Customers of commodity products and services have traditionally been interested in two things: price and availability. On the other hand, white papers have been associated with high-value solutions that fulfill a specific market niche and as a result, command a higher price.

So if you have a business that produces a commodity product or service, can white papers be used to gain new customers, grow market share, and provide a unique differentiation over the competition?

The answer is: Yes!

There are two components associated with using white papers in a commodity-driven market space: education and repetition.

First, the use of white papers that provide high-quality, informative content can educate a customer and gain a unique position for a commodity product or service.

Let’s use the example of a commodity business-to-business service that is often determined on price-oriented basis: carpet cleaning. Some ideas for white papers in this area might be:

* How to Double Your Flooring’s Life and Value With High-Traffic Business Carpeting

* Understanding Steam Cleaning:  Three Principles That Any Carpet Cleaning Service Should Know

* Lower Your Health Care Costs:  The Relationship Between Allergies and Carpets

The idea here is to educate the market with high-quality information that might not have been known before. This new level of knowledge allows an audience to view the commodity in a new and different light, providing greater credibility to the service provider. As any marketer will tell you, getting your customer to remember your brand is half of the battle. The development and distribution of white papers using this educational approach provides a clear differentiation for the commodity provider, effectively separating it from the rest of the pack.

Will the distribution of a single white paper automatically translate into a huge sales spike? Probably not. That’s where the second part of this strategy is applied: repetition.

To change the perception of a product, service or brand, repetition must be an integral part of that strategy. By continuing the practice of publishing educational white papers over an extended period of time, a ‘value-oriented’ message is married to that commodity brand. The repetitive publication of value-oriented, educational white papers ultimately changes the perception of an otherwise commodity product/service to one that has incremental value. At that point it is up to the marketer to translate this increased awareness into either a higher price, or simply greater volume.

Can white papers alone overcome a huge price disadvantage? Again, probably not. But in a commodity market space where prices are relatively similar, customers will look to other factors to make their purchase decision. In this case, the addition of informative white papers may be just enough to plant that brand in the customer’s mind and sway an otherwise pure price decision in favor of the white paper marketer.

About the Author:  Jonathan Kantor is the principal of The Appum Group, “The White Paper Company,” an organization specializing in white papers for the business community. You can read his blog at WhitePaperPundit.com.

Let’s start with a question: Why use graphics? “There’s a connection between visual appeal and comprehension,” says Jonathan Kantor of The Appum Group. “We’re attracted to visually appealing and pleasing design elements, and making a white paper more visually appealing helps readers grasp important messages about products.”
Roger C. Parker, author of Design to Sell, views graphics from a slightly different angle: “Words have to be read, but visuals provide instant communication. Properly used, graphics let you add a visual element to your message. They can engage readers by visually telling a story.”

Using Graphics the Right Way
Illustrations help readers get a handle on complex information, Kantor says.  He advises using them to show how a solution works. For example, use an illustration to depict a problem facing a company or industry and to show how the solution successfully addresses the problem.

Kantor says charts are for validation: “Charts are a way to authenticate statistical data and trends. Charts take a bunch of static data points and show them in a more visually appealing way or show trends within that data.”

According to Parker, photos show readers exactly what a person, place or thing looks like, but overusing them can be disastrous: “Many white papers contain large photographs of ‘typical employees’ meeting in a conference room, shaking hands, or gathered around a computer monitor. Often, these photographs are so contrived that their origin as stock photography is painfully obvious. These generic photographs are not only uselessly decorative, but—worse—they distract from the all-important messages of the white paper.”

White Space and Other Weapons
One important type of graphic isn’t a graphic at all: white space.

White space in the margins adds “air” around your message, Parker says, projecting an attractive, easy-to-read impression. Examples of effective use of white space are bulleted and numbered lists, which organize information and increase white space, which draws the reader’s attention.

Kantor says white space is prime real estate for vital call-outs:  “White space is more than just a design point, it’s the best place for call-out quotes. A call-out contains the single most important point made on a page and because it fits in a white space and has nothing around it, it naturally draws reader attention. Call-outs are also one of the first things that ’skim readers’ who flip quickly through a white paper notice.”

Parker salutes subheads as the most useful tool for making a white paper easier to read: “Subheads within the text ‘advertise’ upcoming topics. You should introduce every new topic with a short, telegraphic subhead that is limited to one line and key ideas.”

