CatalystBlogger

How to Quit Worrying and Love the Phone

2009-07-13T11:13:00.003-04:00

I'm not gonna lie: I hate the phone. Maybe it's because I'm Gen Y--we're used to emailing and texting, but see phone calls as inefficient. And maybe that's what gets to the heart of it for me; I've spent an hour on the phone before trying to get information from someone that it could have taken ten minutes to gather, if I could only get the person on the other end to quit going off on tangents. I also hate the high-pressure feeling of a phone call. When you email someone, you can think out what...

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My Productivity Killers--And How to Deal

2009-07-10T14:53:00.003-04:00

Working for yourself, you're directly accountable to yourself for how much you produce and how much you make. The more I can work in a day, the more successful I'll be. if I don't get everything done in a day and leave time for marketing and other business tasks, I don't give myself enough opportunity for success during the day. Sometimes my day goes smoothly--and I get everything done that I want done. Other times, I get stuck on a single project I thought would take an hour--and it winds up...

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On the Value of Good Writing

2009-07-09T16:23:00.002-04:00

Talking to a middleman client I work with sometimes, he told me why he sometimes has difficulty selling writing services along with his graphic design: "the client usually has a volunteer just write something quick," he said, "and it winds up sounding awful." It astounds me that in a world of people who are business-savvy, they have no idea of the value of good copywriting. It creates problems for writers who work with smaller, less-experienced businesses run by people who think anyone can...

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What's Your Pitch?

2009-07-06T14:34:00.003-04:00

Back at the end of June, I attended a 15-second pitch workshop with marketing expert Laura Allen. I've been thinking since then about my dislike of networking and how to overcome it. It doesn't make any sense, because I love talking about my business--but put it in a networking context, and I freak out. The thing is, I'm not shy. In my other life, I'm an actress. I have no problem getting up on stage in front of hundreds of people; I rarely get stage fright and when I do, it has more to do...

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July 4th Hiatus

2009-07-01T16:41:00.002-04:00

My July plans caught up with me...and I'll be back to a regular posting schedule after the weekend of the 4th. Hope you've all got some fun plans for the holiday--and aren't working too hard!

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The Anti-Networker's Guide to Networking

2009-06-25T00:42:00.003-04:00

I'm probably not the only person in the world who isn't crazy about networking. Seriously...put me in a networking event, and chances are I'll be the one camped out by the chips and dip, conspicuously not talking to people. Don't get me wrong; I love to socialize, meet new people and talk about my work. But what makes me uncomfortable is socializing with an agenda. Still, we all have to do it if we want to get to the next level. Here are a few tricks I've learned that have helped me get out...

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Working Vacation 101

2009-06-22T13:43:00.002-04:00

In the past few months, I've gotten really lucky: I've gotten the opportunity to go on three really random, really spontaneous trips. Friends and family have called me last-minute with an opportunity to chill on the beach or in a swanky hotel for free or very cheap, and each time, i've gone. I didn't need to get permission from my boss, negotiate use of sick days, or trade off vacation time. I just went. That's the beauty of what we do, right? We can pick up and leave whenever we want....

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In Nantucket!

2009-06-15T22:54:00.001-04:00

Lately I've had a lot of free vacations come my way. This week it's a free guest house in Nantucket for the weekend, courtesy of my brother's girlfriend's family. I'll be working on the porch with a beautiful ocean view over the next day or so, and will be back Wednesday!

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Reciprocal Linking: What's Your Policy?

2009-06-12T13:46:00.004-04:00

This has come up a lot this week, for some reason. I've had several people tell me they were linking to my site and asked politely if I would mind linking to theirs. While I appreciated the link love, I declined to reciprocate. I don't think it's a good idea for bloggers or website owners in general to place a link to whoever links to them or pays them money. Here's why. It dilutes your brand. This is a freelance writing/entrepreneurship blog, right? Then what are links to a sunglasses shop,...

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Catalyst's On Facebook!

2009-06-10T15:07:00.002-04:00

Love Catalyst? Now you can be our friend on Facebook. Sign up and become a fan! I'm looking forward to initiating discussions, posting photos at networking events, and other fun stuff. See you there!

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Asking For Advice? Do Your Research First

2009-06-08T19:53:00.003-04:00

I get a lot of emails from people--sometimes people I know personally, sometimes people who've found me through this blog--asking for advice on starting a freelance writing career. Much of the time, the questions they ask are very general: "How can I get started? Do you have any advice for someone just starting out?" I used to write long, detailed responses to these emails. But lately that's been overwhelming--and I usually give very short responses nowadays. I don't mean to be curt or...

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Job Ads Worth Applying For

2009-06-05T14:21:00.004-04:00

Over at Words on the Page, fellow writer Lori Widmer has written an interesting blog post that details her BS Litmus Test--the signs that she considers a "no go" when applying to job ads online. I don't apply to a lot of job ads online, but occasionally I go this route when business is slow and I need a quick and easy way to find new clients. I don't think it's as effective as cold emailing, though--and that's saying a lot about its ineffectiveness. Still, every so often I find something that...

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Why Selling is Like Dating

2009-06-03T11:49:00.004-04:00

After a very long-term, committed relationship came to an end for me recently, I'm now single again. I haven't been single in a very long time, and dating...well, let's just say it isn't my forte. But I love observing human behavior--and I've noticed that my single friends who are very successful daters share a few key principles with highly effective networking and in-person sales. Here are a few keys to success I've noticed--both in the dating world and in the business world. Don't be too...

