Freelancing is like Wii

On Sunday night, hubby and I spent an hour or so playing Wii. I don’t play very often but when I do, my favorite game is Link’s Crossbow Training.

(Hubby calls me “Janny Oakley” ’cause I have a pretty good eye for target shooting.)

We chose the multiplayer function and I, um, smoked him at nearly every turn.

Then I wanted to best my own score on the individual player function. To do that, I needed to score higher on each of 3 games within a single level.

I’d play the first game and if I didn’t top my previous score, I restarted the game.

Why?

Because I needed the practice.

I needed to repeat the game again and again and in doing so, I became better at it.

Remember, practice makes perfect.

Which made me think of this post from Copyblogger’s Brian Clark and this post from me.

While many of us practice the craft of writing, I wonder, if we also practice the art of freelancing.

Here are eight practice steps you can take to rev up your freelance business:

1. Dedicate time to marketing (even an hour or two a week).
2. Contact former employers and offer to help out with project overload or employment gaps caused by maternity and sick leaves.
3. Wake up dormant client relationships by proposing a new, can’t-resist idea.
4. Swap email for in-person visits and generate immediate top-of-mind awareness.
5. Add a new service offering based on the unarticulated needs of your potential clients.
6. Pitch your local business pub and write a bylined article that gets you noticed.
7. Ask current clients for referrals within their organization or among your peers.
8. Help another writer or volunteer (because generosity and busyness beget generosity and busyness).

By JanO on 2/14/11, In marketing for writers, writing, Tags Brian Clark, business of freelancing, client, employment, freelance, freelance business, freelance writing, freelancing, Wii