The Marketing Mix | official blog of the Marketing Mentor community

Is this spec work?

There is a fuzzy line between doing spec work (work on speculation without being paid) and sharing your ideas, especially in the design industry.

In a recent Sound Advice (my free weekly audio clip), I told a story about how Jonathan Cleveland of Cleveland Design was awarded a project (over 15 other firms) in an industry in which he had no experience (and they all did) by submitting a few "comps" or design ideas along with his RFP (proposal).

Several listeners questioned his strategy, calling it "spec work" which is a big no-no. So I went back to Jonathan for clarification of the difference between doing spec work and sharing his ideas as a way to get the job, in a difficult economy, no less.

In essence, he said the difference was 1) it was not expected or required to submit design ideas (it was up to him to offer it as a bonus) PLUS 2) he called them first to find out what they were looking for, so he had more knowledge about the client's needs than the others who simply hadn't asked for that info and could therefore submit ideas that were relevant to their needs.

You can listen to him explain that distinction in detail....and please post your comments and tell us what you think of that fuzzy line we're drawing in the sand.

P.S. If you're wondering whether the client used the initial design, Jonathan says, "Yes, they can’t wait to use this design! We are starting all the projects now. So not only did it get us the account, but we are still getting paid for the “Design” fee portion of our Proposal. So in essence, it paid for itself."

How often should you call?

Last night, I gave a talk for NJ Creatives and was waxing poetic about the dreaded cold calling, specifically about how prospects don't call you back (and why you shouldn't expect them to) but that that doesn't mean you should stop calling.

Someone asked how often to call and, as if on cue, Steve Guberman from Fifth Room Creative raised his hand and told us all an incredible story about how he called an organization he wanted to work with every week for a year, often leaving a quick joke on his prospect's voice mail -- he did that every week for a year!

During that year, he had a couple conversations with the prospect. Otherwise, the calls weren't returned, but the prospect never said to stop calling. So he didn't.

One day, after a year, the prospect called with a project and then another and another and that client was eventually worth $100K in business.

What if Steve had taken the silence for lack of interest and given up? He'd have missed that $100K, right? Can you learn from Steve's experience?

Any more success stories out there we can use to inspire people to get over the dread? Because, as one client wrote to me last week, "the dread is worse than the doing." So true....

Back to the future

Here's a note I got recently from Jean Feingold, a writer, who has been following along with my weekly audio tips, Sound Advice. And be sure to read to the end for her "happy ending."

Confession time - I signed up for your marketing plan and have done almost nothing you've recommended. I have listened to most of the short messages and enjoyed them. If nothing else, you are an inspiration.
 
But let me tell you what I am doing that may be of help to other long time freelancers. It's what I call looking to the past for future work.
 
Over the years, I've had clients come and go. Some I dumped because they were not worth keeping; others happily disappeared just as I was about to say goodbye to them. But others have left for reasons completely unrelated to my work, perhaps a change in jobs or other life circumstances on their part, or a change in their publications that removed the need for freelance writers. These were folks I always enjoyed working with and missed when they went away. I have long made it a habit to say "hi" every few months by e-mail to editors I haven't heard from in a while and to offer them my services. Sometimes this has gotten me work.
 
Today I spent some time going through old records and cleaning out unneeded paper. This reacquainted me with people I had written for or about several years ago and had lost touch with. I made a list of their names and started searching for them online to see if they had new e-mail addresses or affiliations. One I found is now associated with a writing and PR service, so I wrote to see if they might have some overflow work. When she wrote back, I learned this website represents not a company of folks sitting in the same building but a group of freelancers all over the country! So maybe there will be some work here for me or with one of the others I have yet to contact.
 
The point is, good former clients and contacts are worth finding. If they liked your work once, they will either like it again or be willing to recommend you to someone who might. While I don't have any assignments yet from this latest effort, I've just started this e-mail program. I am optimistic it will produce the desired results.

-----

There's now more to the story - the happy ending. My former client with the PR and writing service has more work than she can handle and I will soon be working for the service as well. The content areas it covers are ones with which I am quite familiar, so the learning curve will be short. 
 
