Changing My Tune

August 17, 2011 - Written by Trish
 

I’ve used the same baseline bid template on Elance for several years now. It has served me fairly well, contributing to the average “1 win for 20 bids” ratio that has been the norm for the time I’ve been a provider on the site.

I may have mentioned it …

Software – Can’t live with it, can’t shoot it

August 16, 2011 - Written by Trish
 

I’m getting a lot of “auxiliary design jobs” these days. White papers, brochures, ebooks that need basic formatting and graphic design. I’ve been doing this kind of job for years, and find that my clients …

Climbing Snowden

August 15, 2011 - Written by Trish
 

Tough weekend. It’s hard not to dwell on the “what if’s” of having things go south on me, but being gripped by paralyzing fear doesn’t get me anywhere. So I have to keep moving forward, doing …

The Change Monster

August 12, 2011 - Written by Trish
 

An organization I am affiliated with is a change machine. It is really inspiring to see the executives be so willing to break things up and rearrange them, all within the context of the company’s goals …

Seeking the Solo Solution

August 11, 2011 - Written by Trish
 

No progress on the to do list from yesterday. This is the ever present challenge of solo business ownership: When the project schedule is full, we tend to expend the energy available for work on the …

Sticky Point: Inertia Sets In

August 10, 2011 - Written by Trish
 

I’ve hit a sticky point in my progress. I’ve been here before. It happens when I am under the illusion that I have plenty of work coming in and I can stop marketing. I know from working with my coaching clients that this is a very common sticky point.

Sure, I …

The Universe Delivers

August 9, 2011 - Written by Trish
 

There’s a quote somewhere in my hard drive, I think from a guy who climbed Mt. Everest, that is about getting clear about what you want, and that once you do, the universe aligns to deliver it. I looked for it and can’t find it, but you’ve likely heard this …

Research Results and Next Steps

August 8, 2011 - Written by Trish
 

My initial assumption/gut feeling was that my target market is in the technology arena. That is where I have the bulk of my white paper experience, it’s an area that uses white papers a lot, and I have a unique ability to translate technical value to business value—this is a …

Considering the Sales Sphere

August 5, 2011 - Written by Trish
 

Research is still going on. While I’m researching, I’m thinking about how to approach this offer. Another thing I coach my clients about is having a “sales sphere,” a choice of offerings at different price points so that prospects can engage with the least risk (usually the least cost) option …

Figuring Out the Target Market

August 4, 2011 - Written by Trish
 

I’m teeing up a specialized offering line: White papers for marketing purposes. Who am I offering it to?

First, the easy part. It is a business to business offering.

Now…what specific business? This is a toughie. White papers work across a lot of different businesses. The two main areas that I have …