This week, we have some resources to help you actually Sell the Thing. Because you can create magnificent content all day long, pull together a wonderful audience, and produce a glorious product or service. But if you lack the skills to Sell the Thing, you don’t get the benefit of all that hard work. On Read More…
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Category: Service Business
10 Service Business Essentials that Help You Win Clients with Confidence
Here’s a scary thought: What if your content marketing actually works? What if you get all the clients you want? Will you be able to handle them? Those are important questions every service provider needs to answer honestly because there is often a disconnect between what we say we want and the actions we take. Read More…
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Join Us for a Live Workshop on Modern Email Marketing
The major heads-up today is that we have a live workshop next week (Tuesday, April 24 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time) on how to use sophisticated segmentation and automation in your email marketing — even if you have a limited budget and you’re not particularly technical. This lets you create focused and relevant messages for Read More…
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7 Unusual Signs on the Path to a Breakthrough
It’s easy to envision that other people’s paths (career or otherwise) are somehow smoother than yours. Have you ever had thoughts like that? Notions that everyone else who has some form of success achieved it by taking smart, consecutive steps that always led them forward, while you: Take two steps forward, one step back Stop Read More…
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Free Workshop *Today* on an Awesome New Content Tool
First things first: Brian Clark is co-hosting a free workshop today (in a few hours, at 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time / 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time), all about getting started with chatbots. If you don’t know much about chatbots, or even think they might be weird or creepy, check out my post from Monday explaining why Read More…
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‘No’ Is My Favorite Word
On your own, without any way to gauge whether or not your ideas are practical or wise, you might get carried away with your creativity. That’s why the word “no” is an essential part of the professional creative life. Hearing it helps me incorporate another perspective into my vision. I actually like hearing it so Read More…
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5 Elements that Build a Roster of Terrific Clients
In the podcast episode I recorded recently with Seth Godin, we talked about storytelling — and he made a point I thought was fascinating.
Seth’s version of storytelling isn’t just crafting a plot in the traditional sense — the classic “The queen died, and then the king died of grief.”
He also looks at the implied stories in everything we do. We tell a business story with our tone of voice on a podcast, and the color choices on our website. Our pricing, our response time, our “Contact Me” form … they all come together to tell the story of your business.
Some businesses tell scary or ugly stories. A lot of businesses tell boring ones. Seth got me thinking about the elements that I believe tell a more inviting story for a writing business — the kind of story that attracts more clients and better revenue.
If you’re a professional writer, of course you need to write well. But it isn’t just ability that makes a writer successful — it’s also wise positioning. It’s the implied story that your business tells.
Here are my thoughts on five “story elements” that help writers attract the right clients, at the right pricing, in the right numbers.
Story element #1: your voice
For any business, but particularly for a writer, the voice of your marketing is one of the most important story elements you have.
What does that look like on your site today? Do you sound stiff and formal, or loose
How to Run a Sustainable Writing Business (Where the Backbone of Success Is Simply … You)
You may love to write.
You may get a lot of positive feedback on your writing.
And you may have even picked up many great writing gigs over the years, solidifying your status as a professional writer.
But something is missing.
It’s difficult to balance writing for your existing clients and attracting new clients. Consequently, your writing income varies at different times throughout the year and the work you love to do never quite feels sustainable.
TET: the backbone of a sustainable writing business
Whether you’re just starting your writing business, or you’ve been building it for a while and are hoping to make it more financially secure, I have 15 tips that support a healthy, productive solopreneur venture.
To make the advice manageable, I’ll list five tips under three important categories for anyone working for themselves: Technology, Education, Tools (TET).
The success of a writing business depends on so much more than your ability to write.
Educating yourself on the business of writing and content marketing gives you a huge advantage over other (directionless) writers.
My TET Talk below — not to be confused with a TED Talk — will show you how the right knowledge combined with the unique value you offer clients can create a powerhouse business that allows you the freedom to be yourself and do work you care about.
Technology
Technology makes most modern writing businesses possible.
And getting set up with the right digital services doesn’t require a ton of technical knowledge. Instead, this section will focus on core business
Gary Vaynerchuk on Playing the Long Game
Back in 2006, Gary Vaynerchuk started a daily video show that turned wine criticism on its head. More importantly, it took his family wine business from $3 million-a-year to a $60 million-a-year ecommerce juggernaut.
From there, Gary did something that surprised a lot of people, including me. He started a digital marketing agency called VaynerMedia.
Wait … what? Why would someone who could move that level of product want to build a service business? Isn’t that going backwards?
Not so fast. As you’ll hear in this candid interview, Gary’s plan involves what has now become familiar to Unemployable listeners — doing this thing now in order to set the stage for bigger and better things down the road.
In other words, true entrepreneurs are always playing the long game. Listen in for amazing insights from one of the most outspoken advocates for the unemployable.
Listen to this Episode Now
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4 Practical Ways to Benefit from Impostor Syndrome
So, you’ve landed a new, big-time content marketing client. Exciting times!
It’s the type of client you’ve wanted for ages, and finally, you’re getting your chance. You’ve scheduled your first meeting with her.
And that’s when the voices in your head start up:
Who are you kidding? You’re not good enough for this client.
Jane Smith — she’s a great content marketer. Maybe you should refer the client to Jane? Jane will do a better job than you.
There’s just no point to taking on this project — if you do, you’re going to be found out.
It’s impostor syndrome. Feeling like a fraud. And that’s okay.
You can actually benefit from impostor syndrome with a few smart tactics. Let me show you how.
Why impostor syndrome makes you a better service provider
Most professionals have experienced impostor syndrome at some point. We’re the most susceptible when we step outside our comfort zones (like when we’ve secured an amazing new client).
Here’s the great irony of the whole “feeling like we’re going to be found out” thing: it can actually increase as we get more competent.
Yes, that’s right.
The more we know, the more we become aware of what we don’t know and who knows more than we do.
Interestingly, this is why I believe impostor syndrome makes you a better service provider:
It indicates you’re highly competent.
Worrying that you won’t do a great job for your client shows that providing great service is important to you.
Who wouldn’t want to work with someone like you?
However, I