That’s the good news.

The not-so-good news is that most of these inquiries are from folks looking for bargain-basement pricing and with little to no understanding of what good copywriting is or should be.

I have gotten very good at knowing from the very first e-mail if this is someone I would like to work with or who could even afford to work with me. I don’t want to waste anyone’s time, least of all my own. Saying “no” is very important in sales, in business and in life, and it has taken me years to get good at saying no. (Still working on it all the time.)

So…earlier this week I received an e-mail inquiry through the Contact page on my website. I knew right away from a few key red flags that this was something I absolutely did not want to pursue, but something prompted me to reply anyway. I believe it is professional and proper (the little girl in me?) to respond to everyone and every inquiry at least once.

I debated whether to share this exchange and I decided to go for it. If we can’t learn from one another’s mistakes and crazy e-mail exchanges, who and what can we learn from?

So here is an actual exchange between myself and, well, some guy. I have edited all of the contact and specific project info to protect the not-so-innocent. I’m calling him ‘Jim’ for simplicity’s sake. (NOT his name.) I am not editing his typos and clear challenges with the English language. (Nor his attitude, for that matter.)

Initial inquiry:
My name is Jim and I am in charge of [Description of project]. Check [website] to see this great project, everything is in place but the part you will be writing.

I want from you:
 What have you written for in the past?
 What is the numbers (3%, 10% what ROI)
 Have ever written for [type of project he is asking about]?
[and here’s the P.S. that was just priceless]
P.S.
I have sent this email out to 10 other copywriter why should I go with  you?

My response:
Dear Jim, thank you for your e-mail.
What exactly are you asking? Why should you go with my company over others? I’d need to know more about what you are looking for to give you an answer to that. Mine is one of the top copywriting companies in the
country, but we are not the best fit/choice for every project or client.
 
I understand you have [type of project] what writing are you looking for? Scripting? A website? Something else? 
Allison

He answered some more questions and then sent me a 1-2 page document he needed a ‘rewrite” on. Any copywriter worth anything will tell you that a rewrite is a huge red flag for a number of reasons I won’t go into in this post. (Ask me later.)

I took one quick look at the document, concluded it was horrible, that there was nothing to salvage for a rewrite and, more importantly, that there was no way I was in any way interested in taking on the project (it being horrible was not my deciding factor).

The beauty of being good and experienced at what you do is that you can pick and choose to take on only that which you want to take on. And I wasn’t taking this one on.

So I e-mailed him back something that was, in my humble opinion, professional and to-the-point: 

Hi Jim,
Looks like an exciting [project] [note: It actually didn’t. It looked like a hodge-podge of ideas and offers that didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me.]

I am going to pass on the project. I generally pass on rewrites and one-time projects. I prefer to work with clients on ongoing work – blogs, articles, scripts, etc. that recur monthly or regularly.

Good luck!
Allison
 
End of story…right? Well it should have been…but, here was his reply to me:

Take this email for good this is written for your growth nothing else.
I am sorry your Comfort Zone took you out of the game.  I wish you will [sic] with your beliefs.
Look up Mike Dooley he can help you a great deal. 
I see in just this short time you stop your income from growing.
 
And luck has nothing to do with life.
 
Jim

Oh boy, this guy is a piece of work! And guess what I did? I replied yet again. Here was my final response. I have now also created a rule so any emails from him go directly to my Trash folder:

Thank you, Jim, I know Dooley well. It’s not a matter of comfort zone, funny you would assume that. Your project is just not something that represents an ongoing content need, which is my business model. I can afford to be picky and choose only the most lucrative clients and projects. In addition your “prove to me why I should pick you” attitude was very off-putting. Thank you for proving me right!

Here are the take-aways from this for me:

• A red flag is a red flag. Respect your intuition, and don’t feel inclined to do anything you don’t want to do. Not in business nor in life, for that matter.
• Not every client or project is for you. Recognizing that and knowing when to say “no” will actually open up more possibilities for you – the only thing that will close you off is to work with clients and projects that ooze bad energy.
• Let it slide. Instead of ignoring this guy and his non-message, I replied to him. About three too many times. E-mail and the Internet rock. Being one degree away from just about anyone rocks. BUT, that doesn’t mean you want to or need to associate with anyone who crosses your path.

  Some people, like this dude, are put here to show us what we don’t want and who we don’t want to work with, and that’s it. Take the lessons for what they are worth and then move on.

I am CERTAIN you, too, have client and potential client stories to learn from. Why don’t you share them here?

