Posts Tagged ‘work’
Are You Ready For A New Career?
Is your current or most recent job truly what you want to do?
Do you dread the prospect of coming into work every day? Do you look back on your work day as you travel home and cannot seem to find a fulfilling moment? If you answered yes, read on.
You could be unhappy with your supervisor; you may not like the politics or corporate culture; or you may not like the industry you are in. You may also feel that you are underpaid, underutilized, undervalued or unappreciated. You may not have sufficient opportunities for career advancement; or perhaps you are feeling overworked. These are all common experiences among employees.
What are your choices?
If you love what you do, if you get motivated and excited in a particular field of interest, if you can put your arms around a career with enthusiasm and gusto, then you have found your passion and you will experience fulfillment and joy daily.
You will look forward to work each day. On your drive home, you will find yourself looking back on your day and smiling.
Give yourself the opportunity to create something better for yourself. Explore your options fully. There is no need to settle or go through a process of elimination to end up with only one career choice. Why limit yourself?
A good place to start could be in the areas you have delved in the past. If you engaged briefly in a particular project that you thoroughly enjoyed, then you have a skill and experience that can be leveraged into an entirely new career.
You can also avail yourself of the many career assessment programs and free personality tests found on the Internet. One such assessment tool is MAPP. It’s free and takes about fifteen minutes to complete. The results are quite revealing. Their website is http://www.assessment.com
Many people have gone through career transitions. These are successful people, happy with their new careers, and enjoying and loving what they are doing. They made a choice to become a career builder and make a better life for themselves. So can you.
Give yourself the gift of a career you can get enthusiastic about which utilizes your special talents and unique gifts. Follow your passion; you will thank yourself over and over again.
Copyright © 2005 TopDog Group All rights reserved.
David Richter is a recognized authority in career coaching and job search support. He has spent many years in recruitment, staffing, outplacement, counseling psychology and career management spanning most industries and professions. David founded TopDog Group in response to the needs of job candidates to have a higher quality of career coaching and support available on the Internet. David understands the mechanisms for success. He has formulated specific strategies anyone can use to secure interviews and receive offers. His extensive knowledge and experience sets David apart in this field, allowing him to offer a wealth of information and a vast array of tools, resources and strategies not found anywhere else. He has shown countless job seekers how to differentiate themselves and leverage their potential to the highest possible level, making a real difference in their careers. David holds both a Bachelors and Masters degree in Electrical Engineering and a Masters of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology. David’s website address is: http://www.procareercoach.com
Loving Every Phenomenal Part of You
Have you ever wished yourself away? I am not referring to leaving your precious life on this Earth; but rather, just wished you weren’t a certain way or did not have some particular qualities and mannerisms that were so apparent to you. I know I have.
In the past, I’ve had a very difficult time when others would point out my weaknesses to me, either constructively or not-so tactfully. I would think, ” Wow, not only do I think these are big problems I have, but now everyone else sees them as well.” I would hope and pray that these parts of my personality would disappear into the deep character trait abyss. I would pretend to myself they weren’t present or I would try my hardest to cover them up. I spent a lot of time and energy on hiding these areas that I wanted so desperately to vanish.
A big first step in learning to love oneself and in self-forgiveness is accepting every part of you as the unique person that you are. All of your so-labeled liabilities can be tweaked into assets, but they must first be accepted. Otherwise, you are pushing against the grain and not being authentic to your true self.
Let me give you an example of what I am talking about. In all of my past serious relationships, I have loved very passionately- so much so, that I’ve depended on the other person in the relationship for my happiness (what is commonly referred to as co-dependence). My moods depended on their moods, their well-being, or were correlated to the way they were treating me at the time. One can argue that this is not really love. I feel it was love, but with a very important component missing-that passionate love for myself? With it, the “dysfunctional” one-sided relationships may have flourished or an even more likely scenario~ I would have probably not attracted them in the first place (but that’s a topic for another day). Once I accepted this as a part of my unique persona I was able to direct it in a more healthy manner-passionate love for my child, my work, my family, my faith, and most importantly, myself.
