In Part 2 of my conversation with inventor turned therapy dog handler, Loren Sherman, we looked back lightly on some of the mistakes he made in his 3 careers. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe here and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

On the day he sold his 23 year old contract furniture business, I talked with my good friend, Loren Sherman, inventor turned therapy dog handler, about, among other things, what he’d learned in the laboratory that was his business. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe here and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

AI is changing our world and everyone has a different perspective on how. Today’s episode, featuring Deborah Brozina, an Emmy-nominated filmmaker who runs Making Change Productions, is the first in a new series of conversations with creative professionals who share their take on AI. If you are curious about how to use AI to find the best clients, join my free webinar on Wed. May 29 at 12-1 PM ET, Potential Clients on Tap with AI. Sign up here: https://bit.ly/ontap111

If you’re hanging by a thread in your business, this episode is for you. In it, I share a message I received from a client who followed her instinct and sent a perfectly-timed 3 sentence email to a past client, which led to a steady flow of work. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe here and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

One of the most effective but underutilized marketing tools for creative professionals is the case study. Casey Hibbard, who calls herself a success story specialist, joined to share her expertise. So if you’ve been thinking of doing some case studies to promote your own creative services, this episode is for you. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe here and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you struggle with scope creep, this solo episode is for you. Today I bring you 6 of my tips to handle scope creep, plus a cameo from Pi, my current favorite AI. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe here and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.      

Does your business model allow you to make the living you need to live the life you want? In this super interesting conversation with fellow business coach for creatives, Jessica Abel, we discussed 3 different business models for creative professionals. Which one is yours? If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe here and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

How will AI affect your content marketing, especially your newsletter? That’s just one of the questions we answered in today’s episode with one of my favorite (and funniest) guests, Michael Katz, whose business is writing newsletters for professional service providers. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe here and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

Who do you trust when you’re in business for yourself? How do you know whom to trust? Not to mention trusting the market – but how exactly? That was the main topic in my latest crossover episode with Jenny Blake, author of Free Time, host of the Free Time Podcast, and one of my favorite conversation partners. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe here and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you’re looking for an antidote to impostor syndrome, this episode is for you. I talked with agency owner, Ben Callahan, about, among many topics, a new way to think about content marketing that removes the fear and pressure. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe here and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you’ve ever blurted out a price, agreed to a deadline you knew wasn’t realistic or, worse, volunteered to deliver a project faster than humanly possible, just to please your client – this new solo episode is for you. These 3 quick tips will save you from yourself! And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe here and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you want to build a business you can depend on, this episode is for you. In it, I reveal my “3 secrets” to show you how to be consistent with your marketing, why you don't need willpower to be consistent, and how to stay top of mind to your ideal clients without pestering them. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe here and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

My young nephew, Jake Benun, recently invited me to be a guest on his podcast, Humanizing Success. He’s trying to figure out what to do with his life so he’s using his podcast to interview people he knows about their definition of success and much more. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe here and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

In Part 2 of my conversation with early adopter and renowned copywriter, Nick Usborne, we focused on how to combine AI and EI (emotional intelligence) to build strong relationships with prospects and clients. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe here and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you’re wondering how to use AI in your marketing, this episode is for you. I talked with early adopter and renowned copywriter, Nick Usborne, about how he’s using AI to make his content marketing quicker, easier and less painful. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe here and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

How does a marketer use the Simplest Marketing Plan? In today’s episode, Florian Schleicher, a Marketing Advisor & Strategist, shares how he has used the 3 simplest tools – content marketing, strategic networking and targeted outreach – to achieve more growth than he imagined possible in less than a year. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe here and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

In this chat with Meg Casebolt, SEO strategist, podcaster and author of the new book, Social Slowdown, we identified how SEO should fit into your marketing strategy and much more. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe here and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

Today’s “bonus” episode is from a live interview with financial expert and podcaster, Farnoosh Torabi, host of the So Money Podcast, whose brand new book is out. Listen, then go buy A Healthy State of Panic: Follow Your Fears to Build Wealth, Crush Your Career, and Win at Life. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe here and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

Here’s a rare solo episode in which Ilise Benun answers a question that comes up over and over, “how exactly do you listen to the market” and then shares 6 different things to listen for when you’re listening to the market. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe here and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If your mind goes blank when someone asks what you do, in this episode you will learn not only how to enjoy talking about your work but how to do it in an entertaining and authentic way. So if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe here and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor - https://bit.ly/mmpodqt

Do you know what the right networking attitude sounds like? As I was talking with networking expert and public speaker, Julie Brown, all I could think was, “if only more people had her networking attitude, they would do it so much better.” So if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe here and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor - https://bit.ly/mmpodqt

Do you have a vision for your business? Having a vision is one aspect of leadership and just one of the many aspects of leadership I talked about with Jennifer Barrett, author of Think Like a Breadwinner, financial journalist and Head of Content at Fidelity Investments. So if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe here and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor - https://bit.ly/mmpodqt

Whether or not you ever sell your creative business, exploring the possibility can make your business healthier. In my conversation with Sarah Durham, serial entrepreneur and executive coach, she shared practical suggestions for getting your business out of your head and making it more legit. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe here and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor - https://bit.ly/mmpodqt

If personal “baggage” is getting in the way of your business growth, you’ll appreciate my conversation with Sarah Durham, a serial entrepreneur and executive coach. We focused on self imposed obstacles and how to remove them. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe here and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor - https://bit.ly/mmpodqt

If cash flow is your main pain, this episode is for you. I spoke with Matthew Wolf of Wyndetryst, a Philadelphia graphic design studio, about his twist on a very common pricing structure — which I advise against! The way he does it works! So if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe here and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If there’s a voice in your head encouraging you to do public speaking, this episode is for you. I spoke with SEO and Content Strategist, Rebekah Mays, about the baby steps she’s taking to use public speaking to grow her business. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe here and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you love your clients and are looking for a way to deepen your relationships with them, you’ll love my conversation with designer, Tara Hoover, about a very unique strategy she’s come up with and that she doesn’t even think of as marketing – but I do! And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe here and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

f you want to write a book, Laura Belgray thinks you should. Her book, Tough Titties: On Living Your Best Life When You’re the F***ing Worst, is launches June 13, so she shares how she went from self proclaimed, late bloomer and lazy person with a dream to getting the book she wanted to write published the way she wanted it published – by one of the big publishing houses. Help make Laura’s book a bestseller by pre-ordering at ToughTittiesBook.com to get all the free bonuses and bloopers.  

If you want confidence, comfort and cash, you need to differentiate yourself from everyone who does what you do. But how? On today’s episode, Danielle Hughes, Lisa Mullis & Ilise Benun talk about what it actually means to infuse your personality all the way through your business. If you like what you hear, check out our new bundle of bundles, Profit from your Personality: The ultimate toolkit for attracting and landing more clients you’ll love working with. It’s in the Shop at Marketing-Mentor.com.

We’re digging deep into all the aspects of strategic networking and today our focus is on post-pandemic networking in person, especially if you’re an introvert. Today’s guest is creative strategy consultant and master networker, Andy Brenits. If you like what you hear, join me for Jumpstart Your Networking, a free webinar on May 15th. You’ll hear all about it when you sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

This week’s episode is the next in our LinkedIn Livestream series in our effort to change the way you think about networking. My guest is online networking expert and speaker, Beth Granger, who shared lots of great tips about who to network with – especially when you don’t know who “your people” are yet. If you like what you hear, join me for Jumpstart Your Networking, a free webinar on May 15th. You’ll hear all about it when you sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

It’s Q2 and, in the world of the Simplest Marketing Plan, that means it’s time to focus on strategic networking. I kicked off a new series of LinkedIn Livestreams with one of my favorite people, Terri Trespicio, who blew our minds several times during this short but meaty chat. If you like what you hear, join me for Jumpstart Your Networking, a free webinar on May 15th. You’ll hear all about it when you sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

Yes, it’s true. I used to be afraid of people but running my own business has changed all that. At the April Office Hours gathering for the Simplest Marketing Plan, I shared a bit about how strategic networking played a big role in my transformation. Then I shared a new way to think about networking. If you like what you hear, join me for Jumpstart Your Networking, a free webinar on May 15th. You’ll hear all about it when you sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you think you can’t bring all of you to the work you do, you’ll love this lively conversation with Danielle Hughes, originator of The Personality Brand, about how to bring what “lights you up” to work with you. And watch for our new bundle, “Profit from Your Personality: The ultimate toolkit for attracting and landing more clients you’ll love working with!" You won’t miss it if you sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you’ve ever wanted to do a Kickstarter campaign or had a dream project that would be too expensive to self fund, this episode is for you. I chatted with storyteller and multimedia artist, Wioleta Kaminska, about how she’s using Kickstarter to fund her self published art book. Support her project here. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe here and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you have too much work and not enough time, this episode is for you. I had the best conversation with Jenny Blake, author of “Free Time: Lose the Busyness, Love Your Business” about how each of us is freeing more and more of our time to do what we do best – and you can too. If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe here and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

What’s your worst investment ever? Not just money invested, but time or energy or, the most important thing we have to invest: our attention. This is my story reposted from a podcast called “Worst Investment Ever” with the Worst Podcast Host, Andrew Stotz. If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe here and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

In this short solo episode, I share what I learned this week when I asked for feedback on my Quick Tips email newsletter, which prompted me to reflect on the question: how promotional is too promotional? And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

Why would anyone want your content? And what’s the difference between your content marketing and your marketing content? Those are just a few of the questions I answered in my new solo Episode #464. So if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

For my New Year message, I’m sharing the opening of a brand spanking new presentation I’m giving later this week on how I’ve been engineering the evolution of my business (instead of letting it happen by itself). So if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

Did you know content marketing could be a poem? Yup, it can, and here’s a really excellent example from the web guy, Robert Lodi. If you like what you hear, find Bob on LinkedIn and let him know. And we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.  

If you struggle with your own content marketing, aren’t sure what to write about or how to find your voice or just keep resisting the idea of doing an email newsletter, you’re in for a treat. In today’s episode, I’m talking with Ann Handley, author of the best-selling book, Everybody Writes, about everything content marketing. So if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you believe that being creative is incompatible with being a good negotiator, this episode is for you. I talked with Mori Taheripour, the author of Bring Yourself: How to harness the power of connection to negotiate fearlessly, about how to value and advocate for ourselves to ultimately get what we deserve. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

And now for something a little different: Today’s episode is a short clip from the most recent Office Hours, a monthly live and very interactive gathering that has become the centerpiece of the Simplest Marketing Plan, the framework I teach (and sell in the marketing mentor shop). Join me and my guest, copywriter, Bob Bly, for a free live event to launch the new SMP for 2023 with a one-day deal and amazing bonuses. That’s live on Cyber Monday Nov 28 at Noon ET. Sign up here: https://tinyurl.com/SMP2023

If your palms sweat when someone asks, “What do you charge?” this episode is for you. I talked again with writer and coach, Austin L. Church, who has some very interesting ideas about the limiting beliefs we hold about money and how it affects the pricing of your freelance services. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

Want to make money while you sleep? Jill Anderson of Jill Lynn Design shares exactly what it took to make $10K selling one digital product, her Client Onboarding Toolkit, and what her plan is to make the next $10K. If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you want to know the secret to a winning proposal, today’s episode is for you. It’s all part of my Proposal Oreo Strategy (from my Domestika course, Writing a Winning Proposal) and in today’s episode, web designer, Mary Maru, and content strategist and writer, Rebekah Mays, share how they use the proposal oreo to win those better clients. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

Should you add a note when you invite someone to connect on LinkedIn? I’ve always said yes, but today’s guest, writer and coach, Austin Church, shared a strategy he’s tested that’s a little different. Did it work? Listen in and you’ll find out. He also shared his 1X, 5X 10X LinkedIn content strategy and much, much more. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

Most freelancers use hourly rates for all the wrong reasons. In today’s episode, I started the debate about hourly rates with Jamie Saunders and Karen Larson of Clear Brand Strategy in this preview from HOW Design’s 2nd Annual Creative Freelance Summit on September 14-15, Details and registration at HOWdesignlive.com. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. Mentor.

If you’ve ever spent too much time on a proposal, this episode is for you. I talked with communications strategist and writer, Doug Dolan, who shared his strategies for how to properly value your time and make sure you capture it in a proposed scope of work so you actually get paid for it. Plus, what to say when a client balks at an initial quote or increase. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

Here’s the scene: it’s the end of the month and you aren’t even close to your goals. What to do? In today’s episode, I’m talking with writer and coach, Austin Church, who shared his 7-step freak out protocol and much, much more. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

In the next episode in this “Where are they now?” series, I looked back with programmer, Alan Seiden, who explains how he used an advanced content marketing strategy to go from reluctant solopreneur to now sought-after speaker and founder of The Seiden Group, a small technical firm. So if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you’ve ever wondered what makes a piece of content go viral, today’s episode is for you. I’m talking to b2b content and case study copywriter, Wendy Jacobson, about what happened when her post went viral on LinkedIn. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you need confidence, this episode is for you. Mason Harris (a.k.a. The Chutzpah Guy and author of “The Chutzpah Advantage”) shares his ideas about how (and why), especially for the self employed, chutzpah is more important than confidence. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If your neck hurts from too much sitting at the computer, this episode is for you. I talked with Andrea Brody, a former graphic designer who is now a Pilates instructor who helps creatives relieve the pain she knows all too well. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you’re not sure how to use LinkedIn to get the clients you want, this episode is for you. Vivek Shankar, a copywriter focused on fintech (financial technology) shares the not-so-secret strategy he used to reach his ambitious financial goal, while traveling the world to boot! And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you are an empathetic person, this episode is for you. Melanie the Marketer shares her ideas about how empathy allows her to put herself into anyone’s shoes in any industry, especially her clients’ customers, which can also eliminate the need for a niche. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

In this special bonus episode with Jennifer Barrett, Head of Content for Fidelity, financial journalist and author of “Think Like a Breadwinner,” and Lisa Mullis, a veteran copywriter and designer, we laid the foundation for the Fireside Chat that Jenn and Lisa will have in real time at HOW Design live in Boston, on Monday May 23. They’ll share more secrets about how designers can earn more money, invest wisely and build lifelong wealth in Boston, May 22-24. Details at https://howdesignlive.com/

In this new episode in the “Where are they now?” series, I reminisced with multi-disciplinary artist, Ilena Finocchi, originally featured in 2001 in my first book, Self Promotion Online. She shares her most effective marketing tools and, more important, the attitude that’s allowed her to avoid the “starving artist” syndrome. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

In this episode with Communications Coach, Eleanor Handley and Show Director of HOW Design, Amy Conover, we talk practical strategies for presenting yourself with confidence, whether one-on-one, in front of a group or in an interview with a client or for a new job. This is part of a short series highlighting speakers at HOW Design Live in Boston, May 22-24. Details at https://howdesignlive.com/

If you want to use content marketing to position yourself as an expert OR if you’re a copywriter who’s not quite ready to put yourself out there, this episode is for you. Donna Jones explains how the PR tool, HARO, can help in both situations. If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

Are you having trouble keeping track of all the new features on LinkedIn? Not sure which ones to take advantage of? In my chat with LinkedIn Trainer, Beth Granger, she answered all of my latest questions about new (and old) features on LinkedIn. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you’re a "passionate practitioner" with the “good” problem of too much work, this episode is for you. Today’s guest, Sarah Durham, founder of Big Duck, has recently reinvented herself as a coach for “accidental entrepreneurs,” and shares insights into growing a creative business and so much more. If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you struggle with your email newsletter, this episode is for you. I talked with the very funny Michael Katz, a marketing consultant who specializes in email newsletters for professional services providers, all about Linkedin’s new newsletter feature and the perennial question (from writers and non writers alike): what the heck should you write about? If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you’re sick of writing proposals that go nowhere, for prospects who seem really excited, then crickets, this episode is for you. Web designer, Mary Maru explains how she uses her qualifying process as “a gate and a magnet,” a way to keep out the prospects who aren’t a good fit, while attracting the ones who are. If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

If you can’t bring yourself to reach out to strangers, even though you know it’s the best way to get the best clients, this episode is for you. In this conversation, Chris Haviland, a scientist and copywriter, outlines in detail the 4-step campaign she’s using to fill her pipeline with clients and projects she loves. So if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If your emotions are a bit out of control, this episode is for you. By popular demand, it’s Part 3 of my conversation with Kelly Campbell, Conscious Leadership Coach for agency owners and host of the Thrive podcast. We picked up the conversation about what I call “fake feelings.” I even gave an example of my own. So if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

How do you know when to trust yourself and what are the right decisions for your business? That’s just one of many topics covered in Part 2 of my conversation with Kelly Campbell, Conscious Leadership Coach for agency owners and host of the Thrive podcast. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you want to be in a stronger financial position at the end of this year, today’s episode with Farnoosh Torabi, best selling author and host of the acclaimed So Money podcast, is for you. We talked about how to harness the balance between financial stability and financial freedom, no matter where you are in your career. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

In this short solo episode, I share a few thoughts inspired by a book I’m loving lately, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman. It’s both deep and practical at the same time, my favorite combination. Enjoy and I’ll be back with much more in the new year. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

In this first episode in a new series, I looked back with designer, Sharon Bending, who shares how she put her marketing machine in place, grew her business and is now, after 18 years, going "in house" for a brand new chapter of her career. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

In my new chat with Terri Trespicio, we tackled confidence and chutzpah, perfectionism and impostor syndrome, practicing in public and a really interesting new idea about “disappearing into the message” (especially useful for introverts). It’s all rooted in Terri’s brand new book, Unfollow Your Passion: how to create a life that matters to you, which you can pre-order at unfollowyourpassion.com. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you need to be held accountable to achieve your business goals, this episode is for you. I chatted with Nancy Ruzow of Ruzow Graphics, a designer who also runs The Creatives Roundtable, an accountability group that is having a Black Friday Sale. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

Is your business making you happy? And if not, what should you do? That’s where I started the conversation with Kelly Campbell, host of the Thrive podcast. She shared her own evolution from agency owner to Conscious Leadership Coach for agency owners -- and so much more in Part 1 of our conversation. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

Hate networking? Then this episode is for you. I talked with Susan McPherson, author of “The Lost Art of Connecting,” about the difference between networking and connecting, plus how to approach this essential skill as an introvert. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

How do you know how much marketing is enough? Too much? Not enough? There’s no foolproof formula but with time you will discover it for yourself. In this wide-ranging chat, Melanie the Marketer shared her “formula,” plus how she uses her hourly rate to ensure profitability. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

Are you overwhelmed by all the things you can do on LinkedIn? Not sure what the heck “Creator” mode is? In my chat with LinkedIn Trainer, Beth Granger, she answered all of my latest questions about new (and old) features on LinkedIn. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.  

What’s the difference between getting clients via word of mouth and referrals? If you’re not sure, this episode is for you. In my chat with Michael Roderick, host of the Access to Anyone podcast, we define our terms and talk about what makes a brand or a business “referable.” See if yours is. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you struggle with the tricky client situations that come up as a self employed creative pro, this episode is for you. In Part 2 of our chat, Deidre Rienzo shared what she does (and doesn’t do) to attract the best clients and to make her days efficient and productive enough to spend the bulk of her time doing what she really wants to do. If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If being an “in demand” creative pro seems like a far-off pipedream, this episode is for you. In Part 1 of our chat, I talked with Deidre Rienzo about how she went from self-doubt and anxiety to mostly moments of confident action. If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you suspect you’ve been leaving money “on the table” when negotiating project fees, this episode is for you. In my latest conversation with Jennifer Barrett, author of “Think Like a Breadwinner” (who will also be speaking at HOW Design Live in Nashville, Oct. 19-21), we talked about how exactly to ask for more -- money, that is. If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

If your ideal clients are marketers, this episode is for you. I spoke with Scott Miller, a 25-year veteran marketer and author of many books, including his latest, Marketing Mess to Brand Success: 30 Challenges to Transform Your Organization's Brand (and Your Own), and I asked him how creative professionals should build relationships with the marketers who need them. If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you often feel like a therapist to your clients, you’re not alone. In this episode, I talked with Tiffany Butler, who spent 20+ years as a designer, copywriter and project manager, but often felt like a therapist to her clients too. Then she went back to school to become the real thing. If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you want to make more money, the easiest way is to charge more. But how exactly do you raise your rates? And what do you say to clients without jeopardizing the relationships? Those are a few of the questions I answered in a special bonus podcast, an excerpt from my latest ebook, “Worth It: How getting good at the money talk pays off.” If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

Why trust your memory when you have LinkedIn, a.k.a. Your Rolodex? That’s where author, speaker and Ayurveda-based health and mindset coach, Sweta Vikram, turned out when it was time to promote her new book. And boy did she hit the jackpot, proving that the help you need is often just a few connections away. If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

When it comes to email lists, some people want a big one. So if you want to grow yours, today’s episode is for you. I talked with Tim Huelskamp, CEO of 1440 Media, who shares a simple strategy that he used to build his list from the ground up and which anyone can do. If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

There are 2 questions that trigger all the fears at once -- simple questions that your prospects and clients ask every single day. Can you guess what they are? Either way, you’re going to love my latest podcast chat about them with one of my favorite guests, Terri Trespicio. If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

