When Lisa Steeple of Learn Piano Online came to me for help, she was already:
- Clear about how writing could help her grow her business – she publishes articles online to draw traffic back to her website, where she offers a free pink spoon sample.
- Coming up with plenty of article ideas – she’s extremely creative and passionate about exploring the connections between music, healing and personal development.
So why hire a ghostwriter? Here are 3 good reasons:
- Two heads are better than one – Lisa was drawn to my background as a music therapist and creativity coach, and we are able to collaborate effectively about a topic we’re both interested in.
- Consistency is the key – Lisa and I have an ongoing schedule of one article per week. That way, she can consistently publish fresh content online and draw a steady stream of new visitors to her website.
- Delegation gets it done – Lisa loves to write, and will expand and develop what I send her. After all, as any writer will tell you, it’s easier to rewrite than it is to write from scratch. By delegating the job of getting the first draft done, Lisa makes it easy on herself to get more articles written.
When I asked Lisa what it was like to work with me, she said:
Linda took a huge burden off my shoulders. My time is very limited and so it is a blessing to have someone as talented as Linda to write for me, freeing me up to focus on other parts of my business. I was feeling so guilty before, that I was neglecting this part of my marketing campaign. Now I’m getting it done! I’ve also definitely noticed a spike in my website traffic, and in the number of people who opt into my mailing list.
Working with Linda has been a joy. She is very organized and easy to communicate with. She seems to have a knack for understanding what I want to say, and present it in a way that represents me well. And when she tells you she will have something ready on a certain day, then that is when it is ready!
Thanks Lisa! And if anyone is looking for a fun, effective way to learn to play piano, please visit Lisa’s site.
VA's, these Client Stories are for you! I recently worked on two resources that were designed specifically to help you get as many VA clients as you can handle and then take things to the next level as an online business manager (OBM). First up was Lisa Wells, of Coast 2 Coast Business Solutions, with her book E-Marketing Essentials for Virtual Assistants: How to grow your business online in less time and with less effort. Lisa combines concrete how-to's with plenty of lessons learned in her own journey from fledgling start-up to successful business owner. [Update December 15, 2012 – This resource is no longer available, but Lisa continues to produce fantastic resources and information for VAs.] It was a pleasure to revisit some of the material in this book, since I had already edited it in different formats (articles, book chapters, e-courses). This time, it just needed some reshaping to come together as a cohesive whole. When I asked what it felt like to have this book done, and how it was to work with me on it, Lisa replied: "Even before I finished the book, my plan included sending it to you for editing because I knew the quality of your work. Like I’ve said before, you took my words and thoughts and sent back a complete book that made me sound like a rock star! In addition to the book, the sales page you did was also great – you gave me exactly what I wanted and in my own style and voice. I have another book project in the works for next year and I can’t wait to work with you again." Thanks, Lisa! I also jumped at the chance to work with Tina Forsyth on her Online Business Manager book. We've crossed paths many times over the years, mostly through her work with Andrea Lee. From reading her blog and the book she co-wrote with Andrea, I felt like I already knew her voice – sometimes irreverent, always down-to-earth and infinitely wise. Keeping that voice intact was my top priority, while just cleaning up some sentences here and there so that Tina's message came through loud and clear. This book was filled with a-ha's for me. Its ideas are just as ground-breaking for business owners as they are for VA's. In fact, next week I have the pleasure of sitting down with Tina, voice-to-voice, to talk about bringing the OBM philosophy and practice into my own business. I can't wait! From Tina: "I'm singing your praises here, Linda. You have a gift for taking what I’m trying to say in my long and rambling way and making it succinct. I also like that you didn’t try to change my voice at all, you ‘get’ who I am and didn’t try to make it sound all proper and boring (which was my fear in having an editor touch my book). Being a coach yourself you take a real coaching approach to the editing process, making it enjoyable vs. painful." Glad to hear! Kristen Beireis is in the midst of re-branding herself and her company, from virtual assistants to marketing implementation specialists. Part of this process was