You may find your dark sides in anger, co-dependence, low self-esteem or a combination of these or other perhaps not so desirable traits. We are missing a part of us by wishing these traits weren’t ours and not owning up to every inch of them. If we are only loving a part of ourselves or of others, we are not fully engaged in the experience of love. You know that feeling of being in a relationship where the other person may “kind of like you” or you “kind of like them”. It doesn’t flourish, and neither party is truly happy. It has been said by finding an area in which you have found the most struggles, therein lies your true purpose. These are gifts for us to embrace; lessons are presented for us to learn. Think of one of your greatest challenges-has that not shaped who you are today? When you are in the midst of it, it can be difficult; but when you step back, you see the beauty of it all.
Accept your yin and your yang. Accept your dark and your light. Accept your failures and your successes. I am not suggesting that we use this as an excuse to not participate in personal development or self-care, or to neglect to learn those lessons that are often presented to us throughout our lives. Instead I am suggesting that we embrace our unique selves and know that we are not on this Earth to take up space but rather to fulfill a beautiful life of our dreams in our own special way~ every valuable bit of us.
“If you can’t accept yourself, then certainly no one else will.” ~Author Unknown
Copyright 2005~Deborah Shipley is a registered yoga teacher, publisher of a free monthly e-zine on self-esteem, and an e-book author. This article may be distributed provided the author’s information is included in its entirety. http://www.tipsforinterpersonalskills.com
Fashion Tips: Dress to Look Young
Dress to look young? Well think about it, how are you normally dressed? How do you normally present yourself to others? Unknowingly, a lot of us have been wearing clothes that made us appear older than we actually are, especially due to the nature of our work.
To maintain a youthful look, a lot of women have invested heavily on skin care products. Many at times neglecting the very basic, the clothing they wore everyday, the way they are dressed. Some due to their profession didn’t even realize that all these while; they are actually dressing to look old! Anti-ageing cream simply won’t just do magic to them.
To look young and pretty isn’t really that difficult. All you need is to spend a little time & effort, giving yourself a little touch up.
Tips:
Try out a new hairstyle. Visit a hairdresser, they will be able to advise and styled your hair to suit you, bringing out that radiant in you.
If you are still wearing glasses, why not give it a try with contact lens? You can have excellent peripheral vision and at the same time, ease, comfort and convenience. Not forgetting to mention, a more youthful look. Don’t you love the way you naturally look without your glasses?
Put on some light makeup to help lift your face, bringing out that natural beauty in you. Do however avoid too heavy a makeup; a heavy eye makeup tends to add ages to the look.
Try out new styles; add a little color to your daily wear. Yes, appropriate dressing for work is important, especially when your job involves frequent meeting with clients. But still, that doesn’t mean that you have to stick to the same old boring dull clothing everyday. Well, as long as they are not too short, too tight, too revealing and too bright, you can still have fun with mixing and matching while maintaining your professional image.
For instance, instead of the usual dull black pants & skirt, you can also go for a Glencheck Pants, Ice Blue Cotton Flare Leg Pants, a Pink Stretch Twill Pencil Skirt, White Pleated knee Skirt?
Matching them with Yellow Stretch Corduroy Belted Blouse, Mint Chiffon V-neck Blouse, a White, Blue & Red Stripe Button Front Shirt? Perhaps even a Blue Dot Capsleeve Jersey Dress?
Many work place, has nonetheless also adopted the idea of a Casual Friday. A printed tee with faded stretch denim jean? Why Not? Well and of course not forgetting the weekends. A Sporty & Youthful look? It’s your weekend you call the shots!
Hmm? Save the best for the last? Well, there’s no need to wait for any special occasion to doll yourself up. You deserve to look your best everyday. Last but not least, put on a smile?
Rick Valens is a freelance writer for Fashion-In-Style, bringing to you new fashion ideas & lifestyle. Visit now: http://www.fashion-in-style.com/
NOTE: You’re free to republish this article on your website, in your newsletter, in your e-book or in other publications provided that the article is reproduced in its entirety, including the author information and all live website link as above.
The 7 Major Reasons Businesses Fail and How to Overcome Them
This year, over 800,000 of the approximately 2,000,000 start up businesses will fail!
Nearly 1,000,000 of those remaining will fail within 3 years. Why do so many businesses fail? Many studies show that approximately 98% of all failures occur because of the owners. The other 2% are a result of acts of God. Here are the key reasons and actions owners can take to avoid and overcome business failure:
Reason #1: The owner is not mentally prepared or motivated to run a business. There are three different ways to use your energy, and your physical and mental efforts to earn money. I call them the three “Games of Work.,” and they define the types of relationships between people and their work. The rules that players have to follow to succeed for each “Game” are shown below.
