Will Work for Trade?

When I was a kid, my neighborhood friends and I used to trade stuff all the time. I had something my neighbor wanted and she had something I wanted which made trading pretty much a win-win situation. Fast forward to adulthood – a magazine publisher I once worked with used to participate in trade a lot as she was first getting her publication off the ground. I was hired on to help her with her advertising, and the first thing I noticed is that most of her advertisers were not paying her for ad spots – they were paying in the form of product. This was seriously hurting her bottom line, and eventually she shifted away from it completely.

I’ve always been a bit wary of offering my services in exchange for anything other than monetary payment. I once had a long-term client offer to teach me some of the more technical aspects of Wordpress in exchange for work he normally paid me for, but I declined. Although the Wordpress knowledge was valuable, It’s not something I would spend lots of time doing anyway, and I already had someone I could outsource those tasks to so that I devote more time to writing projects for pay.

About a month ago, an acquaintance contacted me seeking advice about writing a proposal for an online retailer. She had developed a very niche specific product and wanted to contact online retailers to see about having them carry the product. Initially I assumed she just wanted pointers on developing a proposal, but it soon became clear that she wanted me to write it for her. She asked if I would be willing to accept one of her many products in exchange for my writing services. I hesitated and told her I’d get back with her. I needed to speak with my accountability partner first.

My accountability partner provided lots of helpful advice in helping me decide whether or not to trade my writing services. She said she’d only traded services a handful of times, and offered these tips to keep things professional:

Make sure that the product or service you receive is equal to the service you’re providing.

This really is important, otherwise a trade exchange makes no sense. The product or service that you will receive should match the time and effort that you will put into the writing project you’ve been asked to produce. You should also only participate in a trade agreement if the product/service you’ll be receiving is actually something you can use. Don’t participate in a trade just for the sake of doing so if you get no real value from the deal.

Detail the terms of the trade in a contract.

Yep, that’s right, even though you won’t be writing in exchange for money, you still need to have a contract in place. Treat this transaction the same as your other writing projects: outline the terms of service, the product or service that you will receive as payment, and when the “payment” is to be delivered. Don’t make the mistake of treating a trade agreement too informally or you could end up writing for nothing.

Follow up immediately if you do not receive “payment.”

Again, this is a professional business transaction. If you consented to provide writing services in exchange for a client’s product/service, you deserve to receive prompt payment just as if they were paying you via Pay Pal, check or direct deposit. Follow your own business protocol when it comes to contacting clients about past due payment.

Bottom line, I won’t make trading my services a regular occurrence, because financially I just can’t afford to; but it helps to know that a trade between businesses should be conducted in the same professional manner as any other business transaction.

Have you ever traded your writing services in exchange for a client’s product or services? What was your experience?

Use Testimonials to Increase Your Business

Whenever I read testimonials on a website or sales page, I'm instantly hooked in. It's reassuring to know that the product or service I'm considering has worked successfully for someone else. I immediately feel like I can't go wrong making the purchase.

Testimonials are those quotes of praise from customers. They're popular in a number of weight loss products and DVDs featured on infomercials where ordinary folks like you and me transform themselves thanks to the new ABC exercise program on DVD. Testimonials aren't just for infomercials – they can work for your freelance writing business too.

When you have testimonials on your business website, prospects get to see proof of what your writing services have done for your clients. Testimonials add real selling power if you know how to use them.

Use Real Testimonials

Don't make them up. Fake testimonials just won't come across as sincere – no matter how well you think they sound. If you do a good job, your client's won't mind sending a little praise your way. And that's what you want – testimonials that honestly complement your writing skills.

Use Testimonials that are Specific

Make sure your testimonials clearly show how your writing services were beneficial. This adds value to your business.

Include as Much Information as Possible in Your Testimonials

Include the client's name, title, company, city and state when you can. Using anonymous testimonials can lack believability.

Ask Your Clients for Permission First

It may seem okay to use that flattering email your client sent regarding the latest project you completed. It's always better to extend common courtesy and ask first. You can send off a simple email with the quote you're interested in using. Ask to use it for your website, any ads and other promotional material.

Prospects will be impressed to see that your clients are so happy with your writing services and can lead to more business for you.

Do Your Clients Really Know About Your Freelance Writing Skills?

A client and I were discussing a few of the projects I am currently working on for his company. During our conversation, I asked him a question about something related to a new blogging gig I've recently picked up. He is a very kind person – always generous with helpful information. After answering my question he said, "I didn't know that you offered business blogging services. We are really going to be needing help with that on some upcoming projects."

We went on to discuss rates and so forth. But it really got me thinking about how many of my other clients are totally oblivious about what I can do for them?

I have a website outlining my services (and it is in desperate need of a makeover), and even though many of my clients have visited it, I'm sure they don't remember anything listed on the site other than the specific service they contacted me to help with initially. So maybe these clients think I only do A instead of also being able to help out with B, C, and D.

So now I have a couple of new projects scheduled for the previously mentioned client all because of that conversation which allowed me to refresh his memory about the writing services I provide. Apparently I've been missing something here all along. How do you keep your regular clients in the loop about the various freelance writing skills you offer?