  In this episode, I talked with Danielle Hughes, whose marketing is working so well that she’s got too much good work with good budgets from good people. What to do? It’s a good problem to have but not necessarily easy to solve. So we brainstormed solutions. If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. Here's the transcript of the conversation: ilise benun   As you probably know, my mantra for this podcast is about avoiding the feast or famine syndrome. Of course, famine is to be avoided for obvious reasons, but what about feast? The idea of the feast is appealing but it has problems of its own. What do you do when your marketing is working so well that you're getting more good work from good people with good budgets than you can handle? Should you grow? Should you delegate? Should you hire an employee, or simply raise your prices? These are just a few of the questions I tackled with Danielle Hughes, who is in this enviable position. So listen and learn. ilise benun   Hello Danielle. Welcome back to the podcast.   Danielle Hughes   Thank you, ilise, I'm excited to be a twofer.   ilise benun   Exactly. And before we talk about what we're going to talk about, please give your most current elevator pitch.   Danielle Hughes   Sure, I mean it's always a work in progress, but my name is Danielle Hughes. I am the self proclaimed Chief Personality Officer of More Than Words Marketing, and I help individuals and institutions bring more of themselves into their messaging through what I call creating your genuine personality brand.   ilise benun   Beautiful, and that's been evolving and growing over the last couple of years that I've known you and it's been very exciting to see that because, you know, when we first got to work together, you were doing mostly copywriting. Right?  Danielle Hughes   Correct, yes. And very much just a freelancer, didn't even have the business at that time.   ilise benun   And as many people know, the way I decide who's gonna be on the podcast is based on ideas. Basically, if someone comes to me with a really good idea, I generally say yes, especially if it's relevant to my listeners, who are creatively self employed people. So you came to me with an idea. What is your idea, Danielle?   Danielle Hughes   So it's funny because I always listen to your podcasts, and you always talk about, your thing is about getting out of the feast or famine cycle. And I had this thought about what happens when it's all feast. And what do you do with that? It's something that I think we all kind of dream of, like, “Wouldn't it be great if I just have this steady flow of work that's pouring in all the time?”    But what happens when that work is maybe too much or too good and what do you do with that? What do you do when you're just feasting all the time, and there's an endless feast?   ilise benun   And so maybe before we get to that. Tell us a little bit about how you got to all feast. What kind of marketing, are you doing, that is generating the feast.   Danielle Hughes   So a few things. I would say I am a constant networker. I have toned it down a little bit, but most people who follow me know that last year I had 240, face to face, or virtual face to face meetings during the pandemic. I'm in several networking groups. And I think that all of these relationships that I've been cultivating and the way that I position myself have just really started to pay off in recognition and awareness. And you know it's about relationships, right? So now I have this trust that people want to refer me for work. So that's one.    The second piece is my newsletter which goes out twice a month, and allows me to stay in front of my audience, but more importantly it allows me to have a distinct point of view that really seems to be resonating with people. I think it's funny that “personality brand” was one of these first blog posts or newsletters that I wrote when we first started working together. It was just a concept. It wasn't meant to be my brand. And it's taken on a life of its own now and I feel like it's taken, two, three years for that to get into the ether, and for the world to start recognizing it.    So I think it's the combination of networking and outreach that's kind of created this windfall of people coming to me with work all the time.    ilise benun   So, again, I have a few more questions before we get to the feast part, because what you just described is two of the three main marketing tools in the Simplest Marketing Plan: the strategic networking, and the high quality content marketing, which is your newsletter.    I've been talking a lot with people lately about email newsletters and I constantly get the question about how often and how long. And in general, my answer is monthly is plenty and quarterly is a minimum; and shorter tends to be better. But yours works, obviously, and it's every other week and it's long, so talk a little bit about what works for you in that strategy.   Danielle Hughes   I don't think as long. I think it's short. You know how they tell you how long a “read” is when you create a post? Well, most of mine are 1 to 2 minutes to read. So to me that's pretty short. [Regarding frequency], I always tell my clients to do what you can commit to. And for me, monthly was actually too infrequent. I would quibble with you. I think most people should do at least monthly. I think quarterly -- why bother? You might as well just not do it at all. But for me, weekly felt too daunting and I didn't think I could commit to that; every other week just felt like something that I could bite off and chew. And as a writer I kind of feel like you should be able to put out content at least twice a month. That just feels like something that you should be willing and able to do.    And it's just worked out for me as a cadence and most people think it comes out weekly, which is so funny -- because people who think I send it out every week, I keep telling them no it's not. But they're like, “I love your newsletters and look forward to them. I can't wait for Friday.” And yes, I send them out on Fridays. I don't even know how that happened but I just started doing it on Friday and now I feel like I can't break from that. But I think this appearance that it comes more frequently is also really interesting, because I guess if somebody is looking forward to something they think they get it more often than they do.   ilise benun   I don't know. I'm sure there is one of these mental blind spots and I can come up with about this perception of frequency. I'm going to have to look into that. but my newsletter, my Quick Tips, is also every other week and people think it's weekly so there is definitely something there.   Danielle Hughes   Yeah, so maybe we're gaming the system. So you don't have to do it every week to get the weekly impression.   ilise benun   I love that. And now let's just talk about the networking for a moment, because in the pandemic, a lot of people have said, “Oh, it's just so much harder to network in the pandemic because you can't be in person with people.” But most of the people I'm in contact with have found it that much easier and I'm curious if you have to?   Danielle Hughes   I think it's easier to find groups you can attend, because you don't have to physically go somewhere, right? So you can attend groups out of your area. For me, I'm in a weekly networking group that has 150 locations across the country. So in the beginning of the pandemic, I was popping into Texas and over to Colorado, New York and wherever. I live in New York City. So I do have a lot of opportunity here, but like the idea that you call in from your couch and reach more people, especially as either a service provider or product where you're not location based. I mean, the potential is so much more to expand your horizons.    But I also feel like the pandemic for a lot of people created a need for connection. And so more people were willing to not only network but the most important thing -- networking is the irrelevant part -- it's the follow up to that face to face meeting that you have with someone where you get to know them and they get to know you. That's the most important piece because that's where you become memorable, you become this fully realized person, and you create that connection and you're physically still seeing them on the screen so you can get to read their energy. You get to kind of vibe and see if you're on the same page, and then that leads to them knowing people that you should connect with, you knowing people that they should connect with. So for me I felt like I was able to ramp up my networking, which I had already been doing anyway in just a bigger way.   ilise benun   I want to connect the dots between the two marketing tools because most of the time I see people doing marketing, but not in a connected way. So when you say follow up, you're doing this to strategic networking, and then you're doing follow up. Is the newsletter part of how you follow up?   Danielle Hughes   I mean, if people sign up for it. I probably should and could be better about asking people to sign up for my newsletter when I meet with them or when I do a face to face. I will find that a lot of times they do that on their own, either before or after we meet. I will see that there's a subscriber, and then I'll realize it's someone that I'm going to have a meeting with that day or that I just talked to. So it's not necessarily part of the follow up to the networking.    To me the follow up to the networking is -- I take notes when we meet, and I think about -- there's something we call the three “i”s. Because you can always do an introduction. You don't always know somebody that you can refer when you chat with a new person, but you can provide information, whether it's an article you read, or just something that you find relevant. Or you can do an invitation, where you can invite them to another group that you belong to.   So I'm always thinking about how do I serve these people, even if I don't know someone that would be a good client for them? Usually I can be like, “I know a networking group that's looking for whatever you do and here's an introduction.”    Yesterday I talked to another writer and I belong to like two marketing type groups -- one's a Slack channel and one's an email -- and I said, “I'll hook you up with those,” because she was looking for a job and people are always posting opportunities on there. So sometimes I just think it's, how can you expand what you offer outside of always thinking you have to make a referral or it's all about you? I don't usually go into these things trying to talk about myself. I usually go into them, trying to find out more about them, which of course creates more goodwill. They feel seen, and they're more likely to remember me, even though I probably spend less time talking about myself. And then they come to me when they need help with content.   ilise benun   So that's you using curiosity as a marketing tool and generosity as a marketing tool. I just want to articulate and summarize what you just said about your follow up strategy, the three “i”s -- it sounded like introduction, information, invitation.   Danielle Hughes   Introduction, information, invitation. Correct.   ilise benun   All right, so all of this together has resulted for you in feast. I just want to say something about feast or famine first. I love alliteration -- feast or famine first -- because the ebb and flow is, to me, the nature of being self employed, especially the way you and I are. It is just up and down, unless we get a J-O-B. We are never going to have steady, steady work constantly. The only situation where you do is when you have that “gorilla” client who then provides everything you need, but is always potentially about to disappear. You just don't know. So I do think that the ebb and flow is natural but the feast or famine is very stressful. Could we say that one is better than the other? I don't know but I love the fact that you wanted to talk about the feast and how you handle it. So tell us a little bit about your feast.   Danielle Hughes   I think that's what's so interesting is, like I said earlier, I think this is what we all kind of hope for, right? “I just want tons of work and people coming to me.” I know when you and I talked a couple weeks ago, you're said, “You know, you can say no.” But it's hard to say no when everything is a good opportunity. I'm at the point now, luckily, where things coming to me for the most part are almost always a good fit: the rates are good, the client is good, the material is good. So I'm having this conundrum -- how do I turn down work when still in my head, I'm thinking, “What if this stops one day?” even though it's been basically all systems go since last March. And this first quarter is my best first quarter ever.    I still, you know, like most people -- like celebrities do this all the time, they always live in fear of running out of all their money, and that's what keeps them driving. And it's not that I have that per se. But I also feel like so many of the things coming to me, I actually want to do. I'm starting to have the quandary of, how do I take on all the things that I want to take on and what does that look like for my business?   And as you know, I did, last year, hire a virtual assistant, which has been instrumental for me in taking some of the admin off of my plate and helping me with a little bit of project management. I have a designer that I will tap into for my work and for some of my clients’ work now. And I do have a couple of writers that I've used here and there. But I don't really have consistent help, and I think as I've been getting busier, that idea of what the scaling looks like: do I want to scale? do I want to bring on an employee, which I said I would never do, but everybody I talk to says it will change your life.    And so it's just gotten my brain in so many directions, and then also, as you know, part of this influx and flooding of work has made me think, Is this even what I want to still be doing? Do I still want to be a creator? Or do I want to be a creative director or a teacher or trainer? Am I wanting to move more into a training and coaching model, as opposed to doing the actual work? So I'm a little bit at a crossroads and I think that this year for me will shake out which direction I go in -- or maybe it's both. Maybe I bring on an employee to do the actual work and I just oversee it, and then I can go out and do more speaking opportunities and do more corporate engagements and help people in that way.   ilise benun   As I'm listening, I'm thinking about how many people say to me that they have trouble delegating, and it's not like they're at the feast point that you're describing, but there are definitely things they could delegate, and they're not exactly sure how, or which. One person in particular, Andy Brenits, wrote a piece for Entrepreneur.com actually recently about how the hardest thing for him was to delegate the thing he does himself, which is design. So I'm curious if, for you, it is more challenging to delegate the copywriting than the admin for example?   Danielle Hughes   Yes, 100%! I delegated my bookkeeping, my admin, I've delegated my financial planning, the design. But the copy -- I still have it in my head that I'm the only one who can do what I do. And I think a lot of people feel that way. There are certain projects that are less “personality driven” so I can hand it off to another writer and I can just massage it. But I feel like so much of what I do is teasing out people's brand and personality, and I don't know if -- it's not that I'm not comfortable. I would have to find someone and train them. They would have to follow me and shadow me and learn my technique -- and it's not even a technique! It's just it's in my head, and how do I get it out of my head into someone else's head? It's difficult. It's difficult.   ilise benun   Repetition is helpful. Yes. It's interesting because, for you, the work of copywriting is not just any kind of copywriting. It's a certain kind of copywriting, based on this brand and this concept that you have evolved.    And one thing that I find really interesting about the personality brand idea is that, as you said, it was just a blog post that you wrote, at one point. But then people started to respond to it and so you listened to the market and you started to give the market more of what it was asking for. To me that's one of the trickiest things to teach -- because people think it has to come from them and they have to decide where they're going instead of balancing that with listening to the market. So I wonder, as you're articulating the opportunities that you see in the options before you, because you know how to listen to the market, there will also be that aspect of, “Where am I being called?”   Danielle Hughes   Basically. Yeah, and I totally agree and I thank you for that advice. Because so many people had come to me in the past couple of years saying, “I love the way you write about yourself” or “I love your website -- I need that. I don't know how to write about myself.” And it did not occur to me that this was so difficult for so many people. What's more interesting now, as you know, I'm going to be moving into the corporate space. So how do you do a brand for a person who's an employee?    But companies are starting to see that there's a need for that because, especially with virtual, you have employees who struggle. It's not that they don't know that they're good at their job. But they don't know how to advocate for themselves, they don't know how to put into words the value that they bring to their team or the value that they bring to the organization, or specifically what they're good at. And so I'm really excited about this potential and this happened because of my newsletter! Somebody saw my newsletter and said, “I think the people I mentor could really use this.” And she brought it to her organization [and they said,] “Yes, we have a problem internally and we would love to embolden and bolster the people in our company to be able to say, ‘This is my own personality brand. This is who I am. This is what I'm good at.’’ Because then it just serves everybody more, it serves the teams that they work with, it serves their managers, it serves their employers. So I'm really fascinated to see how this can translate into an internal employer perspective as an employee perspective as opposed to just entrepreneurial.   ilise benun   Yeah and then you're definitely going to have to train other people to do it with you.   Danielle Hughes   I would think, yes, or I'll just not actually do writing, and all the training -- that's a whole other podcast maybe.   ilise benun   Exactly. Alright, my last question for you, Danielle and this is a thread that has been woven through everything I'm doing and talking about and people I'm talking to lately -- what role does confidence play in what you're describing, in this case the feast for example?   Danielle Hughes   I think it's a huge component. I think clients or potential clients can sense if you are confident in what you do. And I want to distinguish that introverts can be confident -- confident is not just an extroverted outgoing personality trait. So many people think that when you are confident you're braggadocious or you're boasting, but there's a huge piece in having that energy about you that says, “I know that I am good at this, and I am going to price my work and value what I'm good at. And I'm going to even maybe tease a little bit when we're having a conversation about what I know.” I think that goes such a long way because why would you [a client] trust your brand or your message with someone who doesn't give you the sense that they're going to know what to do with it, right? You want someone who's going to come in and say, “Here's what I see, or here's what I noticed” and is not afraid to say that and to speak up.    So I think it's something that can be cultivated. I definitely suffered from that impostor syndrome, Brene Brown just had a whole thing about how it's not a syndrome, but we all have moments of feeling like an impostor and that's completely normal. I just think it's something that happens over time, the more you talk about what you do and the more you do what you do, that's where the confidence comes from.    So if I look back two years ago, I don't think that I was as confident as maybe I pretended to be.   ilise benun   So the idea of competence breeding confidence.   Danielle Hughes   100%. I mean obviously there are people who are confident whoi shouldn't be confident. But I think for the most part, yes, if you know that you are good at what you do and you have a distinct point of view, then you can be confident about it -- clarity creates confidence.   ilise benun   All right, well, I just want to thank you, Danielle, for bringing this really interesting issue and conundrum -- it's a good problem to have, but it's a problem nonetheless, to the podcast. Tell the people where they can find you and your newsletter and your workshops and everything that you're doing.   Danielle Hughes   Sure. So my website is morethanwordscopy.com and you can sign up for my newsletter there. You can connect with me on LinkedIn, I’m a big LinkedIn user. Everything's really on my website. I don't know when I'm going to be doing my next workshop, but the newsletter is definitely on the website.   ilise benun   The newsletter is the thing to always get involved. All right, thank you, Danielle,   Danielle Hughes   Thank you so much, it was great.   Transcribed by https://otter.ai

This episode is especially for women (although the men may learn a little something too). My guest, Jennifer Barrett, a financial expert and author of the new book, Think Like a Breadwinner: a wealth-building manifesto for women who want to earn more (and worry less), shared some important ideas about how we can adjust our mindset to take better care of ourselves, in business and at home. If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. Here's the transcript: Ilise Benun When I heard the title of Jennifer Barrett's new book, I knew I had to have her on the podcast and I couldn't even wait to read the book first. It's called "Think Like a Breadwinner," and it made so much sense to me on so many levels that I am thrilled to share this conversation with you. We talked about what that breadwinner mindset is why women are not socialized to take responsibility for themselves, and the role that confidence plays in all of this. That's a thread that is woven into almost everything I'm thinking about and teaching these days. So listen, and learn. Hello, Jenn, welcome to the podcast. Jennifer Barrett Thanks so much for having me. My pleasure. I'm Jennifer Barrett, and I'm the chief Education Officer at Acorns, which is a saving and investing app with about 9 million users and counting. And I'm also the author of the new book, "Think Like a Breadwinner," which is a wealth building manifesto for women who want to earn more and worry less well. Ilise ...and who wouldn't want that? Very cool. And full disclosure. I have not read the book yet. But I can't wait to and I just wanted to have you on even before I read the book, because I love the title. And I loved your TED Talk. And I loved the conversation that we had. And I just feel like there's a lot we can talk about. Maybe after I read the book, we'll do a part two, based on what I found there. But let's begin by talking about the title of the book, think like a breadwinner, what does that mean to you? Jenn Well, thinking like a breadwinner really means making the kinds of money choices that will ensure you can support yourself throughout your life, and maybe others too. And one key element of that is investing to build wealth. And you know, for most women, we have not been taught or encouraged to invest or even really given the message of how critically important that is. So that's a big part of it. And then even, if you step back, I mean, even though more women than ever before are moving into the main earner or breadwinner role, we are still being socialized for the most part not to think of ourselves as breadwinners, as wealth builders. And that is to our detriment. So even if we end up in that role, we often feel unprepared. And either way, we're really missing out on reaching our full earning and wealth building potential, if we don't think of ourselves in those terms, and really focus on not just earning enough to pay the bills, but building enough wealth to support the lives that we want. Ilise I'm inclined to kind of use myself as the example here, and maybe tell you a little bit about my take on this from my past. Maybe you can comment and support it with some ideas, and keeping in mind that my listeners are for the most part, self employed creative professionals. One of the problems I have with a lot of the money, tips and guidance that's out there, especially for women, is that it's all about having a job and negotiating salaries. And I have a big chip on my shoulder about that. So I'm constantly trying to translate it all for the self employed woman who actually is in a position to do more than I think she would be able to do in a job. Do you agree with that? Jenn I would agree, I think that there are still some very real external barriers within corporate America to women, you know, women who are ambitious, and who want to move up the ranks, and especially if we want to do that, and also have a family. So it's not just the socialization that we get, but it's very real barriers in terms of workplace bias in terms of women being paid and promoted less and in terms of policies that really reinforce those outdated assumptions. And I think what you see and what we're seeing right now is that a lot of women are leaving corporate America and becoming solopreneurs entrepreneurs, small business owners, because there's more freedom there. There's more possibility, the sky's sort of the limit. And not only that, but what I saw when I interviewed a lot of them is that we then create the kind of companies that we wish we were a part of. We learn from our experience in corporate America, that's where we started. And we try to do better when we create our own company. So I think a lot of these women led companies are really leading the way in creating a more inclusive workplace culture and a better balance between life and work and will ultimately create a model that I hope the rest of corporate America follows in the future. Ilise So I may have said this -- I am totally unemployable. First, it was because I just don't like other people telling me what to do. Then, eventually, after now, 33 years of being self employed, I'm to a point where nobody can match my salary and the potential for what I can earn, the sky's the limit. I mean, that is the reality if I wanted to focus on that. And yet, here's the interesting thing: in my opinion, after 33 years supporting myself, I'm not married, I have no kids, I have a dog, she's not all that expensive. I have a lot of freedom. And yet, it wasn't until maybe five years ago, that it occurred to me that I really got that I can take care of myself. In other words, I had been taking care of myself for, let's say, 28 years. But still, in the back of my mind, there was always this, "Oh, someone else should take responsibility for x." There wasn't even a person there. But there's this fantasy that someone else is supposed to take care of me. So when I think about my past, and growing up, it was certainly my father who taught me -- I remember very clearly watching him pay the bills, write those checks. He would let me write everything but his signature. And so I kind of learned, and I remember getting my first checkbook. And yet and I still did not get the message that I will be able to take care of myself, even though I was learning some of the practical skills. So respond to that, if you would. Jenn Yeah. And I'd be curious to hear more about what happened five years ago to to shift your mindset around that. But to answer your question, I think and I experienced this myself growing up is, there's a lot of research around how parents speak differently to their girls than to their boys, and the kinds of conversations they have tend to center more around budgeting and spending smartly. I think you can even include paying the bills and managing a budget. And they speak more to their boys about building credit and building wealth. Those are critical skills for everyone. And this is not to play down the importance of being able to manage a budget. But managing a budget is only one piece of it, right? What I'm talking about with the breadwinning mindset is so much more expansive. It's not just about paying the bills, it's about asking yourself, "what kind of life do I want? And what do I need to do in order to afford it?" You know, if you're in a career, it's asking, "what kind of income? What career path do I need in order to make the kind of income to support the life I want?" If you're starting a business, it's asking, "how am I going to bring in the revenue I want to? And how is this business going to allow me to have the life the lifestyle that I want? And how am I going to build wealth on the side in order to ensure that I can cover our midterm goals, retirement, all of these things?" I think when you're self employed, those are even bigger questions, because it's really on your shoulders, it's all on your shoulders, paying taxes, saving for retirement, saving for midterm goals. All of that really rests on your shoulders. And so you need to be that much more proactive. But I think most of us just weren't brought up to think about money that way, to think about wealth building, to think about what is the career path? Or what is the business I want to start that will generate the revenue to support the life that I want. And so it often takes a while before that clicks into place. And to your point, you know, I don't think we're like waiting around for Prince Charming to save us anymore, necessarily. But if you look at the data out there on women and money: women invest less and later and we save less than men. We have more credit card and student loan debt. And we have lower credit scores. I could go on, you know, the gender wage gap is 18%. The gender wealth cap is 68%. So you look at those numbers, and it's hard not to think, "are we waiting for someone to rescue us," because we are often not making the kinds of financial choices that will allow us to support ourselves throughout our lives. So there is I think there is something very deep in our subconscious. And a lot of that comes from the cultural conditioning that we have gotten, which has said women's income is less important, which has said the man will be the breadwinner, which has said the prescription is, get a job, get a career, maybe start a small business, get married, save a little for a rainy day, save for retirement -- but it leaves out all the decades in between. So I would say we shouldn't blame ourselves for that, because a lot of this really is the way that we have been socialized to think of ourselves in relation to money. And it takes a real conscious effort, if that is the way that you have been brought up. And it's been reinforced by pop culture to recognize that and then shift your mindset to believe, "I am capable of doing this, I am a wealth builder, I am a breadwinner, I am a successful business owner," to reinforce those beliefs and take some conscious reconditioning sometimes. Ilise I have so many thoughts. I'm just gonna choose one. Because I've been thinking a lot about the role of confidence in all of this, and to say, "just shift your mindset to become a wealth builder," easier said than done, obviously. And so what I'm thinking about is what's the role of confidence? And in my own personal experience, it's taking actions and building skills, that bring the confidence that build the confidence. It doesn't come from just thinking a certain way. And so that got me thinking, I was trying to remember when I put my first $100, in my Fidelity SEP IRA. I couldn't even find it on the website. It's been that long, but nobody told me to do that. I only had two jobs and none of them had an IRA or any kind of retirement plan associated with it. So I don't even know why, at a certain point, I decided to just start putting $100 a month into a SEP IRA. But I do remember, I had a client, I was doing bookkeeping for him, he was a psychiatrist. And he had Fidelity Contrafund, and I was like, "Okay, well, he's making money at that, I'm gonna do that." And so I just started putting $100 into Contrafund, and for years and years it's been building. Jenn So like, what is that action also? And where is the confidence, like, "Yes, I can build a business and save for retirement at the same time, not all of my money has to go to the same thing." 100%, I agree with you. And I think to your point, when we just start implementing those habits, even if we're saving a little bit, investing a little bit at a time, it starts to build our confidence. So one of the most important things is just to get in the game, is just to start investing, it's less important, what you're investing in. And I always say, if you are feeling intimidated about the stock market, and I think a lot of people, men and women, still are, but you see that more in women than in men, then just to invest in an S&P 500 index funds. That gives you exposure to 500 of the biggest companies that represent more than 80% of the total market value. So you're basically in many ways, investing in the market itself -- one investment in one fund over time that has returned about 10% per year on average, or seven to seven and a half if you take inflation into account. And that is a nice rate of return. So if you do nothing else, start there. And I think, to your point, when you start investing, and you start to see that money growing, it has a really incredible effect on your psyche and your confidence. Because there's something about actually seeing the numbers and seeing your wealth grow, that will increase your confidence, that will increase your sense of security, all of these emotional benefits to it. And we see this in Acorns, too. So at Acorns, people can start investing with their change literally -- we will you connect your card and you use your card and we round up your purchases, take the change, and when it hits $5 we invest that for you. And so people who start there, and there are a lot of people who do start there, invest about 30 to $35 a month on average. So we're talking about around $400 a year but what we find is that they start there, and then after a few months, usually when the market is going up which it has been for the most part for you know several months now, their confidence builds and they start adding more. So they add $5, $10. And then they continue to increase their contributions. I think that's actually the way it works for a lot of people, if we're a little tentative about jumping in. So the most important thing is to just get started and get in the habit so that every time you have a new client, for example, you're automatically thinking, "Okay, I need to take this amount, from whatever payment I get to put toward taxes, and I need to take this amount to put toward my investments." A SEP IRA is a great vehicle because you can deduct those contributions. So it helps you in more than one way, you know, you're already building your wealth, and you're saving money for retirement, but you're also saving money on your tax bill. Ilise Excellent. I want to give you more time to tell us more about what's in the book in terms of the actual strategies that people can use and implement. So what would you say? Where else would you go with that? Jenn So I took the the breadwinning mindset, and I used it as a filter to look at kind of every aspect of our finances. And one place to start is credit. I think anyone who's ever taken a loan out for their business is well aware of the importance of having good credit, in order to get the best terms. But again, the way that credit has been marketed to everyone, but really predominantly to women, since we are tend to make most of the consumer decisions and the household, is that credit is a way to close the gap between the life that you can afford and the life that you want. And that is such a dangerous message. But what the breadwinner mindset would say is looking at credit as a way to get the best terms on the loan that you will want to invest in something that you think will increase in value. So for example, looking at your credit cards as a way to build your credit score, so that when you get a mortgage or business loan, you'll get the best terms. I have some research in the book that shows that if you have the highest range credit scores and can get the best terms, that can save you over $42,000 over the course of a traditional 30 year mortgage loan for an average priced home. That is significant when you think about building wealth and the kind of money that you can set aside $42,000 makes a huge difference, especially if you're able to invest that money versus paying it in interest. Same goes for a business loan. So having a higher credit score actually makes a huge difference. You can also leverage credit cards to actually make money once you are comfortable paying off your credit card bill every month, you can start using credit cards to get cash back to get rewards points. You know, there are fantastic deals on some of these business credit cards. But it's a different way of looking at credit. It's really like you don't want to pay for the privilege of using the card. You want to leverage credit to actually make money and build wealth. So that's one area. The other area, again, is looking at investing from day one as a way to decrease your dependence if you are in a regular job, to decrease your dependence on paycheck. And building wealth on the side is a way to give you that cushion that could allow you to leave a corporate job and start your own business. In fact, last night, I did an event with Luminary and Kate, who is the founder and CEO of Luminary, was telling me that she had been investing for the goal of having a child. They were going through a lot of fertility treatments and she had saved aside all this money and they ended up not having a child. But she had all this money, so she used the money to start Luminary. So it's really thinking about building wealth to support the goals that you might have in the future and to give you the freedom of choice. Right. And that's a very different way of looking at it. Same with savings. I mean, I think we often think of savings and it's been sort of pitched us as like saving for an upcoming purchase like a expensive handbag or a getaway with our girlfriends, which is not to say that those aren't wonderful things to save for too. But savings is so much more than that. It's like having savings is having peace of mind, it's giving you choice. It's knowing for example, if you have savings, if you suddenly get a tax bill, if you underestimated what you need to pay, having that savings there gives you that security that you're going to be okay. If you're starting a business and oh my god -- the pandemic. I mean, some people lost 50 - 80% of their revenue in the pandemic. Having savings allows you to ride those times and so your business will be okay and you'll be okay. So it's so important to just think about all those different areas of your finances as really supporting the life you want and giving you as many choices as you can have in the future. Ilise Actually the last line of your TED Talk is the one that I told you I was going to be quoting you immediately, because it has a corollary in my work. So you said, "There is nothing more empowering than being able to bring the future you want to life. And to know you have the savings and the wherewithal to walk away from any situation you don't want." So I translated that to, "There is nothing more empowering than being able to bring the business you want to life. And to know that you have the marketing in place, and the pipeline, and the wherewithal to walk away from any client or project you don't want." What do you think of that? Jenn I love that. I love that so much. I really do. I think that's so important. And the book is not necessarily written for entrepreneurs and small business owners. But I think the lessons apply. And if you translate the breadwinning mindset to an entrepreneurial mindset, it really is having the confidence that you can do this, that you have the skills that you have the pipeline, and you have the marketing capabilities to weather these storms. And I mean honestly, there's nothing more powerful than being able to say no to a client, to be able to walk away from a client who's toxic. I mean, I've talked to so many people who have businesses and feel like when they're starting, they have to put up with so much. But as they start to build their business, build their wealth, they say, "This is an amazing, this is an amazing moment for me when I can say no to a client who's just a pain in my butt and I don't want to have to deal with them." That's a wonderful feeling to be in that builds confidence. That by itself, I think, can build confidence. Yeah. Cuz think about how you'll show up the next time you're negotiating with a client when you know that you can walk away. I mean, that's the first rule of negotiation, right? Yep, the most effective way to negotiate is knowing in your mind that you can walk away, and it gives you so much leverage in a conversation and negotiation. Ilise Alright, my last question for part one of our conversation. I think a lot of people want to talk about talking about money, because that's something I teach, I have a new presentation, actually, I'm giving a version of it tonight, called "Show Me The Money: Learn to love the money conversation," because I think one of the ways people, not just women, men and women I see, get in their own way is just by not bringing it up in the first place. So do you have any tips from the book or from your own experience about talking about money? Jenn Well, number one is talk about it. To your point, I think that we often feel shame, or embarrassment, or whatever it is, especially when we have questions about money, how to invest or things that we think we ought to know. But in reality, you know, very few people in this country get a really solid financial education. It's not part of the curriculum in most schools. So a lot of people have a lot of questions well into their career. And so there's no shame in asking questions. So that's important. But the other aspect of this, especially if you have your own business, is to talk to other business owners and get a sense of what they're charging and have those conversations. I mean, it's sort of the equivalent, you know, in our careers, when I've talked to other people about what they're earning, what their income is, and boy are those eye opening conversations. And it's so powerful. I was just thinking yesterday about a string and one of my network networking groups about getting paid to speak. I had been trying to decide what to charge and that string was eye opening. The range was like zero to 10, on what people were charging, and it was not necessarily a reflection of experience, or the amount of times you've spoken or your platform. It was really a lot of times about what you asked for. And having read that entire string, now I know this, this spectrum, the range, and I know how to have that conversation, I felt so much better equipped to negotiate the next talk that I was asked to give. That was hugely powerful. I'm thinking of one friend in particular and I include her in the book. She holds these workshops to help others run strong PR firm, to help other business owners with negotiations. But even you know, she did some work for me and she said, "I hope you don't mind, but she's like, honey, I got to get paid. Like I got bills. I'll give you a friend discount. But I got to get paid." And I thought I would never ask you to do work and not pay you. You know, but I think you can have those conversations, even in a case like that where you're working with a friend, and they say, I love you, but I got to get paid. Ilise Well, my take on the friends and family discount is they should pay more because they know how much you're worth and they want to support you. Jenn I told her that too. I said I'm willing to pay full price, more than willing because you're exactly right, they know more than anyone how talented you are and they will want to support that. I completely agree. But I also think it is just so important to remember, you need to get paid, you need to get paid what you're worth, there's no way around it. And there's nothing wrong with saying, "I want to make a lot of money," I definitely want to make a lot of money, I'm very open about it, I want to make a lot of money so I can have the impact I want to have in the world, so I can have the life I want. And, you know, I think a lot of times, we don't talk about that enough. There's this weird shame around saying, especially as a woman, that you want to make a lot of money. And we need to get over that. And I would say -- and then I'll get off my horse about this -- But when we talk about venture capital, I've talked to so many female entrepreneurs, and they tell me that one of the things that drives them nuts when they're raising money is that there's almost this idea of like, it's charity to put money into a female led company right now. It's like, "we ought to do it to help female entrepreneurs." That is such BS! Invest in the company because we will make money and we will make you money. That's why you invest in a company. We're not a charity. And we have every intention of making a lot of money. And so it's even reshaping the conversation around that to like, the reason you should invest in a female led business is because we have a higher rate of success. And we are just as ambitious and talented as male founders. Not because there's some quota to fill, or because you feel like oh, I need to support female founders, but because you actually see the value in what we're doing. Ilise All right, that would be the perfect place to put the bookmark. But I did think of one other question that I want to ask you is: Do you have a favorite female personal finance "guru" that you recommend people listen to or read? Jenn Well, it's hard to read her, but she does have a blog, but my mom is my, she really is my hero. We talk all the time about money and investments. She will call me when she makes a good investment and makes money. So we have that kind of relationship where she says, I'm so glad I can call you and tell you about this money I made today with Baidu or Amazon or whatever.  She has a background and a PhD in accounting. And she actually takes the time to read all these reports that companies put out and look for opportunities. That is not something that most people have the time to do, but I admire her for more than that. She is self taught and really started managing the finances after my parents were divorced. And she got remarried. And has didn't start quite from scratch, but almost and has built a really impressive portfolio in stocks and bonds and in real estate. So I have so much admiration for what she's been able to do. And she also gives just incredibly solid advice. She is the person who takes the time to research everything. And she's at Profpat.com She has a blog, and she writes mostly for people who are near or in retirement. That's her focus right now because she is retired. She was an accounting professor for many years. Ilise So interesting. And just funnily my mother also spends what sounds like all of her spare time reading all those reports and watching the stock market. She doesn't have an accounting degree, actually, so she is also self taught, and I think has been doing it probably for the last 10 years. But that's what she seems to have devoted her life to -- is teaching herself how to take care of herself -- she's now in her 80s. Jenn That is amazing. That's so inspiring. And I think they would get along very well. Ilise Yes. All right. So tell the people where they can find you online, also in your book. Jenn Sure. Well, I'm at JenniferBarrett.com. I'm on all the social platforms and feel free to reach out. And the book is "Think like a breadwinner" and it's available anywhere you buy books. Ilise Awesome. I can't wait to get mine. Okay, so thank you, Jenn. And we will definitely have to have a part two. That sounds great. Transcribed by https://otter.ai  

