Comments on: Writers Worth: The Prepared Writer

By: Weekly favorites (June 20-26)

Weekly favorites (June 20-26) — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 23:03:05 +0000

[…] 5 Really Bad Writing Gigs that Keep Perfectly Good Writers from Making Ends Meet How to build a portfolio from scratch (with little experience) Why introverts make great freelancers When Clients Hold Checks Hostage The Prepared Writer […]

By: Paula

Paula — Fri, 23 May 2014 15:22:03 +0000

Exactly, Ashley. I use the time to make a list of talking points...not that I ever stick to them.

Thankfully I've never felt a burning need to impress anyone, or I'm sure my tongue-tied-ness would be worse.

(I always laugh when a friend critiques things and people with, "....didn't impress me at all." Um, maybe because they weren't trying to impress her?)

By: Lori

Lori — Fri, 23 May 2014 15:05:26 +0000

Ashley, so am I. Oddly, the times I do talk to clients on the phone, I'm finding myself more relaxed. I put the onus on fulfilling a need they have, not on impressing them. Makes a huge difference in how I behave. 🙂

By: Ashley

Ashley — Thu, 22 May 2014 18:28:42 +0000

I'm better at email too, Paula, mainly, I think, because I'm a writer and not a public speaker! Though if I have advance notice (I'll talk to you at 10 tomorrow), I'm better off than getting a call out of the blue. Not that I do badly, it's just that I feel less prepared. I suppose it's our job to ALWAYS be prepared with statements about our own business, at the very least. But if I've sent an LOI in the past month, I try to remember at least a little something about that potential client.

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 22 May 2014 15:38:47 +0000

"Shut up and listen..." GREAT advice, Eileen!

Good luck on the follow-up calls! Let me know how it goes.

Nor am I, Paula. Worse, I share office space with my husband on occasion. It's NOT easy to interview someone or have a client call when you have a second audience!

By: Paula

Paula — Thu, 22 May 2014 15:35:48 +0000

Not surprisingly, I'm better at communicating with clients via email. I'm not the most eloquent of speakers.

Eileen, thanks for the reminder. I have some LOIs to follow up on. But I've got a three things due by the end of the week, so I might not be able to get to it until the weekend since I'll be using regular mail.

By: Eileen

Eileen — Thu, 22 May 2014 14:59:16 +0000

Perfect timing on this post, with a reminder to know their business. I'm making phone calls today to follow up on LOI's -- something I have never done. I would have forgotten to look at their websites one last time before placing the call.

A good prospect or client call is one in which you ask questions with the goal of 1) seeing if they have a problem you can solve and 2) learning how you might solve it for them. Then you shut up and listen. It will very quickly become apparent as to whether or not you're the right fit. And if you're not, that's okay; better to find it out now.

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 22 May 2014 12:44:20 +0000

Great insight, Cathy. We have been preparing all along. :)

By: Cathy Miller

Cathy Miller — Thu, 22 May 2014 12:12:39 +0000

When you think about it, we have been preparing our whole lives for those talks. Even a newbie has had life experiences that he or she can pull from. Meeting someone for the first time, learning a new subject, doing something you've never done before.

If we put ourselves in the shoes of our clients, we'll find we share common ground. If we're having a tough time at the thought of discussing rates, think back to when you tried that something new. Maybe you shined the first time. Perhaps it took some practice to succeed. Use that. Practice scenarios that include giving your rate.

Learn from the past and explore your future. Enough pontificating. ;-)