Tweet This weekend I did something most introverts and writers wouldn’t dare do-man a booth for 8 hours at a festival filled with several hundred people. Without meaning to, I learned a ton of lessons, not just on life, but on business too. Here are the Five Secrets of Successful Sales I Learned from the Festival
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Tweet A study by the University of Melbourne in April 2009 showed that workers who used the Internet for fun actually were more productive (about 9% more) than those who didn’t. Surprised? I wasn’t. Here’s why: I recently did an experiment for The Joy Diet (week 6 treat week) where I had to indulge in two treats a day. While I admit that a few times during the week “treats” meant something sweet, a sugar coma eventually forced me to find alternative ways to fulfill the condition. Eventually I realized that all work and no play wasn’t a good thing.…
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Tweet photo by: kelsey_lovefusionphoto Desperate times calls for desperate measures. And when freelance writing job leads are up, it’s tempting to apply for all of them. I know because I’ve been there. I used to do the same thing with regular full-time jobs, which explains why I’ve once worked as a private investigator, a research assistant and a loan executive (to name a few). It’s also why I once applied like crazy for freelance writing gigs everything from start-up magazines to unknown websites. If you’re doing the same, stop, and read this. Applying for jobs out of desperation is kind of…
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Tweet I’m not a magician, but over time I’ve learned the magic of transforming nothing into everything. Here’s what I mean. When you have a dream to work at home as a freelance writer, you basically start from nothing. You may have a handful of clients to begin with (and if you do kudos to you!), but in general you’re starting from scratch. When you blog, for example, all you have is a blinking white screen staring at you. You’ve got no fans on Facebook, zero tweeps following you on Twitter and no one reading your blogs. If you’re on a…
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Tweet photo by: kevindooley It’s the end of another long week freelancers. And on this freelance Friday, I must ask, “What do you do to decompress?” I know how it goes. You’re toiling away at your computer, making phone calls, coming up with creative queries, networking, marketing your services and spending the spare time you have left on Facebook or Twitter. With all of that and your ever growing to-do list, do you ever make time for yourself? In Finding Water: The Art of Perseverance (Artist’s Way), author Julia Cameron suggests artists make a weekly date with themselves, write daily in…
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Tweet I’ve always been uber shy. When I was a child, my mom bought me books where the protagonists are always shrinking violets. In elementary school, I took a failing grade because the thought of speaking up in public was more mortifying than seeing an F on my report card. It’s one of the reasons why I took so well to writing. I could create words on paper and express myself while keeping any verbal discourse to myself. Yet, somewhere along the line I realized that writing wasn’t just about sitting quietly and typing. I could write all I wanted,…
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Tweet Remember Gavin de Becker’s 1997 book, “The Gift of Fear?” A potential employer gave it to me during one of their intensive interviews. Strange gift for most jobs, but this one fit the bill. I was interviewing for work as a private investigator. Surprisingly, I got the job. My one year stint as a PI was more than I bargained for. But one thing I learned from the book and the job was to follow my instincts. Or so I thought. Like Jesaka I’ve had to relearn the lesson time and time again. As a P.I., not trusting my…