To show my appreciation to my readers I have decided to offer a 25 percent discount to anybody who wants to sign up for my freelance writing course in January. Instead of paying the normal rate of $100 you will only be charged $75 for the first month. Of course, those who are already enrolled will be able to take advantage of the discount as well.
At this time, I have 15 members in the course. That leaves five open spots for the new year. If you are interested in more information take a closer look at the “freelance writing course†page at the top of the blog. There you will find more details on the course including what to expect, what you will learn, testimonials, and much more.
As usual, I am expecting the spots to fill up within a day or so. To get started, or to ask any related questions, send an email to info (at) chrisblogging (dot) com.
I am looking forward to working with some of you one-on-one in the new year!
As a freelance writer you are responsible for more than writing. You must also take care of everything from customer service to accounting duties and much more. Whether or not your clients are happy rests solely on your shoulders. If you are not keeping your clients happy this may not work out well for you in the end. After all, an upset client may find it easier to hire a new freelance writer than to deal with you for much longer. While everybody loses clients from time to time, you don’t want this to happen because they are upset with your performance.
How can you tell if your clients are happy? This can be hard to do at times. For one, if your clients keep sending you work they must be happy with what you are giving them. If they weren’t they would not want to send you regular projects.
Have you ever thought about asking your clients if they are happy with your performance? This may sound silly, but it is easy enough. You can use something to the effect of:
Good morning –
I wanted to send you a quick note to let you know how much I appreciate working with you. Am I living up to your expectations? I want to make sure that you are happy with my performance. If there is anything else I can do to better our relationship please let me know.
Thanks!
Soon enough you will see just what your clients think of you. If there is something wrong they will tell you which will allow you to make the proper changes.
This holiday season I have received several gifts from clients. I like to think that this means they are happy with my work, and are looking forward to an even better relationship in the new year. If you receive gifts from your freelance writing clients it is safe to say that you are doing something right. Have any of your clients sent something special your way?
If you are unsure of whether or not your clients are pleased with your performance you should do some work to find out. Remember, you always want to keep clients happy!Â
Are you anxious to get off to a good start in the new year? If so, there are many things you can do to better the chance of this happening. Have you taken the time to talk to clients about projects in the new year? This is something you definitely want to do sooner rather than later. Not only will this give you the chance to plan but it will do the same for your clients.
What should you ask about? Simply put, you want to make sure every client knows you are willing, able, and excited to continue your relationship in 2009. Remember, sometimes all it takes is a little push for a client to give you more work. And this is something you can work to your advantage in the new year.
Just as you are setting goals and a roadmap for 2009 all of your freelance writing clients are doing the same. And while you are worrying about who you are going to work for, your clients are worrying about which freelancers they will use, etc. This is why you need to stay fresh in their mind at all times.
If you have yet to talk with your current clients about projects in the new year you are making a mistake. This is the last week to get in touch, so don’t delay any longer. You want to make sure that you hit the ground running in 2009!
To all my readers, have a Merry Christmas. I know you probably are not working today, but if you are like me, you have checked your email and favorite blogs at least once. Of course, you don’t want to stay online too much today. After all, this is one of the best days of the year for family, food, and much more.
Once again, Merry Christmas. I hope all of you are having a great day!
What do you want for Christmas? No matter how old you are it is safe to say that you have something on your mind. If you are like many freelance writers you are probably asking for items that can better your career. While I do not need anything in particular this year, in the past things were not quite the same.
A couple of years ago I treated myself to a new computer and printer for Christmas. This is one of the best purchases I ever made for my career as both units are still going strong. All I needed was an excuse, such as the holidays, to upgrade my equipment.
Of course, there are many “low cost†career related items that you can ask for. Just a few include office supplies, subscriptions to your favorite magazines, and books. Did you ask for any of these items?Â
If you are in the market for anything that has to do with your freelance writing career now is the time of the year to buy. Not only do you have an excuse to do so but with the holiday season prices are lower than usual. If you have yet to do so, head to a few local stores to load up on items relating to your freelance writing career. And remember, if you don’t have time to shop before Christmas you can always wait until afterwards; the sales will still be there!
As a freelance writer it is important to be comfortable at all times. While it can be difficult to stay comfortable if you work in an outside office, most freelance writers have the luxury of working at home. That being said, I receive regular emails from writers who are finding it difficult to settle in for one reason or the next.
There are three things that are very important to your comfort as a freelance writer:
1. The right temperature. If you are cold you will find it difficult to concentrate. To go along with this, have you ever tried typing when your hands, fingers, and wrists are cold? If so, you know just how difficult this can be. Of course, you can cause just as many problems if you become overheated. Do whatever it takes to keep a comfortable temperature at all times.
2. A comfortable chair. When I first started working as a freelance writer I was using an old wooden chair with a seat pad. This worked for a few months, but soon enough my back was cramping up midday and I was losing my concentration because of the discomfort. Shortly thereafter I purchased a large, padded chair for $75 and have been comfortable ever since. This may sound like a big purchase, but it is one you will definitely enjoy. Take it from me: this is not something you want to skimp on. Buy a quality office chair early in your career and it will keep you comfortable for years to come.
