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CREATIVE SMALL BIZ

Turn your talent into a flourishing business.

For freelance writers and other creative professionals.

Published monthly, on the 15th of each month.

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Issue 105: May 15, 2005

Read this issue online at:

http://www.digital-e.biz/newsletter.html


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*** BLOG ***

WRITING NEWS, VIEWS AND TIPS:

Angela Booth's Writing Blog:

http://copywriter.typepad.com/copywriter/

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(For instructions to join or leave the ezine's mailing list,
scroll to the end.)
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In this issue:

* Editorial: Follow up with your clients and prospects

* Article: Turning a Prospect into a Client

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=> Free ebooks on Pro Write

http://www.prowrite.biz/

For the Pro Write past couple of months, Pro Write members have
been getting a free ebook writing manual as part of their Pro
Write membership.

Members can download "Tell, Yell and Sell: Marketing Skills for
Writers" and "Writing to Sell in the Internet Age: the ebook".

Tell, Yell and Sell: Marketing Skills for Writers shows you how
to market your writing like a pro.

Writing to Sell in the Internet Age: the ebook helps you to
discover how to develop an UNLIMITED writing income in the new
global marketplace.

Each book is yours, completely free to download and keep, exactly
as sold on our Digital-e site.

If you're not a member, join to kick your writing into high gear.
We've got lots of new material coming soon on Pro Write,
including video tutorials. (And of course, all the workshops stay
online, so that you can take them as often as you wish, and get
feedback on your exercises on the forums.)

Enjoy. :-)
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=> Editorial: Following up with your clients and prospects

This month we're revisiting a topic that's vitally important.
We're all busy, and we all let marketing activities slide. A
vital part of your marketing process is following up after an
initial contact.

How often should you contact clients and prospects? Our article
outlines the process for turning a prospect into a client, but
following up with current clients is just as important. Don't let
the relationship slide as soon as you've completed the work and
sent in your invoice.

No, your clients won't think you're a pest. :-) You'll find that
they're grateful that you took the time to get in touch.

Have a great month.

All best wishes

Angela

P.S. More Marketing articles on the revamped Web site at

http://www.digital-e.biz/articles.html#marketing


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*** writing coaching ***

Dear fellow writer

These days, everyone from tennis players to business people has a
coach. I've decided to offer writing coaching at Digital-e --- I
wish coaching had been available to me at various times in my
career when I was struggling and didn't know why. :-)

Here's some info from the Web page:

From writing dreams to reality --- in a few short weeks!

You want to write. You know you can write. You want to make
writing a career.

BUT --- how do you get started? How do you do all the million and
one things it takes to make your dreams a reality?

You need a writing coach. Someone who's been there, where you are
right now, and knows how you feel. Someone's who's got the
experience to guide you to take the next step and the next.

Personalized, one-on-one coaching, tailored to YOU and your needs
My Writing Coaching programs are personal. They're based on YOUR
needs, RIGHT NOW.

Maybe you're just starting out. Maybe you've been published but
you're stuck.

Whatever your needs, our coaching sessions will help you to
define your goals, and to achieve them.


How does writing coaching work? I'll work one-on-one with you via
email, and/ or the phone. You can contact me as often as you
wish.

We'll work out some goals for you, based on the kind of work
you're doing at the moment, and the kind of work you want to do.

Then we'll set to work helping you to achieve your goals.

The first step: I'll send you some questions, you answer them,
and we're off. :-)


=> Why Angela Booth? <=

I've been a successful working writer for over 25 years. I've
written and published both novels and nonfiction books. Not to
mention thousands of articles. I'm also a working copywriter with
a stable of clients.

I continue to write. I know what's happening in the publishing
world. And I know how to help you to achieve your dreams. :-)

My personal guarantee to you:

Wherever you are at the beginning of our work together, at the
end of it you will be on your way to achieving your goals.

Programs available:

http://www.digital-e.biz/coaching.html

(Scroll down the page.)


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=> Article: Turning A Prospect Into A Client

Copyright C 2002 by Angela Booth



How long does it take to get a client? First, the client has to
become aware not only that we exist, but also that we can solve
his copywriting problems. That growth of awareness is a slow
process. It takes time

I did some shopping earlier this week and bought myself an early
Christmas present, the book Sacred Contracts by Caroline Myss.
I'm a Myss fan. I have all her books, and an audio tape of one of
her workshops as well.

However, when I first read a review of one of her books, I wasn't
impressed. Nor did I buy one her of books when a bookstore
assistant assured me: "You'll like Caroline Myss."

