Did you know that within IABC/Toronto there’s a special group for independents? Yes, PIC (Professional Independent Communicators) is designed for those of us who operate our own practices. From September to June we hold monthly professional development meetings that address the particular needs and interests of independents. I may be biased (OK, I am biased) when I say this is a great group of people who learn from and support each other. You can discover more about PIC at our website.
The last PIC meeting of this season takes place Wednesday evening, June 6, 2012, when Rhonda Page will talk about how to build a brand platform for effective marketing. Listen to a preview of this meeting here. If you would like to register for this event right now, you can go directly here.
And here you can take a peek at highlights from some PIC meetings of the past season. See, we're a fun group! We’ll update this video after the June meeting so we can include Rhonda. Thanks to Alan McKenzie for his photography.
Do you have a vision for your business? Do you know how to differentiate yourself with a unique message?
If you need to do more toward building a brand platform for effective marketing, come out to our IABC/Toronto Professional Independent Communicators (PIC) meeting on Wednesday evening, June 6, 2012, to meet Rhonda Page of KnowYourDifference.com. Rhonda is a trail blazer who has taken her 20 years of experience creating brand strategies for global companies to build a coaching program that makes differentiation accessible to the small business owner.
You can listen to a preview of Rhonda’s talk right here.
Last week a friend and I were reminiscing about our 20s, and wishing we could recapture just some of the hours we spent sitting around smoking Parliaments and polishing our nails.
Today, many of us are almost proud of being “too busy.”
Do you ever look back at the end of the day and ask yourself: “So what did I accomplish with my 86,400 seconds?” I do.
That’s why I’m excited that Ann Max of Productive to the Max is coming to speak to our IABC/Toronto Professional Independent Communicators (PIC) group on the evening of May 2. She will share her insights and help us to set priorities and manage our seconds, minutes and hours more effectively. Ann will also talk about the challenge of finding “me” time.
Listen to this conversation with Ann, where she maintains that: “We deserve to manage our time.”
At last night’s IABC/Toronto Professional Independent Communicators (PIC) meeting, Cathy Ledden and Paul Lima shared their secrets of business and marketing success. Their insights are captured here in a profusion of tweets.
Last year, a colleague of mine who is an independent PR practitioner was lamenting the state of his business. “I’m not making enough money,” he said, “and my spouse wants me to contribute more to our family.” I could understand his concern. He felt he wasn’t pulling in enough revenue. Where he lost me was his next statement: “I think I am going to give up my independent practice and get a ‘regular’ job.”
If this person had asked me for advice, here’s what I would have said:
Before deciding to give up your own business and abandon your existing clients and future prospects, have you tried to build up your business and expand your revenue?
Do you have a viable marketing plan?
Do you know your target market well, or are you trying to be all things to all people?
Have you increased your rates in the last two years?
Do you charge by the hour or by the project?
Does the marketplace view your service as a commodity or as a valuable offering?
What steps have you taken to put yourself in front of clients and prospects?
Are you exploiting the benefits of content marketing for your business?
Have you been sending out a regular newsletter, filled with useful information that people enjoy sharing?
Have you been blogging? Tweeting? Perhaps podcasting?
Is your LinkedIn profile up to date, with strong key words?
Do you use LinkedIn to connect with potential clients in your network?
Do you post helpful updates to LinkedIn?
How many networking events have you attended in the past year? How many meaningful connections did you forge at these meetings?
Are you known as a leader in your field?
Have you spoken at any industry events lately?
How many articles have you written for trade publications this year?
Do you ask your current clients for referrals and recommendations, including referrals within a client organization?
Have you made alliances with other practitioners, and outsourced where it makes sense?
Have you created information products that can generate passive income for you?
Are you constantly learning new things about your field, by attending seminars, reading blogs and listening to podcasts?
Have you considered that an employer can cut your “regular” job without much notice?
Have you calculated the genuine cost of being on salary, keeping in mind the tax breaks for independents, and the cost of suits and lunches out for employees, among other things?
Of course no one can do everything on my list. And I’m not saying that there is never an occasion where it’s wise to shut down your own business and join someone else’s. However, I do believe that insufficient revenue is not reason enough to jump ship. It’s important to look at the big picture and the long term.
What do you think? What would you add to this list?
UPDATE: I added the point about joining associations, which I had inadvertently left out of the post.
Network and learn from other indies in Toronto If you’re looking for inspiration and practical advice on being more successful as an independent, come to our IABC/Toronto Professional Independent Communicators meeting on Wednesday evening, March 7, 2012. For details and registration, visit the IABC/Toronto website.
