Kansas City Freelance Writer Liz Craig

The Casebook of Quality Control Officer 896

Case 555: “Busting the News”

The streetlight had just flickered on outside my office window, and I was sorting through some paperwork. I heard the doorknob rattle and looked up to see Bug-Eye slipping in, finger to his lips. After examining the ceiling panels and flowerpots for bugs, he fell into my comfy chair, let out a sigh and shook his head.

“What is it, Bugs,” I asked. “You look all in.”

“I’ll tell ya. So many grammatical and syntactical infractions out there, I can barely catch a Z. I ran out of tickets.”

He skipped the empty ticket pad across my desk blotter.

“Okay, so go home and take a rest.”

“I will, but first, I’ve gotta tell ya…

“Tell me what?”

“Well, ya know that newscaster, Cynthia N.?”

“Well-dressed, well-groomed, well-spoken, on Channel 5?”

“That’s the one. I couldn’t believe it. Two infractions in one newscast!

“Bugs, TELL me, already!”

He peered up through beetled brows. “Said something about windows being ‘busted out.’”

“Cynthia N. said windows were ‘busted out?’ Ugly. Are you sure she didn’t say ‘shattered,’ ‘broken,’ or ‘smashed?’”

“Naaw. And there’s more. A minute later, she said some guy ‘snuck’ around a corner.”

“’SNUCK?’ Good grief! ‘Snuck’ is a non-standard corruption of the word ‘sneaked.’ It’s used only by the uneducated. Certainly not a class act like Cynthia N.!”

“Yeah, I know. I looked it up at AskOxford.com. But she did use it. With thousands of viewers as witnesses. So whatcha gonna do?”

I frowned. “She’ll be looking at two counts of aggravated verbslaughter.”

“Hey, that’s a little rough, isn’t it?”

“Bugs, the English language is going to hell in a handbasket, whatever that means. We’ve got to uphold the standards. It’s our sworn duty.”

I opened my top desk drawer and touched my QCO badge thoughtfully, then turned to gaze out the window at a few stars glimmering in the darkening sky.

“Sure, it’s a harsh sentence, but getting tough is the only way to stop these perps from infecting the rest of the population with horrible word usage. Just think of the little children, Bugs, trusting and open in front of the tube, soaking up lousy language along with pitches for Lucky Charms and Picnic Barbies. It’s enough to make you cry.”

Turning from the window, I noticed that Bug-Eye was snoring softly and drooling down his clip-on tie. Let him sleep, I thought. He’s done plenty for one day. I sneaked around the desk, stepped out, eased the door shut, then ambled over to Kelly’s to ponder the sad, broken state of our language.

After ordering a beer, I began ruminating. QCO 896 does a lot of ruminating. And a lot of beer. I wasn’t looking forward to slapping the cuffs on Cynthia. She’d have to serve 60 days of hard labor: reading the Oxford English Dictionary cover-to-cover and memorizing ”The Wordwatcher’s Guide to Good Grammar & Word Usage.” But as Baretta said, “If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime.” Guess he learned the truth of that statement himself later on. So I’m sorry, Cynthia, but you’re going over.

Folks, word crimes are on the rise – on TV, radio, in newspapers and magazines — and they’re dangerous. So if you see or hear of verbslaughter, nounicide, adverbial assault or any other attack on proper usage, leave me a comment for me, Quality Control Officer 896, here. Together, we just might be able to save the English language from wrack and ruin, whatever that means.

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©2009 Liz Craig
All rights reserved.

BNET.com has a lot of helpful tips for anyone involved in sales. And that’s all of us. Whether you’re a creative, a small businessperson or just someone looking to develop better relationships, these tips are valuable.

Here’s a quick way to assess whether you’re ready to close. Before asking for the business, ask yourself the following six questions (YES or NO).

1. Have you already helped the customer in some way?
2. Does the customer think your offering is unique?
3. Does the customer consider you a trusted authority?
4. Would buying support the customer’s stated self-image?
5. Does the customer know peers who’ve bought from you?
6. Does the customer like you personally?

For each “YES” answer, give yourself 1 point, except for #6, where the “YES” is worth 2 points.

[Read more.]

You’re a freelance creative looking for projects. You’ve been knocking on doors and calling prospects for months without snagging much work. What’s wrong? Is it the economy? The time of year? The weather? Are you talking to the wrong prospects? Is it your breath?

Maybe, but could it be the way you position yourself in your own mind that’s tripping you up? If so, making these three simple mental adjustments could improve your prospecting results.

1. Know What It Is You’re Really Selling

If you’re a freelance writer or designer, you’re obviously not just selling your ability to type or make pictures on your computer. But by calling yourself a “writer” or “designer,” maybe you’re selling yourself short. What your prospect really needs is someone who can help think through his or her business challenges and devise effective ways to meet them.

Make this mental adjustment: You’re not just a writer or designer. You’re a strategic thinker who can help your prospect win more business. Show results you’ve achieved for other clients, if you have them. If you’ve been spending most of your presentation time talking about yourself up until now, cut it short and start asking questions about what the prospect needs. Take notes. Follow up regularly (but not so often you bug the prospect), and share a good idea or two. Which brings us to the second mental adjustment.

2. Make It Your Mission to Help Others

People like people who help them unselfishly. So how can you help prospects? Let them know that your primary objective is helping them and their business. Maybe they don’t need your creative services at the moment. But you can still help, even if it’s by referring the prospect to a good chiropractor, veterinarian, business resource or fitness club.

“Shine the spotlight on the other person,” not on you. Send your prospects articles they may find helpful, and ask about their business and their family, if you are that well acquainted. Someday, when they realize they need creative, strategic thinking, you’ll be top of mind. By the way, helping others is a good idea in general, even if you don’t see how it will benefit you. Or especially then.

3. Ditch the Success/Failure Model

So you met with a prospect, and s/he seemed uninterested, kept looking at the clock, ended the meeting after 10 minutes and said no encouraging words. Do not beat yourself up for not having gotten new business at that meeting. Do not press the “FAIL” button.

We creatives are often overly sensitive. We tend to take things personally and interpret lack of enthusiasm as rejection. But please realize that the prospect’s behavior may have had nothing to do with you. Maybe s/he was eyeball-deep in work, carved out a few minutes for you, and then had to get back at it. Or perhaps there was a death or illness in the family. Or it could be s/he just didn’t need your wonderful work at the moment.

Timing is all-important. As Jethro Tull once said, “Life’s a long song.” There could be a time in the future when that prospect will need your services and will call you. Just keep in touch, try to help when appropriate, and bide your time. Be sure to ask if it’s okay if you check back in a few weeks or a month. And award yourself a gold “SUCCESS” star for being proactive and requesting the meeting.

• Summing Up

To improve your prospecting approach, adjust your mental attitude in these three ways:

• You’re not just a “Your Label Here.” You’re a strategic thinker who can help prospects meet their business challenges.

• Your mission is to help prospects in any way you can, whether what they need at the moment is related to your services or not.

• You never fail at prospecting unless you quit. Keep in touch, help when you can, and be patient. Your time may come.