Now that video calls are the default for any meeting, what’s the etiquette for who does and doesn’t put their video on? I chatted about this with my longtime friend and supporter, Corina Ludwig, President of FunctionFox.com, an online time tracking and project management software for creative professionals. If your goal is to increase billable hours and improve accountability, try their new “freelancers” account — it’s free at https://www.functionfox.com/free/ (after you listen to this episode, of course). If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.    

If you shy away from marketing yourself because you can’t stand how corporations market to you, this episode is for you. In today’s conversation, Andy Didorosi, Head of Marketing for Basecamp, shares his ideas about how to bring your heart and soul into your own marketing, and so much more. If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If a lack of confidence is preventing you from getting your business off the ground, this episode is for you. In today’s conversation, Helen Conway, former judge turned wellness coach for lawyers, describes how working on her web site and putting her marketing tools in place gave her the confidence she lacked and propelled her new business forward. If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you’re struggling to find your niche, this episode is for you. It may help you find yours, it may help you simply relax about the whole niche question, and maybe both. (Fingers crossed.) In today’s episode, Pam Foster and I also discuss popular niches for 2021 and, of course, the right way to pronounce the word! If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

You know that LinkedIn is where the clients are. And you know you should be spending more time there. But you just don’t know what to do or where to click first. Well, it’s time to set that overwhelm aside and get on the train to opportunity. All it takes is 10-15 minutes a day. In today’s episode, Melanie “the Marketer” Deardorff and I discussed the best way to spend it. If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you love learning, this episode’s for you. I talked with podcast fave, veteran creative professional and photographer, Michael e. Stern, about how to take action and learn something new as a way out of a slump. If you like what you hear, write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

If you’ve ever dreamed about making money while you sleep, my conversation with Jill Anderson of Jill Lynn Design will wake you right up. Jill is a web designer and long time Marketing Mentor client who has just released her first product, The Client Onboarding Toolkit, and in our recent chat, she who opens up about the nitty gritty of her experience. We’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you want to kick off 2021 feeling more self-assured about money, you’ll love my new conversation with writer and speaker, Terri Trespicio, whose confidence about money is downright contagious! In our recent chat, she explains why she’s sworn off retainers (and why she thinks they’re dangerous), how she learned to stop giving away her ideas, why she’s making more than those who “cling to their rates” and what any of this has to do with ice sculptures and chocolate fountains! And we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you’ve been meaning to start (or restart) your email newsletter, this episode is for you. Sarah Pike, of FreeFall Laser, a specialist in laser cutting for artists and designers, shared her process and the mindset that’s turned her email newsletter into one of her most effective marketing tools. If you like what you hear, read the case study about how Sarah learned to take more control over the growth of her business. And we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you want to stop wasting time on clients who are not ready to hire you, we have just the trick. Let them marinate until they are ready. But how do you do that? And isn’t that kind of passive? Those are just a few of the questions Melanie “the Marketer” Deardorff and I discussed in today’s episode. If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you love words and want to read all day and make money doing it, this episode is for you. Jennie Nash, book coach and founder of Author Accelerator, joins me to discuss what is a book coach and who is best suited to become on. For more details and to watch Jennie’s companion video, go to https://www.bookcoaches.com/marketingmentor. We’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

If you are among the 70% who struggle with Impostor Syndrome, this episode is for you. Dr. Valerie Young, the leading expert on the topic, joins me to discuss why it afflicts so many men and women (especially creatives) and what you can do about it. We’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

If you avoid the money conversation with clients, today’s short episode is for you. In it, I share a simple way for solopreneurs and other creative professionals to change the way you think about money. This reframe will make it easier to talk to prospects and clients about it, to get their budget and to quickly weed out the ones who can’t afford you. That way, you can stop wasting time on proposals and instead spend your time on the clients who can pay what you’re worth. For more, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

If you feel exhausted from day after day of Zoom meetings, this episode is for you. Communications coach, Eleanor Handley, and I delved into the psychological aspects of what Zoom is doing to us and how we can use it to our best advantage. We’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

What role does integrity play in business? And how can you demonstrate yours to your clients? That’s the topic of today’s episode with veteran creative professional and photographer, Michael e. Stern. We’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

If you’re tired of 5-figure funnel fantasies, pointless lead magnets and the barrage of heartless, automated content, you’ll love my conversation with Lisa Mullis of Paraphrase Communications, who respectfully disagreed with my recent rant to “forget funnels.” You’ll also learn a better way to use automation to delegate some of your marketing, without also delegating your authenticity. Find the "freebie" Lisa mentioned here. If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

Pitching yourself as a guest on the podcasts that your ideal clients listen to is one of the advanced content marketing strategies many Marketing Mentor coaching clients are using. And it can be very effective – when you do it right. In today’s episode, I chatted with copywriter, Francis Nayan, who pitched himself for my podcast and it worked. Listen to find out why. If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

In part 2 of my conversation with marketing strategist, Elke Giba, we talked about what it’s like to close a 10 year old business to take a full time job and the importance of keeping your personal brand alive, especially on LinkedIn. (Listen to Part 1 here) If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

Want to know what it’s like to be an in-house marketer who outsources to creative professionals. In today’s episode, Elke Giba, shares her experience of being on the other side of the table after 10 years of self-employment. If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

Is it cheating to hire someone to help you with writing or design if those are the services you offer? And should you tell your clients if you’re not doing “all the work?” If you want to grow your creative business, you’ll need to learn how to delegate -- not everything, but certain things. That’s what Melanie “the Marketer” Deardorff and I discussed in today’s episode. If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

What is a designer who coaches? What kind of coaching can a designer offer? In today’s episode, Sandra Koenig of BrandingHarmony.com shares her experience as a Brand Coach, just one example of the types of coaching many creatives are pursuing as they transition from doing the work for their clients to becoming more of a strategic partner to their clients. If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

What happens to your creative business when a crisis in your personal life takes everything you have? In today’s episode, Jeanine Davis of JL Davis Design shares what she’s learned about how to take care of your clients, your marketing and, most important, yourself, when life happens. If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

Do you need a budget? In today’s episode, Ean Murphy of Moxie Bookkeeping and Coaching answers that question and more. She breaks down all the financial jargon so everyone --- especially creative professionals -- can understand their money and keep more of it. If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

Strong client relationships are the sign of a healthy business. But how strong are your relationships with your clients? And how would you know? That’s the topic of today’s episode with veteran creative professional and photographer, Michael e. Stern. We’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

You were off to a great start. First quarter of 2020 was almost over and this was going to be your year! And then, well, you know what happened. Now your plans to launch or grow your creative business have been derailed. How should you respond? Is all lost? Of course not. Here’s my take on how to handle the inevitable obstacles that test your resolve. (Adapted from an article originally published for AWAI. Read the article here.) And we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

If you’re wondering how to handle your money at this moment, whether you have a lot or a little, today’s episode with Galia Gichon of Down To Earth Finance will help. Galia is a personal finance expert specializing in artists, entrepreneurs and freelancers and today we talk about how to strengthen your finances, no matter where you are on the spectrum of financial health. If you like what you hear, check out Galia’s new online course, Woman’s Compass, which starts May 5. And we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

This is the perfect time to be self employed and the perfect time to chat with someone who’s been a successfully self employed creative for even longer than my 32 years. Michael e. Stern has seen it all and persevered through many many ups and downs. Today we talked about how he knows which clients to give up on and which ones deserve perseverance. We’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.   

Whether or not you consider yourself a blogger, there are lots of reasons to use a blog for content marketing, and you don’t even have to do it all that often. In this chat with Melanie the Marketer, (that’s Melanie Deardorff), we discuss why it’s worth making time for, even if you don’t like to write. And if you didn’t hear my recent semi-controversial episode with Melanie, listen to #387 Do you need fancy CRM software? I don’t think so. If you like what you hear, write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and, one more thing, be sure to sign up for my Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

Get ready to breathe a sigh of relief because I don’t think creative professionals and solopreneurs need any fancy CRM (customer relationship management) software to keep track of your clients and prospects. In this chat with Melanie the Marketer, (that’s Melanie Deardorff), we discuss the simple strategy we both use instead. You may remember Melanie from Episode #371 when she shared the specific and practical ways generosity manifests in her everyday marketing.  If you like what you hear, write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and, one more thing, be sure to sign up for my Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

Is a billboard an affordable marketing tool for a design firm or copywriter? Don’t laugh it off. I spoke with Bart Bradshaw, host of the Built to Stay podcast, who educated me all about the latest in outdoor advertising. It’s not as expensive as you think and depending on your niche, it could definitely make you stand out. Listen to our companion interview on choosing a niche. If you like what you hear, write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and, one more thing, be sure to sign up for my Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you’re someone who relies more on your intuition than your reason, this episode is for you. I spoke with Dr. Gleb Tsipursky, author of a new book called, Never Go With Your Gut: How Pioneering Leaders Make the Best Decisions and Avoid Business Disasters. We talked about one of my favorite topics, mental blindspots and cognitive biases, especially as they relate to creativity in business. If you like what you hear, write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and, one more thing, be sure to sign up for my Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.  

If distraction prevents you from reaching the goals you truly want to achieve, this episode is for you. I spoke with Nir Eyal, international best-selling author of a new book called Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life. We talked about the simple yet powerful changes you can make to control your mind and use your time more effectively. You’ll also find lots of bonus content on the blog. If you like what you hear, write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and, one more thing, be sure to sign up for my Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.  

If you’ve had trouble picking a niche, this episode is for you. I spoke with Pamela Slim, business coach and author of the best-seller, Escape from Cubicle Nation and her latest book, Body of Work. We talked about how to develop the language to attract the right people and repel the wrong people to your business. If you like what you hear, write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and, one more thing, be sure to sign up for my Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you love writing, writers and words, this episode is for you. I spoke with Jennie Nash, founder of Author Accelerator and author of the new book, Read Books All Day & Get Paid For It, about the opportunity to become a book coach and her upcoming free online Business of Book Coaching Summit. If you like what you hear, write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and, one more thing, be sure to sign up for my Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you suspect your marketing is still just too much about you, this episode is for you. I spoke with Adam Fairhead of Fairhead Creative and BuiltForImpact.net about his new book, Marketing Isn’t About You, and about how to use personalized videos to get the attention of the clients you want to serve. If you like what you hear, get a free download at https://fairhead.net/ilise. Then, write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and, one more thing, be sure to sign up for my Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you don’t have clarity about the unique value you bring to your ideal clients, this episode is for you. I spoke with Lisa Mullis of Paraphrase Communications about the “Value Framework” she uses to help her clients package and position their “high value offers.” If you like what you hear, read her guest blog post where you can download her Value Framework Blueprint. Also, listen to our previous podcasts on the “comparison trap” and being an “experienced newbie.” Then, write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and, one more thing, be sure to sign up for my Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you’re tired of coming up with new marketing ideas all the time and you want a simple system that (almost) runs on its own, this episode is for you. I spoke with Susan Harper of Conference-Creative.com about her “marketing machine,” which is generating enough work for her to outsource her marketing! If you like what you hear, write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and be sure to sign up for my Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you want longer relationships with clients (and fewer one-off projects), this episode is for you. I spoke with Ben Callahan, President of Sparkbox, about how, once inside a client company,  his web firm “spreads like a virus” and how they use content marketing to attract clients who want long term partners. If you like what you hear, listen to my previous chat with Ben on the Sparkbox content marketing strategy, write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and be sure to sign up for my Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you are always looking for ways to improve your productivity, this episode is for you. I spoke with Paula Rizzo, media trainer and author of the brand new, Listful Living: A List-Making Journey to a Less Stressed You, about how to use lists to improve your life and, ultimately, waste less time. Be sure to check out her blog and watch our recent video interview too. If you like what you hear, write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and be sure to sign up for my Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.  

If you are overwhelmed and just can’t get a handle on your to do lists (most of us have more than one), this episode is for you. It’s an excerpt from a recent presentation by Andy Brenits, of Brenits Creative, on his self styled productivity process. Be sure to read his updated and detailed blog post here and listen to a previous podcast with Andy here. If you like what you hear, write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and be sure to sign up for my Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you struggle when talking money with clients, this episode is for you. It’s an excerpt from a recent workshop I gave for creative professionals on how to take more control over your business (and your pricing) by learning when and how to initiate the money conversation with confidence. If you like what you hear, write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and be sure to sign up for my Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

In the latest episode, I got to chat with Ann Handley, best-selling author of “Everybody Writes,” and the world’s first Chief Content Officer. We bonded over our mutual obsession with email newsletters and talked all about how to write ridiculously good content and the art of curating content. If you like what you hear, write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and be sure to sign up for Ann’s newsletter, Total Annarchy, and for my Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you’re feeling stuck, you’ll get a lot out of today’s episode with strategic copywriter, Danielle Z. Hughes, who generously shares how her business has grown in the short time since she started asking for (and getting) the help she needed. “Everything that has happened to me in the past year has been because I realized I couldn't and shouldn't go it alone.” If you like what you hear, by all means, write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and be sure to sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor

In today’s episode with Tom Ross, podcast host and CEO of DesignCuts.com, we talked about what he calls “the beautiful marriage that can be design and marketing,” and how he and some of the members of his community are shedding the “starving artist” identity and learning to love marketing. Find him on Instagram @tomrossmedia. If you like what you hear, by all means, write a review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and be sure to sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor

In today’s episode with Melanie the Marketer, (that’s Melanie Deardorff), we explore the idea of generosity as an antidote to that “salesy” feeling that is NOT an inevitable element when marketing your creative services. Melanie also shared the specific and practical ways generosity manifests in her everyday marketing. If you like what you hear, by all means, write a review, subscribe on iTunes and be sure to sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor

If you’re thinking of trying podcasting, you’ll enjoy my recent interview with Rob & Kennedy of ResponseSuite.com. We talk about podcasting as the ultimate marketing tool and they share their own podcasting strategy. Also, read my recent post on being an excellent podcast guest and then listen to my interview on their podcast, “3 Marketers Walk Into a Podcast.”  If you like what you hear, by all means, write a review, subscribe on iTunes and be sure to sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

If you’re thinking of offering Facebook advertising as a service to your clients or wondering if Facebook's ads would be a good way to get clients, this episode is for you. In our chat, Lucas Lee-Tyson, a college student who runs GrowthCave.com, an agency that specializes in Facebook ads, shared how, how much and much more. If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

One way to use generosity as a marketing tool is to treat your content marketing as a gift for your market. That’s just one of the ideas from my second interview with Nick Usborne, who teaches a course on conversational copywriting. There was also some ranting about whether puppies are always click bait. You may remember Nick from Episode #360 earlier this year. You can still take advantage of his special offer: sign up here to get Nick’s free guide and videos. Nick and I will both be speaking again at AWAI’s Bootcamp, which is sold out but you can still register to attend virtually. If you like what you hear, write a review, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

Are you wasting time on your least profitable clients? How much time do you spend hunting for things? Should you be charging for travel time? These are some of the questions I tackled with Corina Ludwig, President of FunctionFox.com, an online time tracking and project management software for creative professionals – and a sponsor of my latest Simplest Marketing Planner. Check out their free 14 day trial at FunctionFox.com/mm. If you like what you hear, write a review, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

In this very special podcast interview, I talked with Kevin Carroll, a HOW friend and past speaker, whom I met when he gave his PATH to Professional Presentations at SCAD recently. You can also see the highlight reel of his collaborations with creative partners (and fellow friends of HOW), Ann Willoughby/Willoughby Design/Gordon Mackenzie. If you like what you hear, write a review, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.  And use my promo code (MENTOR10) for 10% off your ticket HOW Design Live 2019 in Chicago, May 7-10 at howdesignlive.com. 

Today’s episode was originally recorded for the HOW Design Live podcast, but the information is relevant to my listeners too, so I’m reposting it here. I chatted with Bridget Watson Payne, Executive Editor for Art & Design at Chronicle Books. She’s speaking on how to become an author as part of the Creative Freelancer Track at HOW Design Live 2019 in Chicago, May 7-10. Use my promo code (MENTOR10) for 10% off your ticket at howdesignlive.com. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

Here’s my latest chat with time lapse filmmaker, Michael e. Stern, who walks us through a recent “warm intro” he did for a big project and describes how he meticulously and patiently pitches the projects he wants. Find more of our chats here. And we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

For February I’m reading aloud another essay I love from the poet-philosopher, David Whyte, and his book of essays CONSOLATIONS: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words. This one is on “courage” so much more important than confidence, which so many people claim not to have. If you like what you hear, write a review, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

This special episode is the audio version of Ilise Benun’s new presentation, How to Get Better Clients with Bigger Budgets, hosted by Communo.com. (Watch it on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/BSPKWDRE6Wg). It is, she outlines clearly and succinctly how the only 3 marketing tools you need work together to reinforce your message when you follow the Simplest Marketing Plan. If you like what you hear, write a review, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

If you want your words to sound more like your voice, today’s episode is for you. It’s a very “meta” conversation about conversational copywriting with Nick Usborne, who teaches a course on the topic. We covered the difference between authentic and conversational copy vs. fake and “chatty” style, plus what types of businesses this style is it right for (hint: those that want repeat sales and longer term relationships built on trust). And there was some ranting about why so many people don’t speak plainly and clearly. Take advantage of Nick’s special offer and sign up to get Nick’s free guide and videos. If you like what you hear, write a review, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

Here’s something new for 2019: I’m reading aloud work that I love and that is influencing my work. First up is an essay called “Work” from the poet-philosopher, David Whyte, and his book of essays CONSOLATIONS: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words. If you like what you hear, write a review, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

I’m kicking off 2019 with Ben Callahan, President of Sparkbox, whose web development firm has grown from 8 to 42 employees. Their winning bizdev strategy? Content marketing. In this episode, Ben shares details about the reality of an effective content marketing strategy and why it works. If you like what you hear, write a review, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

This is my 15th episode with time lapse filmmaker, Michael e. Stern, who shares his proven strategies for dealing with tricky situations with prospects without losing your self-respect, from crazy demands to contract conflicts. If you like what you hear, find all 15 of our chats here. And we’d love it if you write a review, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

Ilise Benun talks with poet and coach to creatives, Mark McGuinness, about his new book, 21 Insights for 21st Century Creatives. (Download the book here.) The focus in this conversation is on important business insights for creative professionals, including how to get out of your own head, how and why to invest in yourself and how to take ownership of your work so you never need to worry about self-discipline. If you like what you hear, write a review and subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

If you are thinking of writing a book to market your business, listen to Ilise Benun’s conversation with publishing veteran, Jane Friedman, on the difference between publishing for money vs. publishing for credibility, the myths about being an author, the rise of self publishing and, of course, how to get your book published. If you like what you hear, write a review and subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

Ilise Benun talks with Ryan Gill, co-founder of Communo.com, a new sharing economy platform for creative professionals, about what it really takes to be your own boss. And how his new platform attempts to address some of the challenges and facilitate business development and access to talent. If you like what you hear, write a review and subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

In the latest “Revolve Conference Speaker Podcast,” Ilise Benun, of Marketing-Mentor.com, interviews Ali Schwanke, founder of Simplestrat, who will be speaking on “vanity metrics” at The Revolve Conference, a gathering of design, UX and marketing professionals this Nov. 12-13, 2018 in Charleston SC. Details here: http://revolveconference.com 

Ilise Benun talks with Kevin Rogers, founder of Copy Chief, (the community and the live event this Oct 23-25) about 2 sides of the “bat-signal” coin: what he calls “bat-signal talent” and she calls “bat-signal content.” If you like what you hear, write a review and subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

Ilise Benun talks with Greg Corey, founder of Porchlight, about how started as a freelancer and found the simplest niche to grow into a boutique branding and packaging agency. It’s the one where you don’t have to prove yourself and you aren’t starting from scratch. If you like what you hear, write a review, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

Today’s podcast is highlights from a recent webinar Ilise Benun gave for the Graphic Artists Guild on how to identify your value to your dream clients so you get paid what you’re worth and can negotiate the best deals for yourself as a creative professional. Find the entire webinar here. And If you like what you hear, write a review and subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

Ilise Benun and Robert McGuire of Nation1099.com dig into some of the findings from the Career Freelancer Status Report, including the idea that freelancers seem to reach an income plateau after 5 years and the effectiveness of freelance marketplaces for finding quality clients. Also, sign up for our (free) Q&A Livestream on Negotiating Strategies on Sept. 6. If you like what you hear, write a review and subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

Today’s bonus episode is a conversation between 2 unemployables: Ilise Benun talks with Emily Leach, Founder of The Freelance Conference, a free conference for freelancers, Sept. 10-14, 2018 in Austin and Corpus Christie Texas. Details at FreelanceConference.com. If you like what you hear, write a review and subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

If you crave less hype and more candor, this episode is for you. Ilise Benun talks with Dave Salanitro, a designer who had it all and lost it, about what happened, what he could have done differently and what he’s learned in the process. If you like what you hear, write a review and subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.     