creating a new pink spoon that would demonstrate Kristen’s expertise and answer a need in the coaching industry. I think she was bang on with the topic she chose – social networking. Who hasn't wondered about how to start, what to post or where to draw the line between your business and personal lives? Kristen answers all of this and more. My first job was to restructure the paper so that it had three very clear main ideas. Then I needed to maximize its readability by applying some of the writing guidelines from the Style Guide. When I asked her what it was like to work with me on this project, Kristen (a repeat editing client) replied: "Thanks for the edit, Linda. It feels much more cohesive and you even spiffed up the language a bit to sound more professional. I’ve never had so many people clammering to get a report. I’m getting more subscribers than I ever have before. In fact, in the first three weeks after I released the edited version of this report, I had 28 people sign up and confirm their subscription to my newsletter. And that doesn’t include those who haven’t confirmed yet. With my old report, I was lucky to get 4 verifications in one month. This is a big change!" Coach Kellie deRuyter is working with Kenn Schroder to build a new website, and Kenn sent her my way (thanks, Kenn!). Kellie has a wonderfully unique niche of midlife moms of young children, and as a midlife mom herself, she has a lot to offer! In our Claim Your Expertise session, Kellie and I came up with the outline for a free report she could offer to her website visitors, in exchange for their name and email address. That way, she can follow up with them later, with either: Kellie's report serves as a "pink spoon," as I wrote about in the post, "How big is the leap from your site to your sales?" When I asked Kellie what is was like to work with me on finishing her pink spoon, she said: "Getting started on my report was the hardest part for me. I couldn’t decide what to write about or how to write it, and I was too busy to spend focused time trying to figure it out. So I procrastinated for months, until I finally asked Linda for help. I really liked how professional, yet relaxed and flexible Linda was. She was pleasant, gracious and willing to think out of the box when it came to how I could use her services. Her outline and ideas allowed me to write a nine-page report easily, and her suggested edits made my material sound better while still allowing my personality to come through." In her Claim Your Expertise session, Karen Batchelor and I discussed ideas for her information empire. Completing her website was central to her plans, and so that's where we started. The most exciting thing for me about Karen's website project was how we used the name of her business, Midlife's a Trip, as the theme for the entire site, and for Karen's service offerings. Instead of an introductory coaching session, she offers a Midlife Day Trip. Instead of a menu of services, she provides a Midlife Trip Checklist. Karen's upcoming members-only program? The Passport Club! And so on. The fun has continued as we've worked on Karen's newsletter, and a series of articles discussing what must be packed for a midlife trip (your ID, your emergency contacts list, etc.). Each of those items is a metaphor for the transformational coaching concepts that Karen uses to help her clients during this challenging and exciting time of life. Weaving a theme through Karen's website, service offerings and other writing projects has been extremely rewarding and creative for me. What was it like for Karen? "Within the first ten minutes of my Claim Your Expertise session, I knew I had found the solution that would turn my marketing plans into reality. I was stuck and overwhelmed with the task of merging my website and blog, which involved a complete rewrite of the website content. With Linda’s help, the first phase of this project was completed in just one week. I was and continued to be amazed with her ability to bring each project in on deadline or before. We even had to speed up the website launch because a local paper was doing an article on me the day after Memorial Day. With Linda’s help and patience, my new site was ready in time for the increased traffic generated by the article. I know that without Linda’s focus and attention to my project, there’s no way it would have been done in time. Since then, Linda has helped me with other projects, like my first e-newsletter and an introductory letter to my list of contacts. Because of my confidence in her stellar writing skills and extraordinary customer service, I have also referred several friends to her for editing of their books. If you're in the middle of a writing project, or even contemplating starting one, Linda is definitely a person you want on your team. Thanks so much, Linda!" – Karen Batchelor, Midlife’s A TripFill your VA biz and then take it to the next level
Social Networking for Coaches
Serving up a pink spoon to midlife moms
Weaving a theme