Crayon Writer

If you’ve been reading Crayon Writer for a while, you know that my primary method of getting new clients is via cold emailing instead of cold calling.

I’ve never gone into much detail about how I do cold emailing, and I also wanted to discuss the anti-spam legislation as it relates to cold emailing.

Thanks to my Entrecard travels, I met a great blogger who asked me to be to his first guest blogger. I was honored, and the article I wrote is up and running. Of course, the guest post I wrote is about getting new clients using cold email.

A big thanks to Marcus Hochstadt from the Internet Business Guide for this wonderful opportunity. His blog has some very helpful information about building an Internet business, so definitely hang out there for a while. And enjoy my guest post too.

If you get a chance to check it out, please leave a comment here or on Marcus’ site (or both). We’d love to hear your thoughts! 

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November was my month for marketing my freelance writing business. 

I did a bit of cold emailing (as time permitted, considering I have a very busy toddler), and I have a few warm leads as a result.

I also started a new blog, Marana Unwrapped, both because it’s an interesting topic and it’s a more specific niche. (I consider Crayon Writer to be a more personal blog that also has some universal appeal.) Hopefully the exposure in my community will help me gain more clients, and the niche should attract advertisers also.

So December is my month of looking for freelance gigs, while I also continue looking for another day job.

What’s a freelance gig? Projects I find not by marketing myself, but by perusing freelance sites. Right now I only use Craigslist. With access to cities across the country (and the world, if I choose), I should be able to find some nice side work.

If you’re a single parent or sole breadwinner, how did you get started with your freelance business, and how do you keep on keepin’ on?

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I haven’t talked about my life as a WAHM lately. So here’s an update.

I’m worn out!

My lovely daughter is now almost two-and-a-half, and deep in the throes of the “terrible twos.” She’s not as bad as most, I must admit.

But my days are long. Almost everything has to be negotiated because she’s pretty headstrong about–well– everything. Simple things turn into long, drawn-out ordeals that leave us both exhausted and upset.

The past few days she’s been home with me all day (no babysitting), and I’ve started a new cold email campaign, I’m looking for another “day job” (in case the cold emails don’t work), I’m trying to win the MyBlogLog Problogger contest (join my community), and I’m working on a couple of little projects.

Whew!

I could really use a cappucino right about now.

One of the lucky things about my latest computer crash is that I’ve been using my old clunky desktop (with Windows 98!) So now that my laptop’s been repaired, my daughter can play on one of them while I’m working too. That helps, since now she’s tired of many TV shows. I bought her a Disney-themed toddler game, and she really enjoys it.

She loves to say she’s “working,” or that she’s “busy,” just like she hears Mommy say all of the time.

But, like another blogger said, I’m hoping to stay the course. If I can take it.

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If you’re a freelancer, you’re a sales person. And the toughest kind of sales around–commission only.

So if you aren’t working your business like a sales operation, you may be missing out on lots of opportunities. I say I’m a writer, but writing is a small part of the job. When I don’t sell, I don’t have anyone to write for.

What reminded me about the major sales side of my business was a post I found on Selling to Big Companies. That’s something I try to do all the time (and I’ve had a few successes). Check out the article about sales from the potential customer’s perspective.

Thanks to that post, I’ll be rewriting my cold email pitches. What about you?

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As a business owner, you have to allow yourself to be human also. When you make a mistake, as humans inevitably do, there’s nothing wrong with admitting it.

Here are some real-life examples.

Quoting too high on a project. This happened to me recently. I was offered a job I don’t often do, and quoted a rate way above what’s acceptable. After doing my homework, which I should have done in the first place, I realized my mistake. Even though I felt silly, I contacted the potential client and gave him a realistic, fair quote. Will I get the client? Maybe. Maybe not. But I definitely showed my human side.

Missing a deadline. While not a wise thing to do, it may happen despite your best efforts. Sometimes life gets in the way. Or perhaps you miscalculated the time necessary to complete the project. What’s important is that you communicate with your client. Let the client know what’s going on, and do your best work. Ultimately, the client may be lost. But you might have redeemed yourself to some extent by being honest.

Forgetting to return a call or email. I received an email from a potential client I wrote almost a year ago. Her kind note apologized for her late reply, which happened because she put the wrong email address in her reply. We never wound up working together, but her message reminded me that admitting a mistake isn’t the end of the world. What do you have to lose?

Basically, we’re all human first and business owners second (or third). Remember this, and don’t beat yourself up (and don’t let anyone else beat you up) when something goes wrong. Be yourself, handle the situation head on, and move on.

What are some other human moments you’ve encountered in your business? How did you handle the situation?

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Being home with my daughter the majority of the time, I decided that cold emailing would be the best way to acquire new customers (as opposed to cold calling). I must admit, though, lately it seems this technique isn’t working.

There could be several reasons for this:

• Companies get tons of email, so perhaps an email from a stranger may be ignored
• My email messages may go straight to spam folders
• I could be emailing companies that don’t think they need outside help

It’s frustrating. I spent a lot of time writing companies. I offer a valuable service, and I’m good at it.

