To The Point Writing

Almost every day, I go running right before lunch.

I put on shorts, or sweats, maybe a jacket and sunglasses, depending on the weather, along with my running shoes and watch and trot down the sidewalk in my neighborhood.

If I am lucky, it’s a day like today, with rippling leaves the color of hot house-red poinsettia flowers all over the sidewalks, kicking-deep and just right for over-the-head flinging.

Often I force myself to stare at the sky and trees, consciously breathing in and out, and feeling each step on the road. Sometimes, I let my mind skate around in circles and random paths, like yesterday.

I don’t run for very long, maybe a half hour at most. But it’s enough to sweat, to get the widgy woogies out of my system from sitting at my desk too long. Usually it’s enough time to mentally wrap my head around a problem, an idea or something that’s driving me nuts. It might be my own life issues, or a challenge one of my clients is facing.

But the fresh air (no matter how cold or hot), and change of pace (pun intended), are pretty darn effective. Several times I’ve come up with first-class, solid solutions for a problem, or I might have figured out I need to keep on doing whatever I am doing, or maybe a client’s problem really isn’t a problem at all, we need to look at it from a new perspective.

Yeah, perspective. That’s the operative word. Sometimes time spent outside of the office (and for me) outdoors, can give you far more insight, than staring at the computer screen.

After meeting with a potential client in downtown Cincinnati, I wandered back the parking garage about four blocks away. Taking a side trip, I walked through Garfield Park, idly remembering when I worked as a proposal writer and editor for a local business in downtown. The job wasn’t so good, but I enjoyed trying out the various restaurants downtown, and on a bad day I would often buy myself a bouquet of star lilies for my desk, to cheer me up. Good thing those flowers lasted a long time, I needed it.

As I wandered down Garfield Park, a long, picturesque park lined with trees and benches and bookended with stone, modern-art blocky, fountains, I remembered a small, French café that I loved to eat lunch at. Was it was still open? Looking to the left I noticed a dark-haired, slim woman, wearing a flowered apron, setting up iron chairs and small tables in front of that same restaurant.

Yay!

After walking to the end of the park and looking across the street at the church “St. Peter in Chains” I doubled back and stopped by the restaurant to order a La Royale de Paris Baguette. The sandwich was filled with turkey ham, tomato, melted brie, and sprouts, and accompanied by a fresh spring salad, tangy with banana peppers. At the last minute I included a cappuccino, all to go since it was a tad early for lunch (11:10 am).

I chatted with that same, French accented woman, as I waited and gave my business card to another staff person who was interested in attending the local contra dance (he danced in New Hampshire). Feeling happy and a bit plucky, I went back to my car, paid my parking fee and toodled home to enjoy a fresh lunch, rampant with memories of quiet, reading filled, downtown lunches, running back to the office wearing a soaked dress and nylons from a surprise rain shower, and bouquets of lilies in my office helping me survive when I was unhappy, tired and lonely.

Today as I was driving back from a coffee shop business meeting, I read the slogan “More than a home inspection” on the back of a white pickup truck. And my first thought was “More what? More house? More inspection?”

Slogans are a great way to help potential customers remember your business and what is most important about your business. But slogans only work when they identify what is most important to your customer about your business. “More” Doesn’t tell me much of anything. More information, more problems found, more what?

Standout slogans include FedEx’s “When it absolutely, positively has to get there overnight” illustrating how FedEx understands the time sensitive needs of their customers. One of my favorites is “You're in Good Hands" by Allstate, showing the personal caring touch of Allstate representatives.

Specific, specific, specific is the key. Catchy, short and simple are all good, but if the message doesn’t deliver the hallmark of your business, you are fishing for the wrong customer, or not catching anyone at all.

This morning I met a fellow writer at a coffee shop in Madeira. We were part of the same nonfiction-writing group which (unfortunately) folded last spring, due to nonattendance.

Tom is writing a book about the role of evangelical Christians in founding of the public school system in the America. He told me about his challenges with sending out proposals through his agent, following up on leads from writing conferences, and working on the next chapter of his book. I told him about the frustrations and “learning opportunities” of cold calling, business lunches, current projects and the challenges and craziness of running my own business.

Our get together was fun, inspiring and interesting. Yes, we’re writers in totally different markets and interests, but our core interest in the act of writing, how we get business and figuring out our markets ties us together. He reminded me of my interest in public speaking and self-publishing, I suggested a few things for his web site, and we talked about our personal lives a bit too.