In this episode, Ilise Benun learns about REACH, a new idea for a business model that provides design services to non profits on a budget and recurring revenue for GDLOFT, a small design firm in Philadelphia. If you like what you hear, write a review and subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

If you’ve ever bartered your services, you know it can be tricky. There’s an art to it, from deciding whether to do it, to making sure everything is fair and everyone feels valued. In this episode, time lapse filmmaker, Michael e. Stern, and I talk about a recent barter opportunity he pursued and how he made it a win/win for both parties. If you like what you hear, write a review and subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

It’s a podcast about podcasting! If you’ve been thinking about starting a podcast to promote your creative business, you’ll learn a lot from my conversation with John Hartwell of Hartwell Studio Works, whose content marketing strategy includes the HSW Sports Branding Podcast. In our interview, he generously shares his strategy, plus nitty gritty details on how he got started with the podcast. If you like what you hear, write a review for both of them, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for my Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.   

  If you’ve been dreaming about getting rid of your annoying clients and turning your service business into a product business, this episode is for you. My guest is designer/developer, Justin Putney, who has developed a product called In5, that is an add on to Adobe’s InDesign. In our interview, he generously shares tips on what you need to get started if you want to launch your own digital product. And if you like what you hear, write a review, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

This episode is the audio from a recent webinar with 2X TEDx speaker, Terri Trespicio, on "How to Use Public Speaking to Grow Your Reach & Influence (and get clients!)," in advance of her brand new 2-day workshop, Tapped to Speak, in NY June 7-8, 2018. Details at http://bit.ly/mmentortix. You can find the slides here and watch the video here  And if you like what you hear, write a review, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.   

In the latest episode, I spoke with That Speaker Guy  Corey Poirier, about the business of speaking, whether it’s part of your content marketing strategy or the way you plan to make your living. We covered everything from inspirational vs. how-to content, webinars, online summits and speakers bureaus. If you like what you hear, write a review, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

In the latest episode, Chris Leone of Web Strategies, Inc. generously shares in detail the “highly accountable, highly trackable system” that drives his agency’s marketing. He shares not only the guts of their process (which tools they use and which are most effective), but also why they do it the way they do. It’s another excellent example of marketers practicing what they preach, essential if you are going to be credible to your clients and prospects. If you like what you hear, write a review, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

In the latest episode, I chatted with Carl Smith, former co-founder of nGen Works about the various business models his agency tried, including the 4 person partnership that founded the digital agency. Smith currently runs Bureau of Digital, whose mission is to provide the support system agency owners never had. If you like what you hear, write a review, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

In the latest podcast episode, Ilise Benun continues the conversation with marketing professor, Michael Solomon, who literally wrote the book on consumer behavior. Today’s topic is the most important currency being exchanged in today’s economy (it’s not money) and what designers and other creative pros can do about it. Hear more from Michael at the brand new HOW Marketing Live 2018 in Boston on April 30. Details at howdesignlive.com and more HOW Design Live podcasts here. And if you like what you hear, write a review and subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

It’s almost tax time so in this episode, time lapse filmmaker, Michael e. Stern, and Marketing Mentor, Ilise Benun, talk big picture about how (and why) creative professionals struggle so with money management – and what you can do to improve things. (Disclaimer: no financial advice is offered, just the sharing of anecdotes and experience.) If you like what you hear, write a review and subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

If you haven’t seen my recent talk, The Worst Negotiating Mistakes…and How to Avoid Them, on the Marketing Mentor YouTube channel, here’s the audio. Also, as mentioned in the intro, learn more about the “Experienced Newbie Accountability Group” on the Marketing Mix Blog. And if you like what you hear, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

If you’ve been wondering whether you are suited to build a business that employs others, or whether you are better off “just you,” this interview is for you. For the first podcast episode of 2018, Ilise Benun talks with time lapse filmmaker, Michael e. Stern, of Build a Better Photograph, about what it takes -- and what it means -- to be an “entrepreneur” and how he decided how big to build his business.   If you like what you hear, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.   

In the next installment of the Experienced Newbie series of interviews, Ilise Benun talks with Andy Brenits of Brenits Creative  a designer who has gone back and forth between self employment and working in house in big name corporations. He’s 2 years into his latest stint on his own, taking it seriously and the success has built his confidence. Listen to the strategy that worked for him. If you like what you hear, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

Many creative professionals give away their strategic services because it’s intangible and you don’t know how to account for it when you price a project. Tiered pricing is a technique that will ensure you get paid for everything you do. In this week’s podcast interview, time lapse filmmaker, Michael e. Stern, shows us how he breaks down his process so we can see how much actually goes into a project. To learn how to use tiered pricing, check out Marketing Mentor’s Tiered Pricing Kit: How to Earn More on Every Project, which you can find (probably on sale) in the Shop at Marketing-Mentor.com. If you like what you hear, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

If you hate pricing, you’ll  love this week’s podcast, in which Ilise Benun talks with Ed Gandia about the nuts of bolts of how to do tiered pricing, a pricing strategy that solves most of the pricing problems so many creative professionals struggle with. This interview was also the impetus for the Tiered Pricing Kit: How to Earn More on Every Project, which you can find (probably on sale) in the Shop at Marketing-Mentor.com. If you like what you hear, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.   

This week’s podcast is perfect for introverts and other people who hate “networking." Listen now especially if you have an event coming up that you’re a little bit nervous about attending. You’ll learn the language to use to start a conversation, get someone’s business card and how to remember names, an essential and learnable skill. Also how to use the content you create as a networking tool. Download the PPT from this session (and more) at: GetTalk.at/networking. If you like what you hear, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.  And I hope to see you at HOW Design Live 2018 in Boston, April 30-May 3. Details here: http://howdesignlive.com/

In the 4th episode of Season 2 of the “Revolve Conference Speaker Podcast Series,” Ilise Benun, of Marketing-Mentor.com, interviews Cheryl Smithem of Charleston PR, who will be speaking on The Essential PR Basics: Should I Send a Press Release? at The Revolve Conference, where design and creativity meet marketing and design. The big event will be held Oct. 26-27, 2017 in downtown Charleston SC. Details here: http://revolveconference.com and more Revolve speaker podcasts here.

In the third episode of Season 2 of the “Revolve Conference Speaker Podcast Series,” Ilise Benun, of Marketing-Mentor.com, interviews Business Coach and Brand Strategist, Thomas Heath, whose topic is Increase Engagement with Storytelling Videos, at The Revolve Conference, where design and creativity meet marketing and design. The big event will be held Oct. 26-27, 2017 in downtown Charleston SC. Details here: http://revolveconference.com and more Revolve speaker podcasts here.

In this episode, Ilise Benun, of Marketing-Mentor.com, talks with Katie Lane, lawyer, negotiation coach and blogger at Work Made For Hire, about how to overcome the particular challenges faced by creatives and by women when it comes to negotiating the best deal for yourself. If you like what you hear, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing

In the second episode of Season 2 of the “Revolve Conference Speaker Podcast Series,” Ilise Benun, of Marketing-Mentor.com, interviews Dan Mall  of Superfriend.ly, whose topic is “Should Designers…” at The Revolve Conference, where design and creativity meet marketing and design. The big event will be held Oct. 26-27, 2017 in downtown Charleston SC. Details here: http://revolveconference.com and more Revolve speaker podcasts here.

Here’s the 3rd interview with "experienced newbie," Lisa Mullis, of Paraphrase Communications, in which we discuss the pros and cons of comparing yourself both to others and to yourself in your previous career. Plus an update on how she’s doing now 7 months into her new venture. Read more from this series on the blog and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor

In the first episode of Season 2 of the “Revolve Conference Speaker Podcast Series,” Ilise Benun, of Marketing-Mentor.com, interviews Katie Kern, VP of Media Frenzy Global who will be speaking on How PR is Being Reimagined at The Revolve Conference, where design and creativity meet marketing and design. The big event will be held Oct. 26-27, 2017 in downtown Charleston SC. Details here: http://revolveconference.com and more Revolve speaker podcasts here.  

In interview #11 of the popular series of chats between Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com and time lapse filmmaker, Michael e. Stern of BuildaBetterPhotograph.com, they define multitasking for self employed creative professionals, how to handle client demands (and their maddening lack of responsiveness) and why Michael walked away from a $60K project. If you like what you hear, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.      

In this episode, Ilise Benun, of Marketing-Mentor.com, talks with an old friend, Alan Seiden of The Seiden Group, about how he left an unsatisfying job to start his own consulting business. Now he manages big projects, charges big money and does marketing with a flare. He’s even garnered a bit of celebrity status in his focused niche. If you like what you hear, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.      

In the second conversation with author and marketing professor, Michael Solomon, of michaelrsolomon.com, he explains to Ilise Benun, of Marketing-Mentor.com, how to use your price as an indicator of quality and attract the clients who value your services. And if you like what you hear, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.  

Pricing your services accurately and talking about money with confidence are essential to success. In the audio version of this recent PaperSpecs webinar, Ilise Benun distills pricing into 3 simple steps. It’s an excellent refresher for any self employed creative. And if you like what you hear, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.  

Ilise Benun, of Marketing-Mentor.com, interviews author and artist coach, Gigi Rosenberg about how to balance the desire to make art with the need to make a living and how to tell who’s a competitor and who’s a potential collaborator.  If you like what you hear, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.  

It’s already 6 years since Bryn Mooth left her cozy full-time job as Editor of HOW Magazine to strike out on her own as a freelance food and wellness writer. I caught up with her at HOW Design Live and had a chance to hear how she has used what she learned to build a 2nd career doing what she is passionate about. See more at Writes4food.com and brynmooth.com. And if you like what you hear, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.  

On the 1-year anniversary of her new branding firm for the brand new cannabis industry, Jenn Culpepper of Brand Joint, shares how they got their first client and which marketing tools are most effective as she grows her new business. If you like what you hear, subscribe on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.  

Here’s the second interview with Lisa Mullis of the new firm, Paraphrase Communications, sharing details about how she is re-building her online presence and email list (almost) from scratch. Read more from this series on the blog and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor 

In the next episode sponsored by Twenty20.com, Ilise Benun, of Marketing-Mentor.com, interviews author and marketing professor, Michael Solomon, of www.reachyourconsumers.com about how to be objective and authentic in your own self promotion. Plus, you can support our sponsor by starting your own 5-photo trial account now at Twenty20.com/mmpodcast

Ilise Benun, of Marketing-Mentor.com, chats with Caitlin Pearce of Freelancers Union (join for free if you aren’t already a member) about the new, free and easy-to-use contract building tool they developed in partnership with And.co to help the self employed protect themselves from non-paying clients. (This episode is sponsored by Twenty20.com – get photos that don’t suck by starting your own 5-photo trial account now at Twenty20.com/mmpodcast)

In the next in a series of episodes sponsored by Twenty20.com, Ilise Benun, of Marketing-Mentor.com, interviews Wendy Merrill of AreYouGrowingSmart.com about how to overcome fear of self promotion. Plus Wendy shares the LinkedIn content marketing strategy that gets her a stream of new clients. Start your own 5-photo trial account now at Twenty20.com/mmpodcast

In this special podcast, Ilise Benun asks Jamie Saunders, Senior Marketing Communications Manager at Neenah Paper and Packaging, all the questions you wish you could ask your ideal client about promoting your work, including, “Is it BS when you say, “stay in touch” or “send me something?” (This conversation is excerpted from the “3 Steps to Your Ideal Clients” webinar and is just a taste of the Get Better Clients Bootcamp, taking place in Chicago on May 2, 2017. Details here.

In the first in a series of episodes sponsored by Twenty20.com, Ilise Benun, of Marketing-Mentor.com, interviews Robert McGuire on how he overcame obstacles to subcontracting to build his content marketing agency using freelancers. Download his free “freelancer agreement” template. And start your own 5-photo trial account now at Twenty20.com/mmpodcast

When JC Candanedo of greypistachio.com heard Part 1 of this new series, he responded immediately and wanted to share his experience of changing careers in his 40’s, competing with photographers half his age and developing confidence by bringing his experience from the first career to bear. Read more from this series on the blog and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

Ilise Benun chats with Danny Iny, author of Teach and Grow Rich, & founder of mirasee.com (formerly Firepole Marketing) about how to grow a scalable business, who should (and shouldn’t) spend time building an online course and which courses do well (and which don’t). If you like what you hear, sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

Ilise Benun starts a new series of conversations with communications professional, Lisa Mullis, as she goes through a mid-career makeover and navigates the challenges of building a new firm, Paraphrase Communications, on the foundation of her past experience and presenting it transparently. Watch the Marketing Mentor Blog for Lisa’s companion posts too.  

The Graphic Artists Guild needs the help of all creative professionals, creators and copyright holders. Make your voice heard by taking the survey to help keep copyright laws strong for you. Let the Library of Congress know that we need a Register who understands the value of copyright, recognizes the need for the Office to be modernized, and has the support of the creative community. Learn more: https://graphicartistsguild.org/news/we-need-your-voice-on-the-next-register-of-copyrights

Ilise Benun chats with Jeff Sauer of Jeffalytics, the brains behind the JumpStart Podcast and former agency owner-turned-consultant specializing in making sense of analytics data, about how creatives can set themselves apart and achieve better results for clients by positioning themselves as “data-driven” creatives. Check out his podcast too (and his interview with Ilise) at https://www.jeffalytics.com/ilise-benun-podcast/

Here’s another excerpt from Ilise Benun’s new marketing plan, The Marketing Blueprint: How to Connect the Dots of Your Marketing. It’s called, How Not To Stalk Your Prospects and Still Get the Project: What to Say When Walking the Fine Line of Follow-up When You Really Want the Project. You’ll learn exactly what to say when reaching out to get the attention of your carefully selected prospects, which may feel like stalking but isn’t! Details about the 2017 Marketing Blueprint here: http://www.marketing-mentor.com/collections/marketing/products/2017-marketing-blueprint

If you’re doing some marketing but still struggling with feast or famine because your ideal clients aren’t knocking on your door, it could be that you’re not connecting the dots of your marketing -- yet. That means you have the right mindset and use the right tools in a way that supports your positioning message and speaks to the right people -- loud and clear -- at the right time! In this special podcast, Ilise Benun reads aloud from her latest, The Marketing Blueprint, and shows you how to connect the dots and integrate your marketing to get better clients with bigger budgets. Find details about the 2017 Marketing Blueprint here: http://www.marketing-mentor.com/collections/marketing/products/2017-marketing-blueprint

In episode #9 of the popular series of meaty and chatty conversations between Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com and time lapse filmmaker, Michael e. Stern of BuildaBetterPhotograph.com, they both share strategies for how to intercept self defeating attitudes and behaviors so you can do the best possible job for your clients. If you like what you hear, sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor here.

In this conversation, Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com chats with one of her star students, web designer/developer for creative professionals, Jill Anderson of Jill Lynn Design, about how to end a client relationship that isn’t working, without burning bridges. To find out how Jill focused and grew her business 17% with content marketing, read the case study here

In the final installment of the “Revolve Conference Speaker Podcast Series,” Ilise Benun, of Marketing-Mentor.com, interviews Meena Kothandaraman and Zarla Ludin of twig+fish about their workshop, Designing (N)credible Research Studies at The Revolve Conference, a gathering of design, business and marketing professionals to be held Oct. 26-28, 2016 in Charleston SC. Details about this and 2 other pre-conference workshops here: https://2016.revolveconference.com/workshops/

In the 4th installment of the “Revolve Conference Speaker Podcast Series,” Ilise Benun, of Marketing-Mentor.com, interviews Aaron Irizarry, Director of User Experience at Nasdaq, about his topic, Hold Fast: Managing Design Teams When Projects Go Sideways, at The Revolve Conference, a gathering of design, business and marketing professionals to be held Oct. 27-28, 2016 in Charleston SC. See you there! Details here: http://revolveconference.com

This episode is #8 in the popular series of chatty (but always meaty) conversations between Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com and time lapse filmmaker, Michael e. Stern of BuildaBetterPhotograph.com. This one is about the mindset and tactics required to be a satisfied, self-employed creative person and focuses in on client communication skills, especially how to figure out the right thing to say, in real time and in writing. If you like what you hear, sign up for the free marketing ecourse here.     

In the 3rd installment of the “Revolve Conference Speaker Podcast Series,” Ilise Benun, of Marketing-Mentor.com, interviews Robert Prioleau, Founding Partner and the Strategy Director for Blue Ion, a brand experience agency based in Charleston, SC. Robert will be speaking on how to sell when you hate selling at The Revolve Conference, a gathering of design, business and marketing professionals to be held Oct. 27-28, 2016 in Charleston SC. Details here: http://revolveconference.com

Ilise Benun chats with Terri Trespicio and Paula Rizzo, the brains behind Lights Camera Expert, who can’t help but share what they know about what it takes to get the media’s attention and whether you need to have a book to get on TV. If you like what you hear, sign up here for their free 3-part course, “How to Be a Media Magnet.”

In this episode, Ilise Benun, of Marketing-Mentor.com, interviews Paul Parreira of Company Cue about the evolution of content marketing, the changing expectations of consumers and new gigs for content writers. If you like what you hear, sign up for Ilise’s Quick Tips here. 

In the second installment of the “Revolve Conference Speaker Podcast Series,” Ilise Benun, of Marketing-Mentor.com, interviews Ahava Leibtag, founder of Aha Media Group, who will be speaking on how to navigate challenging content strategy conversations at The Revolve Conference, a gathering of design, business and marketing professionals to be held Oct. 27-28, 2016 in Charleston SC. Details here: http://revolveconference.com

This is the 4th of 5 live interviews from the HOWDesignLive@SCAD Lecture Series 2016 where Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com is joined by Lana Rigsby and Thomas Hull of Rigsby Hull, a Houston-based design firm honored internationally for design that pairs verbal intelligence with restrained, elegant expression. They share their process for projects where the deliverable is nothing tangible but instead a simple conversation, the fruit of their thinking and research. Includes special guest appearances by Steff Geissbuhler and Joseph DiGioia. Watch the video version here and the rest of the series on SCAD’s virtual lecture hall.  

Here’s #7 in a series of chatty (but meaty) conversations between Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com and time lapse filmmaker, Michael e. Stern of BuildaBetterPhotograph.com. In this episode, Stern gives an update on the prospect he’s been stalking for the project of a lifetime and a novel way of thinking about value-based pricing and bartering. If you like what you hear, sign up for the free marketing ecourse here   

In the first installment of the “Revolve Conference Speaker Podcast Series,” Ilise Benun, of Marketing-Mentor.com, interviews Rivers Pearce, Director of Marketing at Boomtown, who will be speaking on Marketing Technology for Agencies & Small Business at The Revolve Conference, a gathering of design, business and marketing professionals to be held Oct. 27-28, 2016 in Charleston SC. Details here: http://revolveconference.com

Here’s the next in a series of ongoing conversations between me, Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com and time lapse filmmaker, Michael e. Stern of BuildaBetterPhotograph.com. In this episode, he shares 2 stories in which he heard about a project that would be perfect for him, proceeded to “insert himself into the conversation” and already secured one of the projects. There’s a lot to learn here, but listen especially for his attitude. If you like what you hear, sign up for my new free ecourse here.

In the latest podcast, Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com chats with Steve Maurer, a copywriter in the vertical B2B Industrial Manufacturing niche, about the changes he’s making to his business, based on Ilise’s new program, AWAI’s Simplest Guide to Pricing Copy Projects. Steve also took what he learned and created worksheets to figure out his monthly expenses and minimum hourly rate. As a special bonus for podcast listeners, download the worksheets here.

Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com talks with Cassie Boorn of Maker Mentors, an online community for creative professionals, about how she knew when it was time to quit her  job and launch her business and what attendees will learn when they sign up for the 2nd Build a Better Business Conference, an online event happening April 20-21, 2016 at MakerMentors.org.

This podcast episode is a little different: Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com is joined by Meena Kothandaraman of Twig + Fish and Ben Callahan of Sparkbox for a quick rehearsal/overview of Keeping it Human, a brand new presentation they’ve collaborated on for ConvergeSE in Columbia, SC, April 2016.     

This is the 3rd live interview from the HOWDesignLive@SCAD Lecture Series 2016 with Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com and #HOWLive 2016 Opening Keynote speaker, author and filmmaker, Tiffany Shlain. She shares nuggets about her creative process, especially why she chose film as her creative medium and how she scales and maximizes her creativity. Watch the video version here and the rest of the series on SCAD’s virtual lecture hall. More inspiration at HOWDesignLive.com and SCAD.edu

In this conversation with writer, Lori Ferguson, Ilise Benun teases out the details of what Lori did and said for 18 months, until her ideal prospect was ready to give her a big project. Plus, which marketing tools she’s using to build a strong, portable business that will allow her to spend half the year on a Caribbean island! If you like what you hear, sign up for Ilise’s free mentoring session here.

This is the 2nd live interview from the HOWDesignLive@SCAD Lecture Series 2016 with Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com and #HOWLive 2015 speaker, Jason Fried, Co-Founder of Basecamp and author of 3 books including, “Rework,” and “Remote.” Lots of inspiring ideas about how to use your creativity to build a business that lasts, plus a little rant on the importance of sleep. Watch the video version here and the rest of the series on SCAD’s virtual lecture hall. More inspiration at HOWDesignLive.com and SCAD.edu

If you are a mid-career creative pro with a solid portfolio and lots of experience but you still struggle with pricing, you’re not alone and this podcast is for you. Time lapse filmmaker, Michael e. Stern ofBuildaBetterPhotograph.com, chats with Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com about how you may be undermining your success. He also shares the worst thing to have in your head when you talk to a new prospect. If you like what you hear, sign up for Ilise’s new free ecourse here.

This is a live interview from the HOWDesignLive@SCAD Lecture Series 2016 with Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com and #HOWLive speaker, Matthew Manos of Founder of verynice.co, author of, “How to Give Half Your Work Away for Free” and recently named one of “Seven Millennials Changing the World.” Lots of inspiring ideas about building on his foundation and using his creativity to do something meaningful! More inspiration at HOWDesignLive.com and SCAD.edu

If your unpredictable income makes your life a roller coaster, you’re not alone. In today’s podcast interview, Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com talks with freelance marketing strategist, Dianna Huff, about her new guide, Cashflow for Freelancers, in which she shares what she’s learned about evening out her own cash flow. And if you like what you hear, sign up for Ilise’s new free ecourse here.

What the heck is digital marketing? Is it online marketing? Is it Internet marketing? Is it a moving target? That’s the question I tackled with David Bain of Digital Marketing Radio. We talked especially about podcasting, live audio and video broadcasting. if you’ve been thinking of starting your own show, this is a great episode for you. And if you like what you hear, be sure to write a review and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

The new year is upon us so it’s time to reflect on what worked, and especially on what didn’t work, so we can improve it. In this year-end podcast, Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com is joined by time-lapse filmmaker, Michael e. Stern, of BuildaBetterPhotograph.com to share mistakes made and lessons learned regarding excited clients, partnerships, contracts and more. If your goal for 2016 is to get better clients with bigger budgets, check out the 30 Minutes a Day Marketing Plan for Creative Professionals.

There has been a ton of interest in Package Pricing for creative services but some confusion amongst other pricing strategies, like tiered-pricing and the trendy “productizing.” In this podcast interview Jason Blumer, of BlumerCPAs.com, and Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com, sort out and clarify these strategies so you can use them to gain more control over your life. Isn’t that the point? Want more? Sign up for Quick Tips.

Laurie Millotte used to worry that she was undercharging. Other times she worried that she might be overcharging. Even when clients hired her, she never really knew if she had come up with the right price for her creative services. Then she started offering packages and it changed the way she does business. In this podcast, she shares with Marketing Mentor, Ilise Benun, how she packages her design services and how she sells the packages to her clients, even her “crazy package.” Want more? Sign up for Quick Tips.

If you’re selling big-ticket services and want to connect directly with your best prospects, the phone is an effective marketing tool, if you know how to give good phone. Michael e. Stern generously shares his proven techniques in his 3rd podcast/interview with Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com Want more? Sign up for Quick Tips here.

How do you reach a wide audience when you don’t have thousands of raving fans? In my latest interview, music entrepreneur, Budi Voogt, explains exactly how he gets wide exposure for his talented musicians and how commercial artists and other creative professionals can adapt these strategies to reach a larger audience to find better clients. Want more? Sign up for Quick Tips here.

As a right brainer in a left brain world, Michael e. Stern has learned a lot in his 36 years in business about how to price his creative services. In his 2nd podcast/interview with Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com he shares his 3 best pricing strategies, including what he calls the “J.B. factor” and many other pearls of wisdom. Want more? Sign up for Quick Tips here.

What are corporate in house design managers looking for in the freelancers they hire? Andy Epstein, author of The Corporate Creative, answers that question and many others in the latest podcast interview with Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com. Find out where the growth is and which skills will set you apart. Want more? Sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. 

From surviving to thriving as a creative professional -- that’s the path Michael E. Stern walked the past 35 years as a photographer. It’s taken him time, but he’s found the niche that fits him like a “fur-lined” glove -- construction time-lapse films -- and gives him the freedom many can only dream of. You can hear that freedom in the sound of his voice as he talks with Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com about the strength of his positioning. Want more? Sign up for Quick Tips here.

