First, a caveat: I am neither an attorney nor an accountant and none of my advice should be taken lieu of talking with a professional. Never let a blog post make your legal decisions for you. Also, all of this information is based on US law and law as of the date of publication. That said, this blog post is based on a few facts, my experience, and my advice based on these. … [Read more...]

It should go without saying, but not every client is the same. But often, we hope every client will react in exactly the same way to our pitches: With resounding YES! In reality, clients tend to fall into three groups—and if we approach these clients in the right way according to their groups, we’re much more likely to get that “yes.” The Three Types of Clients Clients fall … [Read more...]

I know I don’t have to tell you that better copy makes a website more effective. If the copy is better, visitors to that site will be more likely to interact, more likely to do what the website’s owner wants them to do. But it’s not always easy to draw a straight line between new, more effective copy and more sales. A better-written home page or a better-written About Us … [Read more...]

I’m going to assume you’re already clear on what copy is—persuasive writing, designed to either literally sell something or to persuade someone to take an action or think a certain way—and that you’re also clear on the difference between content and copy. (If not, you can check it out here.) But I think there’s still some confusion out there about where you find copywriting … [Read more...]

I LOVE a new year. It feels like a fresh start, an opportunity to reflect on what worked and what didn’t in the previous year, and an opportunity to build on the wins and correct the losses in the new year. I LOVE a new year. I also, as you might expect, love new year planning. Not only is it fun and inspiring, though, it’s also incredibly important. After all, if you don’t … [Read more...]

When we think about landing clients, we tend to only think about the first part: The pitching the client and getting them to agree to talk with us. After that, we’re home free, right?? Well, not exactly. The next step is a call with your would-be client. That call is a crucial step in the process of getting your client to agree to work with you—in the process of “closing” … [Read more...]

Last week, we talked about how putting your faith in a job or putting your faith in clients coming to you (whether through referrals or job-bidding sites) doesn’t work. In fact, putting your faith in any of those is pretty risky. The only thing you can count on is a thing you can control. And that’s why prospecting for your own clients is key to building a successful, … [Read more...]