In Part 1 of this series, I shared with you why any business coach growing a practice should consider building their team with freelancers. I provided the precise ad I used to recruit my long-term copywriter from Elance (now Upwork) and the response she sent that made me hire her.
In Part 2 today, I’m turning it over to my copywriter Katie Langston to share what has made the relationship successful on her end, twelve years in! Take it away, Katie! 🙂
Thanks, Eric!
Eric was one of my very first freelance copywriting clients back in 2009. I had worked for a few years as an account manager and copywriter for a small chiropractic marketing firm, before deciding to attempt to make my way as a freelance writer. I had probably been on Upwork for a couple of months when I came across Eric’s posting. It was, and remains, a huge blessing that we found one another!
Great Ad Listing
The first thing that stood out to me about it was that this was a person who knew what quality copy was, and would appreciate the craft. That might sound like a small thing, but I’d learned from frustrating experience that far too often, clients don’t know what goes into good copy, and they requested revisions that made it significantly less effective—and then blamed me for it! I could tell that this was a person who knew what he wanted, and that it was directly in line with my approach to marketing and sales copywriting. This made him an ideal client from my perspective.
Relationship-Oriented
The second thing that stood out to me was that Eric wasn’t just looking for a one-and-done project, but that he was looking for a longtime partner. I also wanted to find long-term clients I could build a relationship with, and grow in our work together. I preferred to build a smaller portfolio of top-drawer clients than to be constantly bouncing from project to project at high volumes. I think most quality contractors are looking for something like this.
Revenue Sharing
As a direct response copywriter, I believed in my work and knew it would be effective, so I was looking, eventually, to move from a fee-for-service model to a revenue-for-results model. Eric was looking for the same thing. So, in time, we shifted the compensation package. This meant that we grew together and both were invested in the success of our campaigns, which was a huge benefit for both of us!
Amazing Feedback
Eric has a gift for providing helpful, constructive feedback. Whenever you’re working with contractors, there will be times you’ll need to help them catch your vision. Eric does a great job of being positive and clear when we’re working through the revision process.
Collegiality
Some clients treat contractors as easily-expendable commodities. Eric, on the other hand, always knew there was a person on the other side of the relationship, and invested in my growth as a person as well as a business resource. This has meant, that as my career has expanded, I am now in a position where I often have to say no to many potential clients—but I always keep some time on my calendar for Eric!
In addition, as an entrepreneur myself, I recruit and hire contractors regularly. I always try to keep Eric’s example in the forefront of my mind. You’d be surprised at the kind of outstanding service you can receive and long-term partnerships you can create if you treat your freelance contractors well!
You'd be surprised at the kind of outstanding service you can receive and long-term partnerships you can create if you treat your freelance contractors well!
Bottom line?
Expect excellence, provide helpful, constructive feedback, invest in a long-term relationship, and be professional and collegial, and you can build a highly functioning team for your business coaching practice using freelancers!
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