Monthly Archives: March 2010

Attention Introverts! You Can Market Successfully.

A previous article of mine, The Introvert’s 12 Step Plan for Painless Networking, hit a responsive chord among my fellow introverts. This got me thinking that marketing for introverts was a natural follow-up.

Like most introverts I’m not shy but need time alone to restore my energy. Crowds tire me out. I prefer one-on-one conversations to cocktail parties. I need time to plan and think. I’m a good listener and good at getting others to talk. For years I saw these traits as counter productive when it came to marketing. But not anymore. Here’s what I’ve learned about marketing successfully as an introvert.

  • Be yourself. Being an introvert is not a character flaw. Your introvert qualities are a marketing advantage. Don’t try to take on a false extroverted persona. It’ll wear you out and drive people away. Bill Gates and Steven Spielberg did it their way and you guessed it, they’re introverts!
  • Meet one-on-one. Avoid crowds. Meet someone over coffee or lunch.  Have colleagues and friends suggest the names of people you might contact.
  • Keep in touch. Marketing is about establishing relationships. Introverts excel at meaningful conversations so keep in touch with your contacts because it’s easier than making new ones.
  • Write rather than call. If you find a cold call has your stomach churning, write a letter or send an e-mail instead. It may not be as effective as a telephone call but it’s much better than no contact at all.
  • Publish. Why do you think I blog? Writing is an introvert’s best friend. Start writing articles, newsletters, blog posts, or books. Clients will get to know you through your writing and be drawn to your services.
  • Engage a buddy. There’s nothing in the rules that says you have to market alone. Engaging the world is easier with a supportive colleague. Bring someone along to your next networking event.
  • Solve, don’t sell. No one likes a sales pitch. We are badgered daily by the hard sell.  Do what introverts do best, listen. Remember you don’t have to brag to market successfully. By carefully listening and asking the right questions you can point your client toward  solutions that naturally use your skills and talent.
  • Prepare. Like most introverts I like to think before I act. I find it helpful to prepare ahead before going to a mixer or making informational telephone calls. I make a list of questions or topics that I want to cover on an index card so I have it for ready reference. It’s not that I use the card that often but knowing it’s close at hand gives me some security.

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Monday’s Link Roundup.

This Monday’s Link Roundup is a marvelous mix.  Make sure to check out the teleclass, workflow: key to a profitable personal history business by cj Madigan. For those of you looking for another personal history product to offer, take a look at Storyteller illustrates the arc of people’s lives who are no longer able to speak. There are some great business tips to be found in What a flight attendant taught me about business. Enjoy!

  • workflow: key to a profitable personal history business. A teleclass. April 28, 2010. “How, exactly, do you get from a completed manuscript in Word to a printed and bound book? There’s more to it than just “giving your Word file to the printer”. This teleclass addresses that question for writers, editors, graphic designers, personal historians and others involved in producing privately published books, whether they do the work themselves or subcontract the various services involved.”
  • Storyteller illustrates the arc of people’s lives who are no longer able to speak. “Blanchard, 57, creates what she calls “I Am Stories” for the elderly who have lost their ability to speak and express themselves … About four years ago, Blanchard wrote out a simple, one-page story about her mother, Lois Eades, who lives at St. Peter Villa, and taped it to the wall in her mom’s room. She hoped that people coming in to care for her mother would read it and learn something they hadn’t known before…Blanchard eventually typed up her mother’s story, framed and matted it, along with a photograph, and hung it in her mother’s room. Now she offers the same service to others for $150.”
  • When Was the Last Time You Told Your Story? “As I write in the epigraph to The Voice of the Muse: Answering the Call to Write, writing is “truly a tool of wizards, witches and sorcerers.” It’s through the alchemy of our stories, lived authentically and shared truthfully, that all worlds change, beginning with our own.”
  • What a flight attendant taught me about business. “Over the past few years I have been traveling on airplanes a lot. So much that I started to pay attention to the flight attendants because although they are taken for granted, they are actually pretty smart. Here is what you can learn about business from them:”
  • The Rainbow Tree Genealogy Becoming Important for Gays. “Should there ever be some gay, lesbian or transgender descendant from one of my many cousins in the future, I want them to look at our family tree and see that they are not alone. I want them to take pride in our shared history and feel that they are loved, included and valid. Gays and Lesbians have been systematically deleted from history for far too long and it’s time we started owning our rightful place in the records of our families.”
  • Play gives survivors a chance to say ‘Hear Us!’ “Every playwright strives for verisimilitude, but that’s something Toby Armour didn’t have to worry about with “Hear Us!” The plain truths, the biting reactions and the raw emotions the East Haven writer captures are the verbatim words from survivors who have suffered the loss of a relative or friend through murder — people from in and around the Greater New Haven area whose stories we may have seen in headlines.”
  • Blogging Fears and How to Overcome Them for Good – Part 1. “I asked you guys to spill your guts about what your blogging fears were, and you totally came through. Not everyone would be willing to say what they’re afraid of about blogging. But enough of you were brave enough to give me eleven different blogging fears, which gives me a lot of great material to work with to create a super-helpful post for you.”