You know the saying about having two ears and one mouth and using these tools proportionally? Well, the reason this idea is so often-quoted is because it is true.

And it’s true because those who talk too much about themselves are physically, logistically and in every other way literally incapable of listening.

And what’s worse (in my humble opinion) is that sometimes it is those people who have the largest followings and preach the most about “being of service” and setting oneself up as a resource, who are the most guilty of the “me, me, ME” disease.

I see it on Twitter, for instance. One tweet after another with a new blog entry, a new report, an award nomination, welcome new followers and, my favorite symptom of the disease, a RT of a RT mentioning yourself.

You know who you are — someone graciously gives you a shout-out, maybe you had an interesting quote or a great teleseminar call, someone points it out and instead of being a “mensch” and saying thank you, you RT (re-tweet) their words about you yourself!  

A non-social media world equivalent: I do a good job for a client, XYZ Web Services. XYZ Web Services gives me a call or sends me an e-mail to tell me how pleased they are (were) with the services my company provided to them. I then broadcast this testimonial, either by blanket emailing my whole list or even phoning people one by one, to tell them what a great job I did and how pleased my client was.

Starting to get the picture? So I’m pretty busy calling everyone, or e-mailing everyone, or constantly directing everyone to all my great writings — how could I possibly be listening to an actual word you are saying? And yet, I am still telling anyone who will listen what a great listener I am.

Sheesh…in my re-thinking and re-framing moments, I start to think that maybe I am not me, me, ME enough, that I am not egotistical enough to be who or where I want to be. Maybe the problem is with me and that those who preach most about listening are actually not intending to any such thing. Maybe I am naive and too honest…maybe…maybe….

Or maybe, there is a very special and unique thing about being a listener, an authentic listener. And I plan to stay right there….and will just continue un-following as many me, me, Me-ers as possible

Beginning in January, once every month of 2009 (as well as once a quarter as a special bonus) I will be interviewing some of the world’s top experts on the latest tips, tools and trends of marketing, sales, P.R., advertising and social media, all with one goal: To give you high quality, actionable information that will put money in your pocket .

Here’s how it works: The monthly interviews will be held the last Thursday of each month at 12 PM EST. A special bonus interview will also take place one more time every quarter (4 total over the year).

The experts: Kathleen Gage, Dave Evans, Craig Cannings, Willie Crawford, Aaron Kahlow, Denise Wakeman from the Blog Squad, MaryPat Kavanaugh, Suzanne Evans, Jay Estis, Paulette Ensign, Sydni Craig-Hart, Linda Claire Puig, Peter Wailes, Shel Horowitz, Kathryn Hendershot and Margie Fisher

This is 16 total hours of pure gold for only $97! And what’s more, all calls will be recorded and made available to you at no additional charge. So you can listen live whenever and wherever you please throughout the course of the year.

And on top of this incredibly low price,

You will get my personal guarantee: If you don’t get at least one money-making ‘Aha!’ nugget from every session, I will refund your money for the remaining sessions, NO QUESTIONS ASKED.

But don’t delay, sign up here, because on January 15th the price will go up to $147.

Over the course of these 16 sessions, you will learn:
How to go beyond any ambivalence you have about marketing and sell, sell, sell the right way
How do manage a “DIY” (Do-It-Yourself) P.R. campaign that increases visibility and builds credibility
How, where and why to create marketing videos that work
The difference between just building a list and building a list that can’t get enough of you and your business
How to create an information product that sells
Why and how to implement a newsletter strategy into your marketing mix
How to attract new clients and increase your “buzz” the right way – with blogs
How to build or join a Joint Venture campaign that puts money in your pockets
How to create an online viral marketing campaign to outpace any competitor
The best way to create a social media campaign and image that reflects your brand and sells your products and services
And SO much more!

I spent time two weekends ago in Maryland, where I grew up, spending time with my sister and her family. Aside from the bitter cold, which I am no longer used to as I live in warm and sunny Florida, it was a wonderful weekend.

We had gathered together to mark one year since my beloved grandmother passed away. My grandmother was an amazing woman who took the world by storm. She had such a major influence on my life that I am writing a book about her and the life lessons I took from her.

I like to think that I am pretty good at what I do and also that I can take all sorts of every-day life lessons and apply them to my work, to marketing and copywriting. I think you will agree that we often learn best from the past, from others in our lives and, of course, from our mistakes (the greater the mistake, the greater the lesson!).

