Why Making Cold -Calls Is An Effective Marketing Tactic For Me, Yet I Hesitate To Use It To Gain New Clients

I didn't realise how tired I was last night until I slept through my sister getting ready for work at 4.30am and her boys getting ready for school. Had a good night's rest though, so today things are moving along great.

I'm halfway through my reread of Winter Moon by Dean Koonz and I'm enjoying the story as I did when I first read it. I love the way he uses words to paint us a character sketch and tell a story. Wish one day I could write just as well.

Joburg is wet. I love the rain and it's all quiet in our building and the writing is moving along. I spent most of the morning doing marketing and admin. Found a couple of job leads that might be appropriate for my friend Lynn and for Baby, so I forwarded them.

A mid-morning cold call from someone selling a media directory service reminded me that I've been toying with the idea of cold-calling my potential clients. It's an effective marketing tool for me, having used it successfully in the past, but there are a couple of reasons I'm hesitating:

• I find making phone calls very stressful. I worked as an account executive in the late '90s and one of my duties was to cold-call potential clients. I made one hundred new cold calls everyday and then followed up on previous calls. It paid off in terms of finding potential clients and gaining their business, allowing me to make close to R500 000 a month in sales. However, the process was very hard work. Also, strangers were annoyed to get calls from a stranger (me) and some of them expressed their annoyance by being rude or using abusive language.  
• I'm not sure my business has the capacity to deal with call-backs from potential clients and still be able to immerse myself in writing.  This is a one-person business and I don't have a receptionist to take messages when I'm busy with the writing process.
• I prefer using email to communicate with clients, not phone calls - One of the reasons I love using email is because I can control my communications - I can contact clients when I have a pause in the writing process and am mentally ready to discuss issues with them.Making cold-calls would set a precedent to communicate with clients by phone. I also find it difficult to manage when a client phones me to verbally explain a brief of changes that they want made on a project. I'm nervous that I will miss a lot.  As a small business owner the potential for something falling through the cracks is too big and I prefer to have assurance of the client writing down what they need and how they want it delivered. A written brief gives me confidence that I can refer to it when I'm unsure about something. 

 All of the above are, of course, excuses I make to myself about why I'm not picking up the phone. The reality is that, if I want my earnings to improve, I have to be willing to do whatever marketing tasks are necessary to bring in the business.

So. Has cold-calling worked for your writing? And how do you feel about cold callers? Do you think there should be a "Be Kind To Cold Callers Day?"


 

A Writer's Worth To Your Business

May is Writers Worth Month and a lot of the online discussion  has been centred around writers understanding their own worth and running their businesses in a manner that reflects this appreciation.

However, I've also been thinking about the worth of a good writer to an organisation. One idea that keeps bouncing in my head is that a writer is not a typist. Put like that, I know it sounds very obvious, and yet, over and over, I have dealt with clients who attempt to use writers as just that.

Here are two benefits for letting your writer do their job:

A writer brings a wealth of experience to your business. Many writers have qualifications, skills  and their experience in their field of expertise. A writer's job also entails a lot of reading and interviewing people, some of whom are experts in their fields. This means that they have access to a wealth of teachers who ensure they understand their topics enough to be able to write about it. 

Some of this information may have a direct bearing on your industry and the stakeholders you want to communicate with.

It cost you nothing extra to let  your writer enhance your business with this information. However, if you treat your writer as a typist, you will never even know what you missed out on and how that information could have translated into effective communication that makes you more money.

A writer bring brings creativity and craftsmanship to your business. I've had clients who repeatedly told me that they are good writers and then proceed to tell me how I should do my job. Not just giving their brief for the job, which is essential for a writer to meet the client's needs, but telling me in detail how to execute this brief.

The issue is not whether the client is a good writer or not. You may be an excellent writer in general, but you are not "the writer"for this particular project, and forgetting that hobbles your writer, who is then stuck trying to do the job you would have done, instead of giving you his best.

I hope that the next  time you hire a writer, you consider what value the writer can add to your project. If you harness that, you will be pleasantly suprised by the richness that will enhance your final product.

Share with us: what value do you think writers bring to projects?