What Ilise tells people about asking for work is right on. What's the worst they can say - "Sorry, there isn't any"? But maybe they will say "Not now, but later"  (an answer I've gotten from other former clients), or "Yes, we need your help now." You'll never know if you don't ask.

Growing Your Business with Marketing, Week 21: Reasons this week worked

This is Week 21 of a 52-week project/experiment in DIY marketing. Armed with nothing but a copy of the 2009 Grow Your Business Marketing Plan + Calendar and my bare wits, I'm applying the skills you need to grow a business in real time, day by day, and reporting on them week by week. I do a topline analysis here, for people who like things short. See my companion blog, A Virgo's Guide to Marketing, for in-depth posts, additional links and other marketing-related goodness.

As I got back in the saddle, I had a great, productive, FUN week of work and marketing. Since I like to know the "why" behind it, I took some time to reflect on the reasons why. They are...

Reason #1: I felt good

Yes, I can work through pain or fatigue just like anyone else. But I am happier, more productive and more delightful to be around (hence, a better ad for me and my services) when I am healthy. Sleeping well, eating right and, yes, taking time off factor hugely in my attitude and my output.

Reason #2: I was doing stuff I loved, work-wise

The further I get away from design, the more certain I am I made the right move. And my current work continues to evolve as I discover what I'm best at and what people actually need and want to hire me for. Deidre talked about this last week, and I think it's truer than most of us want to think about most of the time.

Reason #3: I challenged myself a wee bit

I didn't make my cold calls, exactly, but I spent considerable time calling to put together consulting work for my July trip to Chicago, and making fundraising calls on behalf of PresentationCamp LA.

Those are the main takeaways; for the full story (plus a bonus piece on what I learned about newsletters), please do check out my companion blog, communicatrix | markets.

Guest Post: Another HARO success story

We're big fans of Peter Shankman's Help a Reporter Out (HARO) mailing list here at the Marketing Mix blog. Previous guest poster and NYC-based feng shui consultant Ann Bingley Gallops is, too. Check out her latest experience with the list, and how she addressed the reporter in question to maximize her chances of becoming a journalist's resource.

I am on Peter Shankman’s Help a Reporter Out (HARO) mailing list. One of last Monday's editions (editrix's note: HARO goes out three times daily) contained the following query:

"I need an expert in the field of Feng Shui to speak about how harmonizing your bedroom/house will help relationship dynamics. This article will be posted on Beauty News NYC, an online beauty publication with over 400,000 unique visitors monthly. This is an opportunity to promote yourself as an expert. High resolution photo needed.”

I responded immediately with the following email:

"I am a Feng Shui expert here in NYC and have just given an entire workshop on this very topic, Feng Shui in the Bedroom.  In Feng Shui, the bedroom is one of the top three most important areas in any home. I love to talk about it because there are so many things people can do with Feng Shui to enhance their love lives in the bedroom."

I signed off with contact information and a link so that the reporter could check out my credentials.

The result? The reporter contacted me immediately to ask about my background and experience, and out of over 30 respondents to her query, she chose me for her piece. She told me that unlike the other responses she received, mine was "the most sincere". I interviewed with her the next morning and will be going to her home for a sample Feng Shui consultation. The results will appear on BeautyNewsNYC.com throughout the month of December. 

What did I learn? That “Be Yourself” applies in the field of media relations just as it does in so many parts of business life. This reporter didn’t want to hear about all the credentials I’ve accumulated until she was convinced that I was passionate about what I do.

Reader ideas about telling success stories

In my latest tip, with the subject line, "Are your success stories ready to tell," I gave some ideas for avoiding "blank mind syndrome" when someone asks you for "success stories" and linked to a worksheet from our book, The Designer's Guide to Marketing and Pricing, to help you mine your own stories. (If you missed that, read it here.)

A couple readers responded with a few more ideas:

• Bob Bly, longtime Marketing Mentor client and inveterate marketer, wrote, "Here's what I do. I tell the prospect to go to www.bly.com and click on Testimonials. When he is on the page, I tell him: "Here are my success stories."
• Audeliz Perez wrote, "When I first started selling real estate, I didn’t have any success stories, but that didn’t limit my ability to tell one. I would listen to what the other realtors were doing and what success they had. Then I would relate those same experiences to my clients; sometimes I related them in the first person and sometimes I told it as an all-knowing, 3rd person outsider. Ironically, the successes were received the same, as long as I believed in the story. Maybe when you someone asks you for a success story, they are looking for reassurance and maybe they’re looking to be motivated. The morale to this story is: learn to tell a story in any business, even if it’s not your own."

