Words on the Page

Writer’s Worth: Marketing Strategies to Use Right Now

Posted on by lwidmer

I’ll be here starting tomorrow. Ontario never looked so good as it does right now after a long week of many projects. You can tell I’m about to go on my twice-postponed vacation — the work is flooding in. This week alone I picked up six projects. Luckily, not all of them have the same…

6 Signs Your Freelance Writing Business May Fail

Posted on by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Fade Into You by Mazzy Star Another wildly busy weekend. My son was visiting, so we were happily busy for much of the weekend. Because we’re still painting the upstairs, he had to stay at his sister’s house, which worked out well. Since we seem to be a revolving door when…

The Online Writing Persona You Didn’t Know You Had

Posted on by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Anna by Will Butler It’s been a good week so far. I’ve had a conference call with a new client, have worked on a project for a newer client, finished a project for an existing client, and have had time to relax a little. And paint. There’s one more bedroom to…

Relationships and the Writer

Posted on by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Sweet Dreams by The Eurythmics Remember when weekends were relaxing? Since my kid and her husband moved out (just over a week ago), we have been working nonstop to paint bedrooms, a bathroom, clean carpets, and furnish the empty rooms because, you guessed it, another kid is moving in. Maybe. The stepson…

Free Advice Friday: Turning Ideas Into Article Queries

Posted on by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Have Love, Will Travel by The Sonics What a week. Unlike most summers, I’ve been working to the point where I had to postpone my vacation a few weeks just to get caught up. I did, but more came in. No matter — I’m out of here either way. I need…

Guest Post: 3 Steps to Vetting Writing Experts

Posted on by lwidmer

One of the best people you can possibly befriend in this freelance world is Paula Hendrickson. Paula is a sharp, intuitive, and skilled writer who is as fun as she is generous. You’ve read here about the LOI? Paula introduced me to that method. In fact, her first post here was teaching us all about…

6 Hard Facts About Freelance Writing

Posted on by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Dirty Dishes by Deer Tick What a week. My daughter and her husband are moving out all this weekend, starting yesterday. Amid a good bit of work, and with more work coming in, I had to pause and help clean, unpack, and sort. Today will be more of the same. I…

7 Ways to Attract Your Ideal Client

Posted on by lwidmer

What I’m reading: Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee What’s on the iPod: A View That Almost Kills by We Invented Paris Since Monday, I’ve gotten quite a bit done. I have to — my daughter and her husband move out tomorrow and we’ll be busy. Then Monday I’m off to Ontario for some…

6 Ways to Compound Your Writing Success

Posted on by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Anna by Will Butler A new week, a new chance to get it all done and take a vacation. My daughter and her husband move this week, so Friday is lost, as I suspect is Thursday afternoon. If I intend to get out of here anytime soon, I have to wrap…

Chasing the Client Relationship

Posted on by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Roadrunner by The Modern Lovers Wow. Thursday, huh? Tuesday and Wednesday feel like a blur to me. I had a number of things going on at once and deadlines that are looming. Plus I knew that today and tomorrow would be truncated thanks to appointments and an annual lunch date with…

Cathy Miller

Such a simple concept, Lori, that we make so complex, huh? 😉 Like your analogy of the broker and your dad to writers, any business is about good relationships. It's that point that has frustrated the heck out of me about health care.

I have often asked, how many businesses that need a partner to deliver their product to their customers go out of their way to battle and undermine that partner? Yet that's what we have with health providers and insurance companies and other payers. They need each other to deliver care in order to be successful. Providers with a sufficient patient pool to keep their practice/health systems going. And insurers/payers to sell their health plans.

I love Invest in conversation, Lori. Spot on. 🙂

Lori Widmer

We do, Cathy! Maybe we think it's too much work?

The health care field could learn a lot from sales, couldn't they? I've seen it in the TPA world, which ironically is the one the insurers tend to trust and the one they shouldn't trust. The waste is sinful.

Glad you liked that — it's true. The more you build the bridge, the more you'll see traffic coming toward you, as you well know. 🙂

Ashley

Love this post, Lori. And you're exactly right about building relationships. It pays off, especially when there's a misunderstanding. Recently I mis-read an assignment from an editor I've been working with for a long time. I had to start again, almost from scratch, but the editor was understanding because we'd built a good working relationship over the past year or so. I'd already given him good work and had been receptive to past feedback, so it worked out fine, and I've already gotten more assignments from him. Had we not had a solid relationship already, it might have been the last time I worked with that editor.

Another situation happened more recently. I didn't completely miss the mark, but I had to do some pretty heavy edits, and this was for a brand new client. But I welcomed the feedback and make sure I focused on getting the job done right, not the hours I was putting into the work. The editor was pleased with the outcome. I think we'll work together again. And that's the ultimate goal, isn't it? Focus on the client's needs, and they will come back. Focus on myself, and the clients will find someone else. It's that simple.

Lori Widmer

That is exactly the goal, Ashley! Yes, mistakes happen. It's how we handle them that defines the relationship. You're fortunate, too. You have good editors who know how to behave like professionals.

I remember writing a series of articles, all due within two weeks, for two sister publications. So when I wrote one article slanted toward the wrong magazine, I had to fix it fast. I worked the weekend and got it done right. The editor was happy, and I felt I'd done the right thing. It's about their satisfaction, isn't it?