Building Long-Term Client Relationships – Part 3: My Business Model
April 22, 2008 by Lillie
Table of contents for Building Long-Term Client Relationships
- Building Long-Term Client Relationships – Part 1: Why
- Building Long-Term Client Relationships – Part 2: Getting Started
- Building Long-Term Client Relationships – Part 3: My Business Model
- Building Long-Term Client Relationships – Part 4: Example – The Beginning
- Building Long-Term Client Relationships – Part 5: Example – The Relationship Continues
- Building Long-Term Client Relationships – Part 6: Nine Tips for Success
My business model won’t work for everyone; in fact, it probably won’t work for anyone reading this. My goal is for you to find some useful information that you can adapt to fit your own business model.
Although, my blog title says I’m a writer and editor, my services are actually much broader than that. I’ve toyed with several ways to describe what I do: virtual assistant, author’s assistant, book midwife, writer’s right hand … but none cover the full scope of what I do.
When I first started freelancing I took every job that I could get. I spent several hours and interviewed four sources (one in person and three by phone) for a local business newspaper. I helped a professional in solo practice to organize files. I edited doctoral dissertations and legal documents – at least one lawyer wanted ordinary people to read and understand their contracts. I wrote letters of complaint and business proposals. Some of these projects were fun … others merely boring. I never accepted another assignment from the business newspaper; $130 for an article that took several hours to research and write wasn’t a good use of my time, especially when it seemed like work.
I wanted to do things I enjoyed and still earn a decent income. So I started turning down jobs that bored me, such as academic papers. I started letting people know I would accept virtual assistant work. I know some writers don’t want to do that kind of work; in fact, they hire virtual assistants themselves. But I enjoy doing a wide variety of things, and I like to organize and research.
In the 12 years I’ve been freelancing, I’ve discovered that I prefer to work with a few clients during a variety of tasks than to specialize in one kind of work for many clients. Now, I have a handful of long-term clients, and I do just about whatever they ask me to do. Sometimes I’ll work only a few hours for a client; other times I’ll work more than 80 hours in a single month for a single client. I’ve learned many new skills - I say “Yes, I’ll do it” if it sounds interesting … whether or not I know how at the time.
I charge by the hour and bill at the end of the month for the hours worked during the month. Although many freelancers advise against charging by the hour, charging by the project would be too complicated for me since some my “projects” are to file a few documents and delete a few e-mails.
Several of my clients trust me with their credit card information so I can register them for a paid Web site or make purchases for them online. One client gives me remote access to a computer in her office so I can organize her files and e-mails.
Perhaps a list (in no particular order) of some of the tasks I have performed in the last couple of months for my long-term clients will give a better picture of what I do:
- Upgraded WordPress on six client blogs
- Created YouTube account and uploaded videos
- Edited and posted blog posts drafted by clients and either sent to me in Word or dictated over the phone
- Updated several Web sites
- Searched for an obituary and ordered the archived obituary from the Web site
- Formatted a book for printing; created e-book
- Wrote news releases and edited releases drafted by clients; submitted releases to media and PRWeb
- Modified logos to fit the Revolution theme header space
- Changed photos to grayscale, changed resolution, and enhanced for print book; laid book out in InDesign
- Resolved formatting problems in Word and Excel documents
- Negotiated with cover designer, ordered cover for client’s book, and made payment
- Created bar code for book cover, made payment for online service, and sent bar code to designer
- Wrote back cover blurbs for books
- Created and uploaded advertising flyers and posted property descriptions for real estate site
- Developed book of sample documents for client to give to clients
- Researched a topic for a consultant and drafted a plan of action; after several rounds of editing, finalized the document as PDF for my client to submit to his client
- Performed cost analysis and created Excel spreadsheet for consultant to use in calculating prices to quote in a proposal
- Drafted survey questions based on previous surveys; after client’s edits and final approval, created the surveys online, sent to participants, and compiled the responses
- Edited and formatted resumes
- Drafted business proposals based on previous proposals for similar projects by client, along with research and additional information from client via phone, fax, and e-mail; after several rounds of back and forth editing, finalized the documents and created PDF
- Created PowerPoint presentations based on information provided by the client
- Organized files and e-mails on client’s computer, deleting unnecessary documents and ensuring that folders for each project contained complete information
- Edited employee handbook, including making recommendations for the policies as well as the structure of the handbook
- Created Web site, purchased shopping cart service, set up shopping cart, and uploaded products
- Advised clients on publishing and writing
- Recommended a company style guide to a client; compiled style guide after receiving approval
- Composed reports for consultant and finalized after several rounds of edits
- Proofed printer’s proof of book and submitted changes to the printer
- Listed books at Web sites; drafted answers for author interviews and promotional questionnaires about clients and their books
- Created advertisements (post cards as well as magazine, newsletter, and program ads)
- Worked with an author on development of his manuscript; copyedited
Some items (such as “sample documents”) are deliberately vague to protect client confidentiality. I’ve also mixed up the list so the work for individual clients isn’t listed consecutively. My purpose isn’t to describe specific projects and clients but to give you a scope of the kinds of things I do.