1. Bureaucrats,: Do what it takes to protect or expand their position; Will divert responsibility whenever possible, but will take credit for desirable results of others; The success of the organization is secondary to kissing up to those who make decisions about promotions, salaries and job security; Have virtually no control over their job security; And are compensated for basically showing up.
2. Partial Entrepreneurs: Choose to be responsible for work performed or results achieved in their specialized field, but do not want responsibility for the total business. Have more control over their job and its security; And are paid for the specific results they produce. Examples of Partial Entrepreneurs include; commissioned salesmen, multilevel marketing members, franchisees, and real estate agents.
3. Business Owners: Take full responsibility for their business; Are in full control over their job and its security (whether they know it or not); Have no one in the organization to kiss up to; Learn to pass on as much credit as possible; Constantly focus on the success of the business; And are compensated only from the profits of the business.
As you can see, the rules of a Bureaucrat and a Business Owner are completely opposites in all categories, and the Partial Entrepreneur is basically in the middle. The mental effort it takes to convert from Bureaucrat or Partial Entrepreneur to Business Owner is much greater than most people realize. Many business owners never fully make the transition.
Action: Before becoming a business owner in the first place, determine if you truly want and will operate under the Business Owner “Game Rules.” If you choose to, do so IMMEDIATELY, and COMPLETELY! To survive, let alone succeed, you must commit to operate under the Business Owner Rules 100%. Otherwise, you should seriously consider playing one of the other “Games of Work” that best suits your desires.
Reason #2: The business owner is unable to operate a business. The success or failure of a business depends on the owner. As the head goes, so goes the body. Running a business is completely different than any other “Game of Work,” but, believe it or not, the rules are the same for all types of businesses. Far too many owners fail to take the time and energy to improve their own ability to run their business. This means that they need to grow as a person first and enrich themselves and discover their true passions and priorities to be able to have the maturity, drive, and energy to allow them to manage themselves and a business simultaneously.
Action: You will greatly enhance your chances for success by finding methods of self-improvement in all aspects of running a business, and continue the process throughout your entire business-ownership career. Obviously, as you become better at running your business, the success of your business will also get better. Many resources are available to you, including respected advisors, mentors, partners, “Godfathers, ” and coaches.
Reason #3: The business owner thinks he knows what it takes to run a successful business and is convinced he is fully prepared to jump in. This is rarely true. The fundamentals of owning and operating a business sometimes referred to as the “rules of the game,” are rarely taught in the U.S. school system. (See Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, published by Babson College and Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, July, 1999.)
We are led to believe that an education fully prepares us for running a business. In truth, the U.S. school system only prepares us to get a job, not create jobs. The fundamentals of successfully owning and operating a business are very different from getting and keeping a job. Unfortunately, most business owners are left to learn these fundamentals through the age-old process of “Trial and Error” with an emphasis on error. This “Trial and Error” dependence causes far too many serious and fatal errors, and leads to stress, financial damage, and eventual failure.
Action: Learn the rules of the game of business, other than through the “Trial and Error” method. The very best way is to find and use trusted mentors, advisors, and/or coaches to guide you through the process of learning how to improve your capability to run your business to avoid the many errors others make. Frankly, the rules are simple, easy to learn, and are based upon common sense, and high integrity
Reason #4: The business owner tries to execute all three of the three basic functions needed for a business to succeed, alone and without help. (See The E Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber). The three key functions a business must have executed to succeed are:
The Technical function, which is the execution of the actual service or product provided by the business. For example the drafting action of a drafting company, the auto repair actions of an auto repair company, the production of a boat of a boat building company.
The Managerial function, which is the organization, coordination, and supervision of the people assets and activity of the business on a day to day basis.
The Visionary function, which is the discovery, setting and communication of the future goals and purposes of the entire business. The leadership to get all parts of the business flowing towards the long term goals established.
The level of success of a business is limited to the level of the execution of the weakest link of the three business functions described. A business that has two of the functions executed in an excellent manner and the other in a poorly manner will eventually level out no higher than poor.
Yet, entrepreneurs (budding business owners) and business owners try to personally perform all three functions themselves. One single person will have an extremely difficult time performing all three functions at a high enough level for the business to eventually succeed.
