Five tips for asking for editorial business advice over the phone

30/10/2013

If you’re thinking about setting up an editing or proofreading business, and decide to call someone you've identified as having the necessary experience, these five tips aim to help you make a good impression. They’re based on a recent telephone discussion (and email follow-up) I had with a new starter – someone completely unknown to me – who really made me want to engage with her.

1. Recognize that you’re costing them money
My caller acknowledged that her time on the phone with me was costing me money. I appreciated this because she demonstrated her respect for the fact that I'm running a business. Every minute I spend focusing on someone else’s business development is a minute I'm not spending on my own.

If you were to hire a professional consultant, you might be expected to pay at least £50 per hour. The rates aren't important for the purposes of this discussion. Rather, the point is that you would be paying for a service – and whether it costs £30, £50, £100 or £200 an hour, it would cost you.

So when your chosen specialist agrees to talk to you for half an hour for free, that’s money staying in your pocket and time they have to make up out of hours so that their income isn't affected.

2. Be prepared with the necessary information
My caller was ready with the information I needed to know in order to guide her – key points about her educational and career background that enabled me to identify the next steps she needed to take.

She didn't ramble on about how she’s good at spotting typos in newspaper articles and really loves reading. Instead, she focused on the fact that she wanted to set up a proofreading business and needed advice on what were the best steps forward. In other words, she concentrated on what she needed to do next, rather than what she already liked or felt.

This made a super impression on me because I didn't feel I was spending my valuable time (and money – see above) having a chitchat with a stranger. Instead I was focusing on her business goals.

With that in mind, before you pick up the phone (or write an email), make a bullet list of your career skills, educational achievements, any training you feel might be relevant, any transferable skills, and previous experience so that the editorial pro you’re talking to has an overall view of your potential fit within the market.

3. Listen
When my caller had finished giving me the necessary background information, and answered a few further questions, I started to talk, and she listened. Again, this made my engagement with her a really positive experience – for me as well as her.

I knew she was paying close attention to what I was saying because the only time she interrupted me was to ask me to repeat something she hadn't managed to scribble down in the notes she was speedily taking.

She didn't spend my time/money telling me information that wasn't relevant to our discussion about her business plans (the liked/felt issues I mentioned in point 2), and she wasn't trying to be my new best friend (I already have one of those).

If you call up an experienced colleague-to-be, have your note-taking gear to hand, keep your ears sharp, and ensure the conversation remains streamlined by not straying from the reason you phoned.

4. Be ready for the worst and the best
My caller asked me for a brutally honest assessment of her prospects. This is really important because it showed me that she understood something fundamental – she was considering becoming a self-employed editorial business owner, and it wasn't going to be something she could just fall into without being engaged, active and organized.

She didn't ring me up expecting me to tell her not to worry, everything would be fine if she just dipped her toe in the water, had a group hug with a few friends and waited to see how things went.

She absolutely got the fact that there were things she needed to do, now and in the future, to have the best chance of developing a solid client base and regular work stream that would secure a sustainable income (as defined by her needs).

I threw the kitchen sink at her, and she caught it. And I suspect that because she’s holding that sink, she’s better prepared for what’s ahead, and highly likely to get where she wants to be.

Not everyone wants a kitchen sink thrown at them (which is fine), but then someone who doesn't want a sink probably shouldn't bother making the call in the first place. Imagine you paid a consultant fifty quid for some advice, and instead of offering you substantive ideas for your business development they just had a little chitchat with you for half an hour. Me? I’d feel short-changed. I’d want my money back!

Toe-dipping is fine if that's your preference, but don't expect a stranger to spend half an hour of their working day to have a chinwag with you about it. They've other things they could be doing with their time.

5. Show your gratitude
It’s such a simple thing, but saying "thank you" makes a huge difference. My caller followed up with an email that thanked me for the time I’d taken out of my busy schedule to help her.

