5 Critical Mistakes Most Freelance Copywriters Make. Broke, Desperate and at the End of Your Tether?.
Think you have what it takes to be a freelance copywriter? I wasn't so sure I knew when I first started in 1999. All I knew was I desperately wanted to work from home to raise my two sons after my divorce. It took a lot of trial and error to get to the stabile and profitable business I am running now in 2005. There are some things I learned along the way I wish I knew much earlier in the game.
One thing I learned is that writing is a very small part of being a successful freelance copywriter. Don't get me wrong. You DO need to know how to write. But your success depends largely on your savvy as a businessperson. How do I know? Because I've played it from both sides of the street. And I didn't begin to enjoy success until I started doing some very distinct things in my business.
Please let me share with you some of the mistakes I made starting out so you can avoid those pitfalls yourself...and catapult to success much faster than it took me.
Mistake #1: Don't attract new clients.
When I first started out in 1999 I had exactly one client. He kept me very busy...for awhile. Then, without warning, he suddenly shifted his business to 100% offline and began using a copywriter with more experience in that area. I floundered for 10 months before I got back on my feet again from that blow.
Solution: NEVER stop marketing yourself. Even if you have a full practice, don't stop getting the word out. Write articles and press releases. Do interviews whenever possible. Start an ezine and/or a blog so your name is always out there. Don't get caught flat-footed.
Mistake #2: Don't effectively manage your clients.
At first I was so grateful to have any clients I let them call all the shots - regardless of what was in my best interest. It took me a long time to realize every client is not a match for me. Sometimes they were unreasonable in deadlines. Other times they would call me at all hours...including 6 a.m. and even on the weekends. (Until I learned to communicate better there were even a few clients I had to fire!) Bottom line is you can never have enough communication.
Solution: Have the client fill out a detailed questionnaire to open up lines of communication. Get a feel for his or her expectations. Add an extra cushion to your deadline. If possible, get a gatekeeper (assistant) to set up schedule so you can focus on what you do best - writing.
Mistake #3: Poor time management.
Eager to please, I often did not give myself enough lead time for an assignment. I'd say, "I'll do it!" before I looked at the reality of my schedule. So I'd have to pull all nighters or miss important family events. I was incredibly stressed and not a lot of fun to be around.
Solution: Schedule your daily schedule BEFORE you go to bed at night. Turn off email until you've made some headway with your copy. And use a kitchen timer to work in increments of 35 minutes (studies show after that frame your mind craves distraction). When the ding goes off, get up, stretch and clear your head.
Mistake #4: Not getting paid enough as a copywriter.
Face it...copywriters do a lot more work than most people realize. We have to deeply research the client's business, competition and target market. Then we have to write excellent copy that crawls inside the head of the prospect and leads them to a specific action. I didn't find out until late in the game there is more than one way to structure a deal. I only recently figured out how to get paid on the front end AND the back end for my work. (There is still a ton I need to learn about this which is why I can't wait for the exclusive Dan Kennedy seminar on the business of copywriting in October!)
Solution: Value yourself enough to get paid what you're worth. Have an iron-clad contract that protects you.
Mistake #5: Don't invest in yourself.
I have read the classic "Think and Grow Rich" 14 times.
Every time I read it, I learn something new. I go to seminars (even when I've heard the speakers before). Because I learn something new every time. I have a huge marketing library of books, binders, home study courses, CDs, DVDs, MP3s and I listen to them over and over. Again, every time I take in material, whether it's new or old, I learn something new.
Successful people in all walks of life invest in themselves. It's one of the keys that separates them from the less successful. (Trust me, at times it hurt to part with the massive amounts of cash I've laid out for this education. But the payoff happens every time. Just do it.)
Solution: If you're looking to attract more money into your business, start by investing in yourself. Think LONG TERM. As the old adage says, "If you're not growing, you're dying."
International copywriting trainer, author and speaker, Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero has been a freelance writer and journalist for over 25 years. Her words have made her clients hundreds of thousands of dollars. Now she focuses her vast experience on teaching others the skill of copywriting. Lorrie is the author of a highly acclaimed copywriting course, creator of the Red Hot Copywriting Bootcamp and founder of Copy Campus, a unique membership resource site designed to support copywriters and entrepreneurs on all levels. Visit her site to learn more at http://www.red-hot-copy.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
Have you been trying to start an Internet business and find yourself broke, desperate and coming to the end of your tether?
Well, you're not alone.
Here are samples of correspondence that I've received from folks who are in exactly that situation.
" ...I have bought so many books I have lost count and am now so totally confused (and broke) about what to do I'm just about to give up."
" ...I am twenty years old and entirely dependent on myself. I have no parents and I am out on my own trying to make my way in this cruel world.
I struggle to get by with my current job as a bus boy and I am tired of living from paycheck to paycheck. I am currently out of school and wish to go back but I do not have the time nor the money. I have dreams but do not have the time nor the money to pursue them."
" ...I am a parent, divorced and am struggling to make ends meet. I cannot quit my job."
" ...I desperately need more income."
" ...bill collectors hounding..."