You don’t hear much about the shaded text box, but Kantor urges you to use it. “For this, you put a box around a portion of text, and you give it a very light shading so it stands out from the body of the copy,” he says. “This is a great way to attract reader attention, but you must use it judiciously, usually only once in a white paper and for the single most important point in the entire paper, such as a finding from a research study that validates a key point.”

Graphics can energize your white paper, but overuse them and your paper becomes a mess. “Because they are so easily added, graphics can add clutter and distractions that interfere with your white paper’s ability to communicate your message,” Parker says. “Before adding any graphic, ask yourself, ‘How will this graphic enhance the communicating power of my white paper?’”

Listen to the experts: Use illustrations to convey complex information clearly, use charts to make statistics more appealing, and use photos sparingly. Realize the awesome power of white space and the shaded text box, and there’s no substitute for subheads. Follow these guidelines to give your words a power surge that will electrify your readers.

Start Someplace Else
I’ve always hated titles, and trying to think of the perfect one can sink me before I start.  So the answer is simple:  I don’t start with the title. I find that once I’ve written the copy, the solution jumps out of the pages.  Maybe it’s a quote I’ve chosen, or something still in my notes that I didn’t use due to lack of room.  Of course you can use this concept to fight any part of the paper that’s your nemesis:  the opening or closing paragraph, the subheads, whatever.  If the words aren’t coming, leave a hole (maybe mark it somehow) and come back to that section later.

Start Highlighting
Sometimes I’m able to keep the various points I know I want to include straight in my head, but when I can’t, I feel like I’m sinking into quicksand. So I go through my paperwork, highlight what I think is particularly important, and then number everything.  Don’t misunderstand; the numbers don’t necessarily indicate any final order.  That comes next.

Make an Outline
So now that I know what I really want to include (at least initially) I sort through and see what goes with what.  I might see that quote number “1,” from exec A, is greatly reinforced by a statistic I have someplace else, labeled “23.”  Together they inspire a common heading that I put down on paper. Eventually I have an outline. I may do more cutting/pasting before I have the final, but that’s OK—and it’s a lot easier with a computer!

Rehearse a Presentation
Pretend you’re facing an audience interested in what this paper discusses and talk it out.  I started using this technique when I had to give a presentation about my services at events like chamber of commerce meetings. I locked myself in another room and, working from my outline, spoke it out loud. I found that, inevitably, I would discover points to delete or add as I talked. This method helps me better arrange my outline, and I think of strong phrasing designed to meet my audience’s needs.

Put It Aside
A standard rule, whatever you’re writing:  when you’re stuck, walk away. Either literally leave (good for fighting neck cramps and other chronic desk-related problems) or work on something else, like phone calls.

Recognize When You’re Dawdling
Maybe this project bores you.  Maybe it’s one you took on just because there were some unexpected bills to pay. So you’re really not blocked—you’re stalling.  Be honest with yourself, square your shoulders (good for fighting the neck cramps noted above) and get moving.

Try a New Market
In health care communications, a great debate is whether to specialize in one topic, like cardiology.  I find that being a generalist—one minute in neurology, another in women’s health—keeps me refreshed, but I have worked in industries totally outside health care. So if you’ve always focused on accounting, for example, maybe it’s time to explore another arena, at least for a while.

About the Author:  Wendy Meyeroff is president of WM Medical Communications in Baltimore, Maryland. She has worked with companies in engineering, beauty, and computers/technology, although the majority of her work since 1987 has been for companies in health care, including non-profits, hospitals, private practices, and major corporations. You can find her online at www.wmmedcomm.com.

Then take this idea a step further, Bryan says. After you consider at what point in the buying process the reader is, think about where you want him or her to go next. When you have a clear picture of where readers start and where you want them to finish, you can write copy that guides them along the path to purchasing your product.

No Outrageous Claims
Don’t make your product’s benefits sound too good to be true, Eisenberg says. “I often read white papers that are solidly constructed, but all of a sudden there’s an outrageous claim that can’t be substantiated, which immediately disqualifies everything else in the paper. Make sure that your prospect realizes that your claims make sense. If readers question the validity of something you’ve written, you erode their confidence in the information you’ve given them.”

It’s vitally important to describe benefits clearly for the reader. Eisenberg recommends trying this exercise: After you’ve described a benefit, ask yourself the question, “Which means?” This helps you break down benefits into the simplest, most understandable terms. “You may have to ask this question a number of times until you get to the heart of what your product actually means for the reader,” Bryan says.

