Ever wonder why that is?

Sure, it’s easy to make vague references to practice making perfect and the development of one’s writing “chops,” but what are we really talking about here? What is it about writing every day that makes the words come faster and better? What really happens between the ears of an experienced writer that makes the fingers fly?

I stumbled across a fascinating article by CUNY Writing Fellow Carlos Penaloza that offers some possible answers. Penaloza refers to several scholarly studies indicating that habitual activities actually rewire the brain, creating new biochemical pathways that make the activity progressively easier with repetition. The brain literally remodels itself based on what we do and how often we do it.

Why can that pole vaulter sail over the bar every time? Well, because he’s talented. But aside from that, he’s done it a zillion times more than you or I have. He’s trained his brain to issue the precise instructions his body needs to perform the vault at top efficiency. So it goes with writing — or any other occupation.

What’s more, it seems that habitual everyday writing makes it easier for us to finish a writing project once we start. I’ve rescued countless clients who set out to write their own marketing copy, only to get hopelessly stuck at some point in the proceedings. They knew what they meant to say, they certainly had the intelligence and eloquence to say it well, but they hadn’t sailed through choppy writing waters often enough to do much more than lash themselves to the mast and hope things work themselves out — a good way to end up in the middle of nowhere.

So when you hire a professional writer who bangs the keys every day, you’re employing the most efficient possible solution to your writing needs. A couple hours of a professional’s time will yield better results and cost you less than losing ten or twenty hours of expensive downtime to rusty writing neurons. The practiced writer’s brain is a high-speed writing machine that delivers quality work on a deadline. And best of all, it’s available for rental.

You can get inside this writer’s head by visiting www.reynoldswriting.com.

Do you wonder why more people don’t respond to your e-newsletters? I can’t give you a definite answer without actually taking a look for myself, and even then you’re getting my opinion, not your target audience’s. I can, however, tell you what turns me off. I get plenty of e-newsletters each month. I don’t read many of them. It’s not the medium — it’s the content.

Many of the people who send me e-newsletters have apparently mastered the art of ensuring that I won’t read them. For the rest of you on the borderline, here are a few things you can do to guarantee that I will NOT want to read your e-newsletter:

Don’t ask me if I want it. After all, we chatted at an industry event six months ago, right? Okay, we didn’t chat, but we met. Okay we didn’t actually meet, but we traded business cards. Okay, we didn’t trade cards but we were physically in the same room….None of this automatically means that I’m dying to receive regular emails from you. Ask me first.

Don’t allow me to opt out. Assuming I agreed to receive the e-newsletter, I still might want the option to remove myself from the email list at some point. If I don’t see that option, then I’ll have to opt YOU out instead — by sending all your emails to the spam bin.

Send massive amounts of content that I have no time to read. Most of us check our email on the fly in the midst of a busy workday. If that in-depth white paper or industry study looks like it’s going to seriously derail my forward momentum, I’ll put it aside — and it’ll never get read.

Send the same info over and over again. Tweaking 10 percent of your e-newsletter content each issue does not create a new experience for me.

Send me something every freaking (day/2 days/week/choose your own irritating interval). Even if it’s great stuff, send it too frequently and the signal turns to noise. I tune noise out. How frequently is “too frequently?” Ask your readers.

Send at irregular intervals. Are you publishing quarterly? Monthly? Randomly? Create a regular schedule and stick to it, because that’s what professionals do.

Ask me for money. Just — don’t.

For more about me, my writing services and current package deals, check out my website at www.reynoldswriting.com.

WR: How has your experience as a document management specialist helped you as a graphic designer?

JD: Document management involves the most efficient movement of information through a company. My knowledge of document management strategies has given me an edge when it comes to seeing the pieces I create and understanding what role they play in the company’s organization. I can visualize the documents I create in terms of how they reflect and complement the business’s overall branding and corporate philosophy, and how they will interact with other forms and documents to help make the company’s intended statement about itself.

WR: What’s the collaborative process between a graphic designer and copywriter?

JD: You and I both need the same information when we work on a project. We need to know the purpose of the piece, the target audience and what it needs to accomplish. You have your job and I have mine, but we both have to stay on the same page and make sure each of us knows all the answers to the critical questions. One thing we often find in working together is that the initial spark can start from either end. Your words might inspire a certain visual approach in my work, or I might give you an image and have you write to that image.

WR: What should someone look for when shopping around for a graphic designer?