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A New Month, a New Resolution

2009-06-01T21:07:00.002-04:00

It's been a long few months. I've been out of commission on the blog for a long time. My life got incredibly hectic, and I realized around March that I wasn't dealing with a few changes in my life as well as I'd thought. In the course of a few months I ended a nine year relationship, changed cities, and landed a few new and very prolific regular clients. My days got hectic, and between the personal things and the work-related things it was all I could do to keep meeting everyone's...

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Is Your Niche Hurting Your Business?

2009-03-11T16:19:00.005-04:00

Lori Widmer had a fascinating post the other day about discrimination--more specifically, discrimination against a certain kind of niche market: working moms. There's a big Work-At-Home-Mom (WAHM) niche out there, and some freelancers market themselves largely or exclusively under this title. Lori's position is that doing this can invite discrimination against a). those who work from home and b). parents, particularly moms (there doesn't seem to be a correspondingly big niche group of WAHD...

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In The Recession, What Do You Put Up With?

2009-03-06T14:08:00.003-05:00

I have a client who is semi-regular, and who's never been great at communicating what they want. I usually get a ton of revisions back on even the simplest project. I do the revisions asked for, and get emails back saying I didn't do what was asked. They have a very difficult time communicating what they want, and change their minds frequently. In earlier times, I might have drawn the line at some point--cut ties and decided this client and I were not a good match. But lately I've been going...

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Collecting Strong Testimonials

2009-03-04T12:09:00.003-05:00

Testimonials are a crucial part of selling anything in writing, because the bottom line is that no matter how great you say you are, you're still a biased party--you have a vested interest in selling people on your own service or product. In the process of getting my new website up, I realized that I didn't have testimonials--but I needed them. And sometimes I collect them for clients. Not all testimonials do a great job of adding credibility, however. Here are a few tips for collecting...

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When Your Business Grows

2009-02-20T17:21:00.003-05:00

I recently entered into discussions for major content for a very specialized client. The workload and commitment is large--but luckily I have a secret weapon: another writer who also happens to be licensed in their industry, and who's been offering to take on extra work for me for months. The opportunity dropped in my lap this week, and hopefully this will be a great opportunity for both of us to profit. Outsourcing writing can be a profitable way to grow your business--you take a percentage...

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Watching Your Back in the Recession

2009-02-18T12:47:00.002-05:00

Maybe your business is booming, despite the recession. I've heard from several freelancers who are in this happy situation, and I think it is true that in times of trouble, many companies can't afford to scale back their marketing initiatives. But some companies also can't afford to pay for their marketing initiatives. In this economy, are you seeing an increase in late payments, haggling and deadbeat clients? I'm starting to see it. One large client I've worked with regularly is starting to...

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Announcing Catalyst Website Overhaul!

2009-02-13T16:39:00.002-05:00

Well, we're really overdue for this: I've officially overhauled my website. Check out the new design! The site's now much more professional looking than my old website--which I designed myself. It's a much better reflection of my business as it is now--the old website concentrated mainly on content creation. There's an expanded portfoliio section, which I got to organize by both industry and project type. I uploaded some testimonials and have more on the way. And--I'm really excited about...

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Do You Take Ownership of Your Writing Projects?

2009-02-11T11:31:00.004-05:00

I was cruising the blogroll the other day and came across this post on Peter Bowerman's blog about what clients want--and how to go above and beyond with your services. One of the things he mentioned was taking "ownership" of a project--if the client isn't giving you what you need to get it done, go out and find it yourself. It occurred to me that I do this all the time--and it wasn't something I saw as a big benefit to working with me until now. Here are a few ways I take ownership of every...

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Are You Competitive or Cooperative?

2009-02-09T14:37:00.002-05:00

Are you a cooperative or competitive businessperson? If you're a freelance writer, I'm supposed to think of you as my competition. If you're my competitor, I'm supposed to try to one-up you. I'm supposed to try to get more work than you, position myself as a better alternative than you, and generally outbid you for clients. In competitions, there's a loser and a winner, and being a good businessperson means being the winner--right? Not always. I've noticed that in the freelance writing...

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Cultivating Profitable Partnerships

2009-02-06T17:25:00.002-05:00

Clients are good for your business. Partnerships are great for it. As a freelance writer, your services perfectly complement a variety of different businesses--people who need your writing to make their own client services better. A good partnership can be like an ongoing client, bringing you stable work month after month. Here are a few partners out there who are just waiting for you to get in touch--so they can take their businesses (and yours) to the next level. SEO's. SEO's need writers to...

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What's Your Contingency Plan?

2009-02-04T08:43:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I was reading an article in the New York Times about the economy. The article wasn't primarily about freelance writers, but the person who wrote the article (Ben Stein, randomly enough, although I didn't realize it til the end) had this to say about the freelance writing life: "This is the most insecure existence imaginable. It mandates saving, ingenuity and nonstop work and creativity. Freelancers never have a day off. Never. They know that they can go months without a check. They...

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I Owe You An Apology.

2009-01-27T18:16:00.003-05:00

Life is getting ahead of me again. I realize I've let my posting slide, which often signals the death knell for blogs. Rest assured I have no intention of stopping my activities here, although they've thinned out lately. And with good reason. Since September, I've been pretty much booked solid in terms of writing projects. I've landed one very prolific new regular and seen no slacking off with my old regulars; most of my month is dedicated to keeping them happy. And then there are the new...

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