Ask for the Sale
Don’t waste your efforts to persuade the reader by not asking for the sale. Make it easy for the reader to take action, Bryan says, by listing contact information—including phone number, address, email address, Twitter ID and URL—on every page of your document instead of just at the end. And make each piece of information clickable. “It’s truly amazing the number of people who are too lazy to copy and paste!”

To persuade readers to buy, put yourself in their shoes, both in terms of where they are and where you want them to go. Don’t make outrageous claims—your readers won’t believe them. Be crystal clear when you describe benefits and don’t forget to ask for the sale.

“Every piece of content that you publish can persuade or dissuade your prospects,” concludes Eisenberg, who co-wrote the best-selling books Persuasive Online Copywriting and Call to Action. “All too often, I see content that is just meant to fill blank spaces. Why wouldn’t you put your best foot forward every single time and make your written communication something that promotes your business and asks the reader to buy?”

During his highly popular White Paper Success Summit in February, Stelzner advertised for an apprentice to learn his method of writing white papers and to write for one of his clients. Applicants pored over materials from the Summit and after the event went through a demanding selection process overseen by Stelzner, author of the best-selling book, Writing White Papers: How to Capture Readers and Keep Them Engaged. Apryl Parcher snared the coveted apprenticeship.

A stellar group of scribes competed for the chance to get hands-on, one-on-one training from Stelzner. “There were many talented people who attended the Summit and competed for the apprenticeship,” said Apryl, whose business, Apryl Parcher Copywriting Services , is based in Chesapeake City, Maryland. “It was quite a shock to find out that I won. It’s a great honor!”

A Challenging Process
Stelzner didn’t make the process easy. It began with a multiple-choice exam and only those who tallied 95% or higher—a group of 15 applicants—survived to move on to the second round. For round two, the applicants revisited college days by taking a comprehensive five-page written exam. Based on the results, five people proceeded to the final challenge, one-on-one phone interviews with Stelzner in which he tested their ability to communicate well.

Stelzner calls Apryl the best of the best: “All of the candidates were exceptionally well-qualified. What made Apryl unique was that she invested heavily in her personal development outside of the White Paper Success Summit. She has done a lot to develop her skill set by attending events and being coached by the gurus of the copywriting industry. She’s a good writer, but she also understands marketing and she’s a very good communicator.”

Like many copywriters, Apryl’s career began in journalism. She has also owned several retail businesses and wrote copy to promote them. After closing one of her companies, she gave promotional copywriting a whirl, writing persuasive direct-response pieces for small businesses and later developing a niche in the health-and-wellness industry. A successful copywriting career was born.

A Great Learning Experience
Apryl didn’t take the application process lightly. “I treated it like a college course that had a challenging exam at the end,” she explains. “I learned a lot from the process itself, such as the importance of thinking through what you write and keeping in mind the client’s motivation for creating a white paper.”

“The main thing I’d like to learn from the apprenticeship is how Michael deals with different personalities in interviews and how he matches the work to the client’s vision. The fun part will be learning from a master who has been working on white papers and analyzing them for many years.”

Stelzner is confident that Apryl will mesh well with his high-profile corporate clients: “I wanted an apprentice I’ll be proud to say is working for my organization. I feel very confident introducing Apryl to my clients and I’m looking forward to helping her take her career to the next level.”

Faithful readers of Stelzner’s blog will be hearing more from Apryl soon.  In addition to teaming with Stelzner on white papers, she’ll be blogging about the experience.

A case study provides evidence that the solution delivers what it promises, giving buyers the confidence to invest in a product or service.

For writers and organizations, it’s not just about telling a happy story. If the case study lacks certain critical elements, it won’t pull its weight.

Here are the 5 nuts and bolts of case studies that truly sell:

1. Match the Case Study Customer to the Audience
Prospects should see themselves reflected in a case study. Reading about a similar company or individual gives the prospect “social proof” that someone else tried an approach and succeeded.

Match the type of customer organization featured (by industry, size, challenge faced, etc.) to that of the reader. Likewise, the title of the person interviewed should be similar to the prospect’s title.

2. Ask the Right Questions
Based on what you know from internal sources, customize interview questions for each customer. Cover who the customer is and what it does, the challenges faced previously, why the customer chose the solution, how the customer uses the solution and the business impact.

