by Patty on October 8, 2009
There’s a recent blog post by Johnny B. Truant over at IttyBiz that touches on want vs. need as they relate to motivation and business success. The conversation has been pretty interesting to follow, especially since Johnny’s post really resonated with me.
Most of the time, want is not enough to motivate me to take life-changing action. Need, on the other hand, sparks me to life. And the stronger my need, the more likely I am to get results quickly.
Some people equate need with desperation, which probably isn’t the best state-of-mind when moving toward a goal. But that’s not how need works for me. Need drives me to focus my energy on a very defined goal.
(Sidenote: Don’t confuse need with needy. Neediness is clingy, stifling and controlling – and closely resembles a victim mentality.)
Want creates conflicting desires for me.
[click to continue…]
by Patty on October 4, 2009
Remember that simple, three-step process I mentioned? Step 1 is to choose your niche. Step 2 is to create your pitch. While this post isn’t a how-to on creating your B2B marketing copywritng pitch, it does relate to the topic.
When preparing for a phone consult with a freelance copywriting prospect – or simply preparing to pitch a cold call recipient – it’s important to do your homework before dialing. The best way to do this is to visit the prospect’s web site. Here’s a recent example from my own copywriting business.
A current client recently referred me to a colleague that he had spoken to about my freelance copywriting and marketing services. Before making contact with this pre-warmed lead, I checked out his company’s web site to see if there was any low-hanging fruit that I could throw out during our initial conversation.
Although this potential client’s site wasn’t bad, I immediately identified two project types to pitch.
[click to continue…]
by Patty on October 2, 2009
Technology is amazing. Except when it isn’t.
I do a lot of interviews for copywriting projects like case studies and white papers and I record the conversations using an online conference call service. When a call is complete, I simply download the mp3 file and email it to my transcriptionist.
This process is a huge improvement over the “olden days” when I used to hook a small micro-cassette recorder up to a landline telephone and then physically deliver the tiny tape to the transcriptionist.
My conference call service is super easy to use, has great customer service and, in three years, I’ve never had a problem with the system. But recently, a case study interview failed to record. (I realize now that I can monitor the recording online while on a call so this will never happen again without my knowledge.)
This was an interview with an important client of an important client, and when I realized I had no record of it, I broke out in hives. (The really itchy kind that requires multiple doses of Benedryl to control.)
[click to continue…]
by Patty on October 1, 2009
In business, the Lunch and Learn is a good way to teach employees something valuable without cutting into their main productivity time. Let’s say a company recently upgraded their software. It might host a Lunch and Learn to demonstrate all the new features to its employees. The company plans the training session and buys the employees lunch. In turn, the employees forfeit their lunch break to sit in a conference room, eat free pizza and learn all about the new software version.
If you’re a freelance copywriter that works from home, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. And if you’re like me, you tend to work through the noon hour while nibbling at your desk anyway. But that doesn’t mean you can’t initiate your own version of the Lunch and Learn – the freelance version.
[click to continue…]
by Patty on September 30, 2009
According to Webster’s dictionary, alliteration is “the repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables (as wild and woolly, threatening throngs).”
Alliteration takes dull dictation and turns it into melodic music. I use alliteration fairly frequently in my writing. But writer beware: slipping too many similar sounding words into a document can turn your copy into corporate crap.
[click to continue…]