15:00:44	 From  Rebeca Schiller : Hi! Yes, I can hear you!
15:01:12	 From  Melissa Harstine : I was the biggest band geek in the school!
15:01:15	 From  Chris Hardee : Basketball
15:01:16	 From  Amy : High school--I was a cheerleader, which absolutely shocks people who meet me these days!
15:01:20	 From  cassie conroy : Marching Band!
15:01:45	 From  Amy : I was also in student body leadership and was a peer tutor, which is much more my speed, lol.
15:01:46	 From  Beverly : Beta club nerd. Chorus. Allstate chorus winner!
15:01:51	 From  Rebeca Schiller : Lone wolf. I spent most of my time reading plays.
15:01:51	 From  Chris Hardee : My wife was a band geek.
15:01:57	 From  Kelle : I was in the school choir
15:02:09	 From  kellylynch : Concert choir — AND the saber twirler on drill team! haha
15:02:38	 From  Amy : Choir here, too--and was occasionally the pianist for a few performances.
15:02:42	 From  Beverly : @kelly ooooooohhhh
15:02:48	 From  Amy : Saber twirler is AWESOME.
15:02:51	 From  kellylynch : Oh, and Student Council president — a bit more respectable than saber twirler. haha
15:03:05	 From  pameladeloatch : I was a happy nerd.
15:03:12	 From  Amy : I bet people listen to a saber twirler, though.
15:03:14	 From  Kelle : @kelly, you had a cool high school career!
15:03:19	 From  Beverly : nerd of a feather...heart you all.
15:03:33	 From  kellylynch : Haha and yes - I did have linear bruises all up and down my biceps!
15:03:57	 From  kellylynch : Luckily I always caught it.
15:04:07	 From  Melissa Harstine : W: I’m making weekly LinkedIn posts a habit!
15:04:30	 From  Beverly : W: Homeschool convention!! Face to face cold meetings scared the poo out of me, but I got 23 solid leads. Already had two calls this week.
15:04:47	 From  kellylynch : W: I actually signed a contract this morning with a small non profit I’ve been cultivating — very excited about it.
15:04:55	 From  cassie conroy : W: Pushing myself out of my comfort zone and attending any networking event I'm invited to. 
15:04:55	 From  Rebeca Schiller : W. I thought I had burned a bridge with an editor. She’s all booked up for the year, but encouraged me to follow up with her in November.
15:05:01	 From  kellylynch : Awesome @Beverly!
15:05:20	 From  Kelle : W: A prospect responded to a WEP I sent earlier this month.
15:05:34	 From  Beverly : @kelly thanks!
15:05:37	 From  cassie conroy : Nerd - that's me! Ha.
15:06:34	 From  Amy : W: I have been getting responses from my WEP. Meeting with someone tomorrow.
15:07:34	 From  Melissa Harstine : I: Warm email prospecting — went through the course last month, starting to implement it this month.
15:07:47	 From  cassie conroy : I: Gathering contact info and drafting emails for WEP
15:07:52	 From  Rebeca Schiller : I: Sending LOIs via LinkedIn.
15:07:54	 From  kellylynch : I: same as @Melissa - warm emails versus cold LOIs. Seem to be working much better.
15:08:01	 From  Amy : I: Just sort of camping on WEP... And working on putting together more content (lead magnet and blog posts).
15:08:02	 From  Beverly : W: Oh almost forgot....I got the Social Media Coordinator job with the homeschool curriculum publisher.
15:08:36	 From  Beverly : I: scheduling daily FB posts for myself to get used to working in social media.
15:09:02	 From  Kelle : I: Working on WEP and LinkedIn marketing. Starting on writing blog posts.
15:09:10	 From  Melissa Harstine : @Beverly way to go!!!
15:09:42	 From  Rebeca Schiller : I: Also writing blog posts and promoting them on social media.
15:09:45	 From  Beverly : @Melissa thanks! It's going to be so fun. I met some of the people at their booth. They're SO NICE.
15:10:01	 From  Amy : I actually left Twitter... I found it was just too toxic for me, and my mental health is important. But am focusing more on LinkedIn.