I’m also finding that working with my daughter at home makes us both frustrated. I try to steal a few minutes to write or do research, determined to build a business that sustains us so I can remain at home with her. She clamors for my attention or tries to use the computer herself.

Now, this is a brand-new laptop, and I don’t really want a 22-month-old to indiscriminately bang on the keys or click the mouse willy nilly. So we get into some spats over the computer. She’s even begun taking her stuffed animals to the laptop, telling them, “No, don’t touch. Mommy’s computer!” Or she makes their little paws “type.”

We do have some good times with the computer, though. We play online Fisher Price games, and sometimes she gets to type on Word.

Never a dull moment!

I just keep reminding myself of the alternative: working in an office, being away from my toddler for 9 to 10 hours a day.

Even with our problems, I know she’s in a safe, loving environment where she gets a ton of one-on-one attention (most of the time).

Building a business doesn’t happen overnight. I’ll just keep working at it, and take it step by step.

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I’ve started taking this cool online class that teaches SEO techniques. It’s called, ironically, SEO-Techniques. I’m adding their site to my blogroll. It’s free, and I’m learning a lot. I recommend it so far, and I’ll post an update when I finish the class and have fully implemented the techniques on my website. One of the best things is that it repeats. So check it out.

I so misunderstood SEO. I have a million tags for this blog, for instance, which are totally unnecessary. I’ll be cleaning them up soon.

I’m still negotiating some writing gigs, and continuing to write for my main client. And, of course, I’m still sending out emails. I’m beginning to realize I need to do more than just cold email. I need press releases, maybe an ezine or enewsletter, an SEO site, and some cold calls.

The past few days have been interesting. My caregiver has been unable to watch my daughter, so I’ve had to become quite creative. Working during naptime and after her bedtime has been pretty successful — except for the couple of nights I fell asleep while putting her to bed. Luckily I was able to wake up during the night and continue.

In the meantime, the next several months I will have to investigate daycare (aaack!!) Luckily I have this cool new laptop, with wireless, so I can hang out near the daycare in my favorite coffee shop and still work.

No one said this would be easy. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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Lately I’ve been working into the wee hours of the night, because that’s when my daughter is sleeping. But I’m exhausted! Going to bed at 2 or 3 in the morning and getting awakened around 8 just isn’t cutting it anymore.

Everyday I plan to put my daughter in bed by 9, so I can get just 2 or 3 hours of work done before going to sleep at a reasonable time. Tonight I’ve been successful (at the price of her not getting a nap all day). It’s almost midnight and I am going to bed!

Today I worked on learning about the Microsoft Outlook Business Contact Manager program. This will hopefully keep my business on track.

Tomorrow is computer doctor time, along with a Mommy-Daughter field trip. I have another project to complete as well, and I’ve set aside nap-time for this task. And of course, as I said yesterday, I must get another email campaign underway. And a press release.

So much to do! Not enough hours in the week.

Housework? I’ll get to it. One of the perks of being the sole adult is that no one expects dinner at 6 or a spic and span house.

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Each day that my daughter grows, I find that it’s easier to get work done while she’s home. Not easy. Easier.

Maybe I’m learning how to work in spurts. Or what tasks keep her occupied and happy for reasonable amounts of time.

It’s funny. Before I had her I swore I wouldn’t let her watch T.V. until she turned 3. Maybe other stay-at-home single moms have figured out how to accomplish this feat. Personally, I find Sesame Street, Teletubbies, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse to be educational lifesavers.

We don’t veg out in front of the T.V. all day, but when one of her favorite shows is on I make good use of the time.

This week my goal is to get some more cold-emailing done. I’m learning that when I have business I need to keep advertising. I read that writing a press release is important for a copywriter’s business. That’ll be one more task I complete this week. I’m also considering starting another blog.

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This is the motto I try to follow for my business. When nothing seems to be going smoothly, I need to focus on keeping things moving.

With my motto in mind, Monday and Tuesday were very productive. I finished a couple of large projects last week, got through a tough weekend, and I’m happy to have started the week so well.

My daughter was at the sitters’ (yes, plural) for good lengths of time. I sent out some cold emails, ran some errands, and researched the meaning of blogs (another topic for another day).

I like cold emails even when I could cold call because I feel like I’m not intruding. And with the Internet becoming more and more important, it just seems natural to connect with people this way. It also lets prospects know that I am web-savvy…another bonus if they choose to use my services.

So things are moving along.

As I get more familiar with blogging, I will begin to make my posts stick to a topic, rather than just chronicle my growing business. If there’s a method you prefer, by all means let me know.

Time to catch up on some sleep before the little one awakens. Tomorrow is going to be Mommy and Daughter time. The zoo or the children’s museum sounds like a plan. I may even limit my computer time to just twice…during nap time and when she goes to sleep for the night (a Herculean effort).

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