Any more ideas from the peanut gallery?

The news isn’t all gloomy

Don’t let depressing economic news get you down. Help is here, in the form of a hands-on workshop (with a special discount) I’m giving this Thursday for the Freelancers Union (sign up here) and in the form of tips from the trenches, where things aren’t all bad! I got this message from Jonathan Cleveland of Cleveland Design last week:

We are being bombarded with work. Why? Because the economy is tanking and large companies are laying off in-house design teams (they are always the first to go). A couple of our clients have greatly reduced the size of their internal design groups in the past month. They are also cutting budgets and getting rid of large external agencies. I think the work is ripe for the picking at this point for the small business or freelancer. Spread the word.

Jonathan’s experience just proves what I’ve always noticed about the economy: when one aspect is up, another is down. The savvy business owner is observant and nimble, watching closely to see how to adapt.

So I had a little chat with Jonathan to see if he had specific tips. Here’s an excerpt of our conversation:

Q: Why are internal creative departments the first to go?
A: Because they can outsource it in a second. There are plenty of freelancers out there ready to do the work.

Q: Who specifically can benefit from this?
A: If you have already established relationships with your prospects, you’re in a much better position. But even if you haven’t already done the up front relationship-building, focus on the large companies (the ones you’re most intimidated to call). They’re the ones who had people on staff but may not anymore, so they need the most help.

Q: Do you really think they are spending money on communications?
A: The thing to remember is a majority of the work still needs to be done, especially in financial services. They still need to have active business communications to develop new business. But they’re definitely looking for easier and lower-cost ways to do it. The fact that you’re not on their payroll makes you more attractive to start.

Q: So what exactly should we say?
A: There are two things you want to convey. The first is a question: If you know they have indeed laid people off, ask, “Are you hiring freelancers to help out on marcom (or marketing communications)?”
Secondly, you want to let them know you offer a better value compared to a larger firm. You can say, “I understand your team has been reduced; I can help you out. I can offer you great work at a great value.” Then, emphasize that your creative skills are at the same level as those in a large firm but you have less overhead and can therefore offer a better value.

Anyone else experiencing this too?

Guest Post: Conquering fear in one easy (cold) call

As she herself admits, Judith Reppucci should be a killer cold caller. She's a successful marketing copywriter with 15 years' experience in old-school, pound-the-pavement sales--for the Yellow Pages! So, fearless, right? No problem, right?

Well, the following account just proves that no one may be immune to fears about cold calling. And also that there is a way out, and it just might be Ilise & Peleg's no-nonsense, low-key approach to cold calls. Listen to Judith's experience of putting the information and inspiration she found in the Designer's Guide to Marketing & Pricing Podcast into action—serious action!

Six months ago, I met an mailing house exec at a New England Direct Marketer’s networking event. When she heard that I specialized in direct mail fundraising copy, she told me to call her coworker in the nonprofit side of their business. “They might be looking for some help,” she said. She even gave me the extension number, and told me to say she asked me to call.

Really, could there possibly be a better warm lead?

I have a folder of cold calling advice. I’ve read a half dozen books on how to cold-call. I’ve even been videotaped for cold call critiques. No matter. I was still stuck, mired in the fear that my value proposition wasn’t good enough, and that I’d get nervous and fumble (it’s happened before). I’m beyond ashamed that I’m such a big old wuss.

Then, a few weeks ago, while I was recovering from surgery, I started listening to your wonderful and very generous podcasts (thanks, Peleg, you’re great,too.) And, just listening to your casual, low-key delivery has made all the difference. Gee, you mean, you really don’t have to dial with all your marketing guns blazing? You don’t have to reel off a phony sales spiel when you‘re transferred to voice mail? And you can actually act, hmmm, natural and even genuine?

Yesterday I listened to Marketing Mentor podcast number six, the one with cold call role plays. “I can do that,” I told myself.

And guess what?