The value of media coverage for your small business

In our book, How to get quoted in the media, my co-author Christelle Du Toit and I talk about the value of media coverage for your small business. There are many benefits - raising your company's profile, making people aware of a product etc- but the one we like best is that it can make you money.

In view of that strong assertation, I thought it would be fair to do a post-moterm of yesterday's interview on 5fm's Mind your business.  Are we all talk or do we live the talk? Keep in mind that this media appearance was little more than a ONE MINUTE pitch on a segment of a very popular radio programme, no more.

1. Time and resources to land the interview - We initially contacted the station asking for an interview when we launched the book some months back. So while we did invest effort then, this interview was the realisation of our investment long after we'd thought they'd rejected us.
Lesson: Just because the media says "no" now doesn't mean they mean "no forever." So don't give up and always be prepared to respond to unexpected queries.

2. Preparation - Christelle spent time preparing for the interview. She also ran her pitch by me, and we timed it to make sure that she said all we needed to say in that one minute. I didn't realise a minute could be so short!
Lesson: Even if you do know your company and product, prepare again. Make sure that you have enough information to fit the time allocated. Do a dry run with a colleague or friend if you have to.

3. The interview - It went well, thank you Christelle. This is one of the things I love about having a collaborator: having someone skilled who can represent me or my product without stress.

4. The return on investment - So what did we get out of the interview?
a. A chance to tell small business owners who listen to Mind your business about our book. As previously stated, the ebook is aimed at non-profit organisations and small business owners, so the target market was spot on. As to what that awareness will mean in the long run, time will tell.
b. Sales enquiries - we had a couple. Christelle fielded calls and I sent emails to people she spoke to. We were not inundated though - we wish!
c. Actual sales - yes, we sold a couple of books online. Not bestseller sales, but come on, this is a new title by unknown authors, published by a new digital publisher! I always feel it's a miracle people are willing to part with their money to read what I have to say:-)
d. Business enquiries - We have a meeting set up with one potential client who wants to talk to us about media relations for his chain of guest houses. The meeting could lead to a solid business deal, or not, depending on whether he sees value in what we offer. But that meeting is more than we had before Christelle did the one minute interview. And it's a qualified lead; someone who identified a need, not someone who's still unsure about whether media coverage can help his business or not.
e. Material for our social media activities- It's a gift that keeps on giving, isn't? Because however the interview went, we can use it as a case study to promote the book and for others to learn from our experiences.

In conclusion, not all your media interactions will come out as well as this one has: it can go badly if the journalist doesn't like your company/product/you/has a negative story about your company/industry. It could be a neutral story that doesn't resonate with people, with the result that no one response and you have no tangible result to show for your time and investment. BUT, if you choose your media carefully, make sure you speak to your target market and prepare thoroughly, your interview could score you a decent audience response, maybe even a few sales.

On 5fm this afternoon

Christelle Du Toit, my co-author on How to get quoted in the media is going to be interviewed on 5fm's Mind your business this afternoon. The show is a segment of DJ Fresh's Afternoon Drive. The interview is at 16h55 and 5fm's frequency is 98FM. Check it out if you have the chance.

And if you're visiting this site as a result of the interview, please say hi in the comments section. And don't forget to treat yourself to our ebook (available on the right hand panel of this blog.)

Ebook to bring communication consulting clients

How to get quoted in the media has brought us our first client. The organsation was involved in a big fundraising event and had trouble getting media coverage for it. Christelle and I are placing a feature article with a national newspaper (editor already agreed when I queried and piece was completed last night) and a short news story, which is also going into a national daily newspaper. Now to negotiate for a longer-term contract, as we have proven our professional expertise.

And yes, the plan was to make money through book sales, but we're also aware that that kind of "how to" book can also be used as a calling card to attract clients. Christelle will take on the communication consulting clients, while my focus is purely on writing stuff editors want to publish for our clients,  weaning them from the press releases most journos read through quickly and delete.

Lots of work to do today, so I'm going to keep my head down and just wade through the work, do as much as I can.