15:11:13	 From  Beverly : @kelly congrats on the non profit contract!
15:12:48	 From  kellylynch : @Beverly Thank you!! Back at ya!
15:15:42	 From  Rebeca Schiller : Q: I started listening to Ed’s podcasts starting with #1 about pricing. He suggested to phrase the question as “What kind of budget are you working with?” As opposed to “What’s your budget?” What would you recommend do if they still refuse to give you a figure. I know that’s a red flag, but how should I bow out gracefully so I don’t waste time writing a proposal when I know it won’t go anywhere.
15:16:03	 From  irene : Still attempting to write a lead magnet. Good grief, I've been on this for a while, partly due to imposter syndrome/general lack of confidence, but also because I'm fully booked. Want to get it done before the famine phase of the cycle comes back round....
15:17:52	 From  irene : Hey Rebecca, I've had prospects not offer up a budget figure that ended up being good clients. I feel like that question is one that should be asked but if they don't want to provide an answer, I can still provide an estimate. 
15:17:57	 From  cassie conroy : I'm in th same boat, @Pamela. Good luck!
15:18:03	 From  pameladeloatch : That is helpful— thank you. That was my instinct- to move ahead. I appreciate the ideas for finding a replacement and stepping up marketing.
15:18:23	 From  pameladeloatch : Good luck to you too @Cassie!
15:20:08	 From  kellylynch : What I often do is give a general range with a sizable span, and say it all depends on project specs/scope.
15:20:29	 From  kellylynch : If they have no budget, they will balk at the low end of the range, and then you have your answer.
15:21:23	 From  cassie conroy : I've found packaging services for a flat fee to work well. either they can afford it or not, and you don't waste time with proposals
15:23:13	 From  Amy : What do you do if the client assumes the project will be at the low end of the range? They want the service/project scope of the high end, but expect the low end...?
15:27:55	 From  Amy : Sorry for forgetting the "Q"!
15:28:23	 From  cassie conroy : Excellent! Thank you. That was my inclination, but just wanted to be sure. I have a clause in my contract that allows me to use the content I create as references.
15:30:45	 From  Amy : Thank you!
15:34:46	 From  Kelle : No, that definitely helped!
15:34:48	 From  Kelle : Thanks!!
15:36:29	 From  Suzanne : Q:  I've warm-emailed a prospect who I know is looking to hire a part-time copywriter. I just received an email from the Marketing Director who thanked me for reaching out and said she's reviewing resumes (I didn't send one) and will get back to me shortly. Not sure how I should reply to her?
15:37:01	 From  Rebeca Schiller : V: The entire pricing discussion and feedback.
15:38:13	 From  Melissa Harstine : V: Examples of what to say to clients during pricing discussion.I always feel awkward and don’t quite know how to say things.
15:38:48	 From  Amy : Q: Following up on the pricing question regarding packaged services: This is something others have suggested to me, but I don't even know where to begin. What kinds of packaged services do people in the group offer? Do you have just automatic flat fees for certain things? 
15:39:15	 From  Amy : Susan, you don't have to bring me on the call for this question--I'm okay with just some general examples from you and/or the folks on the call.
15:41:41	 From  Rebeca Schiller : I charge $350 to $500 for a typical PR pitch letter or marketing email letter. $500 to $750 for a press release. Anything longer depends on the time spent with interviews, research, writing and editing.
15:43:09	 From  Melissa Harstine : Q: I love writing website copy but am struggling with prospecting. Is it better to reach out to website designers for a collaborative partnership or directly to the client who might be in need of this service? Do people hire website copywriters independently of designers? I’ve been working with a loca website designer but he recently stopped offering design services.
15:43:26	 From  Amy : @ Rebecca, thanks!
15:43:44	 From  Rebeca Schiller : @Amy, you’re welcome!
15:45:57	 From  kellylynch : @Melissa, personally I think web copy is a completely different role than web designer. So in my experience, YES — a copywriter typically works in tandem with a web designer, versus in place of one.
15:46:10	 From  Rebeca Schiller : One thing I always forget is to include transcribing in pricing. I would check to see how much transcribing services charge for certain amount of pages, and then add that into your pricing.