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Have I Got Something For You! Nine Fabulous Marketing Articles!

OK. OK. Maybe they’re not fabulous but they’re pretty damn useful. ;-) Love it or hate it, we all need to market our personal history businesses. Here are nine articles from my archives that you’ll want to read if you missed them the first time around.

Marketing for Personal Historians

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What Makes a Personal Historian a Professional?

I call myself a professional personal historian because I consider what I do and how I do it to be professional. But what does that actually mean? And who really cares?

Those of us who make our living at this business should care. Increasingly, as the recording of personal histories becomes more commonplace, our clients are going to want to know about our credentials and track record.  They’re going to expect  professionalism. And given that our profession is still unregulated, it’s up to each of us to ensure that our work meets professional standards. So what are the criteria for being a professional personal historian? Here’s  my checklist. Would you agree?

  • Abiding by your association’s code of ethics.
  • Actively contributing to the ongoing development of the profession.
  • Having a body of work that demonstrates your skill and ability to deliver a personal history project.
  • Setting fees that are not consistently below the “going” rate. There isn’t an established fee structure but it’s possible to acquire a good sense of what personal historians are charging.
  • Working full time as a personal historian.
  • Seeking opportunities for further professional development.
  • Requiring clients to sign written contracts and agreements for your services.

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Monday’s Link Roundup.

This Monday’s Link Roundup has lots of practical tips about charting your family health history, making better speeches, finding the right color palette, and restoring old LPs with wood glue. Aren’t you glad you stopped by? ;-)

  • Family Health Histories on the Web. “It’s never been easier to trace your family’s health history. Legislation like the Health and Human Services Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ensures that you can access your private medical records, and an increasing number of Web-based sites, tools, and software capabilities can help you learn about and document your medical history.”
  • Three Steps to Make Your Next Speech Your Best. “Here, I offer three quick steps leaders can take right now to improve their next speech. The steps are conceptually sophisticated but relatively easy to implement, thus fitting the busy executive lifestyle and addressing the natural objections of time and inclination.”
  • Michel Gondry debuts a doc. “Last weekend a new Michel Gondry documentary screened at the fest, and it looks and sounds unlike most of the artist’s work. The Thorn in the Heart is a personal film about Gondry’s aunt, who was a teacher from 1952-1986 in a rural part of France. “Little by little, Michel discovers some family stories he was totally unaware of and uses his camera to explore it in a subtle but very emotional way.”
  • Doing oral history: a practical guide by Donald A. Ritchie. A Google Book. “Doing Oral History has become one of the premier resources in oral history. It explores all aspects of the field, from starting an oral history project, including funding, staffing, and equipment to conducting interviews; publishing; videotaping; preserving materials; teaching oral history; and using oral history in museums and on the radio. In this second edition, the author has incorporated new trends and scholarship, updated and expanded the bibliography and appendices, and added a new focus on digital technology and the Internet. Appendices include sample legal release forms and information on oral history organizations.”
  • BooksShouldBeFree.com. “… makes the world’s public domain audio books available for browsing in a visual and entertaining way.”
  • Find the Right Color Palette for Your Next Presentation or Design. “Many of us spend hours floundering around looking for just the right colors while designing a web site, presentation, or flier. Design blog Before & After put together a great booklet detailing a little beginner’s color theory for complimenting your next effort.”
  • Use Wood Glue to Clean and Restore Old LPs. “Cleaning LPs with a bottle of wood glue is hardly an intuitive way to get more mileage out of that bottle of glue in your workshop or clean a beloved LP. The results, however, are quite impressive.”