Here are just a few of the simple but brilliant lessons my 90+-year-old grandmother passed on to me (with tips on how you can work them in to your marketing — really!):

• Be sure you know what you are talking about before you open your mouth. In marketing, this means stick to what you know. You are an expert in your realm – not in all realms. Know your power as well as your limitations. Don’t try to be all things to all people – this never works.
• Not everyone wants to be your best friend. Business is business, right? No matter how passionate you are about what you do and what you offer, not everyone is going to think you are the best thing since sliced bread.That’s OK! Don’t take anything personally, focus on your market, not the “do-they-or-don’t-they-like-me” movie in your head.
• Take a break, your work will still be there tomorrow. This one is a toughie for me, but I am getting better. Sometimes, we’re all better off just ‘calling it a day” than trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Know what matters (and when) and then stick to it. Same goes for your clients – work with the tide, not against it. 
   

I particularly like Norm Brodsky, a phenomenally successful entrepreneur who writes a regular column in INC. In one recent column (Secrets of a $110 Million Man), Brodsky talks about guidelines that the best entrepreneurs follow. These are powerful tips that are both sobering and right-on, but one really upset me.

Here are a few:

• A sale isn’t a sale until you collect.
  Ok, I agree. Simple enough.
  
• Cash is hard to get and easy to spend. Make it before you spend it.
  Again, I got it. (Duh.)
  
• Numbers run a business. If you don’t know how to read them, you are flying blind.
  Yes, very true.
  
• Now here’s the one I am having trouble with: You have no friends in business, only associates.

Many of my best friends are my business friends (and vice versa). And why not?

I’d rather be guilty of being naive in this department than the opposite. Now, I know that business is business and nothing is (or should be) personal in business. But, isn’t this is a bit of a pessimistic or all-or-nothing view?

Then again, clearly Mr. Brodsky is a very successful guy who walks the walk and knows what he is talking about.

Despite that, though, I will continue to blur the line, if and when I want, between friends and associates. People matter, relationships matter and in the end, that’s all we have.

My 9-year-old daughter has discovered e-mail. Like, really discovered. Like, runnning home from school and logging on kind of discovered.

I’m torn because there are so many potential dangers of her being online but it’s also important to me that she become as online-proficient as possible early on. She shows signs of a major entrepreneurial streak (I pay her $5/week for performing various duties in my office, but that’s another story) and I want her to explore that as much (and as safely) as possible.

So I sat her down and gave her some insight into e-mail and online “netiquette.” I told her that under no circumstances could she become a “Forwarding Junkie–” you know those people who forward you everything under the sun — chain letters, warnings, scams, questionnaires, pleas for missing kids from 1999.

You know the type. And they send them to your work/business e-mail, no less. Every once in a while I have a client who seems to be just discovering e-mail and goes through this Forwarding Phase.

It’s almost like the puberty of the online and e-mail world. And I wanted to make sure my daughter knew right off the bat that this is not OK.

I also let her know that it’s not OK be the “Contact Provider—” you know, the one who eagerly and often gives names and e-mail addresses of friends, neighbors or family members to social media sites, prorgams that allow you to manage/organize your contacts, charities and online marketers promising to give you an information product for free (in exchange for the names&e-mails of a couple friends).

I told her under no circumstances does she ever give any site or any service names and e-mails of anyone. E-mails are valuable and it is not her, or your or my, place to give them out! (Yet, there are still those, much more advanced than 9-years-old, who are doing this with my and your business and personal e-mail addresses.)

I gave my daughter one more bit of valuable advice, in the form of the great Snopes site. None of us knows more or better than this site. Don’t send people, especially people in their place of business, silly (and ultimately false) warnings, stories and myths unless you have checked them through Snopes first. You may be smart, but I promise you — you’re not smarter than Snopes!

(And you know who you are — the deoderant-causes-cancer and don’t-flash-your-high-beam-lights-while-driving warning people!) Now, go forth, be prosperous, be efficient and be polite!

When we last left off, I had “moved out” and rented a “real” office. The office was great — a nice building, wonderful neighbors, a reasonable rent and even a pond surrounded by orchids and filled with Koi fish in front of the building (remember, I live in Florida — it’s always warm). The commute was very reasonable (15-20 minutes one way) and for the first time, clients and meetings came to me.

Best of all, I began to separate home life and work life — something that, as a Type A-bordering-on-workaholic I had never been able to do before.

Things have been great since Summer of 2006 when I made the move. My team has grown enormously. Whereas I was once a “cave dweller,” doing it all on my own, I now have team members throughout the U.S. (+ the 4 or 5 who worked with my in the office every day at different times). My business has grown in new and amazing ways, and my path has included all sorts of additions and twists that I had never even imagined.

