By National Expert Andre Harding
For over 20 years I competed in chess tournaments. I was at my best playing in environments that put me in a positive frame of mind — venues I liked to spend time in, among people I wanted to be around.
I chose my events carefully to maximize my enjoyment and results!
2020 has reminded us that life is too short. We should spend as much time as possible doing what we want with people who enrich our lives and bring us joy. Limit soul-sapping experiences with negative or toxic people.
Consultants, independent contractors, creative professionals, and the like have more opportunities than most to create our own world and decide who lives in it.
We can choose the staff we hire, the vendors we buy from, the professionals we associate with … and the clients we work with.
Trying to get as many new customers as possible is often the wrong approach for our kind of work! Our “deliverables” are customized, not mass-produced items in a department store or fast-food restaurant.
What kind of work do you want to do, and who you want to do it for? That’s who your marketing efforts should be targeting. Yes, niche yourself, to an extent.
At stake is your time, money … and potential aggravation.
It’s your life, and you have to be happy living it. Design the experiences you want professionally, not just personally.
Don’t be afraid to politely, but firmly, repel people you are not looking to work with. This is easy with direct mail campaigns: carefully choose the segments you mail your promotions to!
It isn’t much harder with search engine optimization: home in on keywords and write content for the sector of the population you wish to attract.
I am happiest when I work with people I like, doing work I enjoy. When I take on a client or project I’m uncertain about, I usually regret it! Maybe you can relate.
Does your marketing copy signal the prospects you want, while gently pushing away those you don’t? If not, consider having it rewritten.
Andre Harding is a Copywriter and Consultant. For many years he taught chess as an independent contractor, where his livelihood depended on getting into the minds of students, parents, and school administrators. He uses this experience to write persuasive sales copy and content that helps his clients get customers, keep them, and sell more to them. Contact him at andre@andreharding.com.