Next, I’ll give you the perspective of how I work with an individual client.
[tags]client relationships, freelancing[/tags]
I like the term book midwife, but I agree it doesn´t really cover what you do. You do get to do a lot of different things, which is excellent. Definitely helps someone from getting bored. Unfortunately, I have too many things I want to do myself to figure out the mundane tasks of others, let alone my own.
Thanks for the link!
Lillie, you do all of that?
I think you might need to start wearing a cape.
Blessings!
–Renae
Renae’s last blog post..Spirit vs. spirits
Genesis,
Thank goodness we all have different likes and dislikes as well as talents. The world wouln’t run very well if we all did the same thing.
The difference is I enjoy what you’re calling mundane tasks. Probably because I’m a mundane person.
Renae,
And I like to learn new things, so it’s fun to take on a new responsibility.
Thanks for the compliment, but I’ve been around a very long time.
I like some of titles “book midwife, writer’s right hand”.
Based on all the tasks that you either are doing or have done, I think virtual assistant really covers that description. Although it also looks like you have some some extensive editing experience so you could also market yourself as a “business editor” or “corporate editor”.
marcus´s last blog post..Office just re-equipped with ergonomic “kneeler” chairs – how can you use them when wearing a skirt & heels?
marcus,
I am certainly a virtual assistant, but I also do a lot more for authors. Whatever you call it, I love it!
I started out doing pretty much the same thing for many different regular clients. I did everything from article writing, to SEO services, to ebook creation. Though I was a VA (virtual assistant) to dozens of clients, I never met one in person.
This provided me with a very decent income until I started creating my own virtual real estate. I’ve never looked back.
If you enjoy the variety of work and do well under pressure, it’s a great lifestyle and I would recommend it to anyone.
Steve’s Business Ideas´s last blog post..Starting a Home Inspection Service
Steve,
I know all of my clients. When we are in the final stages of preparing a book for publication, some of them come to my home office and we spend days reading the manuscript aloud to each other—the best way to catch mistakes and awkward phrasing when the manuscript is almost ready.
After owning a business with 300 customers and 18 employees for many years, I don’t feel pressure in this business.
Citing your paragraph:
My goal is for you to find some useful information that you can adapt to fit your own business model
I feel that is a key of business success, fitting the business model to your enterprise otherwise is like playing the game of others but without winning anything.
.-= Daniel business´s last blog ..Fresh Business Tips =-.
Daniel,
Excellent point. Thanks for being part of the conversation.
Lillie, interesting post. Do you outsource any of your work, or do everything yourself?
Obviously you enjoy what you do. But the problem is you have to be there 100% of the time for the money to keep coming in. What happens if you want to take a vacation?
Also, if you were to outsource some of it, you could spend more time doing the activities you enjoy more, rather than trying to do anything and everything.
I’ve always heard that the most important activity is marketing, and that if you were to outsource everything else and focus just on that, you would be the most successful.
But I guess if you enjoy every aspect of the business, there’s no need to do that. I just like the idea of my money working for me rather than having to always be there to produce income.
Josh,
I wrote a long reply and lost it.
For many years I owned a business with up to 18 employees. Although I enjoyed it for the 20 years I did it, when I sold the company, I was ready for something different. I don’t want to deal with employees or subcontractors. I don’t want to have to find reliable people or companies and then have to make sure they did the job right. I don’t want to have to market.
Although in a sense I do “anything and everything” because I provide a lot of different services to my clients, I am blessed to be able to be very selective in the jobs I accept. I have plenty to keep me busy and pay the bills by doing only what I love. At this point in my life, doing what I want when I want is far more important than making a lot of money.
However, I realize that my clients will want someone to take over when I retire in a few years. And there may be times when I can’t or don’t want to work. So I am now training an apprentice, Beverly Ellison. I will have her help me as needed and when I retire she will take over for me.
But in general, no outsourcing for me. I have tried it a few times and vowed I wouldn’t do it again.
Well, one of the main goal to every business owners is to have a long term relationship to their clients/customers. And your blog post is really a great help to keep their trust and relationship with us business owners. Thanks alot…
Tony,
I’m glad you found the post helpful.