Michael Jordan, one of the best basketball players of all time, could not translate his huge basketball skills into a successful baseball career. He proved that the skills needed to succeed at the game of baseball are much different from the skills needed to succeed at the game of basketball. And when he returned to basketball, he had to work extra hard to re-sharpen his basketball skills to his previous levels. Likewise, the skills of owning and operating a business are specific and very different than the other two “Games of Work.”
Action: Get help from someone, a partner, an employee or an outsourcing resource to perform at least one of the two functions for the business. This way that function can be executed at a very high level and will allow you to focus on executing no more than the other two at a similar high level. Normally entrepreneurs initiate businesses where they bring the technical skills and motivation to the table.
The three skills necessary to win in the business game are: Technical Skills of the business; Managerial Skills to manage yourself, time, things, concepts, and people; and Visionary Skills to set future goals and organize the business so that current activities will contribute to them (See The E Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber).
You probably bring Technical Skills to the table, but to succeed, you will also want to master the Managerial and Visionary Skills. You are not born with these skills; you learn them. You are born with natural talents towards certain skills, but you have to work to perfect them. Michael Jordan, and Tiger Woods were obviously born with unbelievable talents, but they became successful only because they worked very hard at developing the skills they needed to win. Likewise, you will want to work to develop your Management and Visionary Skills (from the Business Owners Perspective) and continue the process throughout your business ownership career.
Reason #5: The owner starts a business for the wrong reason: “No one can boss me around;” Or; “I will create my own job;” “If he/she can be successful, so can I;” “I will buy a business and enjoy the fruits of ownership;” “I want to pursue my passion for serving others.” And so on. The stresses and problems resulting from running a business for the wrong reasons can become overwhelming, especially when you generate little or no profits.
Action: “The only reason to have your own business is to Make a Profit.” Though this may sound cold and greedy, you will realize rewards and compensation only from your business profits. If your business doesn’t make a profit, you get nothing. You might even discover you have been working for nothing, or worse, working to increase your debt.
This does not mean you have to avoid meaningful, and emotional reasons for living. Not at all. The profits and personal time gained from the business will provide you the resources to pursue your life goals. Even religious institutions require profits and time to pursue their passion of serving others.
Reason #6: Business owners do not completely consider the perspective and motivations of potential customers. Customers’ perspective must be addressed so owners can entice enough customers to buy their products or services at a price over their costs to produce the desired profits. From the very beginning, owners should be focused on enticing customers to buy. Owners who do not know, understand, or appreciate their potential customers’ perspectives will most likely see their business fail.
Action: Learn as much as possible about your potential customers. Design and provide products or services, delivery methods, pricing, and ways to communicate with them around their perspective. This might require that you get help stepping out of your own perspective and into someone else’s.
Reason #7: Business owners insist on going it alone without asking or accepting outside help. The sole business owner has one of the loneliest positions in the world. Many owners have difficulty confiding in their employees, vendors, customers, lenders, or competitors, for fear that any one of them will take advantage of revealed weaknesses. Most owners try to go it alone by working IN their business, and not near enough time working ON the business. Consequently, they are not aware of what they are doing, where they are going, or why! (the “Trial and Error” method).
Action: Find and use Advisors, Mentors, Coaches, and/or Trusted Partners who have the knowledge and desire to educate and guide you, with your best interests at heart. All professional athletes have one, if not several, coaches, advisors, mentors, who help them become much more successful than they ever could be on their own. Coaches evaluate your ability to run your business. They will bring you outside the stress, money, and time pressures you feel from working IN the business, to help you make the changes to result in improving your profits and reducing your pressures. You will become much more successful with advisors. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of your desire to improve. Learning from the trials and errors of others is an enjoyable and profitable experience. Once you find the right advisors, you learn to prevent and correct mistakes you might otherwise make.
Provided as an educational service by Bill Dueease of The Coach Connection, where “connecting great people with great coaches” is their goal. You may receive a free copy of the article “10 Insider Secrets Most Business Owners Never Learn” by contacting The Coach Connection at 800-887-7214 or 239-415-1777 or coaches@findyourcoach.com, or at http://www.findyourcoach.com/0o-business-coach.htm
10 Tips for Working With a Contractor
This is the year you’re going all out. You’re going to build a deck, add a porch, erect a gazebo or lay a patio. You’ve done the research. It’s well within your capability and you’re looking forward to the satisfaction of creating a structure of beauty.
Or not. Yes — you’d like to proceed with an outdoor structure but for you, it isn’t a do-it-yourself project. How can you find the right person to do it for you? Here are 10 tips for hiring and working with a contractor.