Ask “before-and-after” questions (i.e., How long did that process take before versus now?) to elicit measurable results.

Gather more information than you need and stay dynamic during the interview; proactively respond with more questions based on a customer’s answers.

3. Hammer Your Key Messages
Identify the key messages (benefits) that you want the prospect to hear in your story. Make sure you collect those in the interview and then weave them throughout your case study.

Pick the #1 benefit and craft a headline and featured quote that relate to the customer achieving that outcome. Then pepper in secondary benefits, using subheads to emphasize them. Also include all of these benefits in a sidebar summary for skimmers to glean.

4. Let the Customer Say It
In a two-page case study, try to quote the customer at least three to four times. The customer’s voice adds credibility and makes the story more interesting.

Ideally, customer quotes should address (1) the problem the customer experienced before, (2) why the customer chose the solution, and (3) the top benefit and overall return on investment that the customer experienced.

5. Provide Measurable Results
Help the customer measure results by helping to break it down by each benefit. Then ask how the customer is comfortable sharing numbers—as dollar figures, as percentages, as factors (”half as,” “three times as”).

Remember, a cost savings of $30,000 to a small company doesn’t carry the same weight for a larger organization. Be sure to present results in a way that is relevant to the prospect.

If possible, include impressive return on investment (ROI) details in the headline or subheads.

About the Author: Casey Hibbard is the author of Stories That Sell: Turn Satisfied Customers into Your Most Powerful Sales & Marketing Asset. Learn more and sign up for the Stories That Sell Tip of the Month.

You can provide information for different audiences in the same document through sidebars (separate mini-articles in the same piece), in-line definitions, and a glossary of terms. But this may look clunky and interfere with your message.

Another approach is to “clone” one white paper: create multiple near-copies of the same document for different audiences. It’s not hard to do if you plan it from the start. And this approach can work out better for everyone: reader, writer and publisher.

I recently prepared a set of white papers for a vendor of point-of-sale software. This company has three audiences: fast-food outlets, independent sit-down restaurants, and small restaurant chains. Here’s how we did it.

1. Develop an idea that works for every audience.
We came up with the title “Seven Ways to Build Better Profits: a Special Report for [audience].” Since almost every restaurant has been hit with a drop in sales, that appeals to everyone.

2. Research the idea for each audience.
We realized that six out of seven suggestions contained in the white paper applied to all audiences, but one didn’t. A typical restaurant bar suffers 25% loss through over-pours, giveaways, and theft. So the two white papers for table-service restaurants would cover alcohol costs. But fast-food outlets don’t serve alcohol. For those readers, I researched kitchen video monitors that help cooks save time.

3. Write one white paper, then “clone” it.
Draft your white paper, remembering each audience as you write. In my white papers, I wrote “You should” for the independents, and “Your managers should” for the chains. I just typed in both versions of that text: “You/your managers should…”

But 85% of the text was the same in all three versions.

Try to contain any differences to as few places as possible, and remember exactly where those are. In Word, I highlight any words or passages that are different, so they’re easy to find. At some point, break your original document into the required number of “clones.”

4. Make your “clones” easy to review.
With software like FrameMaker, you can set up “conditional text” and turn it on or off to generate different versions of a document. But I believe this is overkill for white papers. For my white papers, I submitted all three as separate documents in Word. My reviewers simply marked up one version, and then checked for highlights in the other “clones.”

5. Tweak the titles, if needed, to be more engaging for each audience.

6. Design each “clone” with a different cover.
Make your “clones” easy to differentiate at a glance. My client has a different graphic for each audience, so we used those on the covers. And I suggested a different color for each cover, so a salesperson could quickly grab “the orange one” for the fast-food audience.

7. Publish and promote to each audience.
The whole point of having multiple white papers is to reach multiple audiences. So don’t line up all three on the same web page. Have a separate landing page for each audience, and promote each “clone” to its own audience.

Why should you bother to think about “cloning” white papers?
For a white paper writer, cloning means you can afford to supply two or more white papers for much less than double or triple your normal fees… but you can certainly charge a little extra. For the client, this method results in much better-targeted content at an attractive discount. So “cloning” can make everybody happy: reader, writer and publisher.

About the Author:  Gordon Graham helps B2B software firms tell their story with persuasive white papers. He’s the founder of www.thatwhitepaperguy.com and a frequent poster on the WhitePaperSource Forum.

