Did you know that attending the AMWA Annual Conference can generate thousands of dollars in revenue? That’s what happened for Christine Welniak, of the Empire State-New York Chapter, who made a point of meeting an online colleague for coffee at one annual conference. Six months later, the colleague referred her to a new client that generated $32,000 in billables in the first year. This same experience could happen to any of us (but, sadly, probably not all of us). Even if you don’t gain thousands in revenue, attending the AMWA Annual Conference will be your best business decision all year.
“Attending the AMWA annual conference is my most important marketing expense each year,” says Welniak. She adds that planning for revenue-generating expenses eases the pain of cash outlay. “I started putting money aside in my business savings account in July to pay for the hotel at the AMWA conference. That way, it’s just a little each month, and I won’t have to come up with a large sum all at once,” she says.
Welniak and Jeanne McAdara-Berkowitz, PhD, of the Rocky Mountain Chapter, who she met at another AMWA annual conference, will discuss their ecosystem approach to building relationships and generating referrals in their conference seminar “Cultivating Your Ecosystem to Build Your Business and Brand.” In this seminar, you will learn how to build and leverage a thriving ecosystem that markets your business for you.
Welniak is also teaming up with Melissa Wanner, PharmD, of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter, to present “Spending Money Wisely to Increase Your Freelance Business,” where they will discuss ways to invest in your business to grow your revenue. The best way to invest varies by freelance, says Welniak. “It may be enhancing your professional image, developing an online presence, doing a formal marketing campaign, outsourcing certain tasks, attending conferences, or investing in relationships.” You can learn about the variety of revenue-generating activities you can consider for your business, what the investment might total, and how to include them in your 2014 budget at their conference seminar.
Growing your business—and your revenue—is a challenge for many freelances, and a SWOT analysis may help. Think SWOT is only for big businesses? Think again. “Freelances at any stage of their career can use a SWOT analysis to better market themselves and their businesses,” says Cyndy Kryder, MS. She and fellow veteran freelance Brian Bass, both of the Delaware Valley Chapter, will teach you how in “Use a SWOT Analysis to Rejuvenate Your Freelance Career and Better Market Your Business.”
Growing a likable personal brand is another integral part of growing a career and/or a business. Oft-cited research from the Harvard Business Review stresses that likeability is part of what drives people in work environments to want to work with other people. Robin Whitsell, BPh, of the Carolinas Chapter, will lead “Do You Need a Brand?,” which offers an interactive discussion of the topic. Whitsell notes that, in building a brand, the impact of social media networking cannot be downplayed. “We will discuss the impact of social media, including LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter on building a brand, and I will outline strategies for how to isolate one’s professional brand /social media interactions from personal social media use.”
When your marketing is successful, you gain new clients. But did you know that freelances are typically driven to take on new clients by irrational factors? For instance, Ed Gandia, freelance copywriter and co-founder of International Freelancers Academy, argues that we freelances are often so anxious about prospecting for work, if clients find us, we feel compelled to take them on whether they are a good fit for us or not. If this description chimes with you, maybe it’s time to get out of that anxiety pit and develop the art of client qualification. In “Qualify your Clients and Increase your Bottom Line,” Alexandra Howson, PhD, CCMEP, of the Northwest Chapter, and Kristen Phiel, MS, of the Rocky Mountain Chapter, will discuss the characteristics of ideal clients and describe questions to ask your prospects to make an informed decision about whether you should work with a potential client.
Once you have that client, maintaining a good client relationship is crucial. Are you handling your clients in a way that earns you respect and enhances your reputation? In “The P.A.T.H. from Writer to Consultant,” invited speaker Jason Berkowitz, VP of Client Services, Seven Step RPO, will tell you how to position yourself as a valued consultant to strengthen your client relationships. “The ‘T’ in ‘PATH’ in my seminar is ‘Turn a Yellow into a Green or a Red’,” says Berkowitz. “As a consultant, it is your duty to identify small risks and problems early in any process and call them out before they become big problems. Think of it this way: would you rather have a frank discussion now about the reality of meeting a tight deadline, or a big blowup later if the deadline is missed? Many writers and editors know instinctively, based on their years of experience, when a timeline is too aggressive or a client’s own internal approval process is likely to delay things, but they shy away from conflict for fear of alienating their client,” explains Berkowitz. He will discuss and give examples of how a client actually expects (and respects) your expertise, and describe how this type of creative conflict is actually good for the relationship.
These sessions are just a few of the many open sessions, roundtable discussions, and workshops at the AMWA Annual Conference designed to help freelance medical writers and editors enhance their knowledge and skills in maintaining a successful business. Also offered in the Freelance track are popular returning sessions, such as “MBA for Freelances” and “Dial 911: More Emergencies in Medical Writing.” And perhaps the icing on the freelance cake is “The Great Freelance Rate Debate,” featuring incoming AMWA President, Brian Bass, and Past President Elizabeth Smith, of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter, who will argue the age-old debate of project fee versus hourly rate. You’ll want to take sides and join the fun at this session!
Freelance medical communication is a science, an art, and a business. Learn about all aspects of freelance medical communication at the AMWA Annual Conference in Columbus, OH, November 6-9, 2013. Check out the Freelance Track in the registration brochure to learn more about the freelance sessions, as well as a wealth of other outstanding sessions aimed at enhancing your practical skills and knowledge and networking events to put you in touch with new colleagues. (Can you say “more money”?)
Expand your horizons and register today!
“Attending the AMWA annual conference is my most important marketing expense each year,” says Welniak. She adds that planning for revenue-generating expenses eases the pain of cash outlay. “I started putting money aside in my business savings account in July to pay for the hotel at the AMWA conference. That way, it’s just a little each month, and I won’t have to come up with a large sum all at once,” she says.