1. Plan your project carefully. Clip pictures, make sketches, write a description. This will help you accurately convey to the contractor what you want the finished product to be.
2. Make a list of contractors. Ask your neighbors or friends for the names of reputable tradesmen. Contact material suppliers — lumberyards, for example — and ask for recommendations.
3. Get at least three written bids for the project, but don’t give in to the temptation to automatically accept the lowest bid. A higher bid may be worth the price in better materials, workmanship and reliability. If you get a very low bid, the contractor may have made a mistake or forgotten to bid on everything you wanted. If they have deliberately low-bid, they may use cheaper materials or take shortcuts to make a profit.
4. Many states and provinces require registration and/or licensing. For the USA, www.nationalcontractors.com provides a starting point for your state and type of construction. Click on Verify Contractors License. If licences are required in your jurisdiction, be certain to ask to see your contractor’s licences and be sure that it’s not expired.
5. Ask for references and then check them out. Look at the projects and ask the previous clients if they are satisfied with the quality of work done, if it was started and completed on schedule and if it is complete.
6. Get a signed, written contract and be sure you understand it. The Construction Contractors Board of Oregon claims that the single biggest cause of homeowner-contractor disputes is the written contract: not having one, having a poor one, or having one everyone ignores. A good contract should include:
- The company name, address (not a post office box) & phone number, the name of the builder, contractor and licence number, if applicable
- A detailed project description
- A materials list
- A statement that all necessary permits and inspections are the responsibility of the contractor
- Starting and completion dates
- Warranties of workmanship, the length of the warranty, and specifically what’s covered and what’s not
- Contractor’s guarantee that he carries liability insurance and worker’s compensation coverage
- A statement that clean-up will be done by the contractor
- The total price and payment schedule
- Be wary of hourly, time and materials or cost-plus pricing where the final price is not determined until completion of the project. Although it may seem higher, a fixed price may give you the best protection and price.
- Be cautious about upfront payments for more than 15% of the contract price.
- The schedule and criteria for each instalment should be clearly defined in the contract.
- Any instalments should be not be required on a certain date, but correlated to work completion.
- Do not pay cash. A reputable builder will ask for a check.
7. Make any changes to the project in writing with a “work order change” to avoid misunderstandings and surprises.
8. Keep pets and children away from the construction site. This will ensure not only their safety, but also that of the workers. In addition, it helps keep the project on schedule.
9. Inspect the work regularly.
10. Pay directly and promptly according to the contract.
Above all, you should feel comfortable communicating with your contractor. If you sense he is being evasive when you are getting a quote, it won’t get any better during the construction period. Find someone you understand and who understands you, and who is open and forthright.
Working with a contractor takes a little preparation, but following these steps is well worth it. Are you looking forward to your new outdoor space?
About The Author
Debbie Rodgers owns and operates Paradise Porch, and is dedicated to helping people create outdoor living spaces that nurture and enrich them. Visit her on the web at www.paradiseporch.com and get a free report on “Eight easy ways to create privacy in your outdoor space”. Mail to debbie@paradiseporch.com
The Christmas Special, a Dark Novel for Jolly Time
Christmas Holiday is not always the celebration of joy and happiness. It is also a time for reflection. With ongoing conflicts of the world today, Christmas can also mean a time of terror. Now and then, incidents happened in Christmas times. Bombings at Churches, explosions in a Mass, both are real. Inspired from these tragedies, a new novel sets on Christmas time is on the waiting line to be released.
The Christmas Special, a new novel to be released on Christmas 2010, is another work from David Hearne, the author of Hulagu’s War. The Christmas Special is a complicated thriller story about romance, political, and racial issues. The protagonists of the story are two teenagers, an Afghan girl and an American boy, who work together to save a Christmas morning from a nuclear attack planned to launch by Muslim terrorists.
From the theme, Christmas Special has quite a cliché one. Issue on race and religion is not an innovative one, but at least has the power to attract potential readers. The combination of dark background with Christmas’s jolly colors on The Christmas Special official website adds a dark aura of this novel. Will this novel be a Christmas’ best seller? We have 125 days counting down to uncover the result.
5 Critical Mistakes Most Freelance Copywriters Make
Think you have what it takes to be a freelance copywriter? I wasn’t so sure I knew when I first started in 1999. All I knew was I desperately wanted to work from home to raise my two sons after my divorce. It took a lot of trial and error to get to the stabile and profitable business I am running now in 2005. There are some things I learned along the way I wish I knew much earlier in the game.
