Freelance writing appeals to my shy side. I can sit at home and deal with everything via email or Skype, or I can network online and not even have to use the phone if I don’t want to. It doesn’t get better than that, right?
Wrong!
My freelance writing business started out slow, like most writers, and picked up slowly throughout the years. I enjoyed not having to commute every day or have to talk to anyone. The lifestyle was perfect for me. Four years ago something interesting happened that changed the game. My career took off like a rocket.
Why did this happen?
Because I got out from behind my laptop and attended a conference.
Going to an event was a big step for me. I’d never been anywhere alone, and here I was flying off by myself across the country. I wouldn’t know anyone there and I never approached potential clients on a face to face level before. To say I was scared is an understatement. I forced myself to come out of my shell. I began talking to people and they liked me. They were interested in learning more about what I do. I left that conference with a new client and a few new leads.
I also went home with a new burst of confidence.
After that I began attending local business meetings, networking events and more conferences away from home. I met clients for lunch or in their offices and spoke with them on the phone. My business doubled and then tripled.
Yes, it’s comfortable to work at home and not have to deal with clients beyond the basic email correspondence, but face to face is so much better. Your clients and contacts have more faith in you and your ability when they can discuss their concerns with you in person.
Working at home doesn’t have to mean staying at home.
It doesn’t have to mean never picking up the phone. Clients are more comfortable when they can hear a voice or grasp a handshake. They want to make sure you’re not hiding behind your laptop for a reason.
If you’re happy with your career the way it is, and never having to leave your home office, that’s fine. I wonder, though…how much more your freelance writing business would pick up if you got out behind your laptop?
How many of you meet clients outside the home? Has face to face taken your business to a whole new level?
Discuss…
I totally agree with this, and I’ve already started getting out more. Will be going into City (San Fran) later today in fact to meet with a client, and meet with a freelance designer.
Scintillating post, Deb! Thanks for reminding me of that. Networking both online and offline is equally important. You’re right about how difficult it is to get out of comfort zone. Staying at home all day long punching keyboard and wishing our business is pacing ahead rapidly? I’ve gotta be delusional. A fundamental cornerstone I’m going to apply in the upcoming year.
I haven’t had much choice really but to network in person. (Don’t live in US, a lot of web things won’t pay you unless you do, etc.) This has actually been really good. When I kicked things off last year, I contacted web design places to let them know I existed for copywriting, and offered to meet. I got two responses from that, and have since been doing work on and off for them. I think that may well pick up in the new year, as they’ve got to know me better and we settle into a workflow. In addition, I also found a guy in my town through Anne Wayman’s blog (that would have been a million-to-one chance) who does editing of translated documents, and I’ve helped him with that. Networking with people does take time and effort, but I think especially if you live in the same place, it’ll pay off big-time, especially if you happen to bump into them from time to time.
I also found out about a monthly web meetup that’s in Auckland, about an hour from me, which I think will be helpful for networking. I’m planning to go every month, and it’s like a mini-conference but free (which rocks).
Because New Zealand is so small, you probably have to work a little harder to get those contacts, but the benefit is that everyone knows everyone else (we claim two degrees of separation!), so the potential for word-of-mouth to spread is that much higher.
Interestingly, I didn’t have good results from going to a conference. I went to a web one in Sydney, which I thought would yield a bit, but apart from a couple of twitter followers and a LinkedIn contact, that was about it. Maybe they were put off by my not living in Australia. It hasn’t put me off conferences but I think from now I’ll stick to local events. I have a good feeling about 2010.
These are great insights. What I find so much fun about my freelancing business (www.writerruth.com) and my co-owned presentation business (Communication Central) is the combination of working and networking both in person and online. My colleague and I created Communication Central to create opportunities for freelancers to get together in person and learn from each other. Put the two together, and your freelance business should be dynamite!