REGRETS, I’VE HAD A FEW - BUT THEN AGAIN…

Occasionally, in business and life, you come across people who have never made a mistake. In their eyes, any bump in the road can be attributed to something else or someone else.

Some admire this attitude, believing it shows a relentlessly positive and assertive approach to business and life.

I don’t. Maybe it’s the Catholic upbringing – I lapsed in 1983, but you’d better believe those roots go deep – but I’ve always believed that when you make a mistake you should step out into the spotlight with your arms raised.

As I mentioned in my previous blog, I have made some absolute howlers in the few months since I started offering copywriting and content management assistance to businesses in Kingston and surrounding areas.

In my defence, I have made them only once. So I offer these examples as an indication of how much I have learned in that short time.

1) A site for sore eyes: When I started to engage with the local business community, my website at www.leboomedia.com was not up and running. I used to joke that I had put the address on my business cards to spur myself into getting it built. What I now know is I should have constructed it six months earlier and polished it to a high shine so I could hit the ground sprinting.

2) Play your cards right: Those business cards I mentioned were basic, designed in 30 seconds flat, and utterly undistinguished. I met a group of local entrepreneurs who, firmly but fairly, persuaded me I needed a serious upgrade. I now have a card that elicits genuine compliments when it is presented.

3) Cheap isn’t cheerful: I thought simply having an online and social media presence was enough. It is not. If you feel you offer an excellent service, the way you interact with potential clients should be excellent too. That costs, in time and especially money. Spend both and don’t begrudge it.

4) Brief encounter: I have made the point previously that a full initial briefing with a client is fundamental to the delivery of a successful piece of content. I have seen what happens when this does not take place; now nothing gets written until I know exactly who you want me to write for and how you want me to address them.

5) The cost is clear: Even if you are on friendly terms with your client, make sure you present them with a written breakdown of exactly what they are going to have to pay for your services. This avoids any possibility of an embarrassing conversation further down the line.

There’s more, there’s bound to be more. But as long as I make them only once…