Why Building a Team Helps Build Your Business

“Create value or die.”
– Andrew Palmer

In Issue #201

Guest Essay: Why Building a Team Helps Build Your Business
by Patti Renner

As a fresh face in copywriting, you probably have a long list of services you offer, ready to share with anyone interested. You’re ready! You’re eager! And you can handle anything that comes your way, right?

Well, maybe not everything.

Sometimes success comes faster when you take a team approach to serving a tighter niche market.

To get started, first thing you must do is stop talking about yourself. Silence your sales pitch so you can instead start listening to what your potential clients want. Have a conversation with them about their needs. What’s working for them in their marketing? What do they wish they could change? Be interested in partnering with them, focusing more on their success instead of your own.

Once I started to do this, I heard stories of their frustration with the process. People needed marketing materials written or website content updated, so they were thrilled to work with me. But what they really wanted was someone to just handle it for them – to walk them through the concepts … write something brilliant that’s completely on target … then bring the words to life. In other words, they just wanted their stuff done well without a hassle.

So now that’s exactly what I do. Everything.

I’ve assembled a team of freelance professionals to serve as a “mobile mar-comm team” (marketing/communications team) for small- and medium-sized service-based businesses. The four of us work together, as needed, handling marketing copywriting (that’s me), comprehensive marketing strategy, graphic design, and public relations.

When we work as a team, we are able to give our clients a much better finished product. They, in turn, give us more referrals (read: more clients). And everyone – including us – has more fun and makes more money than we would if we were each going it alone.

Assembling a team also keeps you from feeling alone as a sole proprietor. You instantly have a group of peers to brainstorm with, to pitch for work together that you might not get alone, and grow your networking reach exponentially. All important factors in the success of any new business.

When you assemble – or join – a team of your own, it helps if you know a little about the other positions. You don’t have to be the expert. But you should know whether the others have strong skills before you cast your lot together.

For example, I already had a good working knowledge of design before I found my design partner. Even today, though we often work together on projects, I’ll sometimes do basic design work myself.

Knowing the basic principles of design – and being able to do some of the visual concepting myself – really comes in handy. Especially if you’re new in the industry, knowing design gives you an edge. And when you go to build your own team, it will help you better choose and easily communicate your ideas with your design-partner.

The same goes for sourcing someone who does public relations, or marketing strategy. Become familiar with what they do, and make sure you feel good about working with them.

Highly successful internet marketer Andrew Palmer had a blog called Create Value or Die. He’s right. The best way to create value for your client – and a successful business for yourself – is to listen to your clients. Work with others to solve their problems and you’ll soon build your business faster than ever before.

Patti Renner is a freelance copywriter who specializes in marketing results for service-based businesses. She is the owner of Slogan Studio.com, an online creative firm specializing in catchy business slogans, taglines and branding. You can find her online at www.PattiRenner.com. Check out her blog at http://SloganStudio.Wordpress.com. Follow her on Twitter: SloganStudio.

Resource Referral: Become A Self-Employed Direct Marketing Designer

Here’s a special deal from American Writers & Artists just for you­- for the next 5 days only, you can try AWAI’s Graphic Design Success for just ONE DOLLAR!

More on this from our good friend Katie Yeakle, Director of AWAI:

Graphic Design Success is a comprehensive program that gives you all the tools you need to become a successful freelance graphic designer, working when you want from anywhere in the world … even your kitchen table. Developing strong graphic design skills not only will increase your income as a direct response copywriter, it will make your writing skills more marketable AND it qualifies you to shoot for graphic design jobs.

A once complicated profession is now something you can do on a standard computer — even if you have little or no “artistic” ability.

Best of all, there’s no daily commute… no boss breathing down your neck …and you don’t even have to be able to draw a straight line (the computer does everything for you).

Take advantage of this incredible offer, and you’ll be charged only $1 for instant access to the first installment. You’ll then have 30 days to look it over.

“Fellow writers: Graphic design can determine whether or not your words get read, as well as the impact they have on the reader. You need to know what’s possible, what works, what doesn’t, and how it’s done. Not to mention the fact that you can earn a pretty penny by doing the graphic design yourself in addition to the copywriting. And this course is the quickest way I know to get a solid foundation in the magic of design.”

—David L. Deutsch, top copywriter for Boardroom and others,
and author of the Million-Dollar Ideas System

If you see the same value and benefit that so many top copywriters have, do nothing. At the end of 30 days you will be charged the balance of the program. You will then receive instant access to the entire online program PLUS you’ll get a full print copy by mail, and not pay a cent for shipping!

If, however, you don’t love it — no problem. This offer comes with our no-questions-asked guarantee. Simply cancel in those first days and you won’t be charged. No questions asked.

That means with $1 today you can begin to increase your desirability as a direct response copywriter by adding graphic design to your services so you can charge 50% more for every promotion.

Please understand, though, that you’ll have to act fast. This offer is only good through Thursday, October 9th at midnight.

Simply click here to get started right away:
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AWAI Bootcamp: One Space Left – And You Can Only Get It Here!!!

Patti Renner has more than a little helpful advice for you today …

She also has what might be the last remaining ticket to AWAI’s bootcamp in Delray Beach, Florida this November!

If you wanted to go and missed out on getting a seat before they sold out. Or if you hadn’t decided, and then it was too late …Patti could be the answer to your prayer.

She got in on the early, early bird special – sure she could make it. And then, life happened and her plans changed. Today, she’d like to offer her seat to you.

Contact her at Patti@PattiRenner.com and let her know you want it. Obviously, the seat is available only on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you’re the lucky one, she’ll send you an invoice through PayPal for $795 for the seat, and phone your contact info in to AWAI so they know to expect you instead of her. And voila! You are at bootcamp after all.

Good Luck!