I know, I know. Some of you guys and gals don’t like cold calling. Is this what you thought when you first saw the title of this blog post? Although you may feel that way right now, let me tell you a brief story that could go a long way in changing your mind.
During some downtime last week, I decided to make a group of cold calls to local businesses – five at the most. I knew that I would be lucky to get one person interested, but always hoping for the best I forged ahead.
After two hang-ups, I was beginning to lose hope. But on call number three everything changed for the good. I happened to get somebody on the phone who was just thinking about hiring a copywriter for a variety of projects, ranging from a sales letter to a marketing brochure as well as a couple other things. After a few minutes on the phone, I had a meeting setup with her the next day.
Just as I do at all meetings, I showed some samples, talked about what I have to offer, and gathered more information on what they are looking to accomplish. An hour and a half went by, and things finally began to wrap up. At that time, my main point of contact asked how much I would charge for the entire project. While I don’t want to get into exact numbers, I quoted a “four figure sum†and the client immediately accepted. I received half payment upfront, on the spot, with the rest coming upon completion.
If I would have never made that initial call this client would have easily slipped through the cracks. Of course, a lot of landing this gig had to do with luck as well. I called the right person at the right time.
Even though cold calling can be a pain in the neck, the one time you get lucky and land a job is well worth the time, effort, and stress.
I will be the first one to admit it: I don’t mind biting off more than I can chew. Sounds crazy, right? Before you start thinking I went off the deep end, let me explain.
First and foremost, being busy is like a drug to me. I hate sitting around, doing nothing, when I could be working. No matter if I am writing an article, building a website, or putting together a marketing plan, if I am busy working I usually have a smile on my face.
Just because I enjoy working as much as possible does not mean you are the same. Even if you are like me in this regard, don’t underestimate the importance of regular breaks. You know your body better than anybody else – don’t burn out.
Biting off more than I can chew means I am forced to hunker down and really focus. As you can imagine, this increases my level of performance and allows me to learn at a higher rate of speed.
I know what you are thinking: what if you get in over your head? What if you have a deadline you just can’t meet? Even though I tend to take on a lot of work, I always know where to draw the line.
In my opinion, biting off more than you can chew is one of the best ways to grow your business, learn more as a writer, and of course, increase your income.
When you are up against the clock, it is essential that you stay organized, focus on the task at hand, and complete one job after the next. When all is said and done you can look back and realize that you faced off against a giant responsibility and came out on top.
Over the years I have found that time management is one of the most difficult parts of being a freelance writer. No matter if you are just getting started or have a full list of clients, managing your time is essential to long term success.
Below are several time management tips that can help you keep a better schedule:
1. Make a to-do list. Every morning before I get started I check my to-do list to see what is on the agenda, as well as which projects should receive my attention first. Hands down, without this list I would be lost. Even if you think that to-do lists are a waste of time, I urge you to give this a try.
2. Don’t take jobs that you cannot comfortably complete by the deadline. I am just as guilty of this as the next freelance writer. While it can be difficult to turn down a job, it is often times in your best interest. The worst thing you can do is take a gig, get behind, and be forced to tell the client that they are not receiving the work on time.
3. Plan for days off as well as the unforeseen. As some of you may have noticed, the last time I posted on this blog was eight days ago. The reason for this was simple: I was called out of town on two projects – one at the beginning of the week, one at the end. As you can imagine, this prompted me to prioritize the projects on my to-do list while also making the most of any down time. Had I better planned for this time out of the office, I could have better kept up with my blog while also cutting back on a lot of stress.
At the very least, I hope these three time management tips make your career as a freelance writer more organized.