She told me that our frank discussion had helped her no end, and given her the confidence to pursue her dream job but with her eyes wide open. She also told me that she’s already taken some of the steps I’d recommended and would follow through on the others as she moved through her planning process.

I’ll keep in touch with her. She impressed me with her professional and gracious attitude and I want to know how she gets on. I know that the time I gave her cost me something, but plenty of people give me free support and advice so that's fair enough – I'm happy to give my time, as long it's spent productively and the person who's contacted me has already put some work into thinking about the objectives of our discussion.

4 Comments

Richard Adin link

31/10/2013 05:09:17 am

Excellent article but I would add two more things:

1. Send an e-mail first that incorporates points 1 and 2 and ask what would be a good time for you to call. I am less willing to provide help during my normal business hours or when I am involved in a project that requires intensive concentration.

2. Ask for a maximum amount of time but indicate that if I want (not you want, but I want), you will be available for as long as I am willing to chat. If someone asks me for 30 minutes of time, I know what to schedule for, unlike if it is open-ended. Plus it provides a definite ending point. OTOH, saying you will be available for as long as I want to dispense advice tells me you value my advice and my time and my willingness to give the advice.

Louise Harnby

31/10/2013 05:37:35 am

Spot on, Rich. Excellent additions.

Elana

31/10/2013 10:06:39 am

Louise, your article is very useful. I admire and praise you for your business sense, years of experience, and no-nonsense approach.

I'd like to add this: a good dose of encouragement and a group hug (or even just a hug from a friend) are just as vital to finding your footing as a newbie exploring new (and downright frightening) career prospects as any step-by-step plan to getting there are.

I agree with Richard's comment. I have never cold-called anyone; I've emailed first with exactly the information you have outlined in your post, and with very clear goals.

Your time, wisdom, and input are very valuable, of course. However, instead of looking at the bottom line of your exchange as time/money you've lost, perhaps focusing on what you've given as a tremendous gift to someone might prove a better slant?

31/10/2013 01:06:20 pm

Hi Elana,

Absolutely agree - there's always a place for encouragement, support and hugs in from one's friends and colleagues! It's vital for new starters, but old hands, too. And that's why social media platforms, email and face-to-face networking are so important for people who work on their own. I was just trying to make it clear that it's much appreciated when a business owner isn't expected to do this in the middle of a time-consuming project with a looming deadline, which is so often the case for many of us. I'm not going to welcome having to break up my working day to hug a stranger for half an hour. It's simply not on. That's why I love Facebook, though, where there are a whole ton of editors and proofreaders hanging out, helping each other, chatting, congratulating or commiserating with each other. Same thing with the local SfEP chapter that I'm a member of. They're both fantastic for support and encouragement! So for me it's all about using different platforms to engage in the most appropriate ways.

As for the different slant, I used to do this. But therein lurks a danger because we're business owners first and foremost. I consider myself the owner of a proofreading business rather than a freelancer. And a business owner needs to keep a sharp eye on what her/his costs are and where her/his efficiencies are (and a whole load of other things, too!). Rich (who commented above) has written some immensely valuable posts on what he calls the Effective Hourly Rate, and these urge editors and proofreaders to account for all of their operating costs when working out whether their business model is sustainable. I've learned a lot from him about to put a professional hat on and look at the big picture. So I feel it would be remiss of me to ignore this issue and treat is as something that doesn't have a cost. The cost can still have positive benefits, of course. But it is a cost and it needs to be accounted for as such.

My take on this isn't a million miles away from the issue of training and other continued professional development. Taking classes to further one's skill base costs money, but there are massive benefits in terms of the acquired knowledge, the fun of meeting new colleagues, and the opportunity to get out of the home-office. But it still needs to be recognized as a business cost and budgeted for. Gifting is wonderful, but it's only free to the receiver. Given that business owners don't have unlimited time or a cost-free living existence, gifts still have to be accounted for, not because they're not worth giving (they are), not because they're not appreciated (they are), but because every professional business owner should be aware of what they're spending.