Today I’m heading back to your questions to me again, to address one of my favorite topics. Today let’s talk about Sharon’s question, because this is one of those “everyone knows you’re supposed to do it, but very few people are sure how you do it” sorts of things. She asked:

I would also like to hear about networking - who, when, where, and how. At what point did you start “Want Not” and how did you publicize that website? In general, how do you market yourself?

When I worked in an office and had a boss who had a boss who had a boss who had a boss, I never really needed to toot my own horn. I was not required to find work for myself, and—generally speaking—if I did good work, my colleagues and boss would convey that to others without any additional effort on my part being required. The biggest mental shift required for me in starting my own business was the realization that if I didn’t sell myself, no one else would. If I want work, I need to pursue it. And if I want a good reputation, I have to build it myself… not just through doing good work, but also through discarding humility and self-effacement and being unafraid to not just toot my own horn, but assemble my own marching band.

Okay, that may have taken that metaphor a little too far. But you (hopefully) get the point.
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Last week, I asked you to tell me what you want to know. The responses were overwhelmingly in favor of discussion of getting new clients, so we’re going to tackle that, first. (The other questions, about networking, negotiations, and beginners’ mistakes, I’ll get to next week.)

Randi said: I’ve been working as a freelance writer for over two years now (wow, time does fly!) and most of that time I’ve worked for 2 main companies. This means that I’m really not very bright when it comes to getting new clients or starting to work for new companies. Any hints or tips that you’re willing to divulge?

Carrien said: What exactly did that first email say? How did you convince them with a beginner’s resume?

Alice said: Ditto to the others - getting new clients. Even if it’s just a variation on the 90/10 rule, hearing stories about how you psyched yourself up to send things out, how you chose whom to approach, what kind of a portfolio you built (or wish you built), etc.

So let’s really talk about it—how do you get someone to hire you?
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I’ve been writing here at Work It, Mom! for coming up on three years. Can you believe that? The time has flown by—in a good way—and part of me feels like it was just yesterday that typed that first “Here is why you should hire me” email (with clammy palms) to one of my very first clients, close to five years ago.

Some days I still can’t believe this is what I do for a living.

Anyway, for years I’ve been writing about all of the aspects of being a freelance writer which I suspect others will find interesting or informative, and I hope I’ve been on target at least a good percentage of the time. What a good percentage would be, I’m not entirely sure. Would it be like a batting average…? Anything over about 40% is awesome…? (Kidding!)

Now I want to hear from you.
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So you know from my last post that part of what I’m doing this year is getting serious about diet and fitness; I’m pleased to report that so far it’s going really well. I owe part of my success to the fact that I am a consummate geek, and nothing gets me committed and organized like a good list.

(Fellow geeks are nodding their heads in righteous agreement. Anything that can be tracked and logged is a good thing, am I right?)

So I have this iPhone app now that allows me to track my food intake and my exercise, and it tells me how much I can eat each day and looks up the calories for everything and even tells me how many calories I burn when playing Dance, Dance Revolution on the Wii with the kids. (Hint: Not nearly as many as it feels like. Sigh.) Thanks to this app I am becoming positively pumped about the changes I’m making, because while eating a handful of Hershey’s kisses is satisfying, so is logging that bowl of air-popped popcorn and discovering I actually ended the day with calories to spare.
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