Welniak and Jeanne McAdara-Berkowitz, PhD, of the Rocky Mountain Chapter, who she met at another AMWA annual conference, will discuss their ecosystem approach to building relationships and generating referrals in their conference seminar “Cultivating Your Ecosystem to Build Your Business and Brand.” In this seminar, you will learn how to build and leverage a thriving ecosystem that markets your business for you.
Welniak is also teaming up with Melissa Wanner, PharmD, of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter, to present “Spending Money Wisely to Increase Your Freelance Business,” where they will discuss ways to invest in your business to grow your revenue. The best way to invest varies by freelance, says Welniak. “It may be enhancing your professional image, developing an online presence, doing a formal marketing campaign, outsourcing certain tasks, attending conferences, or investing in relationships.” You can learn about the variety of revenue-generating activities you can consider for your business, what the investment might total, and how to include them in your 2014 budget at their conference seminar.
Growing your business—and your revenue—is a challenge for many freelances, and a SWOT analysis may help. Think SWOT is only for big businesses? Think again. “Freelances at any stage of their career can use a SWOT analysis to better market themselves and their businesses,” says Cyndy Kryder, MS. She and fellow veteran freelance Brian Bass, both of the Delaware Valley Chapter, will teach you how in “Use a SWOT Analysis to Rejuvenate Your Freelance Career and Better Market Your Business.”
Growing a likable personal brand is another integral part of growing a career and/or a business. Oft-cited research from the Harvard Business Review stresses that likeability is part of what drives people in work environments to want to work with other people. Robin Whitsell, BPh, of the Carolinas Chapter, will lead “Do You Need a Brand?,” which offers an interactive discussion of the topic. Whitsell notes that, in building a brand, the impact of social media networking cannot be downplayed. “We will discuss the impact of social media, including LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter on building a brand, and I will outline strategies for how to isolate one’s professional brand /social media interactions from personal social media use.”
When your marketing is successful, you gain new clients. But did you know that freelances are typically driven to take on new clients by irrational factors? For instance, Ed Gandia, freelance copywriter and co-founder of International Freelancers Academy, argues that we freelances are often so anxious about prospecting for work, if clients find us, we feel compelled to take them on whether they are a good fit for us or not. If this description chimes with you, maybe it’s time to get out of that anxiety pit and develop the art of client qualification. In “Qualify your Clients and Increase your Bottom Line,” Alexandra Howson, PhD, CCMEP, of the Northwest Chapter, and Kristen Phiel, MS, of the Rocky Mountain Chapter, will discuss the characteristics of ideal clients and describe questions to ask your prospects to make an informed decision about whether you should work with a potential client.
Once you have that client, maintaining a good client relationship is crucial. Are you handling your clients in a way that earns you respect and enhances your reputation? In “The P.A.T.H. from Writer to Consultant,” invited speaker Jason Berkowitz, VP of Client Services, Seven Step RPO, will tell you how to position yourself as a valued consultant to strengthen your client relationships. “The ‘T’ in ‘PATH’ in my seminar is ‘Turn a Yellow into a Green or a Red’,” says Berkowitz. “As a consultant, it is your duty to identify small risks and problems early in any process and call them out before they become big problems. Think of it this way: would you rather have a frank discussion now about the reality of meeting a tight deadline, or a big blowup later if the deadline is missed? Many writers and editors know instinctively, based on their years of experience, when a timeline is too aggressive or a client’s own internal approval process is likely to delay things, but they shy away from conflict for fear of alienating their client,” explains Berkowitz. He will discuss and give examples of how a client actually expects (and respects) your expertise, and describe how this type of creative conflict is actually good for the relationship.
These sessions are just a few of the many open sessions, roundtable discussions, and workshops at the AMWA Annual Conference designed to help freelance medical writers and editors enhance their knowledge and skills in maintaining a successful business. Also offered in the Freelance track are popular returning sessions, such as “MBA for Freelances” and “Dial 911: More Emergencies in Medical Writing.” And perhaps the icing on the freelance cake is “The Great Freelance Rate Debate,” featuring incoming AMWA President, Brian Bass, and Past President Elizabeth Smith, of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter, who will argue the age-old debate of project fee versus hourly rate. You’ll want to take sides and join the fun at this session!
Freelance medical communication is a science, an art, and a business. Learn about all aspects of freelance medical communication at the AMWA Annual Conference in Columbus, OH, November 6-9, 2013. Check out the Freelance Track in the registration brochure to learn more about the freelance sessions, as well as a wealth of other outstanding sessions aimed at enhancing your practical skills and knowledge and networking events to put you in touch with new colleagues. (Can you say “more money”?)
Expand your horizons and register today!
As a freelance, I have always considered attending the AMWA Annual Conference as both an investment in myself and a reward for a year's worth of hard work. That investment started paying off after the second conference I attended many years ago. I happened to be sitting at a luncheon table with a woman who was director of PR and Marketing at a large hospital in Philadelphia, where my husband and I were fairly new residents. She was interested in the fact that I had a degree in journalism and had worked in hospital PR, so we exchanged business cards. When I returned home, I became quickly immersed in a new project and, against my own advice, didn't follow up on this "lead." In fact, I had almost forgotten about the encounter when, nearly a year later, I got a call from this woman asking if I'd be interested in doing a project for her. I said I would and she immediately assigned it to me, without asking for a résumé or samples of my work. I subsequently did many projects for her, making far more than it cost me to attend the AMWA Conference. BUT, attending the Annual Conference is not just about finding potential clients. It's about learning new skills, discovering new interests, and meeting new people, many who become friends for life. Don't miss out on it!
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