Friday, January 9, 2009

Aaaauuuugghhhh! I can't believe I jinxed myself!

I knew it. I knew it. I knew it.

The day after posting my first ever post with a "successes" labelthe very next day — the one and only truly well-heeled client I've pulled in over the last few years pulled the plug on the work I was doing for him. He wasn't dissatisfied with my work, he wasn't angry at my bills. But the work I was doing was just part of the big picture for him, and it wasn't necessary to continue it now.

I remember thinking as I typed out the post, "I hope this isn't like saying that a pitcher has a no hitter going." Turns out it was. It's not like I was bragging or anything. I was just tired of the blog being a downer.

There's still a chance this client could restart the engines on these projects. I'm hoping so.

In the meantime, I've got some other prospects, so I'll just keep working to sign 'em up. Oh jeez, I hope that wasn't a jinx, too!

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Is Twitter a Waste of Time?

Several high-profile law bloggers seem to have (and actually use) a Twitter account: Denise Howell of Bag and Baggage (among other blogs), Carolyn Elefant of My Shingle and author of Solo by Choice, and Susan Cartier Liebel of Build a Solo Practice, LLC. Those are some real heavy hitters.
But I have to say, I am totally lost as to how this has any potential to help in marketing. Posting and following "Tweets" looks to this newcomer like a colossal waste of time. (Heck, even the guy who wrote about lawyer marketing on Twitter warns not to get too caught up in it.)
Nonetheless, I signed up under both my real name and as "starvingsolo." Obviously, I don't expect the starvingsolo account to bear any fruit, because it's anonymous. The account under my real name? We'll see.
But I'm still afraid this might be the best advice about using Twitter for professional marketing and PR.

I'm still here . . .

. . . but not struggling so much, lately.  Knock on wood.
Just got my fourth paying client off the blog a day or two ago, and I've been busier than ever since the beginning of December.
I went soft there, just for a week or so, with a fat client trust account (fat by my standards, anyway), thinking maybe things will work out after all.  Now I'm back in hunter-seeker mode, trying to zero in on new prospects.