by Dina Giolitto

It’s tempting, when the news headlines are screaming about government financial bailouts, to just sit there with your mouth hanging open as you ponder what might happen to your 401K.

However, in tough times, the LAST thing you should be doing is waiting for further instructions.

If you were a Boy Scout (and even if you weren’t), then you’re no doubt familiar with their catch phrase: “Be prepared.” That’s about the best advice anyone can give. And it’s especially relevant when managing a business.

When people start to clutch their purse strings more tightly, and supply and demand turns on its head, here’s what you need to do RIGHT NOW to ensure that your company stays afloat in trying times.

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Popularity: 18% [?]

If you own your own business, then you know the value in receiving written testimonials from genuinely satisfied customers. Likewise, you may want to express your appreciation to someone who’s made a difference in your life by providing a great product or service.

The good news is, you don’t need to have been blessed with the gift for perfect prose to create a testimonial for someone. But you may want to kee your digital camera handy!

Yes… a picture is worth a thousand words. Think of how much cooler you can help to make someone else’s website, simply by snapping a photo of yourself enjoying using the product, with simple thank-you note attached.

Here is a testimonial that was sent in by “Rascal” to Nikki’s Barkery at http://nikkisniknaks.com - where you’ll find homemade, all-natural doggy treats available by mail order.

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Popularity: 84% [?]

Facebook, Ryze, LinkedIn, Myspace… what’s the point?

Can social networking REALLY work to get you clients? Or is this just a way for wily webmasters to bring hits and attention to THEIR websites, so they can pull in more ad and membership revenues?

Last week, a fairly new copywriting client asked me the above question. Then he said to me, “I emailed you to work on my project because I remembered you from Ryze.”

I was active on Ryze… oh, three years ago? And yet this person remembered me after three years, sought me out, and here we are doing a website project together.

This is not the first time I’ve gained a new client due to having “put in my time” on the social networks.

In my humble opinion and experience, I would say that the more of a standout social networking experience you create, and the more you put into making your profiles professional… the more thought you give to creating posts that add value and meaning to others’ professional lives… the more you’ll get out of social networking.

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Popularity: 91% [?]

Dogs and bees, and freelancers, can smell fear. As someone who writes copy and produces marketing materials on a freelance basis, I can tell within five minutes of talking to a potential customer whether their fear of being overcharged will set the tone for our work together. I can also assure you that there are ways to retain quality and get good turnaround time on projects without being run through the wringer.

Some facts and suggestions on how to get the most bang for your outsourced buck:

Know that the freelancer is just as interested in being quick and efficient as you are.

People who are new to outsourcing might view me (the copywriting consultant) as someone who would try to milk them out of their last dime while dragging the project on forever. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Established freelancers typically juggle multiple projects at once. It makes much better business sense for us to complete two projects for two happy clients in two days, then deliver one project for one client in two days and have that client feel uneasy about the amount of time we spent on their work.

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Popularity: 87% [?]

Admit it: if you’re a freelancer or online business consultant, sometimes you let prospective clients fall through the cracks. Let’s say, for example, that a friend of a friend contacts you with a vague request for your services. You mean to reply and ask them to be clearer on their needs. But time slips away and before you know it their email is at the bottom of the heap along with that Cialis spam that you meant to delete two months ago.

Even if you always manage to snap up the hot prospects… forgetting, procrastinating or blatantly ignoring the less than stellar ones is bad policy. It lets others know that you’re not walking the talk you spout regularly on your blog… and it’s just an un-smart way to do business.

Let’s review some possible reasons why you’re not answering every query that comes your way:

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Popularity: 100% [?]

Good news; one of my copywriting invoice-dodgers has broken her alleged 2-month vow of silence, claiming that “the check is in the mail.”

Although the real proof is in the pudding, I tend to believe this client because this is the third time I’ve done work for her and she did pay for the other two jobs. (Although I will say that it took a fair amount of hounding before she finally coughed it up for the second assignment.)

I don’t know if people are total train wrecks or what. Maybe they think that if they don’t respond to your invoices, you’ll eventually go away?

What’s your experience with bad payers? I was thisclose to handing my two problem children from February’s billing cycle over to a collections agency. (I have another guy that I may still do this with.)

Let me just review the series of events that took place here:

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Popularity: 33% [?]

A good copywriter should be well practiced in the art of perspective jumping - not just in your marketing communication, but with your client relationships as well. While I was always pretty good at hopping into the minds of my own clients… I was never so tuned in to them as when I began outsourcing aspects of my own marketing.

Here is my take on what small business clients not only want, but desperately need from the people who we outsource our jobs to.

“The Small Business Client Wishlist” from Dina at Wordfeeder.com.

Small business clients wish that service providers would take the initiative.

I know that many freelance professionals wait there passively, thinking “Well, if my clients needed my services, they’d call or send an email.” The truth is that sometimes business owners can’t catch their breath long enough to say what it is that they want, let alone map it out in steps.

I guarantee that the next freelancer of mine who appears in my email inbox and asks for work WILL get it, even though right now I have no idea of what that assignment will be. Believe it; small business owners are THAT busy. If you’re looking for work, just say so. Clients do not spend time wondering how much work you do for other clients. We just like to know that you’re available for US.

Small business clients wish for marketing without ego.

Being on the flip side has allowed me to experience the unspoken friction that happens when clients make copy changes that copywriters don’t appreciate or agree with. There are two occasions where the copywriter has the right of way in this situation. One, is if the copy changes that the client implements might affect sales. (Let’s say the client deletes the call to action or deletes their own URL - yes it happens.) And two, if the client accidentally says something in the copy that blatantly makes them look unintelligent.

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Popularity: 43% [?]

Two months ago, I worked for two copywriting clients who for some reason decided not to pay me. This is such a rarity in my life that I keep thinking there has to be a valid excuse. Maybe he died! Maybe she had a family emergency!

Truth be told, neither is probably the case. What shocks me even more is that the one client was a referral from a web design partner whom I trust.

I guess when other people lower their standards, you get pulled down as well. I came to learn (after the fact) that the designer who worked with my non-paying client was doing a project for him “last March” but then he suddenly disappeared for six months before returning to “finish” his website.

I assumed she meant that he paid before he skipped town; after all, I’m thinking who in their right mind would agree to do work for someone who doesn’t pay you?

Maybe I’m wrong though; the story was “fuzzy.”

(Maybe this is what happened to my client!)

Regardless, I’ve decided I’m going to put this guy, and the other woman who owes me money, into collections. I’ve contacted an agency called Your Collection Solution. Their policy is, if they are unable to collect the money from the client, then you don’t owe them a dime. If they do get the money, you pay something like 20 or 25%. For the real details, go to www.yourcollectionsolution.com.

I’ve had the good fortune to meet smart, honest people online who take our professional relationship seriously. They treat me with respect for my expertise, pay on time, and are always open to new ideas on how we can work better together.

I really, really appreciate that.

As for these two deadbeats… well, I’ll keep you posted on what happens with the collections agency.

Freelancers, have your own issues with delinquent payers? How did you handle it?

Dina at Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing

Popularity: 26% [?]

My good friend and colleague Ann Zuccardy of the Vermont Shortbread Company prefers to do business with people with whom she’d just as easily sit down with for a meal and some good conversation.

In this new age of forming relationships with customers, it would seem the ideal situation - a client or business partner who is also your friend.

Do you agree?

I’ve thought long and hard about this, recalling the many faces of coworkers past and thinking of the people who I worked best with, versus those who I became close with on a personal level.

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Popularity: 14% [?]