Cynthia Sterling of Sterling Creativeworks talks with Marketing Mentor, Ilise Benun, about how she chose the wine and spirits niche in 2011 when reinventing her business. She also shares how the resulting clarity has freed her to pursue (and secure as clients) the top multi-brand marketers in the category. Learn about her at SterlingCreativeworks.com and Sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

In this interview with the Small Business Advocate, Jim Blasingame, Ilise Benun debates what exactly is a niche and how to go about choosing one. If you're struggling with your niche, download the free worksheet "Is Your Market Viable,"  excerpted from The Pick a Niche Kit, http://bit.ly/ViableMarket

For this special “Pick a Niche” podcast, Ilise Benun is joined by Tomas Fransson of FlauntMyDesign.com and Scarlett Rugers to talk about Scarlett’s success in the book design niche. Want more? Sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.

Copywriter & Marketing Strategist, Amy Posner, describes in exquisite detail the 9-step direct outreach approach (avec chocolat) with has so far yielded a 16% response PLUS a dream client. Learn about her at amyposner.com and Sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. The transcript of this interview is also included in the 30 Minutes a Day Marketing Plan for Creative Professionals.

Ilise Benun talks with Jenny Poff, founder of the national accountability group, The Designers Roundtable, about the inaugural Designer’s Retreat, an event unlike any other, designed for creative professionals by creative professionals.

Designer, Robin Ridley, describes how she decided to focus on the animal welfare and vegan markets and the steps she took to determine the viability of these markets. Learn about Robin at parfaitstudio.com and Sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor. The transcript of this interview is also included in the Pick a Niche Kit.

In Episode 5 of the #HOWLive 2015 Speaker Podcast Series, Ilise Benun, HDL Partner for the Creative Business program and founder of Marketing-Mentor.com, interviews communications strategist and writer, Doug Dolan, on his HDL 2015 topic, “There Will Be Words: How To Get Designers And Writers On The Same Page.” Details here www.howdesignlive.com.

In Episode 4 of the #HOWLive 2015 Speaker Podcast Series, Ilise Benun, HDL Partner for the Creative Business program and founder of Marketing-Mentor.com, interviews Janine Vangool, Publisher, Editor and Designer, UPPERCASE magazine on her HDL 2015 topic, “What I Learned From Design Clients Led to My "Retirement"... And Launched A Whole New Career.” Find out more about Janine and UPPERCASE at http://uppercasemagazine.com.

In Episode 3 of the 2015 HOW Design Live Speaker Podcast Series, Ilise Benun, Partner for HDL’s "Creative Business" program, interviews poet and creative coach, Mark McGuiness, on his topic, “How to Handle Rejection & Criticism as a Creative.” In this podcast, he explains why he believes creatives have trouble with criticism and what we can do about it. Find out more about Mark at http://lateralaction.com/. Details here www.howdesignlive.com.   

Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame at Small Business Advocate to talk about why packaging your services has many advantages for you and your clients. For more, check out the Package Pricing Bundle.

In Episode 2 of the 2015 HOW Design Live Speaker Podcast Series, Ilise Benun, Partner for HDL’s "Creative Business" program, interviews Rob Harr, VP of Sparkbox, on his topic, “How to Make Hourly Pricing Work.” He explains why he thinks creatives have such a hard time with pricing and how his firm keeps cash flowing and clients paying on a weekly basis! Details here www.howdesignlive.com.

In this podcast interview with Ilise Benun, Programming Partner for the "Creative Business" program of HOW Design Live 2015, Aaron Draplin gives a taste of his topic. Officially entitled, "Tall Tales From a Large Man," he thinks of it as "graphic treasures from the American underbelly" and he'll talk about mining the world for what he sees as a resource that’s going to be gone soon. "I hope to open the eyes of people into a world of dead ghosts. I show examples and tell you where to go – it’s dangerous and fun. Then I show how I use it in my work."

In this podcast, Nathan Powell of Nusii Proposal Software interviews Ilise Benun, Marketing Mentor and creator of the Designer's Proposal Bundle series. They discuss the 4 types of proposals, what exactly should be in a winning proposal and what it really means when a proposal is about the client's project and not about you! Plus, much more, of course. The transcript of this interview is also included in the 30 Minutes a Day Marketing Plan for Creative Professionals.

In today’s podcast, Ilise rehearses the introduction for her upcoming CreativeLive course, Command the Fees You Deserve. This course, presented by Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com, will help you enjoy greater stability and security by finding the right niche, marketing and pricing your work, and sifting good clients from bad ones.

Listen to find out how Jen Neal's Toronto-based firm, K9 Strategy & Design, has evolved since we last talked in 2011. She shares details on their rebranding and how their involvement in the supposedly dying publishing industry has led them to a leadership level in the industry and which marketing tools they use to get there. If you need a plan to get anywhere near this, check out the Enhanced Marketing Plan + eCalendar for Creative Professionals. 

This podcast collage is a sneak peek at the brand new Enhanced version of the Marketing Plan + eCalendar for 2015. You’ll hear clips from 3 interviews between Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com and creative professionals who are practicing what I preach and it’s working! They are targeting their markets and finding better clients! If you want a plan to follow, check out the 2015 Marketing Plan in the Marketing Mentor Shop.

This podcast is a little different than usual – it’s a sneak peek at the brand new Package Pricing Bundle, the newest product in the Marketing Mentor Toolbox. You’ll hear clips from 4 interviews with creative professionals who so generously shared the creative pricing strategies they’re using to take more control over their business and grow! Find the Package Pricing Bundle here. 

Packaging creative services is all the rage these days, but it’s more than a trend. It’s actually allowing creative professionals to take control of their work life, raise their prices and save time on estimates and proposals. In this podcast, excerpted from Marketing Mentor’s new product, The Package Pricing Bundle, Ilise Benun interviews web copywriter, Alyssa Martin, about how her copywriting packages “sell out.”

I recently joined Jake Jorgovan to discuss the biggest mistake new freelancers make when telling people what they do. Listen to learn a better way...

  Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame of Small Business Advocate to reveal two more critical questions to ask yourself before you become a small business owner.

  Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame of Small Business Advocate to talk about why most of us start our small businesses, and to reveal a very important question to ask ourselves when we do.

Here’s the 5th Audio Article written by Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com and read aloud by the author, “5 Steps to Finding the Right Clients.” Listen to learn the secret to closing a deal with new clients by ushering them through a step-by-step qualifying process that weeds out the tire-kickers. Follow this tried-and-true formula to find the clients you really want to work with.

In today’s podcast, The Marketing Mentor, Ilise Benun, chats with Heather Lloyd-Martin, SEO Writing expert and teacher of SEO copywriting, about what designers and writers really need to know about SEO plus the art of writing pages that both convert well and connect with web site visitors. Find more on the blog: http://marketing-mentor.com/blog and at seocopywriting.com

Here’s the 4th Audio Article written by Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com and read aloud by the author, Closing the Deal: From Proposal to Contract. Listen to learn when to talk money, how to present your proposal, when to follow up and what to do if you don’t get the gig. Find actual sample proposals in the Marketing Mentor Toolbox.

Here’s the third in a new series of “audio articles” written by Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com and read aloud by the author. There is more and more video being used by creatives to market their services, which makes sense. Because when it comes to showcasing your talent, seeing is often believing – and stills don’t always do the trick. Bring a little movie magic to your self-promotion strategy with these tips. Read the article and see the videos referenced here: http://www.howdesign.com/articles/film-school-create-self-promo-videos/"

Battling big egos and unfair deadlines? You're not alone. For small agencies and solopreneurs especially, one bad client can mean big problems, draining your resources and even harming your carefully built culture. In this podcast, Ilise Benun, of Marketing-Mentor.com, helps you spot the 4 red flags you should be watching for, plus 3 actions you can take for each. Watch the video presentation given at the Ad Age Small Agency Conference here.

Here’s the second in a new series of “audio articles” written by the Marketing Mentor, Ilise Benun and read aloud by the author. “Content marketing” is the latest buzzword, but should you be doing it? The answer is yes, but only if you do it right. Follow this guide to create a content-marketing plan that will lead to more exposure and better projects for your firm or freelance business.

Here’s the first in a new series of “audio articles” written by the Marketing Mentor, Ilise Benun and read aloud by the author. The Art & Science of Pricing covers the basics of pricing for creative services, including the tools you need to price profitably (instead of desperately) as well as the intangibles that make up the “artistry” anyone can master. For more like this, check out The Pricing Bundle in the Marketing Mentor Toolbox.

The answer, according to Jake Jorgovan, web designer and intrepid freelancer, is an unqualified YES! In this interview with Ilise Benun, he shares how he kick started his business using oDesk + what and who online marketplaces are best for. For more like this, check out www.Jake-Jorgovan.com

In this post-HOW Design Live/Creative Freelancer Business Conference podcast interview, Laura Foley (@LMFDesign & lauramfoley.com) generously shares so much, including what she learned from Jason Blumer about pricing her services and how she immediately used the 3-tier pricing structure to win a new project -- at the highest price.

In Part 2 of their conversation, Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame of Small Business Advocate, to discuss one of the most popular sessions from CFBC with Doug Dolan, A Field Guide to Bad Clients.

In Part 1 of their conversation, Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame of Small Business Advocate, to discuss one of the most popular sessions from CFBC with Doug Dolan, A Field Guide to Bad Clients.

Marketing Mentor, Ilise Benun, talks with Corwin Hiebert about how to create a Business Action Plan, which is much simpler (and can be better for creative professionals) than a traditional business plan. Listen to this taste of his session at the 2014 CFBC/HOW Live, Creating a Business Action Plan. Details and sign up for the event in May in Boston here: http://bit.ly/1eNEI0v  

Marketing Mentor, Ilise Benun, chats with Doug Dolan, communications strategist, writer and creative director about a cast of bad clients from the coin counter and the buck passer to the web searcher and the game changer, in preparation for his CFBC/HOW Live session, Solving Your Biggest Creative Problem: The Client. Details and sign up for the event this May in Boston here: http://bit.ly/1eNEI0v   

Started by Jen Lombardi, Kiwi Creative (a small design firm outside Cleveland, Ohio) is now a firm of 6 people - and this growth was intentional. This is what Jen discusses with Ilise Benun of Marketing Mentor, in this episode of the HOWLive/CFBC 2014 Speaker podcast series. Details and sign up for the event this May in Boston here: http://bit.ly/1eNEI0v 

In this week’s podcast interview, Marketing Mentor Ilise Benun chats with Alina Wheeler, author of “Designing Brand Identity” on the latest survival strategy for the soul: Reinvention. At this year’s CFBC/HOW Design Live (2014), Alina will be sharing the process she’s used to reinvent herself, as well as lots of examples of people to use as role models for reinvention."

If you want to survive as a creative professional, you need to be one who understands business, especially the things in business that trump aesthetics. But how? That’s what Ilise Benun of Marketing Mentor discusses with Douglas Davis, in this week’s installment of the HOWLive/CFBC 2014 Speaker podcast series. Details and sign up for the event this May in Boston here: http://bit.ly/1eNEI0v

In the next installment of the HOWLive/CFBC 2014 Speaker podcast series, Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com chats with Jason Blumer of BlumerCPAs.com about the highly subjective art of pricing (especially value-based pricing) for creative services, plus many other topics he’ll be covering in his CFBC session this May in Boston. Details here: http://bit.ly/1eNEI0v"

In this week’s podcast interview, Marketing Mentor, Ilise Benun, chats with Ed Gandia, of the International Freelancers Academy, about time-sucking clients and the things we procrastinate (i.e. tasks we hate, don’t do well and shouldn’t be doing in the first place). Details for his popular “Effortless Productivity” program (which starts Feb. 27, 2014) here: http://bit.ly/145e6UR

We all know that preparation is important -- but most people don't take the time to do enough of it. And the consequences often sting, especially when you're working with corporations whose culture often involves (and demands) lots of preparation. In this podcast, Dana Maciagli (in preparation for her HOWLive/CFBC 2014 session, Behind the Corporate Curtain!) shares with Marketing Mentor, Ilise Benun the importance of preparation, lots of specifics on exactly how she prepares, and how this preparedness has fueled her success, both in the corporate world and now, as a freelancer!

In this podcast, Marketing Mentor client, Tiffany Estes, of Whole Brain Creative, describes to Ilise Benun, her step by step process to choose and approach a select few of her existing clients about a retainer arrangement for more stability in her business and less anxiety in her life.

In this first podcast of 2014, Marketing Mentor, Illse Benun, interviews her client, marketing consultant and creative director, Jim Gorman of Gorman360. Their wide-ranging conversation covers everything from Jim's uber-confident and clear, 3-storey elevator pitch to an in-depth discussion of 3 of his winning proposals, with which he won 4 retainer clients in his target market: the aviation industry. (And you can see one of the proposals discussed in the new Designer's Proposal Bundle Volume 2).

Do you know how to set and achieve goals? Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame to joins Jim Blasingame to recommend goal setting best practices, including using small steps, as you begin the New Year.

Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame of Small Business Advocate to explain that networking is the most important part of marketing, plus the kind of people you need in your network.

Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame of Small Business Advocate to discuss getting your customers to take an active role in your business, plus why peer, colleagues, mentors & even competitors should be part of your network.

In this interview with Marc Harmon from Creative Grit Media, learn how to market your business using an organized, step-by-step process -- like the one in the new, 2014 Marketing Plan + eCalendar. 

Are your attempts to communicate with customers successful? Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame to recommend practicing self-analysis before and after talking with customers to evaluate your performance and success.

Are all of your conversations with customers successful? Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame to discuss common communication challenges we all have when trying to influence and serve customers.

Ilise Benun talks with creative freelancer, Nick Matarese of Delaware-based, The Creative Barn, about how he went from not knowing where his next project was coming from to signing a 2-year contract with a dream client in just 5 months (actually less). In this very candid and informative interview, he shares (among many other things) why he says "we" when his business is really just him and exactly what he did to identify his target market and pursue (and secure) the dream clients he wanted to work with.  It's all about the attitude and he's got the right attitude!

Ilise Benun talks with Ed Gandia of the International Freelancers Academy on pricing for creative professionals. Ed shares his strategy for demonstrating value to support your prices and tells exactly how he raised his rates to an existing client, always a tricky thing to do.

Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame to discuss how online and offline networking can support one another.

In today’s podcast, Sarah Durham of BigDuckNYC.com (a favorite speaker on pricing at CFC 2012) talks with me about how she integrates her own unbillable time into her pricing. 

Copywriter, Sonia Quinones, first time attendee of the Creative Freelancer Conference (and HOW Design Live), is one more creative professional who, only one month after the event, had already landed a project as a result of the networking she did at the Matchmaking Happy Hour with InHOWse Design Managers. The event essentially paid for itself since the project fee more than covers her conference costs, not to mention the potential for more work with this new client in the future. Listen to her describe how it happened and how she discovered her best keywords through this experience too. It's not too early to sign up for next year's event in Boston, May 12-16. Details here: www.howdesignlive.com

In today’s podcast, Deidre Rienzo interviews Marketing Mentor, Ilise Benun, about how she organizes her day. From Post-It Notes, to dog walks, to getting up early, find out how Ilise balances flexibility with structure to stay productive. 

Ed Gandia interviews Marketing Mentor, Ilise Benun, for his B2B Launcher podcast about her newest networking tricks, including how to choose the right event to attend, how to prepare to make the best of your time, plus a few secrets for standing out, getting noticed and increasing your chances of starting a dialogue that can continue after the event.

Join Ilise Benun and Mark O'Brien (CEO of Newfangled) as they offer a Crash Course in Positioning and Content Marketing for Design Firms.

Does your pricing strategy need a profitability boost? Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how to replace your hourly rate pricing strategy for professional services with a value-based strategy that focuses on the results of your work.

Ilise Benun talks to Jim Blasingame about the upcoming, 6th annual Creative Freelancer Conference (June 22-24 in San Francisco), and shares examples of the business practices attendees will learn.

In the latest podcast/interview in the Creative Freelancer Conference Speaker Series (the big event is right around the corner, June 22-24 in San Francisco), Ilise Benun speaks with Jezra Kaye, author of “Speak Like Yourself, No Really,” and together they dissect each word of her session title: “Promote and Present: How to Speak Persuasively to Current and Future Clients, In Person and Virtually” and in the process, answer 3 common questions about speaking in public. (Details about the event here: www.creativefreelancerconference.com)

In the latest podcast/interview in the CFC 2013 Speaker Series, Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com talks with writer and strategist, Alisa Bonsignore about how she went from newbie creative freelancer to speaking at the event this year. She also shares tips on the art of saying “no” (including the actual language) and how she’s developed the self confidence to know what she’s worth -- and charge more! Come to CFC June 22-24 in San Francisco to hear Alisa’s presentation, “Saving Your Sanity Through Better Client Relations.” www.creativefreelancerconference.com

Marketing Mentor, Ilise Benun, talks with Jim Krause (www.jimkrausedesign.com), 25-year veteran freelance designer and author of many books, including Color Index book and Idea Index books, about his CFC 2013 topic: “How to Stuff 10 lbs of you-know-what into a 5-day week, (week after week)” – essentially how to manage time and projects efficiently (without going crazy). Details here: www.creativefreelancerconference.com

In preparation for the networking fest that is CFC 2013: The Business Conference for the Creatively Self Employed (www.creativefreelancerconference.com), networking expert, author and speaker Dana Manciagli shares with Marketing Mentor, Ilise Benun, 10 tips to network with a purpose to get what you need.

In this podcast interview with Marketing Mentor, Ilise Benun, Leila Zogby, independent writer of corporate marcom, in business for 30 years but struggling after the recession, gets unstuck by reinventing herself and changing how she thinks and talks about the services she offers.

Ilise Benun, of Marketing-Mentor.com, interviews Erin Pheil of TimeForCake.com about her strategy for capturing visitors to her web site and offering a freebie so she can nurture them into becoming clients. Check out the model here: NoClientHostingHassles.com.

Podcast: Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com interviews Bryn Mooth on where she is after 2 years of freelancing and her upcoming CFC session: What to Expect When You’re Freelancing, which is perfect for those who are anywhere on the continuum from "I’m thinking about it" to "I’ve made the move but I’m still struggling," Come hear her in person at CFC 2013, June 22-24 in San Francisco. Details here: www.creativefreelancerconference.com

Podcast: Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com interviews Luke Mysse for the CFC Speaker Podcast Series on The Arc of Success and how he overcame his own fears by expanding his vision and committing to helping others. Come hear him in person at CFC 2013, June 22-24 in San Francisco. Details here: www.creativefreelancerconference.com

Ilise Benun of Marketing-mentor.com interviews Colleen Wainwright (a.k.a. the communicatrix) for the CFC Speaker Podcast Series on the latest trends in social media networking for creative pros. Come hear her in person at CFC 2013, June 22-24 in San Francisco for her session, Making People Love You Madly: Selling Yourself in the Postmodern Marketplace. Details: www.creativefreelancerconference.com

For the CFC 2013 Speaker Podcast series, Ilise Benun of Marketing-Mentor.com interviews Mark O’Brien of Newfangled.com about what exactly content marketing is for creative professionals and small firms and what gets in the way of doing it. To develop your own content marketing strategy, attend Mark’s post-conference workshop You Don’t Know What You Know: Developing Your Content Strategy at CFC on Monday, June 24 in San Francisco. Details here: www.creativefreelancerconference.com

Jill had plenty of clients through word of mouth, but wanted to get better quality work. She needed to update her website, manage time better, and find more efficient ways of growing her business. In this interview, Jill talks about her successes (including a 17% increase in business!) with the help of Marketing Mentor, Ilise Benun. 

In the latest podcast interview in the CFC 2013 Speaker Series, Ilise Benun talks with Sarah Durham, Principal and Founder of Big Duck about working with companies who “do good” and suggests how to find them. Also, she shares a taste of what she’ll be speaking on at CFC, “Integrating Your Values and Your Positioning.” The conference is June 22-24 in SF. Details here: www.creativefreelancerconference.com

Marketing Mentor, Ilise Benun, chats with Dana Manciagli, CFC 2013 speaker (Cut the Crap, Start Networking!) and 30+ year corporate veteran who is also building a freelance business as a speaker/author. This wide ranging conversation goes from how looking for a job in the 21st century is a lot like being self employed, to rules for moonlighting while building a freelance business, to networking tips for introverts.

Freelance designer, Jenny Poff (www.presqueisledesigns.com), found clarity, confidence and a niche market at CFC last year. You can hear the confidence in her voice and learn what she did to catapult her business. To find your version, join us at CFC June 22-24 in SF! Get $100 off (CFC only) if you combine promo code "ILISE" + Early Bird rate before March 15. Register here: www.creativefreelancerconference.com

June Walker, tax advisor to the self employed (she calls them “indies”), talks with Marketing Mentor, Ilise Benun, about why creatives get so confused about taxes and what you can do about it. She’ll be at CFC (June 22-24, 2013 in SF) and her session is called “Creatively Legitimate Expenses: Don’t Cheat Yourself” – Details at www.creativefreelancerconference.com and sign up for June’s tips at www.junewalkeronline.com

Toronto-based designer, Sherri Gallowitz of G Strategic (gstrategic.ca), started sending out her email newsletter to her nonprofit sector clients in November 2012 and already has 2 decent contracts as a result. Listen to how she did it and do it for yourself!

Rick Carlile and his passionate team are building “the first networked professional marketplace.” It’s called Aegora.com and its goal is to make it easier for freelancers and creative professionals to connect and transact business. I talked recently with Rick about the future of work and whether everyone can really be their own boss, succeeding or starving on their own merits. Hear what he has to say. 

See success in action and we kick off the launch of CFC 2013 (June 22-24, 2013 in SF). In this podcast interview, package designer, Jenn David Connolly of Jenn David Design (www.jenndavid.com), describes exactly how she took what she learned at CFC 2012 to heart and used it to reach her 5 year goal in only 6 months. Unbelievable but true!

In part 2 of this podcast interview, Tiffany Estes of Whole Brain Creative (www.wholebraincreative.com) shares more takeaways from the HOW Interactive Design Conference 2012, including the difference between web apps and native apps, what to include in a competitive analysis for a client and whether it makes sense to post pricing for your services on your web site.

This week I was interviewed by Judy Rosenthal about raising rates and she had some ideas from the financial planning industry that could also apply to creative services.

Tiffany Estes of Whole Brain Creative (www.wholebraincreative.com) attended the HOW Interactive Design Conference for the 2nd time in 2012 and in part 1 of this podcast/interview with Ilise Benun, she recaps the highlights. Includes why she’s rethinking Wordpress, how she’s dealing with proposals for complex projects and how her mindset needs to change if she’s going to become a better interactive designer.

Join us for another conversation with writer and journalist, Bryn Mooth. This time, we talk about Bryn’s goals for growing her network in 2013 and reaching outside her current sphere. We focused on 2 questions: how to keep track of her best prospects (that doesn’t involve learning a new software) and how to pitch those new prospects with ideas tailored to them without doing spec work. Also, we talked a bit about the new 2013 Creative Professional’s Marketing Plan + eCalendar to Get Creative Work. Details at www.marketing-mentor-toolbox.com

Does your prospect's excitement mean he's ready to buy? Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame to talk about some of the things to do so you know the difference between a prospects excitement and readiness to sign a contract.

Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame to report on how she kept working off-site, in the Cloud, when Hurricane Sandy kept her out of her office.

It’s already been a year and a half since writer and journalist, Bryn Mooth (http://brynmooth.com/), former editor of HOW Magazine, started her freelance writing business. Listen to our recent interview to about Bryn's progress and learn why patience is a freelancer's friend.

As a preview for upcoming PIC event on November 7th in Toronto (Secrets to writing winning proposals, estimates and RFPs), listen to my short interview with PIC chair Donna Papacosta. More event details here: http://toronto.iabc.com/iabc-events/2012/10/13/professional-independent-communicators-presents-secrets-to-writing-winning-proposals-estimates-and-rfps/

Last time, I talked with Julia Reich of Julia Reich Design about her recent rebrand. Today, we discuss the details of how her logo came about. Listen in...

I asked Mark O’Brien, CEO of Newfangled and author of one of my favorite books, A Website that Works, about how to use your website to filter out non-ideal clients. Listen to this 8-minute interview for his suggestions.

If you're considering changing the name of your business or doing a rebranding for your creative firm, listen to this interview with Julia Reich about her process.

In my latest interview with Bryn Mooth, we talked about what she learned at CFC and how she is putting that learning into practice. She suggested a technique for taking potentially overwhelming information and putting it into action. Listen here to hear exactly how Bryn does her one-chunk-at-a-time approach.

Jeff Tara, from Brand Vue Design, is back with his upbeat attitude. Jeff has been in business only 4 months so far, but he's already accomplished so much. Listen to the latest in this interview...

In this 11-minute interview, Luke Mysse previews his upcoming CFC session, Options for Growth. Join us at the Creative Freelancer Conference, June 21-22 in Boston. Details here.

For today’s podcast interview with a speaker, we have David Baker from ReCourses (www.recourses.com) giving us a preview of his session, “Positioning yourself as if you were outside looking in.” Join us at the Creative Freelancer Conference, June 21-22 in Boston. Details here.

How is newbie freelancer, Bryn Mooth, progressing?   Listen to April's interview with wellness and creativity journalist and copywriter, Bryn Mooth. Join us at the Creative Freelancer Conference, June 21-22 in Boston. Details here.

Newly-minted freelancer, Kelsey Grafton, of Lewiston, Idaho, knows she has a lot to learn about running her new business, BlueSkyMondays. She said it wasn't hard to convince her new boss (herself!) to invest in sending her to the Creative Freelancer Conference as her first big step in that process.