JD: A portfolio with a varied style, something that shows range. If a designer’s work all conforms to one style, that designer may not have the flexibility to handle a wide range of jobs or clients. Make sure your designer is willing to look at your competitors’ marketing and use the styles that work best within your industry. Look for a designer who will put your needs first. I tend to think of myself as a salesperson first and a designer second. I love the creative side of the work, but it’s never just me trying to express myself on paper. I put my creativity at the service of the client because the priority, to me, is to give the client a final product that represents a high professional standard, makes an impression and affects the way the client is perceived in the marketplace. It’s about making sales, not pretty pictures.

WR: Why do you specialize in print marketing design in today’s multimedia world?

JD: Well, 15 years ago when I was starting out as a graphic designer, web design technologies weren’t as user-friendly as they are today. I preferred the real-time rendering and previewing I could get while working on a print piece. Also, I really like the physical nature of the finished product, holding that piece of paper with the full-color design printed on it. But I have strong networking relationships with web specialists and other types of designers, so I’m always happy to help a client who needs design for other media as well.

Well, putting aside mundane physical issues such as carpal tunnel syndrome or eyestrain for the moment, the average freelancer faces all kinds of emotional and financial bumps and bruises in the call of duty. Freelancers who focus on pitching stories or submitting fiction manuscripts have built up many layers of calluses from rejection after rejection — it’s part of the job description, regardless of writing quality. In the marketing world, copywriters seeking new clients may find themselves negotiating hidden booby-traps. Over the years I’ve gotten to the point where I can see some of these potential dangers lurking on the horizon from pretty far away, though once in a while I still get tripped up.

Anyway, here are a few red flags I’ve learned to identify. Hopefully they will help writers steer clear of bad situations while also helping well-intentioned business owners avoid throwing up one of these flags inadvertently.

“We just thought we’d pick your brain on the subject.” This usually means you’re being asked to contribute your expertise for free. You’ll have to decide, on a case-by-case basis, how much information you’re comfortable offering up on a writing project without the meter running. True, the client or prospect can’t use that information as well as a professional writer could, so if they’re smart they’ll hire you to do the actual heavy lifting anyway. But look out for the client who throws out this comment and then hangs on your every word, notepad in hand, and pumps you for an increasing level of detail about exactly what you would do — or you may not end up doing it.

“If this works out for everybody, we have tons of future work for you.” Expect a request for a severely discounted rate or perhaps even a deferred payment, with the “tons of future work” hanging in the air like some great mythical creature that’s certain to appear if you just make the proper sacrifice to it — that sacrifice being an acceptable pay rate. Stick to your guns. If the client truly does have a serious need for your future services, he will understand their value and pay accordingly.

“Write this sample story to show us how you’d write the assignments we’d be sending you.” While some of these requests are no doubt legit, it would be easy for a fly-by-night company to suck in a bunch of free “samples” like a literary Hoover — without actually hiring any of the submitting writers or paying for the articles. Your best bet is with the company that asks for a couple hundred words about your family dog, favorite tree, or some other topic that obviously doesn’t benefit them except as a sample of your style.

Don’t get me wrong, the outstanding majority of my writing experiences have been good ones. But recognizing a few of those red flags when they do pop up sure helps. You don’t have to be paranoid — just keep your eyes open.

Visit my website at www.reynoldswriting.com.

Of course it does. And that makes you a professional problem solver. We all need professional problem solvers — people who know way more than we do about how to resolve a given issue relatively quickly and effectively. Some of these professionals even share their knowledge and insights with us just because they can. These folks are the ones we really trust, the ones we go to time after time. They are OUR experts.

You may already have established that relationship with your clients. Now, how would you like to build the same relationship with thousands or millions of people you’ve never even met?

Take Bob Vila, for example. Everyone recognizes and acknowledges him as a master craftsman, an expert in the field of home building and remodeling, and I can assure you that 99% of the people who hold that opinion have never met him, hired him or worked with him. So why does everyone agree on his expertise? Because he shares it with us through his website, books and TV appearances. He’s always doling out useful information, in return for which we say, “There goes a guy who knows what he’s talking about. I could do worse than to take his advice.”

You can make yourself known as a trusted advisor too, by establishing your expertise in your field to a wide audience. Write articles, blog posts, and direct-mail or email pieces that solve common problems or answer common questions pertaining to your field (or hire a ghostwriter to translate your diamonds in the rough into polished gems). Hand out information. Help people. Add value.

Who will we trust first — a salesman who sends us generic monthly offers, or one who provides us with valuable insights and helpful tips on a regular basis? Which one is more likely to become our go-to guy when the time is right to do business?

You are a problem solver. Something about what you do brings people relief and makes their lives better. So share your gifts with the world — and receive a world of gifts.

