Safari too, but have wondered if I should switch to Chrome.
I've noticed that clients forget. I believe it is not intentional, they are just so busy. Keeping contact is a benefit for both and keeps the checks rolling in.
Glad you got some needed rain. We're still drying out from last week and back in a rainy pattern which is making it impossible to get any exterior painting done.
Right now I'm wondering if I overdid trying to contact one editor I've been in communication with for a couple years (no assignments yet, but a couple close calls).
After introducing myself to her and asking basics like if she prefers individual queries or batches, I started sending queries maybe 6-8 times a year. Half the time she replied, usually to say either she'd run the idea by their board or to let me know they had something similar in the works. When I asked for their 2012 guidelines, she sent them and let me know which issues she needed ideas for. Encouraging, no?
Two weeks ago I sent her some pitches but the e-mail bounced back. I tried three times. Rubber ball each time. I checked the magazine's website and she's still listed as editor, so I called. Left a message on her voice mail. No response. Subsequent e-mail attempts still bounce back.
Now I'm thinking: How many times do I keep trying?
I'll give Safari a shot, Wade. Thanks. Yes, clients forget. I forget. I usually forget information on a particular client's phone calls (you should hear me trying to make a graceful recovery — not happening!). Luckily, they seem forgiving. I'm usually prepared, but they usually spring impromptu calls on me.
Paula, it sounds like they haven't updated their website. I suspect she's long gone.
Have you tried someone else on staff, like her assistant? Might open even more doors.
I'm confused as to why you moved back to blogger after Word press. I have such difficulties with blogger all the time — half the time it says I don't exist or eats my posts or whatever. Just a nightmare.
And they shouldn't have any say in what Browser YOU want to access YOUR blog.
It was their current issue I was looking at, not their website. Her voicemail was still active, and her LinkedIn profile hasn't changed (she's good at updating it). So I'm 99% sure she's still there. I tried e-mailing again yesterday, and no bounce backs (yet).
For a larger magazine I'd try going through as assistant or even an assistant editor, but it's not a big magazine – basically just the one editor and maybe a graphic designer – so she's pretty much her own assistant.
I never moved this blog to WordPress, Devon. I toyed with the idea and tried it with a "test" blog, but I just am not a great fan of WordPress. It's not as user-friendly a platform as Blogger. It has more functionality, but I'm not sure I need that.
Paula, it could be that her in box is too full. My husband's email does the same thing if he doesn't clean it out once in a while.