It took at least a couple of years from the time I first heard
Caroline Myss's name, to the time I became a fan. By the time a
naturopath recommended Myss, I already owned everything Myss had
published.

Becoming familiar enough with a person or a business to spend
money with them takes time.

Let's say you've just sent out a batch of 200 letters,
introducing yourself to businesses in your state.

You wait, happily anticipating at least a few phone calls.

Nothing.

Ho hum. A week later, you begin your round of follow-up calls.
You stated in the P.S. to your letters that you'd be following up
in a week.

You make 30 calls. You can't reach 20 of your prospects. Five ask
you to send information, and five aren't interested.

You send the information to the five who requested it. You wait a
month. Nothing. The silence is deafening.


==> What's wrong with this picture?

Your first mistake was in not following up on ALL 200 letters you
sent out. Then you didn't attempt to contact the people you
couldn't reach. And then you didn't follow up with the people to
whom you sent information.

If someone tells me they sent out 200 letters, I know they should
have managed to collect from two to five new clients from the
exercise. No excuses. Marketing is a numbers game, and worst case
scenario, if you send out 200 letters, and follow up diligently,
you will get at least two new clients.

Where most businesses let themselves down is in the following up
process. They either don't follow up at all, or they follow up in
a hit or miss fashion. They fail to even attempt to build a
relationship with prospective clients. It's amazing that some of
these businesses survive at all.

I'm as guilty of this as everyone else. I get busy too, and let
follow-up activities slip. However, if I send out a new mailing,
I make a real effort to follow the process through, because I
know if I don't, I've just wasted the time and the postage it
took to make that mailing.


===> How to follow up

Here's how to follow up:

1. Have a marketing goal for each month. For example, my
marketing goal this month is to get five new clients, and follow
up with clients I haven't heard from for a year. It's important
to have this kind of over-arching marketing goal each month,
because it helps you to gain perspective. Each mailing, each
phone call and each e-mail message isn't as important as the
overall picture, the amount of persistent marketing you do each
day, week, and month.


2. The process begins. You send out your mailing of 200 letters.


3. A week later, follow up with phone calls. Making all the
calls, including getting back to the people who didn't answer the
phone because they were in a meeting, on vacation, or whatever
will take you another week.


4. Send out material to those who requested it.


5. A week later, follow up with the people you sent material to.


6. A month after the initial mailing, send another mailing to
everyone from the original 200 who expressed any interest at all,
no matter how slight that interest was.


7. A month after that, send out another mailing, or make phone
calls to ALL the prospects who were interested from the first
mailing. This means that you've contacted the responsives from
the 200 you sent the original mailing to at least THREE times.


8. Six months after the first mailing (it's now three months
since they heard from you) follow up with another mailing.


9. Three months later, follow up again.


How many clients will you get from that original mailing of 200?
My guess, over 12 months, you'll get at least TEN. Twenty would
be excellent. (Remember that from two to five is the very least
you'll get.)

Now, let's imagine that over the next two years, each of those
ten clients spends $500 with you. Conservatively. That's $5000
from one mailing to 200 prospects.

It's also $5000 you won't earn unless you work on building
relationships by following up with your prospects. So when you
send a mailing, remember that you need to follow-up. That's where
the money is.

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Please note, we're having problems with sp#mmers spoofing our
digital-e email addresses. The easiest way to make contact with
us is to use the online feedback forms on Digital-e and Pro Write
until the situation resolves itself.

Please contact us at:

http://www.digital-e.biz/feedback.html

http://www.prowrite.biz/contact.htm

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=> Got a talent for words? Take a Digital-e email workshop!

If you've got a way with words and love writing, Digital-e can
help you to become a professional writer. We've got two email
workshops to help you develop your skills. For writer-
entrepreneurs, we have "Writing To Sell In the Internet Age", and
for those who want to develop a copywriting services business, we
have "Writing Words That Sell: Freelance Copywriting".

Here's what a recent graduate said: "I've gotten more focused
than I've ever been before in my life-- not only with my writing
but with my creative process. And you've helped me build
confidence in my skills and myself".

I'd love to help you to develop your talent. More info at:

http://www.digital-e.biz/ecourses.html

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Make great money writing for business!
Interactive Eight Week Freelance Copywriting Email Course:
"Writing Words that Sell: Freelance Copywriting"
http://www.digital-e.biz/ecourses2.html

My promise to you: in just eight weeks, you'll have the
experience, the confidence and the know-how to operate your own
successful freelance copywriting business.


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Creative Small Biz: Copyright C 2005 by Angela Booth. All rights
reserved.

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