Sometimes a business needs polishing or calibration, just as a piece of precision equipment might need periodic readjustment to remain in perfect working order. Have you allowed some slack into the mechanism? Have small inefficiencies conspired to create large problems over time? Allow me to suggest a few areas to check for signs of dust:

Time management. Do you have a firm grip on your schedule? Are you focusing on the daily activities that actually earn you money, or are you passively reacting to every emergency that decides to have its way with you? Stop and examine your calendar like a surgeon examining an X-ray. What items cutting or grafting to make your schedule perform for you the way it should?

Money management. As you can imagine, this relates directly to time management, but it also requires attention on its own. Has your business expanded beyond the capacity of your current money management plan? Have tiny extra expenditures here and there drained money from your budget in ways you never noticed? Now’s the time to pay attention. It may also be time to see where your business needs deeper investment before it can grow properly. Are you marketing yourself effectively? Do you need more staff or another location?

Strategy management. Sometimes a business requires a major shift in its target market, processes, or strategies. In my own business, for instance, I’ve decided to shift my primary focus to working directly with marketing companies instead of business owners. To that end, I’ve had to develop some new marketing incentives and strategies, such as a Preferred Vendors program that will offer special rates to marketing agencies, web firms and other “frequent flyers” that use my services on a regular monthly basis. Has your business evolved in a way that requires a new approach?

You may not be fond of cleanup chores — most of us aren’t — but I bet you appreciate a clean house.

Shizuku loves books. While her classmates occasionally hit the school library to do their homework or prepare for their high-school entrance exams, she’s there every day reading story after story. She also enjoys writing poems and song lyrics for her friends, and they seem impressed by her skill. But that’s as far as it goes, until one day she realizes that someone named Amasawa has already checked out all the books she’s currently reading.

Intrigued by this mysterious stranger with similar literary tastes, she decides to find out who he is. Seiji Amasawa turns out to be a classmate she’s never even talked to before, except to trade the occasional insult. The real surprise occurs when she learns that this “typical teenager” builds violins — and he’s serious enough about it to apply to a school in Cremona, Italy, the Mecca of violin making. As she slowly falls for this ambitious boy, she realizes that she’s reached a crossroads in her life. He has a dream — does she? He’s going halfway across the world for 10 years’ hard study to become a violin maker — is she ready to get serious about becoming a writer?

Shizuku makes a decision to push herself by writing her first full-length story in the two months that Seiji is visiting Italy for his initial evaluation as an apprentice. Anyone who has ever pushed themselves into uncharted territory will recognize the image of the girl slumped over her desk 24 hours a day, pen in hand, neglecting her schoolwork, not eating, not (intentionally) sleeping, and scared to death she doesn’t have it in her after all. She doesn’t know what she’s doing, she hates the story’s second half, she’s ready to burst into tears when she hands the manuscript to Seiji’s kindly old grandpa to read — but she’s done it. She’s a writer.

At some point, this movie seems to say, we have to take that first step forward into the danger zone of What Am I without waiting for the bright light of certainty to illuminate our path. I believe that’s true. It’s true for writers, violin makers, entrepreneurs, or anyone else who seeks to transform his or her life.

This movie reminded me of how scary it can be to write that first story or attempt that new thing, whatever it may be. Writing is frightening. Going for what we want is frightening. Living is frightening — if we’re doing it right.

Just as fear and negativity can make a bad market even worse, so may positive energy and ambition spark good developments. A new year tends to reset the clock, psychologically speaking. That’s why I’m determined to create new products and services and grow my writing business this year.

How about you?

Take a moment to reflect on the following questions:

Is your brand still relevant? Are you still saying what your customers need and want to hear? Has your business model or philosophy changed in the past year, or do you want to change it going forward?

Are you taking full advantage of your opportunities? Have you constructed a sound online brand presence? Are you using the many tools available to businesses nowadays such as Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs, and other social media applications?

Do you refresh your marketing content regularly? Staying in front of your target market on a regular basis means putting out a constant stream of new and useful information.

Are you networked? Do you interact with other businesspeople regularly in chambers, networking groups, mixers, and association meetings? Have you developed mutually beneficial relationships with potential clients and referral partners, and if so, do you have a consistent plan for maintaining them?

We all need to remind ourselves of these basic marketing practices from time to time, and I can think of no better time than right now. Let’s make the new year something really new!

WR: What is ionadas local all about?

BC: ionadas local is a search marketing and social media firm dedicated to helping local business owners promote their products and services. Our primary specialty is optimization for Google Maps listings. If you were to search for “Austin coffee shops,” for example, there might be 7 items that pop up next to the map at the top of the search results page. I help customers get found in those listings by helping them use the right keywords.