I did!

In fact, I just hung up from a great phone call with that prospect I’ve been avoiding.

When I gave the name of my referral at NEDMA, the prospect said, “Oh, sure.”

When I told him what I did and who I’ve worked for he said, “Oh, if you work for them, I guess you do a lot of hospital work.”

When I asked if he uses outside copywriters, he responded, “Not right now, but we’re expanding to more cause based clients, so this call might be coming at a good time for the fall appeals.”

And the rest of the call continued like something out of a cold call success story. Yes, indeed, he agreed it would be a good idea for me to send him a package of my work and my business card. Yes, he’d like it if I stayed in touch – and he readily gave me his e-mail. Yes, in fact, he wanted me to give him a call later this summer.

I've got to wrap this up because I have to send off my e-mail follow-up (gotta do it within 30 minutes, right?), but thanks again for all the easy-to-follow advice on the podcasts.

Oh—and speaking of podcasts, as a result of listening to yours, I’ve already ordered The Designer’s Guide to Marketing and Pricing. It’s very clear that you have great advice for copywriters, too!

Judith Reppucci is an independent copywriter, and she lives on beautiful Cape Cod. She crafts fundraising appeals for direct marketing consultants and nonprofit organizations. She also writes marketing collateral and online material for business and healthcare organizations. You can reach her at judith AT reppucci DOT com or at her website.

***

Have you learned anything from the Designer's Guide podcasts (not just for designers anymore!) you've already put to use? Got a great story, flash of insight or other fantastic tidbit to share with the class? Email me (colleen AT marketing-mentor DOT com) and maybe we can help make everyone a little bit smarter.

Looking for leads at the Fancy Food Show

One of our new Marketing Mentor clients, Dani Nordin of The Zen Kitchen, is a real foodie. So her target market -- no surprise -- is the specialty (especially natural) food and beverage industry. That's why she went looking for leads last weekend at the Fancy Food Show in NYC. (Next one is in San Francisco in January 2009.)

Check out her blog to read about all the incredible prospects she made contact with.

Guest Post: There’s Gold in Them There Tweets!

Looks like the communicatrix ain't the only Twitter apologist in the Marketing Mentor fambly; previous guest mixer and Marketing Mentor client Drury Bynum of Workerbee Creative—that's @drubynum for those of you on Twitter—also has good words for my current favorite time-waster—er...social media space.

You can't throw a rock in the blog world and not hit someone evangelizing about how social networks have changed everything. But I've always felt it hard to justify my time spent adding friends to Facebook, photos to Flickr or alerting my 68 followers on Twitter that I drink too much coffee this morning. I've always thought, "Am I really making connections here, or am I just personality spamming?"

Well, now I’m a believer because I actually I turned a relationship on Twitter into a paying job.

Twitter is a public instant messaging service, where you can subscribe to the posts of whomever you like, and vice versa. Like most, I originally didn't see the value. Yet it started to become clear when one evening I posted, "Thank God, or whomever, for Pandora." The next morning Pandora was following me. Pandora was obviously searching for Twitter entries (probably with a 3rd party app like Summize) that contained their name, and, as a bonus, accolades. I realized then the value of access to an audience that is actively listening.

The Twitter call to action is “What are you doing?” It should be, “What are you focused on right now?” This clarifies the point a bit – if you answer the first question, you may say, “I’m drinking coffee,” which is a dead end. But if you say, “I’d love to find a way to keep my coffee warm to the last drop,” (I did this) then you’ve created an invitation to respond. If your Tweets (individual Twitter entries) are useful, interesting, entertaining, part of a larger conversation or contain keywords that others are searching for, then you will get attention.

So how did I turn this attention into a paying gig? After posting a link to a video that I had created, one of my followers viewed it and sent me a direct message (via Twitter). "I've been following you on Twitter for a little while now and was checking out your blog." In the next sentence, she offered me a video job. Shortly after that, I came very close to securing a video shoot in Portugal after sending a casual tweet to a member of a large filmmaker network. I didn't get the assignment, but the point was that I was in the right place talking to the right person.

There is obviously no formula for getting work from Twitter, but if you use your imagination and talk about things that are valuable to the Twittersphere, then you will make some valuable connections.