15:46:57	 From  Amy : That helps, Susan. Thank you.
15:50:28	 From  Melissa Harstine : Thanks, Susan! Yep, I’m working on expanding beyond my local area and needing new strategies for prospecting. This helps. :)
15:50:52	 From  Amy : V: The entire pricing conversation today has been very helpful.

Also, just a general shout-out to the whole group--there's a very good vibe in this group. It definitely has a spirit of camaraderie and "rising tide lifts all boats." I really appreciate the group!
15:51:45	 From  Amy : Great minds, Susan. :)
15:52:43	 From  Melissa Harstine : Susan — Sometimes I get emails from Ed and I think he’s reading my mind! Because it’s exactly what I’ve been thinking about! Maybe you guys are digging for ideas in the social media thread. ;-) :)
15:53:08	 From  Melissa Harstine : A: Start researching website design agencies and send WEP
15:53:43	 From  Amy : A: Still focusing primarily on prospecting and content. Pretty slow for paying work, but I feel like I'm laying the groundwork for September.

I've always noticed a bump in September.
15:53:56	 From  cassie conroy : A: Sloooow summer :(  My action item is WEP. Gotta do it!!
15:53:57	 From  Kelle : A: Get back to the prospect on pricing and get focused on creating content marketing for my business.
15:53:59	 From  Beverly : A: Follow up with all the contacts from the convention. Creating more social media posts as practice. I need encouragement to post more articles on LinkedIn. I know it's important, but, I'm hesitant.
15:54:11	 From  irene : I've been super busy since beginning of June, but March through May were pretty bleak
15:54:15	 From  Melissa Harstine : YES! Feeling very supported. :)
15:54:16	 From  Chris Hardee : A:Summer has been slower. I've been using the time to focus on marketing.
15:54:34	 From  Melissa Harstine : @Amy I always notice a bump in September too!
15:54:48	 From  irene : A: write my damn lead magnet if it kills me
15:55:02	 From  pameladeloatch : A: Ed has a new Elevate class- any intel on it? He sent an email labeled “Case study?”
15:55:10	 From  Rebeca Schiller : A: Casting my net wide with prospecting. Very slow summer, but I see these months as my practice session with marketing myself and pushing myself out of my comfort zone.
15:55:17	 From  Amy : Re: Summer--it's been good to get refocused on business. My son and his family are now living in South Carolina and I'm done with a long school drive, so I feel a little more focused. We are going to be gone for two weeks in August, so that will be tough, but I'm hoping to reset for September...
15:55:24	 From  kellylynch : I’m going to schedule marketing (especially via LinkedIn network) in my calendar even though my slooooow spring is starting to improve. I don’t want to make the mistake again of neglecting marketing when times are busier.
15:55:44	 From  cassie conroy : Will do! Thanks :)
15:55:45	 From  Beverly : Homeschool purchasing ramps up in July, so all my clients/prospects are busy, busy. Everyone says their new campaigns/website revamps will begin in September. I expect to be busy in September.
15:55:51	 From  Amy : @Irene, I need to finish my lead magnet--PM me if you want. We can keep each other focused!
15:56:54	 From  Beverly : @Susan thank you...LinkedIn posting is not the enormous elephant I imagine.
15:58:37	 From  Suzanne : A:  My LinkedIn and WEP have been presenting more opportunities as of late. I can't believe I'm writing this, but I'm actually starting to enjoy prospecting...kind of the thrill of the chase I guess!
15:59:05	 From  Amy : Susan, our August trip is to take my daughter to college in Montana and do a little vacationing in the process. :)
15:59:09	 From  Beverly : @suzanne you go girl!
16:00:01	 From  kellylynch : Thanks Susan, great idea re: the “minimum” number of warm emails — I am going to put a tally chart right on my desktop.
16:01:35	 From  pameladeloatch : Thank you, Susan!
16:01:49	 From  cassie conroy : Thank you, @Susan!
16:01:51	 From  Amy : Thanks, Susan! I feel reinvigorated! :)
16:01:57	 From  Melissa Harstine : Thanks, Susan!
16:01:59	 From  Rebeca Schiller : Thank you!