Over time, I started working from my home office on days when I either a) needed some uninterrupted “think time” (I felt and still do that I think best in my home office) or b) needed the extra hour (approximate total commute and “packing” time) for something specific. Over time, I also got a lot better at separating work from home and setting boundaries when needed and, most importantly, at using the most important word in the English language: NO.

Over time, as well, my business became more and more virtual. Most of my clients are not local (they are all over the U.S., Canada and even beyond) and even those local ones don’t have the need or time to meet in person. While they enjoy my beautiful face, they’d prefer to see my beautiful copy and make beautiful sales. So the meeting in person time and location didn’t matter much anymore.

Then, over the past few months, I started working from my home office more and more. I started to appreciate my huge window, my great space, the gorgeous view — a whole lot more. I started to envy my team members, all of whom (without exception) work from home.

And slowly but surely, I began to realize that I, my business and my life didn’t need the outside office anymore. To keep moving forward and to keep growing and realize everything I wanted, I didn’t have to go any further. I was already in the right place. And knowing I was already in the right place brought me more peace than I would have ever imagined.

I made my final decision at the beginning of November and by Thanksgiving (how appropriate), I was back home, permanently. I read an awesome book on Feng Shui, did some re-arranging and de-cluttering, thought about what I really needed and wanted and, without even a blip of disruption to my business, I am back from where I never really left.

Welcome Home…to me!

(Want to see my office? I posted pictures of my home office on my Facebook page. Check them out! And “friend” me if you haven’t already.) 

Like you, I started thinking about what I was thankful for. And then I probably got distracted by 18 other things. And then, I started really thinking – I put myself into the future (not in the sci-fi sense) and asked myself what I would like to be thankful for next year at this time.

Knowing what I know right now and being thankful for what I have right now, what more do I want and how do I intend to get there?

From a marketing perspective, this can be an extremely valuable exercise for you. It has been for me. (From a personal perspective as well, but I will focus on copywriting and marketing and leave your personal life to you.) To get where you want to be, you need a destination (the “what you are thankful for” part) and then you need to map out your path to that destination.

Sounds simple? Here’s what I am thinking and will be doing myself:

• Be as specific as you can in terms of what you are/will be one year from now thankful for. The more specific you are, the better you can measure your success. What’s more, your specifics will help you rule out actions, campaigns and efforts that just don’t meet your needs or match what you seek.
• Be honest. Don’t try to please your co-workers, your parents, your high school math teacher or your next-door neighbor. If we’re talking marketing, it needs to be real and you need to be talking directly to your target market. And only your target market – not the teacher, the co-worker, the parent or the neighbor.
• Be a good listener…to yourself. All of this works best when your heart and mind are in sync. Your target market is smart and knows when it’s genuine…and when it’s not.

If you haven’t already, sign up (use free e-book form to the right) for my weekly e-zine and copywriting / marketing tips.

I love you all equally and, now I can also say that I can relate to you all equally.

When I first started my business, I worked from my home office. I “freelanced” back in the mid-90s when moonlighting (I always had a full-time job or was in school full-time) wasn’t as common as it is now. Actually, it probably was as common but we just didn’t know so many other people were doing it because we were so not in the uber-connected (e-mail, Skype, Twitter, etc.) world we’re now in.

Then, in 2001, after being laid off from a job I really thought I loved, I moped for a few days and then launched Get It In Writing full-time, again from my home office.

Now, let me tell you about my home office: It is an amazing space. It’s bright, airy, calming and has been an extremely productive and inspiring place for me. There are palm trees waving in the breeze right outside the window, and a gorgeous long lake in the back. And the cafeteria is free and open 24/7.

Because I operated my business like an agency for the first years, I would meet often with vendors and clients, most of whom were local. I didn’t want anyone coming to my home (for various reasons), so I would meet them at their offices or at the Universal Office (Starbucks). 

My business was growing — booming actually — but I was driving myself crazy, literally, because I would spend half or more of each day out of the office and on the roads. I also began to develop a bit of a complex stemming from the question “Do you work from home?”

Many people, I felt (perhaps wrongly so), still viewed home-based businesses as small-time or part-time or less-than-serious. I was so determined to not be any of those things (and so worn out from all the driving) that I decided to get a “real” office — an office outside of my home.

And that is exactly what I did in the Summer of 2006. (That’s not the end of the story.)

To be continued….