To boost his family’s $4 million New Jersey wine business into a $50 million national powerhouse, Gary employed social media tools to promote Wine Library TV (www.winelibraryTV.com), a video blog about wine that has exceeded 80,000 devoted daily viewers—the loyal throng he calls “Vayniacs.”

“How did I end up on those TV shows?,” he muses.  “In the past, you had to be discovered—someone had to decide that you’re a talent and they need you.  But nowadays, with online video, we are the content and we can go directly to our customers by using things like YouTube, Viddler and YouStream to build our brand equity.  People who have businesses need to realize that they have this opportunity.”

The results of his efforts have been astounding.  Gary has hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitter (see http://Twitter.com/GaryVee) and recently landed a million-dollar book deal .

Keep It Simple
Vaynerchuk emphasizes a simple approach to creating video.  In his videos for Wine Library TV, the camera stays focused on his face while he talks in an animated, engaging way about wine, business, social media and other favorite topics.  As he engages the viewer, Gary is providing valuable content and marketing his brand at the same time.

“It’s nothing earth-shattering,” he says.  “When you’ve made your video, send posts to social media sites and include the URL for your video in the posts.  The person reading your post will click on the URL and end up watching your video.  Put some valuable content in the video and you’re educating the viewer and promoting your business very effectively.”

Vaynerchuk also keeps Twitter, Facebook, Seesmic and Tumblr in his social media arsenal.  He raves about TubeMogul, a distribution site that allows you to upload your video and send it to many different social video sites.

It’s All About Content
“Someone who wants to use these websites to promote their business should realize that I’m not successful because I use Twitter and Facebook,” Vaynerchuk explains.  “I’m successful because of the content that I provide.  I’m good at what I do and I can communicate that expertise in an engaging way.  Anyone who can do that is going to win using these methods of distribution.”

According to Vaynerchuk, the main business advantages of video are that it’s person-to-person communication and many people prefer to watch video more than they like to read.  Also, it’s in our nature to send videos that we like to other people, and that can make videos go viral, which is the ultimate goal of social media marketing.

Vaynerchuk warns that when you make your video, don’t overdo it.  He says the biggest mistake that marketers make is overproduction—trying to make their videos look like polished TV shows—which drains authenticity from the presentation.  Vaynerchuk advises to stick with the simple approach—just a video camera focused on you as you talk—to connect with viewers.

“It’s simply creating an interesting video of yourself talking about your area of expertise and then distributing it,” he says.  “Make something good that has value for people, put it in as many places as possible and good things will happen.  People respond very well to video.  If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a million.”

Follow Gary’s advice.  Take a simple, person-to-person approach and don’t overproduce your video.  Provide valuable content in an engaging way.  Use social media posts to distribute your video.  And who knows, you might just find yourself exchanging witty remarks with Conan O’Brien as he asks you about your incredible success.

To view examples of how Gary Vaynerchuk uses video to promote his brand, check out www.garyvaynerchuk.com.

The Social Media Marketing Industry Report by Michael Stelzner reveals that marketers have many other questions as well.  There’s an easy way to find the answers—just attend the Social Media Success Summit 2009, coming in May.

“Social media marketing is the hottest game in town right now,” says summit founder Stelzner.  “It involves engaging with online communities to generate exposure, opportunities and sales.  Seventy-two percent of the people we surveyed for our report consider themselves new to this type of marketing.

“In this tough economy, marketing budgets are being slashed, resources are scarce and businesses need to understand the best ways to use this effective, low-cost marketing method.”

Hands-On Techniques
Is the summit for you? It is if you’re considering social media marketing or if you’ve given it a try.  Even if you’re well-versed in this dynamic brand of marketing, you’ll pick up a slew of helpful tips from the summit that will lift your game to a higher level.

Don’t expect a lot of lofty, useless theory.  The summit is a how-to event in which the world’s top social media pros teach you step-by-step, hands-on techniques that will help you jump-start your business right now.

The social media magicians who will reveal their tricks of the trade at the summit include:

* Gary Vaynerchuk, video expert and founder of Wine Library TV, which has 80,000 daily viewers

* Darren Rowse, co-author of the best-selling book, Problogger

* Mari Smith, the world’s leading authority on Facebook

* Jason Alba, expert on LinkedIn and author of I’m on LinkedIn — Now What???