WR: How important is geography in getting your business found on the Web?

BC: It’s critically important in relation to certain keywords. About a year and half ago I was called in to help a client in the travel industry. That company was experiencing a 20% drop in Google-based traffic and about a 25% drop in sales from Google. Meanwhile, all of their ranking tools indicated that everything was fine, that they were still ranking second for this keyword or third for that keyword over the past month. We discovered that for a very large proportion of their keywords, Google was now returning the map listing. Because of the size of the map image, their listing was now being displayed “below the fold,” meaning that people wouldn’t even see it without scrolling down. This was causing a substantial drop in their search effectiveness and a disproportionately big drop in sales.

WR: So, is now the time for local companies to get onboard with Google Maps optimization to make sure they’re seen at the top of that results page?

BC: Yes. Eventually Google Maps may lose some of its value if it becomes overrun and overused, but at the moment it’s relatively unburdened by the big lead aggregators, the companies that buy leads and then sell them off — for example, Lending Tree distributes mortgage information to 3 or 4 companies. These lead aggregators have a financial advantage over an individual mortgage company that can only capture the value of that lead one time. But with Google Maps you have to have an actual physical address to get a listing, and that extra detail has kept the lead aggregators from dominating in that arena. So it’s the good old-fashioned local companies that are coming up on those queries.

WR: Tell me about your company’s setup and training services for businesses who want to manage their own social media and online marketing campaigns.

BC: Well, it makes more financial sense for these businesses to run their own search and social media marketing than to outsource it. We teach them how to fish, rather than doing the fishing for them. Also, I believe a lot of the value of social media comes from the interface between the company and its prospective customers. You can’t really outsource that direct dialogue, you have to conduct it yourself. We come up with strategic plans and train our clients on how to implement those plans.

Social media for business is very different from just chatting with your friends online — it has a lot of value as a marketing tool, but only if you take it seriously and engage the right people to come up with the right plan.

For us entrepreneurs who have only X amount of time to earn Y amount of money, time management may be the most important skill we’ll ever learn. This applies not only to sole proprietors or micro-businesses but to large companies — in fact, the bigger and faster a business grows, the more money can be lost from tiny individual inefficiencies that add up to a massive waste of time. We must always ask ourselves which activities earn us money and which tie up our time and inhibit our money-making ability. Then we need to offload those time-wasting tasks so we can free up more time for the money-making tasks. Makes sense, right?

Creating professional-quality marketing copy is one of those necessary tasks that can propel a business to the next level of fame and profitability, but the time investment is brutal, especially for a non-writer. One of the reason so many people — including some writers! — fear writing is the fact that it demands so much time, skill, and mental energy. I’ve been doing it professionally for 13 years now and I can tell you from experience that it’s draining, so much so that I have to limit my daily output just to prevent serious burnout. So if it can tire an experienced pro, how exhausting must it be for someone who does something totally different for a living?

Your business needs you. Yes, it needs marketing copy too, but doesn’t it make a lot more sense to delegate that task to a professional and devote yourself to the daily tasks you must perform to keep the money rolling in?

“But I can’t afford to hire a writer.” Well, that depends on what your own billable time is worth to your company’s bottom line. How many of those hours will your company lose while you sweat over a blank screen or page?

I once remarked at a networking meeting that a professional writer can accomplish more in a few hours than a non-writer, burdened with a host of other responsibilities, could manage in a week; I heard several business owners muttering to each other, “More like 2 weeks,” “You mean 3 weeks,” “For me, 3 months,” et cetera. Well, that’s time leveraging — you hand the job over to a professional who charges a handsome rate but does the job in so much less time that you still come out way ahead. Plus, you can be reasonably certain the the final product will actually be good enough to help your business make money. That’s what marketing is supposed to do, after all. How stupid would you feel to have spent all that time (money!) and frustration writing copy that doesn’t even work for you?

Most of us already practice this kind of delegation in some way or other. I could do my own taxes, for instance, but it would take me forever and I’d probably miss a lot of valuable deductions or make expensive mistakes because I’m not up on the tax laws. By paying a fair sum to a good professional CPA, I can rest assured that I’ll get a more effective result without stressing myself out and wasting huge amounts of time. In the end, I’ve earned far more in reclaimed time than I’ve spent on the accounting fee. And if it makes sense for accounting, it makes sense for any other aspect of your business that can be farmed out effectively to a qualified pro.

I’ll bet your time is worth a lot to you. Spend it wisely.