One thing I learned is that writing is a very small part of being a successful freelance copywriter. Don’t get me wrong. You DO need to know how to write. But your success depends largely on your savvy as a businessperson. How do I know? Because I’ve played it from both sides of the street. And I didn’t begin to enjoy success until I started doing some very distinct things in my business.
Please let me share with you some of the mistakes I made starting out so you can avoid those pitfalls yourself?and catapult to success much faster than it took me.
Mistake #1: Don’t attract new clients.
When I first started out in 1999 I had exactly one client. He kept me very busy?for awhile. Then, without warning, he suddenly shifted his business to 100% offline and began using a copywriter with more experience in that area. I floundered for 10 months before I got back on my feet again from that blow.
Solution: NEVER stop marketing yourself. Even if you have a full practice, don’t stop getting the word out. Write articles and press releases. Do interviews whenever possible. Start an ezine and/or a blog so your name is always out there. Don’t get caught flat-footed.
Mistake #2: Don’t effectively manage your clients.
At first I was so grateful to have any clients I let them call all the shots – regardless of what was in my best interest. It took me a long time to realize every client is not a match for me. Sometimes they were unreasonable in deadlines. Other times they would call me at all hours?including 6 a.m. and even on the weekends. (Until I learned to communicate better there were even a few clients I had to fire!) Bottom line is you can never have enough communication.
Solution: Have the client fill out a detailed questionnaire to open up lines of communication. Get a feel for his or her expectations. Add an extra cushion to your deadline. If possible, get a gatekeeper (assistant) to set up schedule so you can focus on what you do best – writing.
Mistake #3: Poor time management.
Eager to please, I often did not give myself enough lead time for an assignment. I’d say, “I’ll do it!” before I looked at the reality of my schedule. So I’d have to pull all nighters or miss important family events. I was incredibly stressed and not a lot of fun to be around.
Solution: Schedule your daily schedule BEFORE you go to bed at night. Turn off email until you’ve made some headway with your copy. And use a kitchen timer to work in increments of 35 minutes (studies show after that frame your mind craves distraction). When the ding goes off, get up, stretch and clear your head.
Mistake #4: Not getting paid enough as a copywriter.
Face it?copywriters do a lot more work than most people realize. We have to deeply research the client’s business, competition and target market. Then we have to write excellent copy that crawls inside the head of the prospect and leads them to a specific action. I didn’t find out until late in the game there is more than one way to structure a deal. I only recently figured out how to get paid on the front end AND the back end for my work. (There is still a ton I need to learn about this which is why I can’t wait for the exclusive Dan Kennedy seminar on the business of copywriting in October!)
Solution: Value yourself enough to get paid what you’re worth. Have an iron-clad contract that protects you.
Mistake #5: Don’t invest in yourself.
I have read the classic “Think and Grow Rich” 14 times. Every time I read it, I learn something new. I go to seminars (even when I’ve heard the speakers before). Because I learn something new every time. I have a huge marketing library of books, binders, home study courses, CDs, DVDs, MP3s and I listen to them over and over. Again, every time I take in material, whether it’s new or old, I learn something new.
Successful people in all walks of life invest in themselves. It’s one of the keys that separates them from the less successful. (Trust me, at times it hurt to part with the massive amounts of cash I’ve laid out for this education. But the payoff happens every time. Just do it.)
Solution: If you’re looking to attract more money into your business, start by investing in yourself. Think LONG TERM. As the old adage says, “If you’re not growing, you’re dying.”
International copywriting trainer, author and speaker, Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero has been a freelance writer and journalist for over 25 years. Her words have made her clients hundreds of thousands of dollars. Now she focuses her vast experience on teaching others the skill of copywriting. Lorrie is the author of a highly acclaimed copywriting course, creator of the Red Hot Copywriting Bootcamp and founder of Copy Campus, a unique membership resource site designed to support copywriters and entrepreneurs on all levels. Visit her site to learn more at http://www.red-hot-copy.com
Your Article Headlines will Make or Break Your Business
Most people with an online presence will have to regularly deal with the issue of coming up with an appropriate headline. The problem is that most people do not take it seriously enough. Many do not realize that the headline is so important that no matter how good the content is, it will never get read if the headline does not beckon surfers to it.