Listen to this 15-minute interview, where Allison Manley, from Rogue Element, answers these questions: How much time it takes to do the proposals and how they decide which ones to do. What to do if the prospect isn’t responsive during the proposal process. What if you don’t have access to the people involved in the actual project, as happens a lot with higher ed and government agencies? Why they present the pricing in 2 pages (overview and detail) in the proposal and how much detail is necessary. How much self promotion they include and the thinking behind it. How and when they decide how to include terms and conditions (T&C) in the proposal or the contract. (See what a good T&C that’s been vetted by a lawyer looks like.) Want 11 sample proposals to use as examples? Buy the Designer’s Proposal Bundle. 

The 5th Annual Creative Freelancer Conference, June 21-22 in Boston (early bird deadline is April 30!), is rapidly approaching. For today’s podcast interview, we have Marcia Hoeck, giving us a preview of her session, Skillful Communication with Clients.  Q: What’s the biggest mistake creatives make when communicating with clients?  Marcia: The biggest mistake is not setting the right tone and maybe taking things personally. We’re in a business where it’s our art, it’s our creativity, so we tend to take things more personally. We have to step back and realize this is a business relationship. We have to set the right tone. The client has to place his trust in you in order to feel confident that you can do the work.  The biggest miscommunication mistake is that we don’t establish ourselves right out of the bag as a partner, as a resource, so that the client can relax. When we feel boxed in by client demands, it’s when our role hasn’t been positioned correctly in the beginning, and that’s our job. If the client knows that you have strategic ideas that will help him, as well as the implementation skills, that client can relax … It gives you equal footing and leverage in the relationship.  Most powerful people … they’re really not looking for “yes” men. That’s the biggest mistake that I see is when we’re making that assumption that they are, and we’re taking things personally as a creative person.  Q: Do you think these problems are rooted in the creative professional’s lack of confidence?  Marcia: I’m really glad you brought up confidence. That isn’t talked about enough in business. People don’t teach it. It isn’t something that comes naturally to creative people. But in creative work especially, where we highly value our work, and we are passionate about our work … we often undervalue our own role in what we do. There’s kind of a disconnect. We have great confidence in our work, and we know the value of our work, and we have great confidence in our ability to do the work, but we often can’t show that confidence when communicating our role in the process. We don’t come off as confident in selling situations, or when defending our pricing … What that comes off as to prospective clients is lack of competence. They think we can’t do the work because we can’t defend it, because we can’t talk about ourselves… Listen to our 11-minute interview to hear more. Use your Big Ticket pass to catch this CFC session – or sign up for CFC on its own. If you aren’t yet registered for CFC, sign up here and take advantage of the combo $100 discount: $50 early bird before April 30th + $50 Marketing Mentor discount with promo code “CMM12”  And listen to the rest of the podcast interview series with our speakers, including Dyana Valentine, Mark O’Brien, Shane Pearlman, Jonathan Cleveland, Ed Gandia, Sarah Duham and Allen Murabayashi.   

Last time we talked, Jeff Tara from Brand Vue Design had gotten a client by sending an email (in which he shared his honest opinion about his favorite wine company’s new label). Recently laid off, this happened one week after Jeff officially went freelance.  With such a productive first week, I couldn’t wait to speak to him again and find out what’s happened over the past month. In our 10-minute interview, Jeff brings me up to date with recent developments: After reading a “doom and gloom” article about the demise of Kodak (which ultimately caused Jeff’s layoff), Jeff decided, “It’s not all doom and gloom—I have a chance now to chase my dreams.” He wrote a letter to the newspaper, and it resulted in a front page article in his local newspaper. A connection in the healthcare industry saw the article about Jeff, and now they’re discussing upcoming projects over golf. The wine company who Jeff redesigned a label for—is now having him redesign all of their labels. Building on that wine experience, Jeff is reaching out to other wineries. He sent a personalized letter to one, called to follow up on Monday, and by Wednesday, he was inside talking to the owners of the winery for two hours. Listen to our interview here. If Jeff keeps sending emails and letters, who knows what will happen next… I’ll keep you updated.  

One of the most popular speakers from last year's Creative Freelancer Conference, Allen Murabayashi, CEO of PhotoShelter, will be back this year (June 21-22 in Boston -- early bird deadline is this Friday, March 30!). Allen joined me for a podcast interview to preview his session, Building Your Prospect List: Quality vs. Quantity. In our interview, we talked about the importance of qualifying prospects. Allen said: You’re going to drive yourself crazy if all you’re trying to do it gets tons of people through the door. You have to simultaneously qualify your audience. For example, if you’re Prada, and you’re selling shoes for $500, you’re not going to go to a suburban mall where nobody has discretionary income—and the most popular place there is Walmart. You have to be very strategic in the way you spend your time. I was talking to a wedding photographer, and on their contact form, they say, “How excited are you to work with us on a scale of 1-10?” They told me they didn’t respond to anything where it’s less than an 8—as a pre-qualification mechanism. Listen to our 8-minute interview to hear more. Use your Big Ticket pass to catch this CFC session – or sign up for CFC on its own. If you aren’t yet registered for CFC, sign up here and take advantage of the combo $100 discount: $50 early bird before Mar 30th + $50 Marketing Mentor discount with promo code “CMM12”

The 5th Annual Creative Freelancer Conference, June 21-22 in Boston (early bird deadline is this Friday, March 30!), is rapidly approaching and for today’s podcast interview, we have Sarah Durham, Founder of Big Duck. Sarah’s session will be The Nuts and Bolts of Pricing and Negotiating. At Big Duck, they design exclusively with nonprofit organizations. In fact, they haven’t worked with a for-profit organization in over a dozen years. With such specific experience, I asked Sarah to share some insight into pricing for nonprofits. Q: How do you handle pricing for nonprofits? Should you offer discounts? Sarah: “I think with nonprofits…this idea that they don’t have any money for communications is both true and false. It’s true in that most nonprofits, and particularly very small nonprofits, haven’t budgeted for communications. They aren’t thinking the way a tech startup would think … making sure that they have a marketing person and a budget…Communications tends to be overlooked and under-budgeted. With that said, they have missions that require them to communicate … when they understand the importance of the work we do for them, they put together budgets.” Listen to our 14-minute interview to hear more on pricing and non profits. Use your Big Ticket pass to catch this CFC session – or register for CFC on its own. Sign up here and take advantage of the combo $100 discount: $50 early bird before Mar 30th + $50 Marketing Mentor discount with promo code “CMM12”

The 5th Annual Creative Freelancer Conference, June 21-22 in Boston (early bird deadline is this Friday, March 30!), is rapidly approaching and for today’s podcast interview, we have Cameron Foote, Editor of Creative Business, who will be taking part in the Perspectives on Pricing Panel at this year’s conference. In this 14-minute interview, I asked Cam how freelancers can compete with bigger firms.  Q: Should freelancers be pricing any differently than larger firms or entities?  Cam: Yes and no. I don’t think a person’s talent should be worth any less depending on whether they work for themselves or whether they work for an organization. On one level, your talent is worth what it’s worth, period.However, the realistic part of this is that when you talk about pricing to clients … they’re looking at you and trying to decide whether you’re worth the money or not. Pricing has to do with perception. So if you’re working from the kitchen table, you haven’t been in business very long, you don’t have a good portfolio and so forth, it would be unrealistic to assume that you could charge what a business that’s been around a while could charge. Your talent is worth what it’s worth, but you have to be realistic. Q: How can freelancers use marketing to build up the perception of their value? Cam: You are what clients perceive you to be. If you market extensively … particularly using the editorial “we,” and you’re sending out material regularly, they’re going to see a company. A company is worth more, in most cases, than an individual. Listen to our 14-minute interview to hear more of Cameron’s thoughts on pricing, including his take on hourly rates vs. project pricing. And if you aren’t yet registered for CFC, sign up here and take advantage of the combo $100 discount: $50 early bird before Mar 30th + $50 Marketing Mentor discount with promo code “CMM12”  And listen to the rest of the podcast interview series with our speakers, including Dyana Valentine, Mark O’Brien, Shane Pearlman, Jonathan Cleveland and Ed Gandia.    

As we get ready for the 5th Annual Creative Freelancer Conference, June 21-22 in Boston (early bird deadline is March 30!), we’re doing a podcast interview series with our speakers! Recently, we featured Dyana Valentine, Mark O’Brien, Shane Pearlman and Jonathan Cleveland.  Today, we have Ed Gandia, freelancer copywriter, speaker, coach, and co-author of “The Wealthy Freelancer.” He joined me to discuss his upcoming CFC session, “How to Create and Execute your Marketing Plan.”  People considering freelancing always ask me, “What does it take to be a freelancer? Can I even make this work?” so in our 12-minute interview, I asked Ed that same question and here’s what he said:  “It’s definitely possible … The idea that the economy is hurting all businesses is really a misguided assumption. In my own business, for the students I coach, and for most of the freelancers I come in contact with …. things are actually even better for them right now. So many companies are outsourcing work. They’re working with leaner staff, but the projects still need to get done … and they don’t want to hire full time employees.”  When we talked about wealth, Ed said his definition isn’t just about “material wealth.” To Ed, a “wealthy freelancer” is someone who can consistently generate the clients, the projects, the income and the quality of life they want.  I asked, “What does it take to be a wealthy freelancer?” Ed said:  “You have to have an entrepreneurial mindset, be self-motivated,  be a go-getter, and you have to realize you’re running a business.  Also, you have to become really good at marketing your services. If you want to be truly successful, you should be just as good at marketing your services as you are in your own craft. I think I’m a good writer, but it’s really marketing and selling that have gotten me to where I am today.” Listen to our 12-minute interview to hear more of Ed’s ideas, whether you'll be at CFC or not!  And if you aren’t yet registered for CFC, sign up here and take advantage of the combo $100 discount: $50 early bird before Mar 30th + $50 Marketing Mentor discount with promo code “CMM12”   

As we get ready for the 5th Annual Creative Freelancer Conference, June 21-22 in Boston, we’re doing a podcast interview series with our speakers! Recently, we featured Dyana Valentine, Mark O’Brien and Shane Pearlman. Today, we have Jonathan Cleveland, Principal of Boston-based Cleveland Design. With a staff of five, his firm fills an important need for large corporate clients who, interestingly enough, also have in-house agencies AND ad agencies. (Does this make you less timid about approaching prospects who already have an in-house team?”) In our 13-minute interview, Jonathan (who will be participating in the upcoming CFC panel discussion, “Perspectives on Money and Pricing”) talked about a recent pricing issue he encountered: The situation: A client hired them to do a corporate video project which had a generous budget, then wanted a companion print brochure, but started to nickel and dime them on price. Then before the print brochure was resolved, the client came back and was ready to put a larger budget toward more videos. The disconnect: Why there is such a big difference in perceived value of print design and digital design? Jonathan says: “In today’s day and age, with computers and personal layout programs, the more unsophisticated marketing client thinks they can layout a brochure or flyer themselves … There is a perceived notion that ‘I can do something, throw it together and print it out.’ They sent us a PDF of a very nice brochure and said ‘Just copy this.’ We couldn’t get through to them on the value of the brochure, but when it came to the video, they were more than willing to open up and say ‘Let’s just do this video’—budget wasn’t an issue. The print brochure seemed to be all about budget.”  Listen to find out Jonathan’s strategy for dealing with clients like this…  And if you aren’t yet registered for CFC, sign up here and take advantage of the combo $100 discount: $50 early bird before Mar 30th + $50 Marketing Mentor discount with promo code “CMM12”  

As we get ready for the 5th Annual Creative Freelancer Conference, June 21-22 in Boston, we’re doing a podcast interview series with our speakers! Recently, we featured Dyana Valentine and Mark O’Brien. Today, we have Shane Pearlman, describing his upcoming session, “Planning for the First Year of Freelance.”  Read an excerpt below and listen to the 10-minute interview, in which Shane talks about the biggest mistakes he sees freelancers make, and more. When it comes to being a successful freelancer, there are three areas that stick in Shane’s head: how to make the money (sales, marketing, contacts) how to keep the money you made (track time, manage contacts, bookkeeping) how to be happy and balance it all In his session, he’ll describe how to succeed in each of these areas. In addition to the road to success, we also talked about common mistakes that freelancers make. Shane said, “Another mistake I see all the time—this is probably the most common—is waiting to sell until they need it. So, you get really busy, and you think, ‘I’m so busy, I can’t think about sales, I’m busy!’ Then by the time you get to the point when you think, ‘I wish I had something to do, I should start selling’–well, that’s three months too late.” Listen to the rest here.  And if you aren’t yet registered for CFC, sign up here and take advantage of the combo $100 discount: $50 early bird before Mar 30th + $50 Marketing Mentor discount with promo code “CMM12”

Bryn Mooth is an independent journalist and copywriter focused on food, wellness and creativity—she blogs at www.writes4food.com -- and I’ve been following her marketing journey since she became self-employed less than a year ago.   Lately, we’ve been talking about the merits of LinkedIn, and Bryn has dedicated time, twice a week, to gain visibility and find prospects using it. This past week, she turned a LinkedIn connection into a client! How? (If you want to learn by doing, join the next Basic Marketing Group that starts Wed. March 14).  In our latest interview, Bryn describes what she did:  She narrowed: To be with her ideal prospects, she joined a group on LinkedIn called “Food Industry Marketing and Communications Professionals” – looking to find people at food brands or in food marketing – rather than the broader “food industry.”  She participated: This is an active group with 6500+ members, with people posting links to articles and questions. Bryn participates by commenting on articles others have posted, responding to questions and initiating her own discussions. She reached out directly: Bryn also scans the group members and reaches out to connect directly if it looks like a good fit. Recently, she connected with one member in Texas, the principal of marketing group in the food industry, and now that’s turned into a small project for her company – but there’s larger potential, if it goes well, for this agency to hire Bryn for their client projects, making her an excellent referral source and collaborator.  What did Bryn say to connect with this prospect? Listen here to find out.  

As we get ready for the 5th Annual Creative Freelancer Conference, June 21-22 in Boston, we’re doing a podcast interview series with our speakers! Last week we featured Dyana Valentine whose topic is “Pitch Perfect.” Today, we have Mark O’Brien, President of Newfangled, describing his upcoming session, “Is Your Website Generating Business?”  Read an excerpt below and listen to the 10-minute interview here, in which Mark talks about content strategy—and how it’s missing from most of the freelancer website he sees.  “There’s nothing to attract, inform and engage –nothing for Google to read on the site—that Google would then use to refer prospects to that freelancer’s site. There might be a portfolio, and that’s it. If prospects do get to the site, they can see the work, but they can’t read about the expertise behind the work…  If your site is not independently attracting people who do not yet know about you,  but need you, and then guiding them through your site as if they’re taking a tour of your firm with you on the phone, and then bringing them into engagement with you through calls to action (signing up for newsletters, blogs)… If you’re site’s not doing that, it’s not going to generate any sort of business for you. It’s serving the group of people who already know about you, and doing nothing to expose you too all the new prospects who are out there looking for you…” Listen to the rest here.  And if you aren’t yet registered for CFC, sign up here and take advantage of the combo $100 discount: $50 early bird before Mar 30th + $50 Marketing Mentor discount with promo code “CMM12”  

Amy Graver’s design firm, Elements, positions themselves as a “virtual marketing department.” It’s a strong positioning for them—but the only challenge is, with such a potentially broad audience (Who doesn’t need a virtual marketing department?), where do you go to find those prospects? How do you efficiently locate those people?  When it comes to Amy, I have a sense there is also something else involved in their success, so in our recent interview, I asked her: “There is something in you, in the way you talk about what your firm can do, that I feel almost balances the need for a target market. I imagine you can sell anything to anyone… You can talk to anyone anywhere, and maybe as a result, you don’t have to say, ‘Alright, I’m doing healthcare… Alright, I’m doing financial services....’ What do you say to that?” Amy responded:  “I never saw myself as a salesperson, but my father used to say I could talk the paint off a barn … I feel very comfortable talking to anybody and finding something in common. I also think it’s my passion for what I do. I really believe in us, I believe in my team. I’ve made very careful hires … Every time we have a new hire, I want to know what they bring that’s unique, because I’m going to go out and talk to the clients about it. It adds to the depths of who we are as an agency… The creativity, passion and love of what we do comes across … We’re doing great things for our clients. We’re a thinking, strategic, creative agency. Our clients seem to agree. One of our best resources is all the referrals we get from our clients…” I also asked Amy, “What suggestion do you have for someone who is resisting the idea of targeting a market and wants to apply their services to many different industries?” For this answer, and more, listen to this 19-minute interview. Want to choose your market, use content marketing to your advantage, or finally start email marketing? New groups are starting this month.  

Stephanie Helline, Owner of Strategic Design Studio, had a very surprising response to her latest email newsletter. The topic was, “Is the Business Card DEAD?” and she didn’t think much of it when she scheduled it to go out Friday morning. She didn’t even like the topic much, but she was committed to staying in touch monthly with her list of 150+ so she wrote it, scheduled it to send and forgot about it. “A little after 10, the phone rang,” she says. “A client mentioned my newsletter; we talked about a small job, we talked about a larger job. The phone rang again. I looked and noticed there were voicemails. As I was on the phone, emails were popping into my inbox. I wouldn’t want to say this went viral, but viral for me, definitely.” Stephanie had originally thought this topic would be a non-event. She thought everyone knew that business cards weren’t dead. When the calls started coming in, she had an ah-ha moment. “Even though I’m constantly looking at marketing techniques, maybe not all my clients aren’t looking at them in the same way,” she said.  “When I first started writing about the business card, I thought I need to add something more… So I took it one step further and talked about adding a QR code, and remembering to add your social media contacts. I mentioned that some people now scan cards so it’s important to present simply so scanners will work. I talked about digital printing for business cards.” (Read Stephanie’s newsletter here.) Listen to this 13-minute interview, in which she shares:  How she decides what to write about How long does it takes What her process is? Whether it’s worth it? She also shares four excellent tips for anyone who might be struggling to get their newsletter out consistently. Listen here. And if you need help creating your own email newsletter, check out this Marketing Mentor group that starts the week of March 19. BTW: If you’re trying to decide with email marketing service to use, check out Myemma.com, a Marketing Mentor partner. You’ll get 20% off when you sign up.

Dyana Valentine is one of our favorite Creative Freelancer Conference speakers; we bring her back every year! This year at CFC (June 21-22nd in Boston) she is going to be talking about Pitch Perfect—and I interviewed Dyana to get a preview. Listen to find out more about Dyana, hear her “working pitch,” and learn: The difference between a tagline and a pitch How to craft your pitch and tagline based on the “defining features” of your ideal client Why pitches are constantly evolving, and how often Dyana updates hers Plus, get a little preview of what CFC attendees can expect to learn in her session, Pitch Perfect. Find out: How your pitch will evolve in the session What will make Dyana feel like a million bucks How Dyana helps shy people What Dyana is looking forward to most at CFC this year Check out the full list of speakers and sessions. If you aren’t yet registered, sign up here and take advantage of the combo $100 discount: $50 early bird before Mar 30th + $50 Marketing Mentor discount with promo code “CMM12”    

“I've already landed 2 freelance jobs since I launched my website this week! Without your materials, I don’t think I would have been as prepared as I am now.” This is what Jeff Tara emailed me after launching his website for Brand Vue Design with the help of the Freelancers Essentials Collection.  I had to know more, so I interviewed him—and I was delighted to discover his passionate approach to his new business. Jeff reminded me that enthusiasm and fearlessness go a long way—sometimes even further than a plump portfolio (especially when you don’t have one). Jeff told me about how, after being laid off a month ago, he dived right into his own business thanks to the preparation he’d done over the past year. In one instance, simply by sharing his honest opinion about his favorite wine company’s new label, he gained a client. He had a fearless, nothing-to-lose approach, and the “roadblocks” didn’t stop him: • Obviously they already had a designer—but that didn’t stop him. • The only email address he could find was an “info” address—but that didn’t stop him. • He had no samples to show in this particular industry—but that didn’t stop him. See the email that got him in the door and listen to our interview here. And if you have a feeling you might be on your own soon or already are and need help getting your own marketing plan in place, take advantage of the free mentoring session to hash it out.

Last time I talked to independent journalist and copywriter, Bryn Mooth, from Writes4Food, she confessed to slowing down in December and paying the price in January. When I asked her, “What could you have done differently to avoid this slowdown?” Bryn said, “I should have put more effort into marketing in October and November.” Bryn realized, “This marketing stuff isn’t hard, except if you wait until you’re really slow and you’re desperate and have to do it all at once.” By plugging marketing into her calendar, and doing marketing steadily, she says, “It’s not hard, it’s not time consuming, it’s not overwhelming.” In this 19-minute interview, we talk about the actions Bryn has been taking to ramp up her marketing machine, with a special focus on how she’s using LinkedIn to: • Decide which groups to join • Ask and answer questions • Get introductions from her connections • Turn connections into phone calls See how her marketing efforts have paid off in just one month. Listen here…

In this world where “content is king,” more and more of marketing is “content marketing.” With the need for content so vast—you can be a writer who specializes in exactly what a prospect needs, such as a web writer, content strategist, direct response writer or technical writer. Stacey King Gordon, from Suite Seven, started as just a plain “writer” in 1998, and now she’s a “content strategist.” An evolution happened during that time, in which she realized what type of writer she wanted to be—for herself and for her clients. In my first interview with Stacey, we talked about the process of renaming her business. In this interview, I wanted to delve deeper with Stacey to determine how the shift from “writer” to “content strategist” happened. She answers these questions: ●      Was there a gradual shift in perception or positioning? ●      Where did the process begin? ●      How did confidence play a role? ●      How long did it take? ●      What marketing outlets did you change first? ●      How is she gaining recognition in the content strategy community? Stacey also talks about her new elevator pitch, why she was choosy about which portfolio items to show, and more… Listen here.

When it comes to taxes, are you deducting everything you can? Bryn wasn’t.  Bryn Mooth is an independent journalist and copywriter at Writes4Food. We’ve been following Bryn’s journey, and recently, we talked about taxes. In the first meeting with her accountant, Bryn had a big surprise: She had a percentage in mind for Uncle Sam, but says,   “It was significantly higher than I expected… I knew that I needed to account for self-employment tax and social security; what I didn’t realize is that, as an independent contractor … I need to pay my income tax quarterly… When I was employed by someone else, it was sort of off my radar…” Having to pay a much bigger percentage than she expected was a “rude awakening” for Bryn. Fortunately, she had built up a financial cushion before becoming self-employed. This cushion was a huge relief. Now, Bryn has a different mindset. Going forward: She realizes that she can expense a lot more than she thought. All of a sudden, knife sharpening, food for recipe development, and props become expenses.  Every time a paycheck comes in, half goes into a tax account (just to be safe).  Bryn is now very careful about keeping receipts and updating her spreadsheet on “Finance Friday.” This way, when she files next, her estimate will be more manageable and realistic.  Listen to this 10-minute interview here. Have you experienced any tax surprises? For guidance when it comes to taxes, we adore June Walker, tax advisor for the self-employed. Read her guest posts on the Creative Freelancer Blog and check out her books,  Self-employed Tax Solutions + Five Easy Steps, and her free resources. 

Bryn Mooth is an independent journalist and copywriter at Writes4Food.com. I’ve been checking-in with Bryn for the past 8 months (since she went freelance) to follow her journey, and last week, we did our first calls of 2012. How did she do? Overall, 2011 “exceeded” her expectations. Bryn was pleased with the income she earned and the work she did. But… January is slow. Why? Bryn says she “checked out” in December. She put off doing things like following up on completed projects, “slacked off” on networking and contacting, and now, she’s “paying the price.” What’s her plan of attack?  She says, “I’m starting from scratch, a little bit.” Bryn has identified the kind of projects that really appeal to her, and in 2012 is going to actively pursue that kind of work. She spent the last week on LinkedIn building a list of prospects. Then, she’s seeing who in her network can make an introduction. What she’s learning about the marketing process: Like most freelancers, I’m not really good at it. Early in this freelance career… some things were landing in my lap… I was doing some networking and yielding some good projects. But I wasn’t doing as much of that as I need to be. I got busy. I kept thinking, I need to allocate some time to think about who my ideal prospects are and get that planning going, and I didn’t.  So, that’s what I’m doing now. In this 11-minute interview, I suggested for Bryn a three tool combination to turn these prospects into clients: 1. Use LinkedIn to connect. 2. Use email to follow up. 3. Use the phone to make it real. Bryn is going to do this—and we’re going to talk to her next month to see how she did. How long does it take to take to turn cold (or warm) prospects that you find on LinkedIn, and turn them into actual clients? Stay tuned to find out…

Recently I interviewed Scott Hull (www.scotthull.com), an agent for illustrators who, when you ask what he does, says he, “links creativity to the corporate world.” We talked a lot about how illustration has changed and who the new “art buyers” are. He shared some interesting information for creatives and illustrators—especially when it comes to selling themselves to art buyers and agencies. Scott believes that we’ve fallen short in marketing creative services and that what the new art buyers care about is: What value are you going to bring to me? How are you going to make my life easier? So how can a creative sell themselves? Scott says: An illustrator can talk about the value they bring and the potential return on investment over stock illustration or photography. He also suggests emphasizing turnaround time.”The illustrator has the training and sense to convert concepts into a visual translation in 3-4 weeks. This is probably one of the biggest sales tools I have found.” In this interview, Scott also shares his thoughts on: Students coming out of art school, what should they do? Can an illustrator directly approach an art buyer? Can an illustrator learn enough about ROI to persuade corporate decision-makers? Listen to this 14-minute interview on the Marketing Mentor podcast.

