One of the trickiest areas to handle when disaster recovery strikes your freelance writing business is the area of production. You have clients that rely on your product in order for their businesses to function and grow. If you have a client who intends to launch a website using your copy and you can’t complete the copy because of a disaster, the client may be in a world of hurt. She has to go back through the search process to try to find a writer who can do what you were going to do, and do it quick.

Fortunately, there are some ways you can help your clients out and demonstrate to them that, even in a time of crisis, you will meet their needs.

It all starts with communications, of course. As soon as is reasonably possible after a disaster, you need to assess the status of open projects and begin communicating with your clients. Let them know what’s going on, and what business impact it could have in terms of delivery.

Subcontractors

Beyond that, however, you have several options for providing your product to a customer even during a disaster. If you’re a growing freelance writing business and part of your business model includes subcontracting with other writers, you may be able to subcontract the job out. You might break even if you do it this way, or you might even lose a couple of bucks. All worth it to keep clients, I promise you.

Make sure, of course, that you let the client know about the change. Many clients want your writing, and not a close imitation. However, as long as you’re confident in your subcontractor, your client may be as well. What you don’t want to do is have the writing bounced back on complaints that the work is not the same as previous work.

Also, a disaster isn’t the time to choose a subcontractor, by the way. If you don’t have one when the disaster strikes, you need to go another route.

Referral

Another route you can go is referral. Rather than subcontracting the work to another writer, you can connect the client with another freelance writing business. This is a viable option if you don’t have an established relationship with other writers already.

The danger, of course, is that the client will like the new writer better, or that the new writer will offer to cut her rate in order to steal your client. It’s a risk, to be sure, but no riskier than not providing the product to your client.

Delay

I’ve saved the most obvious option for last, because I don’t think it’s always the best. It’s the one most freelance writers go for during a disaster. I’d suggest to you that this is, in the long run, often as detrimental as hiring out the work.

Asking a client to push back his deadline isn’t uncommon. If you don’t make a habit of doing it and the client’s business process won’t be severely impacted, you may be able to easily get the client to push back a deadline. However, if you frequently push deadlines back, you don’t want to be forced to during a crisis.

Next time, we’ll take a step back again, look at the whole disaster recovery process, and recommend some specific resources you can use to get ready for when disaster does strike.

One of the most important factors in determining the trajectory of your freelance writing career is how you see yourself and what you do. I’m not suggesting for a minute that positive thinking always leads to success – I’ll leave that whole concept to other folks to debate. What I am suggesting is that how you picture your work and your business will, in some part, determine what kinds of choices you make. How you talk about what you do reflects what you hope to get out of your work.

Here are two of the most common models I’ve seen freelance writers talk about over the years:

Work-at-home freelance writer

There is a whole segment of the population that labels themselves WAHMs – Work at Home Moms. This category, in my mind, actually includes more than just moms (there are dads, too) and more than just folks with kids. For whatever reason, though, there are a ton of moms who see themselves in this light. Freelance writers are only a small segment of the work-at-home population that includes everything from professional eBay-ers to in-home craft businesses.

These folks got into freelance writing for a number of different reasons. Some wanted to be able to stay home with their kids. Some live in an economically depressed area and sought out freelance writing after they couldn’t get a job locally. Work-at-home freelance writers often (but not always) consider their work a secondary source of income, one that supplements their spouse’s income.

Work-at-home freelance writers tend to see themselves as employees. They might work for a hundred different customers, but they will talk about those customers as “bosses.” If you ask a work-at-home freelance writer what his vision is for his business, he might tell you that he wants to “provide for his family,” or “make a little extra money on the side.”

Small business entrepreneur

There’s another type of freelance writer, however. This category includes folks that talk about themselves in business terms, such as “small business owner” or “entrepreneur.” They are often men (although many women I know also identify themselves this way, too). They talk about their work in terms of their business. They probably work from home, but don’t really talk about that aspect of things.

Freelance writers who see themselves this way often came into the field from another direction. They might be professionally-trained writers: English majors, or out-of-work journalists. They might be someone who started a small business doing something else and found out they could make more money copywriting than whatever it was they started doing.

This type of freelance writer tends to see herself as a businessperson or an entrepreneur. In fact, that’s how she talks about her work – in business terms, not in terms of a “job.” Customers are “clients,” not “bosses.” If you ask a small business writer what her vision is for her business, she might tell you “to grow my client base to the point where I have a steady flow of business” or even “to become the McDonalds of the freelance writing world.”

Which is better?

To be honest, I’m not sure either model is always better. For some folks in some situations, the work-at-home model is just fine. For others, an entrepreneurial approach is better. I tend to gravitate toward the second category myself, although I’ve been in the work-at-home camp too.