Why Books Sell

By Pamela Moeng

 

Read an interesting article the other day about marketing your book in The Book Designer newsletter. I particularly liked the section below and all credit to The Book Designer for the quote:

 

 

"Why Books Sell : There is no replacement for a good book...we can point to a few clear reasons why some books sell better than others:

• It has unique information that’s in demand, but that cannot be found anywhere else
• It solves a problem that many people have
• The story is compelling and/or entertaining
• The author is a celebrity
• The book is already selling and people start telling others about the book."

 

I don't know about you but I am no celebrity, which means I best write books that fit one of the other criteria for selling well. Of course, every writer believes or wants to believe that her writing is compelling and entertaining - if they didn't, why write?

 

I find putting the WIP away for a while to sulk from lack of attention helps me see its weaknesses. Until I see them, I can't make them stronger. Even if a work has been sent out into the world to find a home, re-reading it months after completing it reveals the weaknesses and gaps - not to mention the typos - that were missed by me, and the first reader (usually a friend who writes/edits too).

 

This is not to say a work is never finished - every dog has its day and every manuscript should be typeset and printed sooner rather than later. But if anything humbles an arrogant writer, it's re-reading that "perfect" novel and finding the mistakes you've missed in your self editing.

 

I've gone a bit crazy lately subscribing to lots of writer forums and newsletters and I've found a wealth of information and support on them. Check out The Book Designer - he has more useful tips.

 

Keep writing...

The art of negotiation

Spring Fair on Sunday was fabulous. My stall, which specialised with romance novels only ( I was selling my romance novel collection from childhood, so it was A LOT of books,) was set up by 08h30 in the morning, though the fair was only scheduled to start at 09h30.

So I was able to get business from some early birds, which helped put me in a positive mood. Business was brisk for the rest of the day and I got to hang out with friends attending the fair, make some new friends, chat about books and make good money. Here are some of the things I learnt from selling books at the Spring Fair:

1. Romance novels are still as popular as ever - Yes, there were people who wrinkled their noses when they realised I only carried romance novels. And I did have a big sign stating that so that those who weren't interested in that genre shouldn't even bother stopping.  did. But those who stopped to look bought lots of books. For the most part, they knew what authors they liked and some had author collections and were looking to fill some gaps.

2. Hard-selling was not necessary. Most of the customers loved talking about books, so we had lots to chat about and I didn't actually have to sell to them: either I had what they wanted to buy or I didn't. Also, their decision to buy was based more on how many books the money they had could get them, rather than trying to get as cheap a price as possible for a book.

3. Lotsa men buy romance novels. Many said it was for their wives or girlfriends. But I did wonder if they also read them?

4. I learnt a harsh lesson about the art of negotiation. I had a couple of second-hand book store owners stop at my stall. One was very friendly and probably just checking out the competition. The other one, who was with his wife and some friends, I'm not so sure about. At first we joked and laughed and they looked at my books and selected what they wanted. He wanted me to give him a flat price without my actually adding up the original prices of the books. I was very friendly then because I thought he was still joking around. Eventually I got the books from him, and the price he was asking was not even the value of one book ( he was taking 4).

So I said a friendly no and informed him I would be happy to give him a 50% discount. Which is very substantial. But he insisted on his own figure. Eventually he said he's walk away unless I gave him the price he was asking for. I told him that the books were mine to sell or keep and I was under no pressure to sell to him. So he put the books down, took for 5 more books ( from the el cheapo basket) and insisted I give him the 50% discount which I'd initially offered (the original books were excellent quality and from the more expensive portion of my collection. Hence my willingness to negotiate.)

By then I was so disenchanted with him I gave him the 50% discount so he'd just go. Losing R10 to him was no great loss to me. He's what I learnt from negotiation from this man and his wife ( who condescendingly offered me "free advice" and told me my books were not good quality, were dirty and I should price them at less than half the price they were): it's great to bargain for the lowest price you can get, but don't push the seller so much that they feel you look down on them/you're trying to cheat them/they'll end up feeling that they got the slimy end of the bargain. Push enough to get a good price, but still leave them happy with the deal. Because if the seller feels like you're trying to take advantage, negotiations end.

In the case of the bookseller, I decided to take my chances with the romance readers, who interestingly enough, were happy to pay my prices and to call their friends and even mothers in laws and sisters in law to invite them to my stall.