Sometimes, all you need is a kickstart. That’s all it took for Julia Nable, co-founder (with her partner) of SandorMax, to decide how to position their small Connecticut-based firm after 6+ years in business.  I met with Julia and Zoltan for a 2 hour consultation in June 2011 (almost exactly 6 months ago). Then, in early December, Julia wrote to tell me they’d made great strides with their positioning and their target market, healthcare and bioscience companies – and that they were accepted as speakers at a prestigious industry conference later this year.   I was like a proud parent! Here’s how it happened.  First, like everyone else, they were generalists, until they came to the realization that this approach just wasn’t working. She said, “We were so broad that we were taking any work that came our way. We were too many things to too many people.” They knew things had to change. That’s when they called me and we spent 2 hours hashing out potential positioning statements and possible markets to focus on. “At the beginning, our big fear was: How do we turn away business? I think that’s what everyone wonders at the beginning. What if someone calls and they have nothing to do with healthcare, do we turn them away?” Julia likens their new approach to having a tiny herb garden instead of a huge farm. “Before, we had a gigantic farm. The manpower required to go after business was impossible. Now, with the small garden we’re nurturing, we can become experts in this area and create a prospect list we can actually go after. It’s contained enough that we can get a name in this area, and get high-level referrals through the community we’ve created with our clients. It’s something we can perfect.” I asked Julia to share their positioning process so others who are struggling can see the small steps it takes. In this interview, Julia defined the process and the benefits so clearly. She also talked about: How, exactly, they chose their new market. The extensive research and competitive analysis they did  How they retooled their website, and how they handled the projects that no longer fit their positioning  How she found the industry-focused speaking engagement on LinkedIn.  Listen to this (14-minute long) interview and you will learn. And if you need a plan to follow, check out the just-released 2012 Marketing Plan Bundle.

We’ve been talking about crowdsourcing a lot on the Creative Freelancer Blog, and designer, Laurel Black, is central to every discussion. So, I decided to do an interview with Laurel on some basics of crowdsourcing (from her perspective) for those who haven't been following all the comments. We started with a few basic questions: What is crowdsourcing? Who is upset about it and why? How has it affected (is affecting) your business? How are you dealing with it? What advice do you have for others concerned about it? Listen to Laurel’s take on crowdsourcing here.

Should you be putting samples inside your proposals? Should higher fees equal longer proposals? What are the 5 basic elements every proposal should have? Find out answers to these questions, and many more, in my recent interview for the International Freelancers Academy with Ed Gandia. In this hour-long interview, we cover the real information you need to craft winning proposals. Topics also discussed include:  The most common types of proposals - 4 types Hybrid all-in-one proposals Optional elements (marketing, testimonials, usage rights, client responsibility, results ) Do you need an attorney involved for legal language? Should you place an expiration date on your price? How to submit your proposal How and when to follow up Should you ask for the business? How to discuss next steps… Handling price objections If you want to increase your chances of winning projects – The Proposal Bundle (we have versions for Designers and Copywriters) will give you 25 resources, plus 11 actual sample proposals to use as models.

Bob Bly, who has been a freelance copywriter since 1982 (and made millions doing it) generously shared his one-page agreement in the new Proposal Bundle for Copywriters (Today only: Get $10 off with promo code: BUNDLE10). I interviewed Bob on the Marketing Mentor Podcast to find out more about his agreement. Here’s an excerpt…  Is it safe to skip the agreements—and get right to work for existing clients? Bob says:  You always need to have, for every job, even if it’s an old familiar client, a written agreement which the client approves. My philosophy is to keep it as short and simple as possible while covering all the salient points. We email it to the client. All they have to do is email back that they approve. New clients pay half the fee up-front. When it comes to rush jobs, Bob says:  Since we have a standard agreement, it takes less than three minutes to put in the particulars of the job. Time is no excuse. Just because it’s a rush job doesn’t mean I can’t send out the agreement.  What about the excuse, they “won’t be able to cut the check in time”?  Bob makes it easy by accepting Paypal, credit card and wire transfers.  Find out more about the specifics inside Bob’s agreement. Listen to the full 15-minute interview here.

Do you know how to respond to a Request for Proposal? Recently, I joined Jim Blasingame to discuss: How to prepare for a request for proposal (RFP) How to know when to not respond  How your proposal can have a long shelf-life  Listen to this interview on the Marketing Mentor Podcast. If you're working on a proposal now, and you'd like 11 actual proposals to use as models (+more) check out The Proposal Bundle: 25 Resources for Project-Winning Proposals.

If you know you need a target market—but don’t know where to start, this interview will help. Often, your market is right there in front of you, where you can see a need. Usually, it comes from your past experience. This is where I found my target market (creative professionals) in 1988. Last week, I shared the story of how I got started with Anderson Smith, who interviewed me on his radio show, 1 Hour Photo, on ArmadaFM. Listen in if you want to hear: Questions to ask yourself to find your market without starting from scratch How I found my market under a pile of paper How the changing economy affected the “need” for marketing How I help clients break old habits and build new ones The steps I take clients through in the 6-month marketing group (http://www.marketing-mentor.com/html/beginnermarketinggroup.html) process  Listen to this 11-minute interview on the Marketing Mentor Podcast.

Daniel Pelavin is entering his 5th decade as a typographic designer and illustrator. I had the pleasure of meeting him at the Graphic Artists Guild’s Reboot (http://newyork.gag.org/RRR_Conference/schedule.html) conference. He was pointed out as being “the king of self-promotion,” and of course, I had to find out more.  Daniel agreed to an interview so I asked him to elaborate on his reference to Copernicus and self-promotion, which I’d never heard in the same sentence before. Daniel said that through self promotion, you discover that you are not the center of the universe. And when you begin to look at things in terms of your clients and their needs, you gain a lot of power over how you can affect your experience with them. He also talks about: • The importance of being memorable—and how he does this himself • Why illustrators need clients who are “willing to take a chance.” • Why new illustrators should consider selling carpets, first. Listen to this 13-minute interview on the Marketing Mentor Podcast.  

Recently, I talked with Jim Blasingame, of Small Business Advocate, about proposals. Though we have a slightly different approach (he says don’t miss an opportunity, I say deliver only when you have a real chance of getting the job) we can both agree on this: Whenever possible, present the proposal personally. This is, hands down, the best way to ensure that you have a chance to negotiate and continue the conversation, rather than never hearing from your prospect again.  In this interview, Jim and I discuss the effectiveness of presenting proposals face-to-face or with web conferencing tools vs. sending them via email. How have you presented proposals—and which method has been most effective? P.S. If you want to enhance your proposals, and your chances of winning the work, we will be focusing on this in the Advanced Marketing Group. A new group starts October 17th, and there is one spot left! Sign up here.  Want 11 actual proposals to use as samples (plus a lot more!)? Check out The Proposal Bundle: 25 Resources for Project-Winning Proposals.

Just 5 months into her new career as a freelance food writer, Bryn Mooth is already getting a lot of publicity and great projects. (Follow her journey here.) But as a lot of new freelancers do—Bryn is finding pricing to be a challenge. Why? She’s calculated an hourly rate, refined an estimating sheet, and learned to price by the project—but the problem is—she’s really fast. With 20 years of experience, she finds that using hours to calculate project costs is leaving her with a price that doesn’t equal the project’s value. Her clients often share a budget, but when she calculates her project cost—it’s way too low. With her current approach, there’s an apparent disconnect between what the project costs—and what it’s worth. Listen to this interview to find out where the discrepancy is—and how she can solve it. Should she double her hourly rate? Make room for higher profit? Find out here. Bryn also shares how she’s:• Dealing with pricing• Determining her minimum project rate• Using an estimating worksheet to figure out hours for each project• Starting to track her hours/rates over time She also shares why pricing should be “uncomfortable.” Listen here. Have any advice for Bryn? Please share.

If you’re hesitant to focus on a target market, listen to this interview with Jennifer Neal, Owner of K9 Design Co. – I bet it will change your mind. In a nutshell: in 2008, K9 was a busy family-owned design business that was almost completely referral-based. They need more control over the flow of work, so they decided to commit to and invest in their marketing—and before long, they started to grow, so much so that 2010 – a recession year for many – was K9 Design Co’s best year ever, with a 30% increase over 2009. The first step was to embrace the idea of a target market and the fact they had a “portfolio full of publication work.” Jennifer says, “As scary as it was at the time for me to decide to market to publishers and the publishing industry, it was at that point that everything shifted. It was the toughest decision we ever made, but also the best move we ever made.” In the latest Marketing Mentor podcast Jennifer also shares: • Why even a specific target market will have enough work to keep you growing.• Why not to waste your time on perfection.• Why their business name doesn’t matter anymore.• And more… Listen to the whole interview on the Marketing Mentor Podcast—and let me know… Did it change your mind about target markets?

I recently interviewed Stacey King Gordon about her transition from being a freelancer known as “Night Writer Communications” to running her newly named content strategy firm, “Suite Seven,” which has 2 employees and more coming soon.   In a nutshell: Stacey always had “stars in her eyes” about owning her own business and started as a moonlighter in 1998. After 10 years, in 2008, she leapt to full-time freelance, and kept the name because it had some brand equity and she was sentimentally attached to it.   By the end of 2010, it was clear she needed to shed the image that Night Writer implied (that it was just her, working part-time at night) and start thinking about herself as a “company.”   In this interview on the Marketing Mentor Podcast, Stacey takes us through the process of refocusing her business, and her business name, to reflect her new direction as a content strategist. She describes how she got through the painstaking mental process of change, found the confidence, pinpointed her new direction, tested the waters, and more...   Listen here.

Neil Brown of Brown Advertising (http://www.brownadvertising.com/) in Winston-Salem North Carolina recently faced a bit of a business crisis. His biggest client restructured and disappeared. One month later I called to see how things were going. To my delight (and a bit of surprise), Neil said, “Business has been really good.” When I asked him what he was doing, he said one word: Networking. That’s when I asked if he would share his story in a podcast interview and here it is. The short version: When Neil started noticing the instability and personnel changes happening with his biggest client, he started to prepare by joining one of the Marketing Mentor Marketing Groups (next ones start next week!) and getting his marketing machine in gear. Soon after, his suspicions came true and the client terminated their contract. Despite this, Neil says, “Because of the marketing, I haven’t really missed the client.” In this interview on the Marketing Mentor Podcast, Neil shares what’s making up his marketing machine, and how it’s working. One big component is local networking, to which Neil used to have an aversion. He says that since he’s a bit of an introvert, he always found it intimidating. But once he got involved, he now says, “I actually love networking” because it’s “simply talking with other likeminded business people.” Listen in to find out which networking groups he’s involved in, who he’s meeting, and the response he’s getting from this—and his other—marketing efforts. Has this ever happened to you? What have you done to prepare? Or what did you do when you were caught off guard?

I grabbed a few minutes with PhotoShelter's Vice President of Marketing, Andrew Fingerman, to talk about a particularly sticky issue - when and how to directly ask your clients about their budget while pitching for new business. Here's an excerpt:  Are we a good fit? The primary reason to bring up the budget issue is to identify early on if the pitch is even worth making. Many photographers waste a lot of time talking to prospects who can't afford them. You'll find out sooner or later if the client can afford your services, so being straightforward and talking budget can help save both parties some time. But how early is too early? Ilise suggests if you suspect the prospect likely can't afford you, broach the budget question sooner. If you think they likely can afford you, it is ok to wait until later on in your pitch.  Recognize the conversation itself won't be a dealbreaker Avoid building up assumptions in your head that can make having the conversation more uncomfortable than it needs to be. Often, photographers will be afraid to start talking money because it may lead to losing the project. Talking about money isn't going to prevent you from getting the job - the client not being able to afford to pay you fairly will. (But, we're assuming that's a job you don't want anyway.)  See the entire blog post here: http://blog.photoshelter.com/2011/08/talking-budget-with-your-clients.html And listen to the interview here. 

It’s 3 months into Bryn Mooth’s career as a freelance food writer, and I’ve been interviewing her along the way. (See our previous interviews: Asking Questions = Looking Stupid and The First Week as a Freelancer.) In today’s interview, we talked about the importance of tuning into what’s around you. Bryn says,  “Once you start thinking about something that’s next, or something that’s possible, then you tune in somehow to those opportunities you would have missed otherwise.” We also discuss some issues related to the “lazy” days of summer and the mindset of self-employment, such as: - Is it okay to have an “off” day and cut yourself some slack? - The right approach to a non-productive day… - Is the glow still going, or has it faded? - Do you start believing the things you tell yourself when you’re in the non-productive mood? Does that spiral into non-productivity? - How to deal with not knowing where the next project will come from… - Learning to be patient… - How to interpret really enthusiastic prospects - And more… If you have a case of the summertime “I don’t wannas,” get back on track by listening to this interview. Listen here.

Not following up with a contact you meet—is like not watering a seed that would otherwise sprout into an apple tree. Whether you’re back from CFC and still haven’t gotten to that stack of cards (you know who you are), or you network often but follow up spottily, these interviews are for you. I joined Jim Blasingame to discuss follow up. The interviews are available on his site, Small Business Advocate, and here on the Marketing Mentor Podcast: How much is too much?Listen here to find out best practices for follow up, and learn how much is too much. Has follow up helped you grow apples? P.S. See how CFC attendee, Deidre, is following up with her new acquaintances. 

Not following up with a contact you meet—is like not watering a seed that would otherwise sprout into an apple tree. Whether you’re back from CFC and still haven’t gotten to that stack of cards (you know who you are), or you network often but follow up spottily, these interviews are for you. I joined Jim Blasingame to discuss follow up. The interviews are available on his site, Small Business Advocate, and here on the Marketing Mentor Podcast: How to follow upListen here for motivation and tips to make sure you follow up with new contacts. Has follow up helped you grow apples? P.S. See how CFC attendee, Deidre, is following up with her new acquaintances. 

Ann Siegle, President of Tria Marketing (http://www.triadesignfirm.com/) in Lansing, MI. has recently separated from her partners to embark on her own. She’s enjoying the transition, and in this interview, she shares with us the new vision she has for her business—and how she’s using marketing to make it a reality. With a target market of entrepreneurs and associations, Ann began focusing on thought leadership capabilities. As a direct result, she has gained visibility in the right places, and is getting proposals and projects. Her speaking topic is 5-minute marketing. I found it interesting because it isn’t necessarily about design or web development. I asked her how that broad-ranging topic works to her advantage.  She said: I think that entrepreneurs are looking for bigger picture. When they look to us for our credibility, they don’t think, “I need a graphic designer,” they think, “I need help with marketing.” Stepping outside and taking a look at a very common problem, and directing something to that problem gets your foot in the door. Then you can sit down and have a conversation with them. Their needs are going to be unique … one client might need a revamp of the stationary system and collateral materials, another might need a digital strategy, another might need a social media management strategy. The nice thing about the speaking engagement is that is speaks to them at a very broad level about something they all have in common. Ann also shares how Google AdWords and SEO are working for her website—and exactly how she’s making her website more search engine friendly. Listen here. What is your thought leadership topic?

If you’ve been following along with our story about Bryn Mooth, who left her 20-year publishing career to pursue a career as a freelance writer, you’ll remember our interview a month ago when she was in the glow of Week 1 of self-employment.  I interviewed her again in Week 5 to see how she’s coming along. One especially interesting topic that came up in our conversation was how asking the right questions of clients and prospects will make you look smart, not stupid. Bryn says, “People are afraid to ask questions because they think, if I do… it might dampen the impression I’m making with this prospect. But I think asking questions is a sign that you’re interested in their business… and really helps you deliver what they’re looking for instead of taking a wild shot in the dark… Take the time up front to ask a couple of smart questions so you’re not flailing when it’s time to deliver a solution.”  I couldn’t agree more. In fact, there’s whole chapter about this in my new book, The Creative Professional’s Guide to Money. In the chapter on positioning your price, there are 8 pages on asking questions, plus 20 questions to ask before you do a proposal.  In this interview, Bryn also shares how she’s: Discovering what she doesn’t know Getting better at managing her time, and making time for marketing activities Trying to build a reputation in food/healthy living Using online and social media activities, finding places to participate Using her previous career as an editor to help her get ahead Recently back from vacation, Bryn also describes how her vacation as a freelancer was different from when she was a full-timer.   What are some of the questions you ask, that get you the information you need?

Vivienne Scholl, from San Francisco-based Avenue 4 Design, commented recently on a Marketing Mix post about progress payments. She said: We've started doing monthly billing with our clients. Billing is now tied to a date, not a milestone. It's so much better for cash flow. Anyone else doing this? Since getting paid is always an issue, I asked Vivienne if she would share her process. Here’s what she told me in this interview/podcast: Why she started doing monthly billing How she brings it up with clients How it’s especially beneficial if a project drags on Why it keeps things “fair” with clients And please comment on this billing practice. Vivienne wants to make sure this type of billing isn’t doing a disservice to the rest of the industry. What do you think about monthly billing? Does monthly billing do a disservice to the industry?

Bryn Mooth recently left 20-year career in publishing, and she’s embarking on her own as a freelance writer. Her blog at Writes4Food.com started as a way to spark her own creativity, and has turned into a business where she writes on food, cooking, nutrition, and healthy living topics. In the beginning of Bryn’s 2nd week as a self-employed person, I interviewed her to see what the first week was like. She shares insight on: • What’s been most energizing and gratifying during this transition• Getting her head into self-employed mode • When she realized she wanted to leave her job • How she prepared for self-employment• What it feels like to be “ready” to make the leap• Building a viable business that creates income to exceed that of a full-timer• How she knew food was a good market to focus on• How to balance her own marketing with paid work• Using the cushion of her network during the transition• & more… Any advice for Bryn? If you’re considering leaving your full-time job and going out on your own, check out the Marketing Group for moonlighters. It will help you get clients in your pipeline—before you make the jump.

I’ve been talking to clients lately to get a view inside the evolution of their business. A big signpost in the evolution journey is raising rates, but often, the creatives I work with are afraid their clients will disappear if they do it. In a recent interview with Megan Coleman, freelance web designer, she says, “I charged less in the beginning because I didn’t know how much to charge. The more projects I took on, the more I realized how much things should really cost to make the money I needed to live.” In this interview, Megan also answers these questions: How did she know it was time to quit her full-time job? What did she do to prepare for freelancing? Did she use up all the money she saved? How she got her first few clients. Why she recommends doing some freelance work on the side first. Find out where Megan is now, and why this two-time CFC attendee is coming back this year. Meet Megan at the Creative Freelancer Conference in Chicago. The early-bird deadline ends may 1st. Use in conjunction with the Marketing Mentor $50 discount (Use code: CMM11) to save a total of $80 – the best admission price available.

"A lot of the jobs I was doing were one-off jobs,” said Stephen Hadley, owner of Houston-based Inkwell Media, a creative firm that produces employee newsletters and magazines for the oil and gas industry. In business over 5 years, Stephen recently completed the Beginner Marketing Group, which he joined because, in his words, “I didn’t have enough of a focus.”  The group helped him to define his focus, and in this interview with Ilise, he talks about: How he got to such a targeted marketHow his business has evolved from one off projects to clients. What marketing tools he’s usingIdentifying the right companies to targetIf research calling really works How he gets regular, ongoing work The best thing he got out of attending CFC Listen to the interview here. Stephen said, “I always had a haphazard approach to marketing. [The group] has definitely forced me to finish all the pieces. It has been awesome because now I have everything done. Now when I talk to someone, or meet with someone, I have a way to follow up and a place to send them. I’m not ashamed now! I wasn’t doing any marketing, and now I am. It feels really good." Do you need to get focused like Stephen did? A new Beginner Marketing Group starts next week – Thursday, April 21 – and there are 2 spots open. Fill out this form if you’re interested….  

At last year’s Creative Freelancer Conference, there was an attendee named Lauren Hybinette. She was employed by a company at the time, but she had an epiphany that made her decide, then and there, that she wanted to be self-employed.   Where is Lauren one year later? Find out. Read this blog post from Bryn Mooth on the HOW Design Blog:http://blog.howdesign.com/how-conference/catching-up-with-a-creative-freelancer/listen to the interview I did with her where she talks about:   learning the discipline to work from home fighting the loneliness of being a solopreneur   setting boundaries and staying connected Do you need the inspiration and know-how to finally turn freelancing into a full time career? Join us at CFC—June 23-24 in Chicago. Don’t miss the early bird discount. It ends April 1st!

Designer (and Creative Freelancer Conference veteran), Charlene Tiedemann, was getting bits and pieces of work, but struggling with how to get more clients and how to become the boss. She didn’t know who the clients were, where they were, or how to get to them. Six months later, she said, “Meeting people and having a strategy to meet people were my biggest challenges. I had no idea how to get clients. They’re just people, and they’re all out there, and they need me, but I had no idea how to find them. Now I’m calling people and I’m finding more people…  It’s like a gold mine. I keep digging and digging and finding more people.”   During those 6 months, she did the Marketing Mentor Beginner Marketing Group and not only found her prospects but also found her positioning as The Loop Design Studio and revamped her web site (see it here: www.theloopdesignstudio.com).  Charlene’s challenge is a very common one, so I interviewed her for the podcast, in which she shares: What she learned Who she’s targeting and what she’s finding Why networking events are working for her How having two selves makes you stronger (business self, and self-self) How she keeps the momentum going  Plus, she has a bit of advice to any creative freelancer just starting out, or anyone who needs more work and don’t know what to do. If you need to figure all this out for yourself, the Beginner Marketing Group might be right for you. Next group begins the week of April 18.

Direct outreach works. Here’s proof. Eric Koby from fatrabbit CREATIVE talked about his direct outreach efforts (on his Advanced Marketing Group phone call), and he's given us permission to share it. Listen here...

Now that most of my clients have chosen target markets, things are starting to happen. Some of them are thrilled to have finally found a market that is responding positively. Others are still struggling, especially because they just aren’t “excited” about their target market. What to do? I spoke last week with Dianne Rohkohl, a freelance designer in Arizona, who is struggling with her focus on the healthcare market. She allowed me to record our discussion and share it with you. Listen here (14 minutes). The interview addresses these questions: What if you’d rather eat paste than read the blogs within your target market? If you’re not that excited about your current market, is that a reason to change? Should you be passionate about everything you do? How can you fully use your creativity and talents in a market that isn’t exciting?

Ilise recently did an interview with QRCA, Qualitative Research Consultants Association, about talking price without alienating customers. Listen in...

Heather Parlato from Parlato Design talks about how she made the transition from a full-time job to full-time freelancing. In the interview, she addresses:   Shifting from the employee mindset Flat rates vs. hourly rates How to treat your clients, and how much authority to give them Her qualifying process Saying no, red flags, and finding the right fit in potential clients Plus, she answers the question, “How will I know when it’s the right time to switch to full-time freelancing?”  Listen here…  

Lisa Smith Youngdahl joined the Beginner Marketing Group in September 2009. In the past year and a half, she has made great strides in her business. Learn the tools she uses, how she uses them, and the results she's achieved within her target market: healthcare.   Listen in...

In this interview, Jennifer Neal from K9 Design describes how her company has increased their presence as experts in the publishing industry, and due to specific marketing efforts had a 30% increase in their business in 2010.

Do you need to be reminded about marketing? Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame to launch a new tool, the Marketing Mentor eCalendar, that will help you keep marketing top-of-mind as you go about running your small business.

Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame with marketing tips, including defining your profile customers and marketing to them strategically with the help of organizing tools for marketing tasks.

Would organizing tools help you become a better marketer? Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame to discuss how getting organized with technology tools that sync with each other can help you become a more successful marketer. Listen in...

In my recent interview with Janet Mobley from Fat Cat Strategies, she talks about:   Why 2010 came in like a lamb and went out like a lion How they talk about the services they offer, especially retainer services The “dark side” of retainers Properly outlining retainer relationships Mini-retainers Why she prefers “unofficial” networking events   Listen in…  

In this interview, Ilise talks with talented illustrator, Tim Read, about the marketing tools that are working for his business. He shares: ·         Exactly how he uses social media ·         How he’s getting business from LinkedIn ·         How to self-promote without doing a blatant sales pitch ·         What works in a social media profile Tim also talks about his mindset towards research calling and outlines his ideal cold calling schedule – which includes just 5 calls per week. Listen in...

How is marketing changing in the 21st century? Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame to discuss marketing in the new economy, the importance of relationships with customers and vendors, plus tips on developing and maintaining these relationships. Listen in...

Cleveland Design is a firm that has been in business for nearly 20 years, and in this interview, Jonathan Cleveland, Principal, shares why this has been one of their best years yet. Find out which tools they're using, and how they make sure clients know "everything" they are capable of. Listen in...  

Here's a recent interview Ilise did with Beth Brodovsky from Iris Creative. http://www.iriscreative.com/   There are two big questions that Ilise asks Beth in this interview:    How did you come to pinpoint your target market? Beth talks about how she (and her staff) worked together to find their target market, membership organizations, after being generalists for many years.   Which tools do you use to promote your services? Beth describes how they geographically narrowed their search, paid extra attention to job titles, use postcards productively, use speaking programs to get new prospects (even if they don’t attend!) and more…   Listen in...  

It sounds obvious, but when you go out looking for clients -- really looking -- you find them. Ilise saw this last week in Martha Retallick's Prospecting Hour interview, and it is once again the simple lesson from Pam Saxon of Saxon Design in Nashville TN. Pam (who finished Ilise's Beginner Marketing Group last month) called to tell Ilise her business was up 240% going into 4th quarter. Listen in to find out why...