* Ann Handley, chief content officer at MarketingProfs, an online marketing resource with over 300,000 subscribers

* Brian Clark, whose Copyblogger.com was named one of the world’s 50 most powerful blogs

* Chris Garrett, co-author of the best-selling book, Problogger

* Denise Wakeman, co-founder of BlogSquad, experts on using online marketing tools to build businesses

These experts will show you tried-and-true techniques for using Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, blogging and video, and they’ll give you the inside scoop on fast-growing social media trends.

Convenient Sessions 
No need to shell out big bucks for airfare or hotel accommodations.  The event will be presented online—you can sit back and enjoy it from the comfort of your home or office.  They’ve taken your hectic schedule into account by spreading the sessions over a month so they’re convenient to attend.

You’ll get transcripts of every session and the sessions will be recorded so you can replay them whenever you like.  You won’t be learning on your own—you can ask the “professors” questions during the live sessions and join a private forum to network with presenters and fellow attendees.

“There are a lot of social media ‘gurus’ out there, but very few have actually achieved the business results that our presenters have by using social media marketing,” says Stelzner.

Social media is transforming businesses and the Social Media Success Summit 2009 will give you the chance to learn from the very best how to transform your business.

To learn more, visit http://www.socialmediasummit09.com/ms/  

There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all business plan and you can’t cover every aspect of launching a freelance career in a short article.  But the questions below will at least help you organize your thoughts and ideas as you plan your transition.

#1: Where are you now?
Are you currently employed? Have you recently been laid off? Are you a stay-at-home mom or dad looking to generate some extra part-time income?

Each of these situations calls for a different strategy.  For instance, if you’re a full-time employee and want to eventually quit your day job to become a full-time freelancer, the ideal approach is a gradual one where you moonlight for one, two, even three years until you’re comfortable enough to make the leap.

If you have recently lost your job and you need to start generating income quickly, the situation gets a bit more complex.  Yes, you can still become a very successful freelancer, but you need to put your plan into hyperdrive.

#2: How quickly do you need to get there?
Do you need to start generating income over the next 30 days or is your plan to go solo within the next three years?

Again, if you’re in a pinch, there are ways to find opportunities fast (more on that in a minute).  But if you have some time, I would take a phased approach—one in which you freelance part-time while you keep your day job and steady paycheck.

This approach allows you to better determine if freelance writing is something you actually enjoy and that can support your financial needs and goals.

#3: Where can you find time to work your business?
You can’t possibly promote your services AND do billable work if you don’t carve out a certain amount of time for your business every week.

Can you wake up an hour earlier every day? Can you put in an hour or two after the kids are in bed? What about Saturday mornings—can you work from 5:00 am to noon?

If you hold a full-time job and commute to work every day, I recognize that this will be very difficult to do.  But the time has to come from somewhere, folks.

#4: What makes you different?
What unique value do you bring to the table—your background, experience, specialized knowledge, skills, aptitudes or relationships?

Don’t just promote yourself as another writer.  Tell the world why you’re different and why that matters.  Clients aren’t looking for just another freelancer.  They’re looking for someone who understands their world and their challenges and how to solve them creatively.

#5: Where can you find some quick wins?
Regardless of your time frame to go solo, your chances of success as a freelancer go up dramatically when you get quick wins.  That’s why when you’re starting out, one of your top goals should be to land paid work as quickly as possible, even if it’s a small project or two.

Quick wins make the freelance opportunity real.  They also create momentum.  And momentum breeds more success.

How do you create quick wins? Besides tapping into your network, you might also consider scanning job boards (such as Elance or Guru.com) frequently for projects for which you feel you’re a very good fit.

You can also contact marketing or PR agencies to see if they have any white papers they need to farm out.  Or you can leverage direct mail (a great way to generate potential clients while you work your day job).

I’m not suggesting you do all of these things at once.  Start with the avenues that have the highest probability (your own network).  Then add other elements if you don’t get results quickly.

If you’re thinking about launching a freelance career, make sure to think through these questions early in your planning process.  You’ll not only save yourself time and headaches, you’ll also dramatically increase your chances of success.

About the Author:  Ed Gandia is the publisher of the biweekly e-newsletter The Profitable Freelancer.  To get a no-cost copy of his MP3 audio class, ‘10 Smart Ways to Grow Your Freelance Income in a Recession,’ visit http://theprofitablefreelancer.com/site/newsletter.