Many business owners just scrape by, serving clients who are struggling themselves. But in spite of the economy, there are many businesses and people who have been unaffected and are willing to pay for premium-level services and products. Read more

Clients and students often ask me, “C.J., you always seem to have a million things going on. How do you keep track of it all?” Their questions imply that they believe I am more organized, focused, or productive than the average bear. Personally, I’m not so sure that’s true. You should see my desk, for example! But I do have a system, and in honor of New Year’s resolution-makers everywhere, I’m going to share it with y’all. Read more

Joan Friedlander and Frank Traditi interview C.J. for Beyond Billable Hours. In this audio workshop, you’ll learn how an effective business model can make the difference between having a sustainable business and struggling, burning out, or giving up. Read more

A bit of a trick question with just one answer — yes! — but it often meets with varying responses. Some business owners don’t want to choose one, and others had never really considered it (shouldn’t I be willing to work with anyone who is breathing Read more

Do you know how your website fits into the overall marketing strategy for your business? Do you have a strategy for your website as a marketing tool? If you’re like many self-employed professionals I speak with, you probably don’t. Read more

When you’re selling your services and find that you’re getting appointments but not making sales, your sales presentation itself may be the culprit. To improve how you present yourself and what you do, be prepared with a presentation script. Read more

If you’ve been in business for more than five minutes, you already know that the best way for any self-employed professional to get clients is by referral. But the process of building sufficient word of mouth to produce the number of clients you need can seem daunting. Read more

Browse the Internet, read the newspaper, or thumb through a magazine, and you’re bound to see an article advising you to use your network to help you grow your business. But how exactly do you do that? Read more

Have you been wondering what would take to grow your business at a rate faster than the market? Many business owners keep their nose to the grindstone. They work hard at their craft and delight in serving their customers. Read more

Doing a good job at follow-up is a piece of cake. You just capture every lead or potential referral partner you run across, then place a call or send them something, or both. If you don’t make a sale right away, you calendar them for the next follow-up and do the same thing again. Pretty straightforward, isn’t it? So why is follow-up such a problem? Here are the four most common reasons, and what you can do about them:

1. Prioritization. With an activity that you must initiate, it’s easy to let other tasks come first: responding to incoming calls and mail, reading what drifts into your inbox or crosses your desk, going to meetings and conferences, and oh yes, doing the client work you get paid for.

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