3. Make it easy to get what you need. All the supplies and documents that I need on a regular basis are kept within reaching distance. This includes highlighters, invoices, my printer and much more. You don’t want to find yourself leaving your desk on a regular basis; this will break your concentration.
How comfortable is your home office? If you follow the three tips above it is safe to say that your office will be comfortable, for the most part. And while many think a comfortable office is overrated, I can assure you this is not the case.
The best reason to get involved with freelance writing is because you enjoy writing and want to venture out on your own. But this is not the only reason that people look into this career path. Over the past few weeks I have come across many blog posts and articles stating that it is a good idea to become a freelance writer because of the low costs involved with getting started. While it is true that you can become a freelance writer without spending a lot of money, if this career is not something that excites you it will be difficult to achieve success.
I am not arguing that you can become a freelance writer on the cheap. In fact, you may be able to start your career by spending only a few dollars. If you already have a computer and internet connection you pretty much have what you need to get started. The only other expenses you may want to consider are office supplies, marketing material, and quite possibly your own website. But even then you can get all of this for less than $100.
The problem comes into play with people who decide to get into freelance writing solely because of the low cost of entry. Cost of getting started is an important factor, but far from the only one. You only want to get involved if you truly love writing, and of course, if you have the skills to offer clients what they are looking for. In other words, it would not be worth your time to look into this career if you don’t have any writing skills and have no desire to learn; even if you can get started for cheap.
All in all, you can become a freelance writer without spending a lot of money. To go along with this your regular expenses are not going to be that high either. Just make sure you want to become a freelance writer because you enjoy this line of work, not because you can get started without a large investment. Â
What does your home office look like? If you are a freelance writer there is a very good chance that you work at home. Although you want to make sure your home office is comfortable you need it to be organized as well. Over the years I have found that I am much more productive when working in an organized workspace.
If you are looking to set a goal for the new year why not base it around organizing your home office? Even if you are pretty well organized right now there is a good chance that you could do better if you try. For instance, my files are organized and all my paperwork is put away. But I could definitely stand to clear some things from my desk including old sticky notes and supplies that I hardly ever touch.
No matter how messy my home office becomes I have found one thing: it does not take a lot of time to restore some order. If you set aside one hour of time this weekend you can take your home office from messy and out of whack to extremely organized. It may not be your idea of fun, but an organized office will help you increase productivity. Do yourself a favor and organize your home office for the new year. You will not be disappointed with this decision!
Have you ever heard about how unproductive it can be to check your email too often? While I agree with this to a certain extent, there are times when you need to be checking for new emails on a regular basis. Why do some people think that checking email too often is a bad thing? Simply put, they believe that this wastes time and decreases productivity. This can be true, but as a freelance writer you need to realize that going overboard and avoiding your email account can be a bad thing.
I check my many email accounts several times per day. This is the first thing I do in the morning and the last thing I do before retiring for the night. And as you can imagine, I check for new emails many times throughout the workday as well. What is the point in doing so on a regular basis? I do not like making my clients or potential buyers wait too long for a response. For instance, if a client has a question I want to make sure they get an answer at once. This not only makes them feel better, but it makes me look good because it shows I care.
How do you know when you are spending too much time checking your email? This is a difficult question to answer but keep this in mind: if your “email stalking†is holding back your progress in other areas you have gone off the deep end. There is nothing wrong with refreshing your email every hour, but the moment that this begins to effect how you work you need to make a change.
How many email accounts do you have? This will greatly effect how much time you spend checking for new emails. If you only have one account you can do this quickly enough. But if you have several accounts you are going to spend more time going through all of them.
Finally, keep this tip in mind: just because you check your email often does not mean that you have to respond to every message you receive. You want to read every message and once you do you can then determine which ones to reply to right away and which ones can wait until you have more time.
I believe it is important for freelance writers to check their email often. As long as this does not stunt your progress and productivity you have nothing to worry about.Â
Are you interested in starting a blog? If so, you have two options: you can pay for your own domain and hosting or get one 100 percent free through one of many online services. If you opt for the latter you should consider a free blog service such as Thoughts.com.
There are many benefits of opening a free blog account at Thoughts.com. For one, you have access to unlimited bandwidth for making posts, and uploading videos and images. On top of this, the interface is easy to understand and navigate which makes getting started easy; even if you are new to the internet.
To go along with the free blog service Thoughts.com also offers active discussion forums which are a great way to meet others, make friends, and much more. The community of people who gather on Thoughts.com is among the best that you will find anywhere. If you have a question you will find an answer. Need an opinion? There is always somebody friendly to help.
No matter if you are looking to start your first blog or are adding to your network you should consider the benefits and advantages of using Thoughts.com. And remember, there is always a large community of people open and willing to talk!