" ...I am a mom of six children and I have tried and spent thousands of dollars on trying to make money."
" ...as a two month veteran on the Internet I don't know if I can take another hit. I feel like I've been 10 rounds with Mike Tyson and I'm really thinking about staying on the canvas. Thousands of dollars later and I'm still on the starting line!"
" ...invested thousands of dollars of my savings in the last two years in home business that I could not afford."
" ...burned really bad within the last two years for alot of money."
Does that ring any bells with you?
Yes?
OK...I want you to pinch yourself to confirm that you're still among the living.
Still here?
Good!
Where there's life, there's hope.
Now take a long, deep breath. Make that 10 deep breaths.
No, seriously. Close your eyes, breathe deeply and feel your body relax.
Relaxed? OK, here are some suggestions.
First of all, focusing on losses won't help you win. Let go of the past. What's done is done. Unless you can recoup some of your money, learn the lesson, chalk it up to experience and move on.
Next, work on building a mental image of yourself as an extraordinarily happy and successful Internet entrepeneur.
Trust me, this works.
Failing my first attempt at air traffic control training, I felt defeated, depressed and stupid. When given a second training opportunity, I was reluctant to try, fearful of failing again.
Then the little voice inside my head told me how much I really WANTED that job. I also wanted to prove that those who cast me aside the first time were wrong - that I COULD do that job.
But could I really?
It was time for some honest self-evaluation. What stumbling blocks had I put in my path? Was it lack of knowledge? Lack of effort? Not at all. I didn't honestly BELIEVE I could do it, AND I was intensely AFRAID of failing.
Yikes!
What a great recipe for failure that was. I got exactly what I focused on most.
However, believing you can be successful at something when you've failed before is a bit of a trick.
It CAN be done, however. I adopted a 'B.S. baffles brains' or 'Fake it 'til you make it' approach. Every step of the way I asked myself what a REAL air traffic controller would do in that situation, and then did that. Even when I wasn't completely confident, I forced my voice to at least sound confident. I acted the part until it became my reality.
So how did REAL netpreneurs approach their business and become successful?
Well, because it's impossible to think clearly while worried about how to pay this month's rent, they didn't spend their last dime on an business opportunity.
If you're currently in serious debt, then consider talking to a financial planner to help rework your finances.
Leo Quinn's 'Own Your Own PayCheck Again' is a terrific resource for those who are serious about debt relief. He prescribes uncommon methods that I know from first-hand experience really work.
His book is a bit pricey, but it's a far better investment than buying an information manual that instructs you to go out and spend even more to build your business, when you don't have it to spend. Why not learn some techniques on how to pay off your debt quicker and keep a little more in your pocket?
If you can afford to pay the bills but not much else, focus your energy on saving and earning the amount you'll need to build your business without worry. Invest small amounts on things that will bring real returns in the short term.
For example, scour your basement and your friends' basements for things to sell on eBay. The insertion fee for items listed at less than a buck is 25 cents US.
If the item sells for under 25 bucks, you'll pay a 5.25% 'final value fee' to eBay. Do that enough times and pretty soon you'll have five hundred or a thousand bucks to invest in your business... but only if you SAVE what you make.
Vist eBay now to see what's hot and selling.
Even if you have wads of cash, be realistic and informed about how you spend your money.
I've talked to far too many folks who invest in expensive coaching programs, believing that somehow their business will magically appear once they've completed the course.
In reality, whether you buy a $27.00 dollar, or a $5,000 Internet business coaching program, in most cases you're buying information on how to build a business, not a service that will do the work for you.
If that's what you want, then you may want to consider buying an existing business. However, it may be hard to find someone who has invested the time, effort and money to build a profitable online business, who is willing to sell. Basically, at that stage, the business should generate revenue automatically without a whole lot of input from the creator... so they'd be a little daft to sell, don't you think?
Do your due diligence. Read the fine print, ask questions and understand exactly what you're getting. And with regard to those coaching programs.... get a written contract, and search the forums for at least five people who have taken the program and were really happy with it... i.e. aren't just saying good things because they're trying to sell you the program through their link.
If you choose to go the information manual route, plan to follow ALL the instructions, or fail otherwise.
For everyone who ever told me "I bought this, that or the other book (or DVD, course, program, coaching package) and it didn't work", it was easy to prove that it wasn't the book that didn't work - it was THEY that didn't work.
We can't expect to be successful with ugly websites, little or poor content, not building a list or not building a relationship with our visitors and subscribers.
The truth of the matter is that there are no shortcuts.
Each and every step is essential, and every successful netpreneur has paid his or her dues to get to where they are today. They did their homework, made mistakes, and learned the lessons - always believing in their ability to succeed.
Starting an internet business is still easier, faster and less expensive (by far) than starting an offline business. If you want to do it bad enough, you WILL find a way to make it work.
Article by Rosalind Gardner, author of the best-selling "Super Affiliate Handbook: How I Made $436,797 in One Year Selling Other People's Stuff Online". To learn how you too can suceed in Internet and affiliate marketing, go to: http://NetProfitsToday.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
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