I do think that seeing your freelance writing business as a business has significant advantages, and is a key element of growth. However, entrepreneurs tend to lose sight of some of the reasons they started freelancing in the first place – to be able to spend time with their families.

I don’t have all the answers on this one. What do you all think?

A successful freelance writing business means being able to sell. You need to sell yourself and your product, and you need to be able to close the deal. If you can’t sell your freelance writing effectively, you’re eventually going to have to look for other work. That’s just the cold truth.

In the world of sales, there are few names bigger than Zig Ziglar. Over the past four decades, Ziglar has traveled more than five million miles giving his messages of life improvement and his perspective on how to win over the customer. He has shared the platform with three presidents, and figures as divergent as Paul Harvey and Dr. Robert Schuller. He’s also been recognized in congress for his dedication to the free enterprise system.

Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned from Ziglar over the years:

1. Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude

How you approach your business on a moment-by-moment basis will play a huge role in whether or not you succeed. Positive thinking doesn’t make sales, but negative thinking can kill them.

2. If you don’t see yourself as a winner, then you cannot perform as a winner

Self-image is key. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else is going to believe in you, least of all not potential clients.

3. Focus on relationships and not transactions

This is especially true in the freelance writing business. Your customers are not just buying a product: they’re buying you. Freelance writing is a very personal skill, and you need to be able to establish trust and reliability if you’re going to seal the deal.

4. Interpret your benefits, not your features

This is part of basic copywriting principle, yet many freelance writers forget about it when it comes to promoting their own services. Your customer doesn’t want to hear about how your writing is readable; they want to hear about how it will increase their sales, or establish them as an authority in their niche.

5. Every choice you make has an end result

Some choices in your freelance writing business will be good, others not so much. You can’t always predict the result, either. The main thing is being aware that your actions have consequences and doing what you can to make positive, beneficial choices.

6. Failure is a detour, not a dead-end street

Selling means getting rejected. Sometimes, customers pick the other guy. Depending on how competitive your particular niche is, you might experience a lot of rejection. Getting back up on the sales bicycle after a failure is essential.

7. People don’t buy for logical reasons, they buy for emotional reasons

Part of sales is being able to appeal to the emotions. You need to be honest here, of course, and not promise that your product can do something it can’t. But you need to be able to connect with customers on a level that makes them feel something good about you and your product if you’re going to succeed.

8. Success is dependent upon the glands – sweat glands

Yes, you need to learn to become more efficient, to work “smarter.” That’s even one of Deb’s mantras here, and I don’t disagree. But real results require real work. Learn better ways to sell, but don’t forget to sell altogether.

9. When you do more than you are paid to do, you’ll eventually be paid more for what you do

Going the extra mile isn’t just good customer service; it’s also a sales tactic. Don’t let customers abuse your generosity, but do try to do a little bit extra if you can.

10. The way you see people is the way you treat them

If you see your clients as ignorant schmucks, you’re going to treat them that way. People aren’t dumb; they can tell when you’re looking down at them or despising them. Your clients aren’t schmucks, and they aren’t just a meal ticket, either. They’re people, good people, who need your help and who are willing to pay you for it.

Want to get more Zig Ziglar? Here are a couple of places to start:

Zig Ziglar’s Secrets of Closing the Sale

See You at the Top: 25th Anniversary Edition

Once upon a time there was a blog. This blog had several thousand visitors each day. They shared. They chatted. They commiserated. It was all good. Soon some mean people came by and began scaring away the happy chatters. The vibe changed from warm and fuzzy to not so much fun anymore. The owner did her best to build up community, but she was so busy with her projects and her job it wasn’t happening. She put a comment policy into place but the damage was already done. She had a reputation for having a community that liked to bicker.

She wants to change that.

If you remember the days when FWJ was a huge, lively community of writers helping writers, you may miss the golden days as well. Let’s try and get it all back. Several years ago, we built this community with a contest – a comments contest. We offered a $25 gift certficate to the person with the most comments. People came and never left. It was good.

We’re doing it again, except we’re upping the ante.

Beginning today, October 1st, we’re giving away $150 to the people who help to bring back this wonderful community. We’re giving away three $50 prizes.

• The person with the most comments between now and October 31st, on the homepage Freelance Writing Jobs blog, will receive $50.
• The person with the most comments across the whole FWJ network by the end of the month, that’s all of the blogs, will receive $50.
• The FWJ blogger who does the most to build community and join the conversation will win $50 at the end of the month.

Just a few notes:

• Comments that only say ” I agree” or add nothing to the conversation won’t count.
• Comments not adhering to our comment policy will be deleted and won’t count.
• Spammy comments or comment dropping links – unless they’re truly offering something to the conversation – won’t count.

I know you’re here. I see the numbers. Thousand of people visit each day and even more subscribe. Come join the conversation. Let’s bring community back!