Martha Retallick, of Western Sky Communications, told Ilise recently about her daily "Prospecting Hour."   I don't know about the rest of this planet, but here in my studio, taking whatever comes along is a recipe for failure. I can't depend on business coming to me. I have to be a go-getter and go get it. That's why the first hour of every workday is The Prospecting Hour. That's when I make calls and send e-mails to cold and warm leads.    I've been in the design business for 15 years, and I've never had the luxury of depending on word of mouth. Instead, I've had to pick up the phone and ask strangers for their business. And, in my case, cold calling has led to the most lucrative clients I've ever had. When she spoke to Ilise in August, Martha had made an amazing 3081 phone calls, 80% of which went to voice mail. Of those, 99 prospects had expressed some level of interest (approximately 3% positive response).   In their 20-minute interview, Martha describes her target market and her simple process to find and reach them. She explains how she tracks her calls and actually recites her no-BS phone script. Listen in...

How do you identify and connect with your ideal prospect? Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the perfect prospect for your small business, how to identify them and why this activity is so valuable. Listen in...

Remember all that advice Mom gave you when you were growing up? What if it’s hindering your success as a creative freelancer? Listen in as I look closely at Mom's pearls of wisdom to see how applicable they are today -- some still are, I admit -- for freelancers and the creatively self-employed.  

Did your mom tell you not to brag? We bet she didn’t know that one day you’d be creatively self-employed and have to promote yourself. In her new article for the HOW Magazine Freelance Column, Ilise takes a look at Mom’s pearls of wisdom to find out what is still relevant, and what tidbits need to be replaced with new rules. Listen in.

Check out Ilise's latest interview with Jim Blasingame of Small Buiness Advocate. In this interview, she and Jim talk about why you should incorporate an online marketing strategy with your traditional marketing activity.

Does your website really resonate with your target audience? Ilise shares some checkpoints to help you ensure that your website is “marketing-smart.” If you’re not sure if your site is “hitting home” with your prospects and being as effective as possible as a marketing tool, listen in.

Are you coming to the Creative Freelancer Conference in Denver this weekend? We hope so! But if you can't, here is the preview for Ilise's opening keynote, "You Are A Business." Listen in...

Last week, Ilise had the pleasure of joining Andrew Fingerman, VP of Marketing at PhotoShelter, to talk about how photographers can effectively market themselves. (The concepts carry over to all creative pros.) Listen in...

Why waste time when you can devote your energy to what works for your business? Listen here as Ilise describes The Lazy Creative's Guide to Marketing.

Do you have what it takes? Preparation & 5 Freedoms. From HOW Conference 2009's session: Do You Have What It Takes to Be A Successful Freelancer?

Do you have what it takes? Skills & Personality Traits. From HOW Conference 2009's session: Do You Have What It Takes to Be A Successful Freelancer?

Do you have what it takes? What's happening now in freelancing & and myths and realities about freelancing. From HOW Conference 2009's session: Do You Have What It Takes to Be A Successful Freelancer?

If you ask a creative how they get their clients, they often say, "through word of mouth." But is this the best way to get new clients? Probably not. Ilise takes a look at why Word of Mouth Ain't All That. Listen in.  

Here is an interview Ilise did with Jim Blasingame from the Small Business Advocate called: Freelancers are Small Business Owners too.

She made it! Listen in to find out if Colleen's year-long commitment to marketing worked...

It's the second-to-last week in Colleen's year-long marketing adventure, but never too late (or too painful) to learn a really valuable lesson. Curious? Listen in...

At Week 50, a few events occurred that had Colleen taking a long look back at where they came from. The answers speak strongly to the benefits of social media. Listen in for more...

Week 49 brought some serious and unexpected lessons for Colleen: one bitter, one very, very sweet. Listen in...  

For Colleeen, Week 48 was a rare week off—from marketing, anyway. Listen to the story on when and why that can be a good idea (and what makes it possible, at least in part).

Week 47 found Colleen continuing her two-week tour of the Pacific Northwest, combining (marketing) work with pleasure in a way that had her questioning what's really work, and what's really marketing.

46 weeks into this venture, Colleen can say with surety that the best kind of marketing doesn't feel like marketing at all. Listen in.

A busy week of no real marketing-marketing turned out to be the perfect opportunity for Colleen to review the role that her marketing machine had on bringing the events that made the week so busy to fruition. Listen here.

Here is an interview that Ilise did with Kim Duke, the Sales Diva, for Prosperity Cafe. It's all about finding prospects. Listen in...

This week, the issue of "regular" marketing is suddenly reframed for Colleen: not only is it a marathon, not a sprint (and cumulative, in a most excellent way), it allows for all kinds of adaptive implementation. Listen in to find out why...

Welcome to Week 43. This week, Colleen has realized that marketing is becoming as much a part of her routine as brushing her teeth. Listen in...

Ever feel like you wish you could turn back time and "unpublish" something really stupid that you did? This week was like that for Colleen. Check out all the gory details on How She Screwed Up (so hopefully, you don't have to).

Colleen is continuing to streamline at a steady pace since her freakout of a few weeks back. She's moving toward her stated goals of clearing backlog and implementing systems that support her work. Listen in for more...

With just 12 weeks left in the year, Colleen is taking a look backward at what's been not-so-hot and what's been fun, valuable and energizing. And she's come up with a list of tactics. Check them out.  

Colleen attended two events this week that have already changed her life—marketing and otherwise—significantly. Listen in to find out more.

This was one of those weeks where Colleen had to push a little extra hard because so many opportunities came up. Listen in...

Welcome to Week 38! Did you know that NOW is the perfect time for marketing?  Listen in to find out why...

One great thing about practicing your marketing everyday (other than, we hope, getting better at it) is that after a while, you have lessons thrown at you so many times, they become useful practice in your everyday, working life. Take shutting up, for example. This week, Colleen looks into the benefits of the fine art of shutting up. Listen in...  

It's not everyday that you get interviewed...by yourself. But to commemorate having 2/3rds of a Marketing Mentor calendar under her belt, that's just what Colleen did. Listen to her burning questions (to herself) on how the calendar has worked and what her plans are for moving forward.

Ready to learn the right way to prep for a conference? Colleen shares the mistakes she's made prepping (or not) for conferences and gigs in the past -- and demonstrates how to improve.  

What do you do if you're not good at asking for stuff? You look at why. You look at when you have asked, and when you haven't, and what's different. You look at what it could do for your business or you or even the world if your "ask" got an answer. Basically, you look. That's what Colleen did this week, and here's what she found...

Have you found a schedule that works for you?  This week, Colleen looks into the topic of scheduling and how finding one that's right for you is so important for your marketing efforts.

This week, Ilise is busy getting ready for the Creative Freelancer Conference in San Diego (it starts in 9 days but it's not too late to register). Here is a short (12 minute) excerpt from the session she gave at the HOW Conference in June. In this one, Ilise covers the 10+ skills and personality traits she thinks you need if you are going to run a successful business, whether you're a freelancer or a small business owner.

This past week, Colleen sent out her 28th email newsletter.  She says things are starting to happen as she tightens her focus and feels it makes for enough of a milestone to reflect on where she's been and what I might need to do in the coming months. Listen in...

Colleen says that getting your marketing machine up and running is a big endeavor that takes time, patience and a big appetite, much like eating the proverbial elephant. This week, Colleen reflects on some of the help she's enlisted in the eating of her elephant, both the paid and the free (well, paid in time) kinds.

This week, Ilise tells how she met her July goals, and shares some useful resources to help you meet yours too.

This week, Colleen takes to the road!  She learns how she's grown, and also  where there's still room to do so.  She calls the week of traveling "wildly illuminating."  Listen to find out why...

This week's sound advice is the first 10 minutes of the workshop Ilise gave for creative freelancers at the recent HOW Conference in Austin. It starts with her perspective on what's happening now in the economy (and why it's the best time for freelancers to build a business), followed by the myths and realities of being a successful freelancer, including why getting word of mouth isn't such a good thing... Listen in!

Colleen makes personal marketing history this week!  She calls week 29 the week when everything finally came together. She's really beginning to notice that doing her marketing consistently could make a real difference both in how she felt and how things actually worked.  Listen for more...

Type-A personality?  This week Colleen offers a new perspective on business, and demonstrates how she's growing and changing.

Welcome to week 27!  This week, Ilise talks to Jonathan Cleveland of Cleveland Design.  He recently got a project from a travel company with no travel experience by submitting a few designs!  But is it spec work?  Listen in for Ilise's interview with Jonathan.

At the halfway point in the year, Colleen takes a moment to reflect.  She shares what she's learned about marketing by doing it every day for the past 6 months.  Listen in...

Today is the first day of 3rd quarter. We are half way through the year, the perfect time to look back and look forward to realistically assess what we've done and what we need to be improve. Listen in for Ilise's second quarter results.

This week was all about support for Colleen, both learning the difference it made for her personally, and realizing what a difference it would make if she applied some of the lessons to her own business and her marketing in particular.  Listen in!

When Ilise was in Boston last week, she had dinner with longtime client Jonathan Cleveland. He told her a great story about how he got a project for a travel company without any history of travel related work.  Check it out here!

Watch out for Colleen, she's really building stamina now. In addition to its cumulative positive effect on your business and cashflow, this week, Colleen benefits from the stamina of doing her marketing chores regularly.    

How can you really set yourself apart from the competition?  In this week's sound advice tip, Ilise will share what is making people stand out and getting them jobs.

Ilise has been on a cold calling roll this week.  Listen in to hear her strategy.

Now that we're about halfway through the year, Colleen takes a look at the question of how to measure all this marketing and networking.  How is it converting into dollars? How do you decide how much time to put in, and when (and how) do you decide whether it's working or not?  Let's take a look...

This week, Colleen shares her renewed appreciation of the Grow Your Business Marketing Plan & Calendar, and the art of planning in general.  Here's why...

Everyone's asking: what markets are growing (or declining the least)?  An article in the New York Times gives some insight to one market that might still be going strong, and could be relevant for your business. Check it out.

As Colleen got back in the saddle, she had a great, productive, FUN week of work and marketing. To discover the "why" behind it, she takes some time to reflect.  Listen in!

Hope you had a good Memorial Day weekend-- and now it's back to work!  Listen in to get some inspriration from Ilise.

Blind spots and struggles.  We all have them.  And this week, Colleen  realizes that by sharing openly with people, you can get some great help seeing where your own blind spots are, and advice on how to get out of them.

Welcome to Week 20! How is the marketing plan + calendar working for you?  This week, Start Up Plan users should be cold calling, and Veterans should be crafting a newsletter (in addition to their continued calling).  Listen in for more...

Still recovering, Colleen talks about what she did accomplish this week (which would seem to be an impressive work load to anybody else!).  She also talks about why she's grateful for her marketing machine.  Do you have a marketing machine that has carried you through less productive times?

Even when she's sick in bed, Colleen still manages to see the bright side, providing 3 great tips to help anyone's self employment journey.  Check them out.

Welcome to May!  How was April for you... did you reach your April goal?  This month, it's time for Veterans to work on their "un-newsletter" and Start Up's to begin their research calling.  Listen in for details.

In this week's episode, Colleen discusses the cold, harsh realities of what happens when things go haywire. The truth is, we learn some of our best marketing and planning lessons when the road gets rocky. With her humor always in tact, she refers to the Odd Couple episode where Felix shows the group what happens when you A-S-S-U-M-E... Tune in to find out what Colleen learned this week... 

In the third audio cupcake, Ilise and Colleen talk about the realistic and unrealisitc expectations that go along with cold calling... none of which actually happen.  Listen in to find out if prospects ever really hang up on you.

A jam packed week of travel had Colleen thinking a lot about her marketing. Reinspired, she asks the question: Can marketing be a tool for changing the world?

Getting publicity can help you gain exposure to your prospects and it's a great way to enhance your other marketing efforts.  Ilise gives some tips on getting publicity for your business in today's tip.

Today, Ilise and Coleen talk about a common roadblock to cold calling.  The discuss the question: Do you need to have something ready to send before you start cold calling? Listen in to this short tip to find out. 

Things went slightly awry for Colleen this week because of life's surprises, (but she still managed to attend two formal events, a breakfast meeting, and business related socializing.)  She's paid attention to this week's lessons to move onward and upward.

Today's cold calling tidbit answers the question: Should you leave a voice mail message? Listen in to find out...

When it comes to taking the next step in marketing, Colleen realizes that a common pitfall is the idea that you'll never totally be ready. Accordingly, you might as well just get going!  If you're never quite ready, then what does it matter?  Marketing yourself is a work in progress.  What's the next step that you're not quite "ready" for?  Colleen says, just do it.  Listen in for a few ideas on taking that next step.

Today Ilise checks in with Jennifer Neal from K9 Design.  Has Jennifer's marketing efforts gotten her results this quarter?  Listen in to find out.

Colleen is really moving now.  And she's offering a different perspective on marketing this week-- Star Wars Marketing.  With her unique ability to keep marketing interesting, Colleen has certainly launched her efforts into a new realm this week.

Welcome to Week 13! Start Up followers will turn their newly launched website into promotional materials, Veteran's will use their newly re-launched website to inspire a press release. In this audio clip, Ilise talks about valuable resources that can help you get PR for business, whether you're a Start Up or a Veteran. Check it out...

Every small business owner gets their inspiration and support from somewhere, and in this week's post, Colleen shares where she gets hers from... The systems she has in place to keep herself productive and accountable... The people who keep her on track.  Like she says, a good support system really keeps you moving in the right direction. 

Are you hiding behind email?  Ilise talks about how picking up the phone this week has made a difference in her business, and how it can make a difference in yours. Listen in to see why... 

Giving herself permission  to put the Grow your Business Marketing Plan + Calendar on hold, Colleen immerses herself in the South by Southwest Conferences this week-- and realizes that conferences are marketing too.  Here's what she found out.

This week, it's time to finish your marketing smart website.  Also in today's podcast, Ilise answers a question from a client: "We are behind in our research calls because we have been making lots and lots of calls to past and present clients trying to drum up business that way, but so far they are all feeling too poor to invest at this time. How do you stay upbeat when faced with so much rejection?" Listen in for her insight.

This week, Colleen struggles to keep up her lofty goals for 2009 and finds herself slipping.  She realizes that the way things are going, it's impossible to maintain all of her committments. The good news is, she finds a solution... She finds ways to be more productive while spending less time doing work. Sounds good, right?  Listen in to see how Colleen's insight can help you be more productive.   

How can you make sure your website is marketing smart?  How can you be more like Google?  And how can you use Facebook to better launch your website.  Listen to today's audio clip to find out. Ilise has also come up with a Marketing Smart website checklist to help you.  If you'd like a copy, email [email protected] with the subject "Marketing Smart Checklist."

This week, Colleen talks about the work in progress that is her website.  She also discusses the difficulties of being the (self-proclaimed) world's worst self-promoter.  She talks about testimonials-- Are they the  plague of the earth, or a useful marketing tool?  Listen to this entertaining episode to see how humor helps get her through, and allows her to make further progress in her marketing journey.  

Welcome to March! We've been spending a lot of time on our web presence.  Today, Ilise talks about how to get the most useful feedback on your site.  Who should you ask?  What should you ask?  Listen in to find out...

Goals, goals, goals!  Ilise gets personal and talks about her goals and how she's doing with them.  Listen in to find out. How far have you come towards your monthly goal for February?  The good news is, March is just around the corner-- a new month, a new chance to pinpoint a goal and work towards it.   

She's a self-proclaimed militant fanatic-maniac when it comes to newsletters.  This week, Colleen is rocking and rolling-- getting her newsletter archives in order and completing other web marketing tasks.  How are you doing with your marketing efforts?

We're into week 8 and making some serious progress!  Great job!  This week, it's time to wrap up your online presence.  Listen in for some guidance and inspiration. 

Ah, the age old question... Blog or newsletter-- which one should you have for your business?  Ilise discusses the pro's and con's, and helps you decide what's right for you.

Following the Grow Your Business Marketing Plan + Calendar has inspired Colleen to get some longstanding goals checked off her list.  She's pulled together her "hire me" page, created a landing page for acting related sites, and created a contact form page!  Looks like the marketing calendar sparked some excellent progress!

Welcome to week 7! Do your clients ever ask for more information about exactly what you do?  A case study is the perfect way to tell them.  Here is the format that Bending Design uses for their case studies-Project, challenge, solution, results, testimonial from the client.  Check it out!

Want to see what a good links page looks like?  Check them out here!  Ilise talks about each page, and tells us why they're excellent.  If you're working on a resource page-- these are sure to help. Karen Zapp, Fundraising Copywriter: www.pkscribe.com Joan Damico, Integrated Marcom Copywriter: www.jdamico.netAnn Gallops, Feng Shui Expert: www.theorganizedlife.netBob Bly, B2B Copywriter: www.bly.com And of course, the Marketing Mentor Resources page.

Want to demonstrate your expertise and help people at the same time? Then it's time to make a resource page on your website! This week, Colleen talks about sharing information wisely via her resource page, and rounding up her past newsletters into one place.

Do you have a website?  If not, it's time to get started on making one.  If you do, it's time to refresh your content and develop a resource or links page. This week, Ilise talks about how to develop a resource page or links page that supports your positioning.

Have you ever had trouble putting what you do into words?  This week, Colleen shares a three-step tool that will help you write a powerful bios for your social networking profiles.  It's a simple tool, but it will help with writing any bio you'll need in your marketing endeavors!

One of the best ways to get new clients-- is to have them read (or hear) the wonderful things that other's have said about working with you.  In this audio clip, Ilise talks about how to get (and give) endorsements or recommendations on LinkedIn. 

Did you meet your goals for January?  If not, take a few minutes today to create your goals for February. The focus for February is developing your online presence with social networking sites like Biznik.com, LinkedIn.com, Facebook.com, Twitter.com.  These sites can be used very effectively for marketing, but remember to be professional.  If you have profiles on other social networking sites, please send them to Ilise.  Thanks!

This week, Colleen isn't sharing demos or how-tos, but a cautionary tale about what not to do.  Remember, it's important to do one task at a time and not to get overwhelmed.  Colleen stresses the importance of measuring success by small I did-its!  She also talks about taking care of yourself, and adjusting the marketing plan so it becomes more personalized, and more realistic, for you.

Today, Ilise interviews Jennifer Neal from K9 Design. Jennifer reveals the tools that make up her "Marketing Machine" and descibes exactly how she uses them and fits them into her weekly schedule.  This will be a great help for anyone who is trying to work out the logistics of thier marketing efforts. Listen in, and find out how to make your own marketing machine work for you.

This week, Colleen tackles unchartered terrian with her very first cold call ever.  Was it as bad as she'd imagined?  Listen in to find out!  You will also find some excellent tips on how to make cold calls a success.

Check out this free consultation Ilise had with Dennis G. Dennis is a designer in Indiana who generously agreed to let Ilise tape the phone consultation they had last week. They talked a lot about how he can leverage what he does know as he enters new markets. Here's what else he wanted to know: -What if I have never focused on marketing? Can I start with nothing?-How do I brave a new industry (when I'm not experienced)?-How do I know if the market I've chosen is the "right" market?-Isn't it expensive to join lots of trade associations?-How do I navigate the ups & downs? If Dennis' questions sounds like questions you have, take a listen and see what you can learn.  You can also take advantage of your own free half hour phone consultation with Ilise by clicking here.

How are you doing at the end of two weeks?  Is your target market clear, or mushy? Have you found a list you can work with, events you can attend, or places you can interact with your prospects?  Listen in for some inspiration from Ilise. 

Colleen, aka the communicatrix, will be straight with you- she hates cold calls.  Here, she talks about how she's putting aside her hatred and  getting ok with idea of calling someone.  Keeping it low key, being prepared, and the hamburger theory, can help you get your head around the idea.  Listen in, and follow along.  Remember, you're not doing htis alone, you've got Colleen as your guide.

Are you still listening?  Good job!  It's important that you don't give up. Just a few minutes each day can make a big difference in the long run. Listen in today for some more guidance and inspiration. 

Marketing doesn't have to be overwhelming.  Today, Ilise deals with not getting overwhelmed, and answers a few questions about trade associations.  Thanks for following along, and keep up the good work!  

Things are really moving now-- it's time to get a list together of actual prospects!  Listen in, and for your reference, here are the links Ilise talks about in this podcast.  YPulse Mashup (conference for marketing to youth that provides a list of attendees)Massachusetts Surgical Centers (web site that provides all contact info)

After a successful week 1, we're on to week 2!  Today it's time to look more closely at the trade associations you've found.  What kind of contact information can you find? P.S. We've compiled a list of all the trade associations you've sent in just in case you need help.

Marketing Mentor's Colleen Wainwright, aka communicatrix, begins her 52-week marketing endeavor with the Grow Your Business Marketing Plan + Calendar (Veteran's version) as her guide.  She talks about Week 1's challenge, wrangling your contacts into a database, and gives you all the specifics you'll need to do the same. If you're following the Veteran's calendar, or you're an experienced marketer setting out on your 2009 marketing plan, Colleen will get down to the nitty-gritty and give you the support you need.  Join Colleen as she embarks on this marketing journey!  

You've found some trade associations for the markets you're interested in-- now what?  Now it's time to find out which ones will make your marketing easiest. Listen in to find out how, and by the end of today you should be able to pinpoint your market!  You're doing great-- and we look forward to continuing this journey next week.

Today you will take your list of 3 possible markets and figure out which market will be the most viable for you.  It's important that the market you choose needs you, realizes that they need you--and is willing to pay for your services. How can you tell which market is the most viable? Listen today.  And don't forget to send your list of markets and trade associations to Ilise, at [email protected].

It's time to identify your market!  Every successful business needs a well-oiled marketing machine to keep the prospects coming, and that marketing machine should focus on one market to start with! How do you choose your market?  Listen to find out.

How much marketing should you do?  Find out in today's tip.  Also, today is the day to set some quantifiable goals for the year ahead.    And don't forget to send them to Ilise at [email protected] so she can keep track of them.  Listen and follow along with today's tip- and your business will be growing in no time.

Week 1, Day 1- It's time to get revved up for a successful year of marketing!  Which tools should you use? How can you make sure your pipeline is full this year? The answer is in your marketing plan. Without a plan, the feast or famine syndrome is right around the bend.  What if you don't have a plan?  We created one for you.  It's called the 2009 Grow your Business Marketing Plan + Calendar (www.marketing-mentor-store.com), and following it will help you  keep your pipeline full. By working with this plan you will gain new clients, business will grow, make more money, learn and refine tools and strategies to benefit your business for years to come.  Join us for daily motivation to help your business grow, whether you're using the Marketing Mentor Plan + Calendar or your own.  Here's to a successful 2009!

What does it mean to grow your business?  Everybody has a different definition.  To some it means moving out of the spare bedroom, to others it means making more money. In Episode 13, we will help you take a detailed look at your business, decide what growth means to you, and determine how to achieve that growth.

You got the job!  But it's not time to celebrate just yet.  Before you get to work on the project, there is some business to take care of.  A contract! Episode 12 will talk you through contracts, why you need one, and what yours should include.

Proposals- documents that detail what you do for a client and under what terms- are essential to the selling process.  In Episode 11, we discuss your proposal, and how to make it work as a marketing and sales tool.    Join us!

Here's the reality. You are in business, and you can't do business without dealing with money.  In Episode 10, we deal with the ever important question, How Do I Talk About Money? You will learn that your prospects don't expect you to work for free and that talking about money is OK.  Once you get comfortable with money matters, business success is at your fingertips!  Join us... 

The fact is, most designers are not charging enough.  In this podcast, we cover the nuts and bolts of estimating a project and figuring out how much to charge.  One of the most important parts of knowing what to charge is understanding what you're selling.  Join us to answer the question, How Much Should I Charge?

There are two aspects to the pricing side of your business: how you deal with your own issues about money, and how you deal with your clients.  Episode 8 shows you how to deal with your own money issues.  Until your own issues- such as payment terms and policies- are resolved, you can't begin to think about how those issues affect your clients.  Remember, the goal of your business isn’t just fulfillment, it’s PROFIT!  Join us...

It's important to be in front of your prospects.  If you are, they will be more likely to think of you and send a project your way!  In Episode 7, we will discuss the in's and out's of following up, why it's so important, and the benefits you will see when you do it properly and consistently.  

One of the biggest obstacles to marketing is not time or money.  It's not knowing what to say.  In Episode 5, you'll learn about what to say to prospects and clients in all sorts of situations: In person, on the phone, and online.

Podcast episode #5 talks about networking, e-mail marketing, online marketing, cold calling and promotional materials, and discusses which of these marketing tools you should use to get the most benefit to your business.   

It's not just corporations that need to brand themselves. Individuals and small businesses need to stand out from the crowd too!  Find out how in Chapter 3's podcast, How Do I Present Myself?  This chapter deals with the "I" vs. "we" question, naming your business, finding your own personal brand, how to talk about your services, and so much more... Join us.

The second episode of Chapter 2, How Can I Find Clients and Prospects, deals specifically with small design businesses and how they can find profitable new clients and viable prospects.

Chapter 2, How Can I Find Clients and Prospects, is broken down into 2 episodes.  The first episode shows solopreneurs how to find clients and prospects.  It will deal specifically with those who work as a one person design business.  Do you have a larger small business?  Stay tuned for next weeks episode on how small businesses can find clients and prospects!

Chapter 1: This podcast answers the question, Who is My Market?  Designers will pinpoint the best market for them, learn how to dominate that market, and understand why specialization is so important to the success and profitability of their business.