Service Business Archives

Written by Sonia Simone | May 8, 2017 | 7 Comments

5 Elements that Build a Roster of Terrific Clients

In the podcast episode I recorded recently with Seth Godin, we talked about storytelling — and he made a point I thought was fascinating.

Seth’s version of storytelling isn’t just crafting a plot in the traditional sense — the classic “The queen died, and then the king died of grief.”

He also looks at the implied stories in everything we do. We tell a business story with our tone of voice on a podcast, and the color choices on our website. Our pricing, our response time, our “Contact Me” form … they all come together to tell the story of your business.
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Written by Stefanie Flaxman | May 2, 2017 | 16 Comments

How to Run a Sustainable Writing Business (Where the Backbone of Success Is Simply … You)

Gary Vaynerchuk on Playing the Long Game

Back in 2006, Gary Vaynerchuk started a daily video show that turned wine criticism on its head. More importantly, it took his family wine business from $3 million-a-year to a $60 million-a-year ecommerce juggernaut.

From there, Gary did something that surprised a lot of people, including me. He started a digital marketing agency called VaynerMedia.

Wait … what? Why would someone who could move that level of product want to build a service business? Isn’t that going backwards?
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Written by Kelly Exeter | August 22, 2016 | 31 Comments

4 Practical Ways to Benefit from Impostor Syndrome

So, you’ve landed a new, big-time content marketing client. Exciting times!

It’s the type of client you’ve wanted for ages, and finally, you’re getting your chance. You’ve scheduled your first meeting with her.

And that’s when the voices in your head start up:

Who are you kidding? You’re not good enough for this client.
Jane Smith — she’s a great content marketer. Maybe you should refer the client to Jane? Jane will do a better job than you.
There’s just no point to taking on this project — if you do, you’re going to be found out.

It’s impostor syndrome. Feeling like a fraud. And that’s okay.

You can actually benefit from impostor syndrome with a few smart tactics. Let me show you how.
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Written by Brian Clark | July 18, 2016 | 83 Comments

The Writer Runs This Show [SlideShare]

We have the technology.

We have the business skills.

We have virtual ink by the barrel.

The writer runs this show.

We’re the ones who command the attention.

We’re the ones who create the engagement.

We’re the ones who influence what people think and do.

The writer runs this show.

3 Unexpected Ways Writers Deliver Value (So They Can Charge More)

In today’s world, the writer runs the show.

Not just any writer, of course. The pennies-a-word scribe may barely scrape by. But the quality professional writer — the writer who demonstrates high value and trust from the moment of first contact all the way through to delivery of the final word — that person writes his own ticket to success.

Quality professional writers command attention online, whether they do it for themselves or for the businesses they represent. Writers influence behavior, help form opinions, and drive people to take action.

Great writers are the modern-day stonemasons of any online presence. Our words form the very foundation of all online content, whether those words become a blog post, a podcast, or a video. Writers rule the online world!

And successful professional writers do things differently.

They don’t stop at writing with authority. That’s just where they start. They also deliver outstanding value even in the most unexpected moments in their interactions with clients.

In today’s post, we’ll cover how successful writers deliver value in all three stages of a project: before, during, and after.
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