Being a success as a freelance writer isn’t only about being a good writer. It’s about rocking the customer service and being a good communicator.  When your clients are happy, they’re less likely to argue over pay increases and more likely to refer you to other potential clients.  Here are some tips to help:

5 Rocking Good Business Practices for Freelance Writers

1. Be Flexible:

Good clients are hard to find. I mean, we’ve all had annoying clients and we’ve all had ok clients but model clients are few and far between. Why clients act the way they do is another post for another time, however, it should go without saying that we want our clients to be happy. We especially want our model clients to be happy. This means we have to be a bit flexible.

Being flexible can mean several different things. For instance, we can be flexible with our rates. We don’t want to sell ourselves short but there’s nothing wrong with adjusting our rates to land a desired project or giving a discount on a large project to our good clients.

We can also be flexible with our time now and then by staying up later to talk to an overseas client or meeting a tough deadline.  This isn’t to say we should always give in to difficult clients, but being flexible for our good clients is never a bad thing.

2. Say Thank You:

Do you send thank you notes after job interviews?  I do. Even if I don’t get the gig I think it’s a good practice. It keeps me on the potential client’s radar as being someone who goes the extra mile.Clients and employers are impressed by good manners and may tuck that thank you away for future reference.

Do you send thank you notes to clients after projects are completed? I do. I thank clients for the opportunity. Again, the good manners stand out. I’m not just someone who takes the money and runs. I thank clients for opportunities and I thank potential clients for their consideration. This is the difference between “save” and “delete”.

3. Follow Up:

Ok. So you finished a project. Now what? Send it in and wait for your check? Well, you could do that. Wouldn’t it be a better practice to send a note to your client to follow up? How did he like the project? Was it to his expectations? Were there any issues? Any tweaks?

Chances are, if there were any changes to be your client would have contacted you, but your following up will win points in your favor. Points that can add up to referrals, recommendations and raises.

4. Don’t Ignore Your Email:

If not tended to regularly email can pile up to become the bane of a writers existence. This can be a mistake if a client or potential client’s email is lost in the shuffle. No one likes to feel ignored. If you’re swamped for time, at least send a “I have received your email. I am not able to respond at the moment, but I will look it over in a couple of hours when I have more time to give it the response it deserves.” This lets the client know you did see his email and will respond, even if it’s not right away.

5. Communicate:

Clients like freelancers who can work independently, but they also like to feel as if they’re in control – or at least that they know what’s going on. Many freelancers have successful relationships with their clients because they send them a daily or weekly status report. This lets the client know where the freelancer is with the project, if there have been any problems, and if the client needs to send the freelancer more information or tools.

Your client may not respond at all, but receiving periodic updates will offer reassurance that he has selected a mature, responsible freelancer for his task.

It’s all about respect

These things aren’t rocket science, in most cases they’re good manners and good business. It used to be second nature to treat our clients with respect, and make them feel important. Somehow though, we’re losing a little of this.

It’s not enough to land the client, what will you do to keep your client?

If you’re a writer, you have a lot of competition out there, especially if you sell your services on the web. There are thousands upon thousands of writers clamoring for clients, and buyers have a vast choice of which person to choose.

That’s why specialization is important. You can’t just be a writer these days. You have to figure out what type of writing you do best and promote that specialty heavily.

Most buyers aren’t looking for a great writer. They assume that if you market yourself as a writer, that you write well already. Buyers look for writers who perfectly to their needs: the specialist.

Start With the Basics

You’ll need to decide which type of writing you like to do best before determining your specialty. What type of writing do you like to do best? Is it articles for magazines or writing ebooks? Do you itch to improve someone’s website copy, or do you love writing on current events? There are all sorts of areas to choose from, so pick your niche.

What’s Your Expertise?

So you’ve decided that you’re not just a writer, you’re an article writer, or a journalist, or a website content writer. Good job. You’re on your way to specialization – but that isn’t enough to make you stand out just yet.

Narrow it down further. If you’re a magazine writer, which topics are you best at? Do you love travel and tourism or parenting? If you’re an article writer, what type of articles do you write? Are you great with real estate topics or best with gardening subjects? Figure out the expertise you have that makes you the pro in the area of writing you’ve chosen.

Be the Go-To Person

You have your area, you have a niche, now you need to become the go-to specialist for a very specific type of work.

Let’s say you’ve decided that you’re a travel mag article writer. Perfect. But travel is a vague term. What kind of travel and tourism do you specialize in? Is it outdoor adventures? Are you the expert on all things Japanese?

The more you establish exactly what your specialty is and market that to prospective buyers, the better your career will solidify. You’ll become the pro in the know, the writer every thinks of first when they want exactly what you do.

For great info from pro in the know on how to build the best writing business you can have, check out James’ book, the Unlimited Freelancer. You won’t regret it.