The bookseller also invited me to bring more of my romance novels to his store, which I didn't know about, to sell to him. Not a chance! Better yet, I'm not even going to be buying from that store, or telling my friends about it, because if the way he tried to negotiate with me is any indication, he's not someone I want to do business with.

I think this very same negotiation principle applies to my writing work as well. I'll negotiate my writing fee with a client so that they get the best possible price and I get enough value for my work. But I will not allow myself to be bludgeoned into slave wages. And if the prospective client can get the quality of work they need from someone who is prepared to take the slave wages, then I wish them all the best.

So how's the week so far? What do you hope to accomplish?

I Wish Project Management Had Been A Mandatory Course In High School and Varsity

My younger sister is a project manager for an international research company and has a very ordered and systematic brain. So yesterday I consulted with her regarding the organised chaos that I call my work system, to ask for help to break it all into manageable tasks.

You know when you live with a teenager, and every time you walk past their room you want to say something about the mess on the bed and the clothes on the floor and the smelly shoes... and you restrain yourself because you know saying something will result in a fight? So you close the door so you don't have SEE the mess even though you KNOW it's there? I got the feeling I'm the teenager that's been driving my baby sister nuts for months. Or maybe I'm wrong. Maybe she just loves big sis and just wanted to help.

Never mind the reasons. The fact is that and a quick email from me asking for help resulted in a long consultation on the phone with her and a request from her to send her a detailed outline of the projects I'm working on until August, as well as the project breakdown ( as in, what do I have to do to get each task done, and how long does it take me?)

So I spent most of Monday afternoon working on that. By the end of the exercise, my business will have an official workflow system. Nice!

Question: Do you think project management should be mandatory subject for all high school and university students? Will it help create more efficient workers and a more efficient nation?

Networking Strategies I've Employed to Promote My Business

On Tuesday evening I attended a networking meeting hosted by Business to Business Networking Specialists. More than 20 people attended the meeting, and most of them were small business owners in my area. The format was:

• Introducing BTB to us newbies - General presentation of what the association is about. BTW, participation is free, and they make their money through their marketing initiatives.
• How their marketing/promotion plan works - R100 per month to be listed in the database and R50 per month to be showcased in their PowerPoint presentation shown at all their meetings. They also offer a service to distribute pamphlets in the surrounding suburbs for a very low amount. 
• Short presentation /pitch by all members – everyone got the chance to stand up and introduce themselves and their business. 
• Distribution of marketing material – Participants are also asked to bring brochures and business cards, which they can leave on the table for other business owners to pick up.

Check out BTB's web site.

Here are some of the strategies I used to market myself and my business at the networking meeting:

• Approach the meeting as a way to make friends instead of a way to push your business agenda – I know some people believe in meeting as many people as possible and handing out as many business cards as possible. That kind of approach doesn’t work for me. I’d rather spend time chatting with five people out a group of 25 and get to know them. That way, when I get home, I’ll still be able to link specific conversations to specific people. People like knowing that you remember them; that you listened while they spoke to you. 
• Grab opportunities when they are presented to you. I met someone who has a current and pressing need for a web site and social networking tools. We’re going to meet as soon as possible to discuss his needs, so I can get started on his project.  
• Make friends even if there is no obvious gain to be had – I spent a lot of time chatting to a very interesting woman who just launched a water purification plant and is now selling water, juices etc. She sounded so knowledgeable about water that it occurred to me that I might want to write about it. I’m definitely planning to keep in touch with her. 
• Give people a taste of what you offer – Offer expert advice if warranted, to give the people you interact with a hint of what you have to offer. In my case, I can offer marketing and communication insight and one of the people at the meeting has important an IT gadget which I thought a journo friend might want to review. So contacted the friend and hooked them up. Now it’s up to them to make sure the intro works for them. 
• Support a good cause – Some of the people attending the meeting were there to generate support for their causes, not to sell their products and services. If one of the causes resonates with you, volunteer your expertise. Supporting a good cause that is endorsed by such an association is a good way to get to know some of the people and for them to get to know you, to enable you to do business. I did make sure that the parameters of what I offer were clear though, so that I don’t end up over-committed. 
• Solidify contact with your new business associates as soon as possible. – I emailed all the people I exchanged cards with as soon as I got home, sending them my business profile, referencing to where and how we met and reminding them what services we spoke about. This ensures that the new opportunity does not slide away due to neglect.

