Right on target, Scott. I wrote an article for my local chamber newsletter yesterday which basically agrees with everything you said. I see this as a great time to go out and solidify your business!

Thanks for bunches of great tips, Richard! It reinforces what I've been doing for the past few years -- using testimonials in press releases, ads, blogs and just about anywhere else I can.

It's especially rewarding when I interview a client's client and they say exactly what we've been saying about a product. If you hear this more than a few times, you know you've pretty much nailed the positioning.

Thanks for some great new tips. While I use testimonials for clients whenever and wherever possible, I never thought to use headshots. For newsletters, blog posts, websites, press releases, ads and any other marketing material, feedback from a happy client is the best sales tool you can find. Especially in a tough economic market when you need all the advantages you can get.

Terrific article. And your advice is right on! I too suffer from sure-I-can-help-you-itis. It's led me to overcommit to pro bono projects and give away advice I should've charged for. Fortunately, I can now say it in the past tense. A few weeks ago, I answered a request (from someone I really like a lot) with "sorry, wish I could but I can't". It felt really good! Some of us learn harder than others.

Great advice, Nancy! I'm always surprised when professionals neglect to highlight their awards. I, on the other hand, am wondering how long I can use my chamber's "2007 Business of the Year" in my sig line...not to mention my fax cover sheet (used rarely but still viable for marketing purposes) and everywhere else I market.

Timely and insightful. I'm sharing this with some of my friends who are feeling the results of the soft economy.

Good tip, Christina. I do the same type of quoting with any new client, since there's no way to tell how quickly (or slowly) a project will go until you've worked with someone. This is a topic that comes up regularly in a creatives group I belong to, and most of us seem to feel the same way.

Terrific article. Unfortunately, most freelancers and startups go through this. I'm bookmarking your article to share with the next one I meet! Thanks much!

Terrific tips. I'm going to share this with my creatives group. In fact, I'm going to suggest doing this for an upcoming meeting!

Thanks much!

Thanks, Elge. Not only well-written but very informative article. My creatives group has a (group) blog, and I see how difficult it can be to get people to participate. But it does rank very high in google so that's a great incentive to get members to participate....not to mention the fact that when you get 45+ clever creatives together, you're going to get a whole lot of new ideas to help your business.