The power of a headline In the offline world of the tabloid press, one headline can sell a few hundred copies while another in the same publication, can sell several million copies. Online headlines are even more important as quite often somebody will not have an opportunity to leaf through, like they do in a print publication. Quite often, even a summary will not be available and all the prospective reader has to go on, is the headline.
Most of us forget that we are motivated to read almost everything that we read online through the headline. Open any news page and you will only click on the headlines that you find interesting. Even on a page of search engine results, you will tend to go for a lower ranked page with a better headline.
What this clearly means is that every little tiny headline that you place on every small piece of content is important and will have an impact on how often that item gets read. Ultimately every little headline will contribute towards the success or failure of your site.
And what makes things even more difficult is the fact that you will be competing with many other excellent headlines online, most of them the work of professional copy writers working for leading websites.
Come up with your headline when the content is done The most effective way of writing good headlines is to come up with your headline only when you have finished reading the content. Not only is it easier to come up with a much better headline when the content is done, but you also be able to come up with different headlines covering different aspects of the article. You can then decide which is the most attractive aspect of the article to base your headline on.
This has become a harder decision to make in recent times because you have to consider other aspects like keywords with search engines in mind and balance this with the most captivating headline that will result in most people clicking on it to read the contents.
Spend more time on the headline and come up with various options Professional copywriters usually spend much more time on the headline than they do writing they content. It is important to come up with several headlines before you settle on your final choice. It is a good idea to regularly test different headlines for the same articles and see which one attracts the most hits.
About the author: S. Rosendahl is a Technical Executive Writer for Website Source, Inc. http://www.websitesource.com. Her established writing skills coupled with experience in the website hosting industry have provided internet professionals with marketing, product and service ideas for many years.
Sowing the Seeds of Opportunity: How to Multiply Your Freelance (Writing) Work
You can turn your $200 fee to write a press release into $2,000 to carry out an entire PR campaign simply by convincing clients to invest in campaigns, instead of individual assignments. Campaigns achieve better results and cost less in the long-term for clients, compared to individual assignments. And, of course, as the freelancer, you get paid much more for turning out a succession of assignments that assimilate a successful campaign.
Here’s how to multiply your writing sales by convincing clients to invest in long-term campaigns, instead of short-term individual assignments.
? Know the short-term and long-term view results. A client approaches you to write a brochure. He may or may not know that his product can also benefit from other types of promotional pieces, such as ads, direct mail, news releases, websites, and so on, to sell his product or service. Your job is to educate the client. The brochure may be the first promotional piece in a consortium of promotional pieces. Here, you must know the short-term and long-term view results of the brochure.
The short-term view results are the results the brochure will achieve for the client; and the long-term results are the results the brochure will achieve/contribute for the entire campaign. It answers the questions, “How do the results of this brochure fit into the entire campaign?” and “How can these results be strengthened with other forms of promotional materials?”
Show the client how a campaign that’s comprised of a succession of assignments can achieve – and exceed – his expectations and outsell and outdo the performance of a single assignment.
? Use “tie-in” services. Whenever a client approaches you with a single assignment, ask yourself what tie-in services can supplement the single assignment. A news release achieves better results when it’s accompanied with a photo. And a press kit – complete with press releases, photos, brochures, and company information – can achieve better results than a single press release. All of these extra tie-in services can turn writing a single press release into multiple writing sales.
? Offer the “concept to completion” benefit. Instead of pitching yourself as a freelancer who can write newsletter copy, pitch yourself as a freelancer who produces newsletters, from copy to completion. You multiply your income by outsourcing parts of the job and delivering a finished product, not a piece of the product. You also can extend your “concept to completion” services by pitching yourself as a marketing consultant, in which you make recommendations to the client as to the best way to market the newsletter.
? Develop strong consultative skills. Besides selling your freelance services, also offer consulting services. Clients pay you to explain ideas, concepts, recommendations and turnkey solutions as to the best way to achieve the results they desire. Consulting with clients can lead to securing freelance work, since clients realize you have the skills and expertise to undertake the task.
? Know the future needs of clients. Clients come with present needs – and future needs. A client may hire you to write a newsletter now, but they’ll also consider you for future work if you know what their future needs are and how to fulfill them. The company may be ushering in a new product line, creating a new division within the company, sponsoring a charity event, or creating a website. All of these future events need a freelancer to do promotional writing and freelance work. That’s you. Your job is to show clients how you’ll address their future needs with solutions that’ll increase their profitability and/or productivity. This is usually accomplished with a proposal through which you pitch yourself as the freelancer who has the solutions to undertake the future tasks.