So now my part of the networking process is done and the people I interacted with have the information they need to decide if they want to establish some kind of relationship with me.

Thank you Gaynor and Dr Ivan Jardine for the invitation. Much appreciated.

What Do You Think?




Here's the draft logo for the blog, as promised. We're still at the concept stage, but I really like the pot. Also, we haven't decided if we're going to leave it as a pencil, or if we're going to colour it.  Should there be a fire underneath? Anyhoo, the "words, words, words" works for me because that's what I'm about. My business and my blog are about words for print, broadcasting and digital. Words for poetry, short stories, articles, novels, non-fiction books.....

And does Storypot underneath the pot work for you? The business logo would probably be a variation of this, with the company name rather than blog name being used. It has been suggested I have Damaria at the bottom left side, Senne at the bottom right side and Media under the pot, cos it's the media that's setting my pot on fire or some such thing.

I'd really like to hear your views on this, cos once I decide on the logo, I'm going to have to live with it for a long time :-)



Why Content Matters In An Online Business

Check out  Rebecca's post, which talks about why content matters in an online business. Rebecca also kindly highlighted my comment, where I add to the discussion.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Business Is Listening To Your Online Chatter

A week or so ago I blogged about a situation where a 3at1 service provider chose to refund me, rather than redoing a printing job. I was disappointed, because the refund left me in a lurch to a find another printer quickly. And some of you pointed out the many reasons why the decision to refund was not good business.

When I blogged about the situation, I didn't expect anything to come out of it. I'd had my say, and if by some miracle some search engine led the owners to the post, I didn't expect them to do anything about it.

I was pleasantly surprised. This morning I received an email with a gracious apology from the company, with a promise for better service in the future. And weirdly, it turns out the owner and I belong to the same small business forum. Small world, huh?

So what business lessons did I learn from this situation?

1. The internet is a powerful medium and what we say on our blogs and forums etc matters. Business is listening to you  as a customer.
2. Smart business owners listen to their customers. So while I was initially unimpressed with the printer, I respect the fact that she's using new media to enhance her business communication.
3. Smart business owners take action when customers complain, if it is on a blog and not in person.
4. If you respond to a public complaint ( say on a blog), do it with class. The emailed apology was very gracious and made me rethink the service provider. She didn't argue the fine points of the issue; she didn't try to defend her initial decision. All she said was, we're sorry, we've taken steps to make sure we do better in the future, come back and we value your business.

So what do you think of this new development? If you were in my shoes, would you use the service provider again, if only to give them a second chance and reward their listening to an unhappy customer?

Back To Normal Writing Schedule

I think it was late yesterday when my mind cleared enough to realise that I've been stoned for days. Don't laugh! I took the meds, the stomach pains stopped and why would I care that my mind was kinda fuzzy and I spent most of Tuesday trying to keep my eyes open? So, I'm really better now AND sane enough to know for sure:-)
Spent part of the morning scoping a new web site project, which I hope to start ASAP. It will be nice to get a big project to sink my teeth into. Small projects are a reliable source of ready cash, but big projects help me plan my business better.
I also had a chat with my  writer friend Chantal Collings about the business of writing and collecting payments from clients. And I was thinking that sometimes it's easy to focus on the creative proces and lose sight of the fact that you still run a business. Chantal said:
"I, myself, am guilty sometimes of being too trusting and have done jobs without a deposit before, but with people I don't know I've realised that I have to 'play hard ball' re a 50% deposit, 50% on delivery. This is pretty standard and I figure if they give me trouble about paying half the fee to secure my time (when I have myriad samples for them to 'prove' I can write), then they are likely to give me trouble about paying the full fee afterwards - so I just don't go there."

What are your views on the issue of trust between client/editor and service provider?



 

Guest Blogger; Women At Work

I have an article up at Women At Work, entitled: "4 Lessons I Learnt From My Mother About How To Earn Extra Income."

Check it out!