Words on the Page

Planning for the Obvious

Posted on by lwidmer

This month, two clients dropped projects that netted me over $1K monthly. I saw it coming, too. No, they never said they were thinking about it, but the vibe was there. You know that vibe – it starts with communication waning or disappearing altogether. Emails go unanswered. Same with phone calls. Invoices get paid, but…

Worthy Tip: Know No Limits

Posted on by lwidmer

Avid Writer Kimberly Ben blogged about taking on low-paying work and then never letting go of it. Urban Muse Susan Johnston blogged this past week about the steady freelance gig. Both ladies came to the same conclusion: the steady paycheck is not always the mother lode we think it is. I agree totally. I had…

The Writing Chameleon

Posted on by lwidmer

This is going to sound like really strange advice coming from me, the proponent of finding your voice and refining it to its own uniqueness. Yet it’s advice that may save your career someday – Mock your clients. I don’t mean point, laugh, and tell them their mothers dress them funny. I mean get inside…

Finding the Right Experts

Posted on by lwidmer

A treat for you guys today: our own Dr. John Peragine gives us a primer in where to look for expert sources and what the experience has been like for him. Thanks, John! Finding the Right Experts As a writer, there are times when you will need to seek an expert to help you with…

Going the Distance

Posted on by lwidmer

I was pondering a vacation home (I dream big) over the weekend. Where would I want it? If I were to invest in property, what view would I want to wake up to? He’s land-locked with his job, but I’m supposedly free to move about should he want to pick up and go somewhere else….

It’s About You

Posted on by lwidmer

Here’s an interesting thought – can your business survive if you do all your marketing virtually? That’s what Kimberly Ben at Avid Writer ponders this week. Here’s the link. Short synopsis – a writer who markets face-to-face claims she knows why a writer who doesn’t is struggling. She thinks with no direct contact, the writer…

What’s the Buzz?

Posted on by lwidmer

That would be my head. If I could’ve made up a great St. Patrick’s Day celebration, it would’ve looked a lot like yesterday. Gorgeous sunshine, warm, and the car didn’t break down (it’s the little things). He came home from work and met me at the bottom of the driveway. I jumped in and off…

Happy Anniversary to me…..

Posted on by lwidmer

That’s right – today is my fourth anniversary here at Words on the Page. It’s totally appropriate (in my opinion) that I chose one of my favorite holidays to build a blog. It was unintentional, but subconsciously? Who can say? Four years. Wow. I thought I’d run out of things to talk about ages ago,…

Making Time

Posted on by lwidmer

I spent Friday afternoon with my tax forms. It’s grim, but not as grim as last year, so I’m getting a little better at both the forms and the payments. The first forms are always done in pencil, and I don’t commit to ink until I’ve located every possible deduction. Even then I have him…

Assessing the Need for a Client Meeting

Posted on by lwidmer

Susan Johnston had a great post on making the most of client meetings. It came at a time when I’d just turned down a client meeting that would’ve sucked up an entire day (travel time and meeting time). Her tips once you get the meeting scheduled are super, but if you’re on the fence about…

Devon Ellington

First of all, I loathe the telephone. Most phone conversations are an utter waste of time. I want things via email — that way it's in writing and there's proof.

It totally depends on the situation. I'm more likely to go in for meetings with non-profits, mom-and-pop businesses, and small historical societies. That way, I get a sense of the place and what they need. And yes, I do charge for meetings — time, travel expenses, gas or train faire, etc.

I am less likely to agree to a meeting with a corporate client because most of those are power games. If I do, the fee's much higher.

Lori

Your line "I am less likely to agree to a meeting with a corporate client because most of those are power games" – is quite true. I won't say that's the case with the largest ones, but the middle market ones or emerging companies have met with me and then played the nickel-and-dime-the-writer game. It's why I lean toward phone or email instead. Unless you're handing me large files that can't be emailed or faxed, there's no need to meet. I'm happy to meet, but the economy of it for me has to make sense.

Susan Johnston

I agree that you need to be picky about meeting with people. By the same token, sometimes it feels good to get out of the house and meet with people in person. You can often get a better sense of their needs that way and get to know them better as people. Thanks for the link, Lori!

Lori

It does feel good to get dressed up and mingle among corporates sometimes, Susan. I agree the personal touch is important. I've just been in entirely too many wasted meetings. I love the phone conference among the various parties. It's a much better use of time.

Eileen

The last time I went to a meeting was about five years ago. I'd been to a local networking event, and a woman there said, "I really need you! You're just the writer I need." So, foolishly forgetting to ask a few basic questions, I schlepped 30 minutes across town for a meeting with her a few days later. She explained that she needed a press release, and that her corporate headquarters would do it, but they wanted to charge her $100 for it! Imagine the nerve of them! Did they think she was made of money?

I never forgot that lesson. So now I don't do meetings, period. But it's easy to stick to that policy, because now I specialize in a field where none of my clients are local. Occasionally, I'll pick up a little gig from my local networking days, but I still won't do meetings. They're just too much of a time suck.

Kimberly Ben

This is a good topic. I've only had a handful of meetings with potential clients, but every one of them ended up being a complete waste of time.

I admit I'm partly to blame. These meetings took place early on when I was just starting out as a freelancer and didn't realize the importance of pre-qualifying clients.

I'm not totally against meetings, but it would take a lot to get me to one because my situation is complicated until August 10, 2010 (when my last baby goes off to pre-k *sniff*).

But even then I won't have time to waste. I'll certainly expect compensation for my time (I consider it a consultation).

Lori

Eileen, that's painful to read. Worse is you put time into someone who didn't value the skills or the time you'd bring to her projects. Shame on her! I love meeting clients, but I don't love wasting my time just to hear them complain about their finances. I had one potential client drag me two hours one way so he could brag about his business, his earnings, and his expansion – and then try to negotiate my rate for his books down to $10K for all three. Right. Next!

Kim, same here. I shlepped downtown (car ride, two trains and a 6-block hike each way) to meet with a "sure thing" client, only to find out when I got there the person referring me didn't realize they wanted an actuary to develop and teach their employee training programs, not a writer to write them. My carefully-developed pitch disintegrated in two minutes. Had I gotten the name of the woman I was to talk with upfront, I could've saved hours.