Getting together with individuals in your field helps you build your passions, discover new ideas and satisfy your social and professional needs. As a business writer, and singer/songwriter, I am looking for a new nonfiction-writing group and a group of musicians to play with consistently. I belong to and attend meetings for the local chapter of the American Marketing Association, in which I’ve found a great group of marketing professionals who are friendly, sincerely interested in their colleagues, and care about their field. I always learn something at their events and over 80% of the local members are potential clients.

When you’re considering joining a group or professional organization related to your professional career, keep a sharp eye on satisfying your goals. Are you self-employed and as such may need economical health insurance, effective networking opportunities, and colleagues who are also friends? Does membership in a specific organization give you a stamp of credibility? Do you need to keep up on changing trends in your industry?

Sometimes you don’t need a whole organization to satisfy your needs. Meeting with a colleague or a couple of friends who work in the same industry once or twice a month, can inspire you, giving you a little push to reach beyond the boundaries of your day-to-day task-oriented goals.

While communicating on email, instant messaging, or on the phone are good, nothing replaces the vibes, energy and interaction of face-to-face communication. Talking about your job, your goals and your challenges with someone who “gets it” helps you gain perspective, information and friendship.

This morning I wrote a follow-up email saying,

Dear XXX (name removed),

This is Andrea Dale, the business writer who you spoke with at the yard sale in Madisonville. I am following-up regarding the business plan you would like me to edit.

Yes, a yard sale.

I’ve found business in some atypical places, including an airport gate, a yard sale, and a science fiction convention.

A couple of years ago, I was playing guitar at a departure gate at a local airport, waiting for a late flight to arrive so I could fly to Chicago for a music convention. A woman walked up and asked me if I played gigs locally, when I answered “yes,” she gave me her business card for Playhouse in the Park and asked me to call her. A couple of months later, I played (and was well paid for) one of their Friday night “cocktail” party events

I’ve also sold several CDs waiting in line at the airport, when the person behind or in front of me, asked about my guitar and what kind of music I played.

Yesterday, I was checking out a used filing cabinet and fold-up chairs at a yard sale. During the conversation with the guy selling the stuff, I mentioned I was a freelance writer. Two other men overhead me, and asked if I edited business plans; when I said “yes” we exchanged business cards.

In response to my follow-up phone call and email, the business plan should arrive this afternoon.

That same man is also heading up the development of a new local arts center, so we’re talking about me playing as the headliner for the opening ceremony and party.

Last fall, I approached a long-time friend at a Michigan Science Fiction convention about helping him build attendance for a national convention that he chairs every year. The next morning, over breakfast, we sketched out the different things that we would work on, together.

You never know where new opportunities and projects will come from. Keep your eyes and ears open to the possibilities.

Every work morning I crawl out of bed, shower, make coffee, and (usually) eat rather large bowl of slow-cooker made steel- cut oats with almonds, dried cranberries and applesauce.

The challenge is to wake up (i.e., coffee) and eat enough that my stomach isn't yelling "Hey, you! Hypoglycemic Writer! That yogurt didn't cut it this morning!" about two hours after I get to work.

Of course those mornings that I manage to go running, I ignore that little stomach troll, but that's for another splat, another day.

Lately I've read an email from one of the marketing or freelance writer related lists that I like, and usually it gets me into the right frame of mind, especially when I am cold calling or emailing potential new clients. In 5-10 minutes I read through the email, and rollover the ideas in my head to see how it applies to my work.

So here's my little splat of ink for the day.

Think about stuffing a few new ideas into your head in the am, before you disappear beneath a slaughter of phone calls, "to dos," and emails. Just 15 minutes of reading a few pages of a nonfiction book, a web-based or printed newspaper column related to your field, or (like me) an email from your favorite email list might get you coloring outside the lines an itsy, bitsy more.

Lately, I've had the urge to write down my thoughts about marketing, working as a freelance business writer, and the challenges of going full time. Over last year, I've faced down many challenges, including a divorce, moving, establishing new friends, and chasing and nailing down my dream of succeeding as a business writer and marketing consultant.

So here's to my morning "Splat" of creative juices, frustrations and "learning opportunities." *See Andrea raise her cup of Trader Joe's Bay Coffee.*

Good morning!