Notes From My Desk #3: The client I fired is still ghosting me

+ my new service (still) fails to launch 🚀↘

This week’s business diary entry features a flakey client, a viral Instagram Reel, and the new service that’s failing to launch…

Georgia de Lotz via Unsplash

February 5th, 2024

Allow me to reintroduce myself

As I write this, the opera singer in the flat upstairs is practicing her scales. Sometimes, it’s a pleasure to live beneath such a vocally gifted human being. Other times, it’s an unwelcome distraction.

Today, it’s the latter. So I open Spotify and turn on my favourite pianist, Lambert.

Over the days I’ve been drafting this newsletter, it’s occurred to me that I should perhaps do a quick overview of what I do/how I make money. I talk about this in a lot more detail in my 8 streams of income post, but here’s a super speedy reminder in case you missed it:

• I’m a self-employed marketing consultant based in London

• My passion for social media (specifically Instagram) began when I started the account @thedoorsofldn

• I manage social media accounts (mainly Instagram and LinkedIn), write emails, and create SEO-optimised content for 3—soon to be potentially 5 or 6—business owners (on retainer) in varied industries

• This year, I also want to start managing Google ads for clients—the process of pitching and securing said clients is something I document in this series

• I run monthly marketing workshops for organisations including The Prince’s Trust and the RCA

• Alongside my primary money-making marketing job, I’m also writing a novel, working on a niche website project to sharpen my SEO skills, and I’m re-learning the piano. Lambert would not be proud. Not yet

Failing to launch my new offering

We’re now into the second month of 2024 and my free audit and multiple pitches to secure any Google ads management work have yet to pay off.

But that’s okay because this week I have another idea. One that came to me during a call with a potential client (for ongoing social media strategy support) last Thursday.

Here’s a (lightly edited) snippet of our conversation:

“We had an agency set up Google ads for us that were running for years. YEARS! They gave us no reports, no updates, no results, nothing.”

“No!”

“I know. Several thousand pounds, a pandemic, and many years later, and here we are.”

“You’re joking.”

Reader, she was not.

Here’s where my bright idea comes in

This potential new client came to me off the back of an online workshop I hosted a few weeks ago for the British Institute of Interior Design (BIID).

As she was regaling her Google ads horror story to me, I had a thought:

I bet LOADS of interior designers have done the same thing… paid an agency to set up ads that they’ve a) forgotten about and/or b) never got great results from

So today, I emailed my contact at BIID and I asked her if I could include a free Google ads pitch in the follow-up resources she sends attendees.

She said yes! This afternoon is the first time it goes out to people.

Fingers crossed 🤞

Why this will (hopefully) work

I’ve hosted many workshops for BIID at this point. Lots of registered designers have heard of me. Lots of them (hopefully!) trust me. For many, this isn’t a cold pitch. This is a red-hot valuable offer that I have a hunch might pay off…

More on this next time.

An update on my free audit and other pitches

In the last edition of NFMD, I told you I’d delivered a free audit to my existing copywriting client. They came back to me on Monday.

It’s not a yes, and I’m skeptical I’ll hear anything again even (/especially) after the hire of a guy whose sole job is to work on this stuff… but if nothing else, they thought my audit was great!

Mixed feelings about new enquiries

Last week I had 3 calls with potential new clients for LinkedIn/Instagram management, SEO work, and ongoing email marketing strategy support. By Friday evening when I closed my laptop, I felt a bit wrung out.

Don’t get me wrong, I love new enquiries. The opportunity to work with interesting new people, start generating them results after months/years of stagnation, and yes… growing my 1-woman business. It’s exciting.

But several enquiries about services that aren’t Google ads management from clients who (rightly) expect a lot, left me feeling a bit overwhelmed last week.

The following thoughts went through my head:

• How will I juggle all this new work (if I win it)?

• Should I even take on this work if it’s going to take time away from Google ads activity (that activity being: crafting pitches and, eventually, honing my skills actually doing the work—which I can’t do with my eyes semi-closed like I can with SMM or email marketing)

• Will I still be able to deliver an amazing service to my existing clients?

• Is this work I want to be doing long-term?

I did ask Winston the corgi these questions, but he wasn’t much help.

At least he’s cute.

A Reel goes viral

I try to post on my Doors of London Instagram account 2x per week. After posting every single day and growing from 0 to 60k+ over 3 years, I eventually got a bit burnt out and have now massively scaled back.

It’s still a project I love, though. It’s where this whole self-employed journey really began by giving me a case study (and the confidence!) to start offering social media consultancy on the side of my corporate job.

Last week a Reel about the doors of Notting Hill went a bit bonkers and it’s now at 155k plays. It’s fun when that randomly happens.

A client I fired in January is still ghosting me

I thought I’d mention this because it happens.

Sometimes you start working with someone you thought was amazing, someone who seemed passionate about their business. Then gradually, over the course of several months, the truth reveals itself.