? Use proposals to secure work. Proposals are an inclusive persuasion tool to convince prospects that you can increase their profitability and/or productivity with your freelance services. Proposals specifically show the client how you intend to achieve the desired results, the time and costs involved, and why you and your solutions are the best choices to boost the company’s profits.
? Adaptations. Any of your freelance writing services can be adapted for websites, turning a single assignment into two assignments. Get paid to write a press release or brochure, and then get paid again to adapt the copy digitally.
? Add-on services, such as desktop publishing services, marketing consulting, compiling and selling media lists, and project coordinating can help multiply your work and your income.
About The Author
Brian Konradt is a former freelance copywriter and graphic designer, and founder of FreelanceWriting.Com (http://www.freelancewriting.com), a free web site dedicated to help writers master the business and creative sides of freelance writing.
Could You Be A Workaholic?
If you need to put on boots and grab a lap-top computer to relieve yourself at night, you might be a redneck workaholic.
It never crossed my mind that there could be such a thing as a redneck workaholic, until I read a column on “Are you a workaholic?”
“Did you read this?” I asked my wife. “Are you a workaholic? It looks just like those you-might-be-a-redneck jokes.”
My wife studied the page. “Maybe it was written by a redneck alcoholic.” She suggested.
“Workaholic, not alcoholic.”
“How do you know the writer is not an alcoholic?” she demanded.
“I don’t. But the column is about workaholics, and it reads just like a series of redneck jokes.”
“Well, maybe it was written by a redneck workaholic, then.” She suggested.
“No way. There is no such a thing.”
“Why not?” she wanted to know.
“Because workaholics sit late in front of computer screens and steroid-laced in-boxes, wearing $500 suits and $550 haircuts. Folks out here wear $19.95 jeans and occasionally wash their hair.”
“But many of them do spend late hours in front of their computers,” my wife pointed out.
“Like who?”
“Like you.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Being a workaholic is not just about computers and offices and taking out a mortgage for a haircut,” she added. “Look at Buster.”
“Buster?”
“Sure, every time he’s set to retire, he goes and buys another machine,” she pointed out. “One year it was a backhoe. Another it was a dump truck.”
“Wow, he must be desperate this year.”
“Why?” my wife asked.
“Because this year he bought a whole combine?”
“Ooh, that does sound desperate.”
“?plus a farm to use it on!”
“See?” my wife smiled. “You don’t have to live in the city to be a workaholic. There can be such a thing as a workaholic redneck.
“That’s a pity. Being a workaholic means missing out on a lot of life.”
“That’s true, but it’s not just city folk who miss their kids growing up or are too busy working to help their wives clean the dishes.”
I took the hint and picked up a drying cloth. “You mean that anyone can get caught up in work, and lose sight of what’s really important? Even farmers, moat diggers and the guy who sorts through the trash at the dump looking for the tastiest morsels to throw to the gulls?”
“I suppose so,” she answered with that what-have-you-been-smoking look on her face. “Why not try to see if workaholic redneck jokes work?”
“Well, if you look forward to Christmas this year, because you might take the afternoon off from tilling the land, you might be a workaholic redneck.”
“That’s the spirit,” she encouraged.
I tried another, “If you’re drinking your morning coffee from a dirty mason jar from yesterday, you might be a workaholic redneck.”
“Very good,” she praised.
“If you stick family pictures to your backhoe window to remind you what they look like, you might be a workaholic redneck.”
“Why not try one more, just to make sure?” my wife suggested.
“OK, if you bring your work with you to your son’s baseball game, you might be a workaholic redneck.”
“Uh, OK?” she began.
“And if nobody complains about the smell, you might live in a town full of workaholic rednecks!”
“You got it!” she shouted.
I realized that I had spent way too much time talking about workaholic redneck jokes. There was only one thing I could do to compensate.
I tossed aside the drying cloth, grabbed my lap-top computer and rushed to the outhouse to catch up on a few hundred urgent emails.
About The Author
David Leonhardt is a humor columnist: http://www.thehappyguy.com/positive-thinking-free-ezine.html
He is author of Climb Your Stairway to Heaven: http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?isbn=0-595-17826-X
Read more personal growth articles: http://www.thehappyguy.com/self-actualization-articles.html
