Don't Cling To A Sinking Ship
As I mentioned in last week's email, I'm off up to Newcastle this week for Atomicon (please do let me know if you're going so we can catch up).
As I'll be travelling up Monday morning, I'm pre-writing this email. I actually pre-wrote last week's email too because I was on holiday in Dubrovnik and I had no intention of working while I was away.
Instead, I spent the week with my husband exploring beautiful Dubrovnik, celebrating his 40th birthday, and even taking a trip over the border to the gorgeous city of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
It was wonderful.
And because I was able to take a break, I've returned refreshed and revitalised. It means I'm better positioned to give my clients a great service.
If you struggle to take time off, check out this post I shared on Wednesday about how to take holiday as a freelancer:
Lisa Slater
Anyway, after taking a week off, I got home late Thursday night and was back in the office Friday morning with my first consultation booked in at 10:30.
The call was with someone who I mentored for around 18 months back in 2022-23. Like a lot of freelancers and small businesses, she's seen a decline in leads and sales in the last twelve months and she wanted some advice.
She came to me because I already understand what she does and how she works (plus she knows I'm good at what I do).
And I was able to give her the support she needed.
She has the same problem many freelancers have - the market has changed. And because the market has changed, she needs to change her approach.
That doesn't mean completely changing direction. It simply means figuring out how to reposition herself so she can continue to meet the needs of her ideal clients in a way that works for her and them.
I helped her get a bit of clarity and put a plan in place. With a bit of research, a few tweaks to her marketing, and a slight adjustment to the way she packages her services, she should be able to get back on track.
And she's prepared to make the changes and do the work.
Unfortunately, not everyone is prepared to make changes or do the work.
I've said it before, but I see so many freelancers clinging to a sinking ship. They aren't getting the results they used to get, but they refuse to change anything. They continue doing what they've always done, desperately waiting for things to pick back up.
But you can't rely on the same marketing messages and marketing channels forever. And you can't keep your business the same forever. Even the biggest companies in the world rebrand, innovate, diversify, collaborate or try new things. Very few companies can get away with staying exactly the same year after year after year.
So if you're struggling to attract clients right now, maybe it's time you considered a new approach.
If your ideal clients no longer respond to your marketing, find out what they will respond to. Maybe their problems are different now.
Don't rely on things going back to how they were - you don't know how long that might take or whether it will ever happen at all.
Adapt to the market. And if you need help figuring out how to do that, let me know.
Upcoming events
Before I give you this week's ten minute task, here's a reminder of what I've got coming up. You can book any of these events on a pay-as-you-go basis for £15 per event or get them as part of a monthly membership at £20 per month or £200 per year.