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News Flash! Not Everyone Wants A Life Story Told.

I know. I know. This isn’t news to you, right?  But I think deep down we personal historians secretly believe that if we find the right combination of price, promotion, and product, people won’t be able to resist us. Clients will be beating down our door. Wrong! Even if you give your services away for free, you still won’t get many takers. Let me explain.

I initiated and have coordinated a life stories program over the past two years at Victoria Hospice. This is a free service. It provides patients registered with Hospice an opportunity to be audio interviewed about their life by a trained Hospice volunteer. The majority of those approached decline the offer. Why? I don’t know for certain but I suspect these are some of the reasons:

  • some people nearing the end of life have too many physical and emotional issues and can’t cope with the notion of adding one more thing to do.
  • for some, committing to a life story may feel too much like wrapping things up -  like making funeral arrangements.
  • for others, there’s a sense that their lives haven’t been significant enough to warrant a life story.
  • some are uncomfortable with the idea of talking about their lives to a stranger.
  • for others, there’s the feeling that to  record their life story is “tooting your horn”.

Your clients may not be receiving palliative care. But when I look at my list, I realize that these obstacles apply just as well to the people you’re trying to reach.  If you stood on the main intersection of your home town with a big placard that read “Free Personal Histories”, do you know what? Very few would sign up.

So here’s the thing. Don’t beat yourself up! If you’re doing what you can to market and promote your business and the telephone isn’t ringing off the hook,  it really may have nothing to do with you. Take a deep breath, pour yourself a drink, and forget about marketing for now. On the other hand if you’re feeling masochistic, you can read some of my previous articles on marketing and small business. ;-)

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How to Ace Your Next Media Interview.

I’ve given countless interviews for both local and national media outlets. What I’ve learned, I’ve condensed into these handy tips that I hope will be of some help. (Please note that the radio and TV tips assume that you’ll be doing a studio interview. Even if you’re not, the rules still hold for an “on location” interview.)

General tips for all media interviews.

  • Use anecdotes. Come up with a short story (about 30 seconds) to illustrate your point. Remember, humor works well.
  • Think of some likely questions you’ll be asked. Then prepare some pointed facts and brief stories you can use.
  • Don’t rehearse. Many “experts” suggest rehearsing—and they’re wrong! Doing so can make you feel more stressful because you’ll be worried about getting it right.
  • Study your interviewer. Take time to catch several episodes of the host’s show. You’ll get a sense of the person’s style and approach. If you’re being interviewed for a magazine or newspaper, read a few articles the journalist has written.
  • Don’t use professional jargon. Use simple, everyday words.
  • Don’t rush to your interview. At least a day in advance, learn where the TV or radio studio is located and find the best route to get there. On the day of the interview, leave extra time for getting to it. You want to be as relaxed as possible, not tense from cutting the time too close.

Tips for TV interviews.

  • Focus on your host. Make a connection with the interviewer and don’t look at the camera. You’re talking to one person, not thousands. This will help you remain calm.
  • Wear solid colors and avoid anything flashy. You want the audience to be fascinated by what you’re saying, not what you’re wearing. Avoid stripes or busy patterns. The camera doesn’t like them. Use black, blinding white, and bright red sparingly.
  • Ask ahead how much time you’ll have. “On Air” time is often short; think five minutes or less. Make sure you have two or three points you really want to stress. Insert these into whatever question you’re asked.
  • Bring props. Television loves visuals. Offer the TV producer a 30- or 60-second clip of your videos. If you produce books, bring samples.
  • Smile. Avoid at all cost the “deer in the headlights” syndrome. Have some fun.

Tips for radio interviews.

  • Appearance. It’s less important than for TV. However, this doesn’t mean showing up in your track suit. Wear comfortable, but appropriate, professional attire.
  • Bring notes. It’s radio so you can’t be seen! Jot on an index card three key points you want to make.
  • Avoid a monotone voice. All the listener has to go on is the sound of your voice. Keep it conversational, but be conscious of expressing yourself with some passion.

