Freelancing

Monday Spark: You’ll feel better as a freelancer when you see the difference you can make.

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small business clientsI was asked recently to identify my most memorable job from the last 30 years as a freelance writer and copywriter.

The interviewer was probably expecting me to come up with a job I did for one of my big-name clients from the past, like Apple, Yahoo! or Chrysler.

But I didn’t. My most memorable job is one I did for a friend about 25 years ago. I wrote a direct mail letter to help him grow his one-man business. And it worked gangbusters. In fact, a week after the mailing was sent out he had to hire three more people to keep up with demand.

Why was that job more satisfying than some huge project I did for a much bigger company?

It was satisfying because I could clearly see the results. I could see by how much I had helped my friend and his company.

In other words, I had made a difference and could see it.

With much of our work, we never really get to know if our contribution made any significant difference…

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Monday Spark: Find your own 2:57 Moment.

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2:57 momentIn my first Monday Spark post, a few weeks ago, I showed a video of Jeb Corliss jumping off a cliff.

That video inspired me to make some changes to a presentation I gave several weeks ago at the AWAI Bootcamp at Delray Beach in Florida.

I showed the video and, since then, I have seen a few mentions on Facebook and on blogs of what I described in my presentation as the “2:57 moment”.

So I thought I had better explain what that’s all about.

First off, here is that video again. Watch it now, and pause it at 2 minutes and 57 seconds.

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Monday Spark: Giving military wives a voice by teaching them to sing together.

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singing for inspirationI’m in the U.K. at the moment, and watched a remarkable program on the television here.

Gareth Malone is a choirmaster. I understand he’s in his forties, but he looks more twenty. Anyway, he is a professional and has worked with some of the leading choirs in the country.

But recently, instead of working at some high-brow opera house, he is driving around the country to military bases. When he gets there, he organises the military wives into choirs and teaches them to sing.

Military wives are the women left behind when their husbands are deployed overseas, principally to Afghanistan. They are isolated and live under a shadow of fear, hoping and praying their husbands come home.

Gareth Malone creates a remarkable bond with these women, and tutors even the most timid of them until they find their voice.

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Opportunities for online copywriters in 2012 [VIDEO]

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online copywriting opportunityI put this video together for anyone who is thinking about specializing in online copywriting.

I was inspired to make the video by a few people who had approached me and asked whether or not there was still a viable opportunity for online copywriters, or whether the market was already saturated.

That’s a reasonable question – and I think and hope this short video answers it.

As you will see, I actually think the opportunity is bigger than ever, and for 4 specific reasons.

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Monday Spark: Checking items off your To-Do list makes you feel good.

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to do listTo give yourself a daily lift in spirits, get into the habit of using to-do lists.

I have an ongoing list of things I need to get done, and the days by which they are due.

When I get up in the morning, I can immediately see my tasks for the day.

As each item is completed, I check a box next to the item.

As the day progresses, more and more items get checked off.

At the end of the day I can look at my list – at all the items with check marks against them – and I feel good.

I feel good because I can see what I have done with my day. I can see I have had a productive day. I can see that I have made progress and am moving forward.

Funny thing – I used to simply delete items from the list as I progressed through each day. But…

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The 3 A’s of Client Attraction.

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I was listening to the radio the other day and came across a discussion about how, people choose their doctors.

And this is where the 3 A’s come in.

Affability, Availability and Ability.

When a doctor is affable, that means he or she is friendly, empathetic and appears genuinely caring.

Availability is about how long the patient will have to wait to get an appointment.

And ability speaks to the patient’s sense of just how good or bad the doctor is at his or her job.

What interested me was that the expert being interviewed on that radio program was saying that these 3 A’s are listed according to their importance to the patient.

In other words, patients care most about their doctor being affable, then about their availability, and finally about their ability.

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