In the meantime, you can listen to a short podcast with our guest speakers Dawn Boshcoff, principal and trainer, BOSHnewmedia Communications; Cathy Ledden, R.G.D., chief designer, Ledden Design; and Paul Lima, freelance writer and business writing trainer.
What kind of benefits will you get from using social media?
How can you use social media to reach potential clients?
How do you integrate social media activities into your busy work day?
How can you measure success?
Please join the IABC/Toronto Professional Independent Communicators for this event on October 5. For details and registration, visit the IABC/Toronto website.
To listen to a very short podcast with the guest speakers, click here.
I received an email yesterday that made me sad. It was from someone whose name I didn’t recognize, but I opened it because of the subject line. It was a plea for work. Apparently I’d crossed paths with this fellow at some point – me and about 40 other people whose names he put in the “TO” line. But let’s forget about this email etiquette breach. The important thing is this: He – let’s call him Joe -- was pleading for more business because things were too slow for him to keep his independent communications practice open.
That’s sad. What’s even worse is that about a month ago, a colleague of mine was looking for someone with the precise expertise that Joe possesses. At the time, I wracked my brains, trying to remember if I knew anyone who was an expert in this niche. A search through my brain, my database and LinkedIn turned up nothing. No Joe.
Joe did not come to mind. And do you know why? Because even though we’d crossed paths at some point, he didn’t keep in touch. He didn’t ask to put me on his mailing list. He never offered me a newsletter. He didn’t have a blog – not one that I knew of, anyway. He wasn’t active on LinkedIn. Oh, and I just checked: He has a Twitter feed, with about four updates in the last three months.
So after Joe and I had that initial interaction – whatever it was – for all intents and purposes he disappeared into the ether, from my point of view.
As independents, we are always at risk of disappearing. Or falling off the ends of the earth. Or whatever doomsday metaphor you prefer.
So how do you save yourself from Joe’s fate?
First, of course, you have to do great work, so that clients will hire you repeatedly, and they will tell their colleagues about you.
Publish a regular newsletter of tips and information of value to your clients and prospects. Invite people to subscribe to it. Don’t spam them!
Start a blog; write posts related to your industry. Invite clients and colleagues to read your blog. Comment on blogs by people you admire.
Start a Twitter account; follow people who are important in your field, and post your own helpful updates.
Listen to podcasts related to your industry; submit comments to those podcasts.
Curate content that would be of interest to your clients and prospects; link to this content in your blog and on Twitter. Do this on GooglePlus, too.
Keep in touch with your clients on a regular basis by sending them a link to an interesting article or blog post that you’ve come across. All you have to say is: “Hello, Mary. I saw this piece in the Economist and I thought of you. I hope all is well. Please keep in touch.” That’s it. If you’re afraid of being pushy, don’t worry. You don’t have to be pushy.
The goal is to be top of mind so that you don’t have to send out a desperate plea as Joe has resorted to.
Don’t be him. Make yourself top of mind.
Of course there are many other marketing tactics that independents can use. But I think all of these that I’ve mentioned could have been helpful to Joe or to any writer, editor or communications or PR consultant. What would you add?
This month, I’ll reach the milestone of 26 years as a self-employed communications consultant. When I made the leap into solo practice, I was not only leaving the safety of the corporate world for the uncertainty of consulting, but I was also switching careers, from systems analyst to communicator.
Looking back, I think I’ve learned a few things worth sharing.
The nuns in school were right: Poor grammar and spelling make you look less intelligent or just plain careless. (Gosh, I hope there are no typos in this piece.)
Be sure to establish goals, and strategies for attaining them, before setting your sights on tactics.
As technology advances, organizations need even more help to tell their stories – or “create content” in today’s parlance.
You never know when you’ll cross paths with a person again; always be gracious.
Keep learning. Especially during the last decade, the pace of change has been exploding, and you must keep up to remain relevant and helpful to your clients.
You need a sounding board. Seek out a mastermind group or advisory committee for advice.
Time off is essential. Step away from the keyboard and silence the smartphone.
You need to be accessible, but not 24/7. If a client wants you to be available evenings and weekends, be sure you’re comfortable with this arrangement before taking on the assignment.
You will make plenty of mistakes. As long as you learn from them, it’s OK.
Hire an accountant. Why spend time figuring out arcane tax laws?
Learn to say no. If you don’t, you’ll inevitably burn out.
There’s no need to put down your competition. Let your fans speak positively about you.
You will experience highs and lows; they’re part of the independent territory. On some days, you’ll question your own sanity.
