When Is An E-Mail Not An E-Mail?

When it’s an impromptu coaching moment!

I received an e-mail a couple of weeks ago from a prospective member who was struggling to make an adequate living as a freelance copywriter. The writer’s credentials were outstanding, his list of previous clients was impressive, and his writing style was compelling, and yet he still struggled to stay afloat. His question was very basic; “I’m working 10 hours a day and barely making ends meet. How can I find more hours in the day?”

The question reminded me of the story that Stephen Covey tells in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (a book I recommend for entrepreneurs and anyone who wants to lead a more effective life) of the man who scaled a difficult wall, only to discover at the top that he’d been climbing the wrong wall. My correspondent didn’t need to know how to find more hours in his day, he needed to learn how to more effectively use the hours he had.

If you’re working ten hours a day and not making ends meet, something is wrong with your business model.  Since NAIWE is focused on helping members build solid, profitable freelance businesses, one of the things I enjoy doing is slipping a bit of quick coaching into e-mail responses. I asked the writer several strategic questions designed to help him think through the elements of his business and point him in a much more profitable direction. This morning, I got another e-mail from him:

“Thank you so much for the questions you sent. I was annoyed when I got them, thinking that I didn’t have time to answer a bunch of crazy questions, when I was bailing for dear life. I glanced over them, though, and the second question slapped me like a cold fish. You asked, “Do you ever bid too low for a job because you feel that if you charged for the real amount of time it would take, you wouldn’t get the job?

I realized that I do this all the time. I end up working for peanuts, when I could work a lot less if I got paid decently for what I did. I’m still thinking about this. Your questions are pointing me in a new direction, and I’m learning new things just by going through them. Finally, I feel hope. I think I can see how to make it after all!”

Knowing which wall to climb and what to do when you’re over the top is essential for becoming what I’ve called a Lucky Freelancer. Although it looks as though some people get all the breaks and are just plain lucky in their freelance business life, they’ve gotten that way by scaling the right wall, and learning what to do when they get where they want to go. “Lucky” is something that you can choose, but it takes time, effort, and purpose. Where are you on the path toward Lucky?

And when is an e-mail not an e-mail? When it’s a mini-coaching session! I’m pulling together some of my favorite coaching questions into a Lucky Freelancer Quiz that will be posted in the member area of NAIWE or available when you subscribe to The Edge, NAIWE’s free e-zine.

Socrates knew that questions are one of the most effective ways of making people think, and they work as well today as they did in ancient Greece. These questions should help you evaluate what you’re doing, assess whether it’s effective, and move you toward a better business model. If you work through them thoughtfully, you’ll find that they’ll change your mind, your habits, and your business. They’ll help you become a Lucky Freelancer.

If you’d like real-time, personal help with the transition, I’m offering the Lucky Freelancer Fast Track, a group-coaching session that begins in September. It’s like a mini-MBA in freelance business practices, and it’s guaranteed to prepare you for a very different, more successful business in 2010.