Tips for newspaper and magazine interviews.

  • Have contact names. A journalist will likely want to talk to some of your clients. Make sure you have the names and contact information for two or three of your clients. Try to go for variety—younger, older, male, female. Get you clients’ approval beforehand to use their names.
  • Have samples. It helps to be able to show some of your work.

Web Resources.

Photo by Bullet Miller

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Monday’s Link Roundup.

The things you discover on Monday’s Link Roundup! Have you ever heard of “cowboy poems”? I hadn’t until I came across Tales from the ranch. Just a another creative way to capture life stories. But my favorite site has to be the newly created Popular Science Archive. With 137 years of magazine history,  it’s a treasure trove of stories and images of changing life styles over the years.

  • Tweet or Meet? How to Choose Your Medium Wisely. “When Stevie Wonder first sang “I just called to say I love you,” no one wondered whether he would have been better off tweeting his message instead of picking up the phone. Not so today.”
  • The Second Military Oral History Conference: Between Memory and History. Victoria, BC, Canada, 5-7 May 2010. “The Conference will bring together academics, students, veterans, and members of the Military to assess the value of oral history in the study of military history and contemporary military operations. More than twenty papers will be presented by scholars from the Canada, the United States and Europe. Registration:  $75  General Public;  $50 Veterans and Students. Registration include 2 lunches, coffee break and reception. For more information contact: [email protected]
  • Tales from the ranch. “Cowboy poems about past and modern ranch life captivated Jessica Hedges when she was a young girl…Cowboy poems are real-life stories put to rhyme and meters, similar to how songs are put together, Hedges explained. They are oral history books that are entertaining.
  • The Pioneers of American Landscape Design. “Chronicles the lives and careers of those who have designed our gardens, parks, streets, campuses, cemeteries, suburbs, and the innumerable other environments in which we live. This dynamic, ongoing series utilizes multiple formats—including biographical profiles, videotaped and transcribed oral histories, tours, and print publications—to educate, inspire, and promote the active sharing of information.”
  • Tattered Cover Book Blog. Cathy, a staff member at Tattered Cover Book Store, recommends  seven books for Women’s History Month.
  • America’s Funniest Family Stories: A Reader’s Digest contest. “So, you think your family is funny? Your father’s stuck in a fashion time warp? Your daughter’s got her foot permanently ensconced in her mouth? Your mother-in-law is so judgmental it’s laughable? Good! We want to hear about it. Send us your funny stories about witty wives, cranky fathers, dim-witted in-laws, silly sons, spoiled pets–and more. You could win $5,000.”
  • New! Browse the Complete Popular Science Archive. “We’ve partnered with Google to offer our entire 137-year archive for free browsing. Each issue appears just as it did at its original time of publication, complete with period advertisements.”

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Finding Inspiration One Small Step at A Time.

Spring is in full flight here in Victoria and the daffodils are blooming in the little park across from my office. It reminded me of a true story I read some time ago about daffodils and one woman’s dedication. Some of you may know it. It’s an inspiring and wonderful parable about the importance of being committed, being persistent, and taking one small step at a time. If, like me, you sometimes get discouraged by your seeming lack of progress, take a moment and read The Daffodil Principle. It’ll give you inspiration.

___________________

The Daffodil Principle by Jaroldeen Edwards

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, “Mother, you must come to see the daffodils before they are over.”

I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead “I will come next Tuesday”, I promised a little reluctantly on her third call.

Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and reluctantly I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn’s house I was welcomed by the joyful sounds of happy children. I delightedly hugged and greeted my grandchildren.

“Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in these clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and the children that I want to see badly enough to drive another inch!”

My daughter smiled calmly and said, “We drive in this all the time, Mother.”

“Well, you won’t get me back on the road until it clears, and then I’m heading for home!” I assured her rather emphatically.

“Gee, Mom, I was hoping you’d take me over to the garage to pick up my car,” Julie said with a forlorn look in her eyes.

“How far will we have to drive?”

Smiling she answered, “Just a few blocks, I’ll drive … I’m used to this.”

