Ask a MANTRApreneur: How to generate more work with no budget for Marketing? : Zan Kavanah

Jan

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Ask a MANTRApreneur: How to generate more work with no budget for Marketing? .

Question:

” Dear Zan, I am a technical writer and I am looking for more work. My budget is pretty slim, so how can I get more business? Right now I advertise myself on Craigslist and oDesk, and that is working just not enough. I mostly work with small businesses and start ups. What do you suggest? – Thank you, Karen from Oregon, Technical Writer”

Z’Answer:

Awesome Question. Sometimes when we look at what we can do to generate more work we are focusing on just getting work. Are we actually focusing consciously on what we truly desire? What is the key goal here? Make more money. Why? Freedom to do what we desire, usually. Getting to know the real reason for what we want is critical because it accesses our emotions. Let’s start there, let’s go to the end of 2015 and ponder what does your year look like? I recently did a meditation exercise in my Manifesting Miracles PlayShop that took us forward to that point to let our own higher selves show us what might show up. So let’s say that you want to make $150,000 in 2015, well, all we have to do is backstep that number into chunks, or boxes or circles… whatever shape is fun and rewarding for you. First, that’s $12,500/month – cool, now we know. So what’s required for you to bring in $12,500? How many writing gigs would you need to do or what kind of writing gigs must you do. Karen and I spoke, so I know that she writes user manuals, technical documentation, white papers and case studies, so she would need to think about who uses these services? I asked her what type of industries she likes to be in and she replied, that she enjoyed the process of exploring new territories, she was more a general contractor. Cool! Even better. Rather than getting lost on the internet, I suggested she go to the public library or Barnes and Noble and browse the periodicals for the last year in the top 3 Industries that she finds interesting. You see, what you desire comes to you on the frequency of joy, like the giddiness of a child… the emotion of fun. You can be as smart as the system you are in, but if you are vibrating with the frequency of lack and frustration… you are only hurting yourself. It is vital that you stay in the enjoyment of what you do. After she reviews the top 3 Industries – she can use those periodicals as her guidance. If we stay present while we are doing this review section, you will receive guidance from your higher self, which is why pictures and physical activity is suggested. We can google all day long, but the 2-D paper makes your ‘hunches’ or ‘intuition’ stand out that much more. Online, supports MIND-MUCK… sucked into too many possibilities and windows open. Once Karin starts getting excited about this direction, she can start the research process that best fits her needs. If she needs to sell $12,500 then she needs either one or two large gigs per month or maybe 12 for a smaller amount either way she needs not just rely on the internet for feedback, she needs to TAKE ACTION. I suggest she make sure her website is up to standard, her blog posts are updated with her current activities and all her dates are current. Then all she has to do is call the HR Department of each of the companies on her hit list. Yep, keyword CALL. In today’s internet society, phone calls usually don’t come from people we are not talking with all the time. So a new voice, a new person can open up great possibility. The way to get to the right person might be a two call job. First call the receptionist and say, “I am a technical writer who should I speak with about getting on your freelance list.” OR whatever the language is for your industry. If the receptionist is cool, and some of them are NOT… then you can ask to be transferred, but make sure you get that persons full name and correct spelling and extension. If there’s any disconnection you can call them right back. Or you can call back the next morning, as if you are a new person and confidently say, “Good Morning I’d like to speak to ‘so & so’ with authority, confidence and they will transfer you with no questions.

Next, you will want to get right to the point. I know its nice to be kind, and ask how your day is going, but A. its a dead giveaway that your selling something and my demeanor usually shifts to “I’ll give this 30 seconds.” People are busy, don’t waste their time with small talk. Be Authentic and direct. Say “hi ‘so & so’ my name is Karin, I really enjoyed reading about your company in “bladeedah Magazine” and I wanted to introduce myself to you. I’m a technical writer, with X amount of experience and I just wanted to introduce myself in case any of your staff writers become unavailable or you are ever in the market for new ones.” Pause…. see how they respond. Let them respond. That answer is the key to your next move. If it’s a direct no thank you, then cordially thank them for their time and hope they have a wonderful day. Or… you can be bold and say, “Would you mind if I got your email and sent you my background/ resume/ website (whatever it is you have) anyway, for a rainy day? The worst they can say is no. Getting to Yes, is your formula. If they say, “Well, thank you, we don’t have anything right now.” Then you ask for their email. Now you have direct contact. When there are changes to your resume or new experiences that align with their company, you can send that to them. Slow and steady wins the race. In order to get to your $12,500 number, you need to understand how long it will take you. Does it take you 3 calls until someone say yes? or does it take 5? or even 10? THEN…. once you get that number, you can activate some MANTRApreneur Mindsets and see if it changes the outcome. One of the conscious tools I would suggest to Karin, would be to ask the question to the UNIVERSE, God Mind, Source… whatever she calls it, “What’s it going to take for me to close in sale in less than 3 calls?” I would have her ask that question and then let go. Keep taking action, ask the question and follow her fun and rewarding. When she lands her first job this way, she’ll be excited to keep doing it. Karin is a great writer and her emotional confidence will get her the job, she just has to connect the dots from what she wants . . . to what is possible. Who knows she might have so much work, she could be writing from her vacation in Costa Rica? 🙂 Who knows.

Lastly, that question “What is it going to take for X,Y,Z to happen” seems small but it totally works. I shared that with a client of mine and he was in sales. Said it was the end of the month, and he was again coming to me for help to bring in more money. I told him to ask that question with the amount of money he needed. 2 hours after we spoke on the phone, he called me ecstatic and said that he closed a $30,000 sale and couldn’t believe it – but he knew it was because he asked the question. Consciousness works.

Business, Marketing and Consciousness… they work together to create the possibilities for you and your business with ease and grace. Anything is possible! How does it get any better Karen?