Problems Solved!

Tapping the wisdom of our colleagues yielded fresh insights for independent communicators who attended the Nov. 9th SF/IABC problem-solving session. Though somewhat loathe to admit we do, in fact, face some daunting challenges in running our businesses, we presented these problem scenarios and learned about strategies, tactics and resources that might provide solutions.

Challenge: Reposition and market a mature consulting practice to shift the focus from internal, corporate communications to external, non-profit communications.

Solution: Volunteering for non-profits whose mission you embrace would allow you to build an impressive portfolio of relevant skills, as well as valuable contacts and references. When you market to non-profits, listen to the language they use when they talk about their mission, and understand the “ethos of passion” that pervades their culture. Learn to use the “dialect” when you present your ideas. And be prepared to offer a discounted rate for your services — but make it clear that they’re getting the “non-profit rate.”

Challenge: Present a big-company image to customers who call a one-person shop that uses a network of contractors to deliver projects.

Solution: A voice mail service that provides a toll-free 800 number with several extensions and professional voice recordings can direct callers to the contractors home office or cell phone numbers. The service allows callers to leave messages for the appropriate person and funnels phone traffic away from sole proprietor. Services such as GotVMail cost about $250 to set up and $20 per month plus toll-free number usage fees.

Challenge: In addition to the every-day work of a consultant, deliver a book manuscript to the publisher on schedule—despite a serious case of writer’s block and pre-publication nerves.

Solution: Hire a “developmental editor” to evaluate your manuscript and advice you how to move past the “stuck spot” to get it done. Services may include light editing to polish the text and ghostwriting to in fill any gaps. To make sure you stay on schedule, set aside time every day to write, and avoid re-editing previous work. Read just enough to refresh your memory and resume writing, non-stop, until you hit the day’s milestone. And send the manuscript to trusted colleagues for honest feedback—even if it’s hard to hear.

Challenge: Too much work and too little time!

Solution: Delegate undesirable work, or work outside your core competency, to qualified sub-contractors. Ask for referrals from your colleagues for services such as transcription, proofreading, desktop publishing, accounting and general office management tasks. Be sure to bill clients for your project management time, and build the sub-contractor fees into your rates. Check with your tax adviser on the threshold for filing Form 1099s for sub-contractors.

Challenge: Give priority to priority clients without exceeding capacity and/or degrading services.

Solution: Negotiate a retainer that reserves time in your schedule to work for your best customers. If that's not doable, build a cushion into your schedule that gives you some flexibility in taking on new projects. For example, designating one day a week for business development leaves a slot open for billable time. Charge a premium for rush jobs, as well as for jobs that slip their schedule by more than 30 days.

That’s just a sampling of solutions our ICR members came up with. Look for the next collaborative problem-solving session on our 2007 event calendar.