Freelancefolder

10 Amazing Free Online Writing Courses

Posted September 5, 2010 in Tools/Resources, Writing

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Do you have a degree or formal training in writing?

If you answered “no,” you can still pick up some crucial writing skills. There are a number of free online writing courses for the shrewd freelancer to take advantage of.

Writing skills are important for all freelancers. If you think about it, we freelancers do an awful lot of writing. We write emails to clients, we write content for our websites, we write proposals, and so on.

However, all of that writing won’t do us any good if it’s full of mistakes. You can learn to improve your writing skills at no cost to you.

In this post, we list ten free online writing courses. We also discuss what to expect from a free online course and explain how you can find more courses.

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How to Land More Projects with Smarter Follow-Up Steps

Posted September 3, 2010 in How-To, Marketing

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You’ve prepared a solid proposal for a new prospect. You’ve covered all your bases and made a convincing case for why you’re the ideal person for the project.

Now the waiting begins.

A day goes by without a call back. Then another. And another. You’re beginning to wonder if the prospect received your email. Maybe she went with someone else?

Should you call? Should you wait another day or two? Will following up make her think you’re desperate for work? But what if you don’t call? Will she think you’re not interested?

While there’s no one right approach to following up on proposals, the key to any follow-up process is to strike a balance. Sure, you want the work. But, you don’t want to turn off the prospect or client with too many follow-up calls and emails.

By following the steps below, I’ve been able to significantly increase my success rate and reduce the number of opportunities that seem to go nowhere. (Note: for the sake of convenience, I’ll be referring to the prospect as “she.”)

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The Client Machine is On Sale Now!

Posted September 2, 2010 in News

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It’s been months of hard work and many sleepless nights, but the day has finally arrived — The Client Machine on sale now!
 
For the next 5 days we will be selling it at a 40% discount — so if you’ve been thinking about buying, now is probably the best time. As always, we are including a 100% money-back guarantee :-)
 
That’s all there is to say for now. Check out the landing page to learn more about the theme, and let us know what you think in the comments!
 
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Why & How Freelancers Should Exercise (from Fitness Expert Scott Tousignant)

Posted September 1, 2010 in Interviews, Lifestyle

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As freelancers, our biggest assets are our minds and bodies. If we get sick, we can’t do any work. If our minds are foggy, we can’t produce our best. Therefore, we don’t make any money or as much money as we could.

Unfortunately, the care of our bodies is not always a top priority for many freelancers. It’s easy to get caught up in all our work–particularly because we enjoy it so much.

Plus, if you work from home, you have fewer reasons and opportunities to get up, walk and move. I know of at least one writer who can sit in front of her computer for up to six hours straight!

That can’t be good for anybody. In fact, research has shown that sitting for most of the day puts us at higher risk for obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers.

Scott Tousignant, a fitness expert, recently agreed to share information about the importance of fitness for freelancers. I’d like to share with you a brief excerpt from that interview.

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