Take the call when the headhunter phones; have lunch with the agency person who wants to recruit you. It’s always useful to find out what’s happening on the agency and corporate side.
Find a niche. Your area of specialization may change, but you must have one. Gone are the days when you could flourish as a generalist.
Encourage your clients to set up online payments via wire transfer or other means; don’t rely on snail mail if you don’t have to.
Try to bill according to value, not hours.
Remember to put aside money for income tax and other levies, such as our beloved Harmonized Sales Tax in Canada. And be sure to set up your own retirement account since you don’t have a company pension.
Take the time to talk to students and newcomers to your field.
Develop skills as a public speaker, to increase your visibility.
Network, network, network – with the right tribe. You may find a tribe online or in person or both.
Some of the trappings of business are still necessary for independents: business cards, a decent computer, and a phone line not answered by a three-year old. Fortunately, the noisy fax machine and expensive letterhead are obsolete. (I still have several rolls of fax paper and 500+ sheets of fancy stationery in my office closet.)
Donate your expertise to a charity. They’ll appreciate your efforts and you’ll feel great about contributing.
If you’re an indie, you might be interested in a few of their upcoming events:
IABC/Toronto Professional Independent Communicators: Taking the fear out of cold calling Most indies probably want to run screaming from the room at the mention of cold calling, but they will change their minds after meeting Tom Kaufmann. At the May 4 PIC meeting, Tom will demonstrate the value of cold calling as a business development tool, and he’ll also show us how we can craft elevator speeches and infomercials that make a great impression in those all-important first five to seven seconds. For a sneak preview of Tom’s presentation, you can listen to this 11-minute podcast.
May 4, 2011, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Location TBD; downtown Toronto You must register in advance; payment cannot be accepted at the door. For more info, or to register, visit the IABC/Toronto site.
Halton Peel Communications Association: Brand impacts business Learn how brand impacts business with Rhonda Page. Understand what branding is all about (a brand is not a logo) and why it’s important for business growth. According to Rhonda, this talk is for you if you find standing out from the crowd a challenge; have clients who are unsure of their message or differentiation; or are experiencing a slow sales process with less-than-optimal results. Rhonda recently launched her first published book, which takes readers through her insightful and inspiring process.
IABC/Toronto Professional Independent Communicators: Step into the spotlight This event is not yet on the IABC/Toronto website, but you’ll want to mark your calendar now.
In a fast-paced, hilarious presentation, Tsufit, a former comedienne, will share her “secrets of stardom” – provocative tips on getting seen, getting heard and getting yourself and your business noticed. In her powerful talk, you’ll learn how to attract clients in just 30 seconds, the three biggest mistakes most entrepreneurs make and how to avoid them, and much more. Read more on Tsufit at her website.
June 1, 2011, 6 to 9 p.m. Location TBD; downtown Toronto
Highlights of the April PIC meeting If you weren’t at the April 6 PIC meeting to hear Paul Chato, that’s too bad. He shared some valuable insights into what makes a successful website by conducting “interviews” with sites. You had to be there! But if you weren’t, please read Amy Sept’s blog post and take a look at this quick video.
This morning I was speaking with a fellow independent communicator about the subject of following up. Sometimes we indies fall into the trap of responding to a request for a quote, and then forgetting all about it. You get busy. Stuff happens.
In my experience, clients appreciate your following up, for a couple of reasons:
Your quotation may have gone astray. This happened to me this afternoon. I had sent a proposal on March 25. The prospect phoned today, March 31, to say she had just found it in her junk folder. If I had followed up, she would have been alerted to the presence of my precious message among offers for malehood enhancement.
The client may truly want to move ahead on the project, but is bogged down with other priorities. So, your follow-up call helps her to stay on track with her project.
My favourite way to follow up is by phone. These days, email is so ubiquitous that a phone call stands out. And if your original email got trapped in Spam Land, what makes you believe that your follow-up note won’t suffer the same fate? In the call, I don’t want to badger the person by saying what might be on my mind: “Hey, have you read the proposal that I spent six hours on? Huh, didja?
No, instead I say something like: “I was wondering if you’ve had a chance to look at my proposal for your podcast project. April is looking pretty busy, and I wanted to be sure to set aside time for you.” In this way, you’re seen as helpful, not pushy. And of course, in your heart of hearts, you do want to function as an important resource for your client, right?
So please don’t be afraid to follow up. Even when you’re busy.
Here's an audio version of this post. Note, if you want to download it, click on the "down" arrow in the player.