After several minutes on the cold, foggy road, I had to ask “Where are we going? This isn’t the way to the garage!”

“We’re going to the garage the long way,” Carolyn smiled, “by way of the daffodils.”

“Carolyn,” I said sternly, “Please turn around.”

“It’s all right, Mother, I promise. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience.”

After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand lettered sign with an arrow that read, “Daffodil Garden .”

We got out of the car, each took a child’s hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, as we turned a corner, I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight.

It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it over the mountain and its surrounding slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, creamy white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, and saffron and butter yellow. Each different colored variety was planted in large groups so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue. There were five acres of flowers.

“Who did this?” I asked Carolyn. “Just one woman,” Carolyn answered. “She lives on the property. That’s her home.” Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house, small and modestly sitting in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house.

On the patio, we saw a poster. “Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking”, was the headline.

The first answer was a simple one. “50,000 bulbs,” it read.

The second answer was, “One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and one brain.”

The third answer was, “Began in 1958.”

For me, that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun, one bulb at a time, to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountaintop. Planting one bulb at a time, year after year, this unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. One day at a time, she had created something of extraordinary magnificence, beauty, and inspiration. The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration.

That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time – often just one baby-step at time – and learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time. When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world .

“It makes me sad in a way,” I admitted to Carolyn. “What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five or forty years ago and had worked away at it ‘one bulb at a time’ through all those years? Just think what I might have been able to achieve!”

My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct way. “Start tomorrow,” she said.

She was right. It’s so pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson of celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, “How can I put this to use today?”

________________________

Photo by Dan Curtis

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Are You Charging Hamburger Prices for Gourmet Work?

It’s not uncommon for those starting out in the personal history business to offer their expertise at rock bottom rates. And while this might be important for the first project or two, it’s definitely not a plan for financial solvency and success in the long run.

How much are you charging per hour for your personal history services? To give you some idea of where your fees fit with others, I’ve compiled some lists. From PayScale here are the current median average US hourly wages for some different occupations. The figures are based on ten years experience. Keep in mind these  are average wages which vary from state to state and from large metropolitan areas to smaller cities.

Senior Editor: $29.20
Registered Nurse: $25.49
Master Plumber: $19.65
Writer: $19.64
Flight Attendant: $19.33
Automotive Service Technician: $15.93
Secondary School Teacher: $14.74
Computer repair Technician: $12.12

PoeWar lists the average salaries for writers and editors in mid-sized metro areas for 2010. These are not freelance salaries but writers employed by  companies.  I’ve converted the annual salaries to hourly rates based on a forty hour week and fifty-two weeks of employment. Here are a some of the rates.

Copy Editor:  $10.50/hr to $21.00/hr.
Proofreader:   $14.50 to $20.50
Editor:  $18.50 to $27.00
Senior Copywriter:  $27.00 to $40.00

Guru.com lists 1,084 creative writing freelancers for New York City. My analysis of the data shows that the majority of these writers charge between $20 and $50/hour.

I’m not going to tell you how much you should be charging for your services but scanning these lists suggests that anything less than $20/hour puts you in the hamburger league.

If I haven’t yet convinced you of the need to charge a fee commensurate with your skill and the service you provide, then take a look at this interesting bit of research. Marketing Experiments in 2004 offered an online book with three different  price points, $7.95,  $14.00, and  $24.95. The cheapest priced book was perceived as of lesser value and received 1950 orders for total revenues of $15,500. The $14.00 book had 2400 orders with revenues of $33,600. But here’s the interesting point. The most expensive book while  receiving only 1500 orders managed to make the most – $37,425. You need to ask yourself, “How can I determine what my market will bear?”

Something else to think about. A  Stanford University study showed that when subjects were given the same wine and told that one bottle was $5 and the other $45, people unfailingly found “the expensive wine” tasted better. “So, in essence, [price] is changing people’s experiences with a product and, therefore, the outcomes from consuming this product,” said Baba Shiv, a professor of marketing who co-authored the research report.

What do these studies  say about how you price your personal history services? They show that pricing too low can be perceived by your potential clients as you’re offering an inferior product. People still believe the old adage – you get what you pay for.

So when will you start charging gourmet prices for your work?

Photo by iStockphoto

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