How to manage when it all falls apart
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It’s a rare Monday column. I fell behind on getting this right for Friday, and I’ll just publish this one before the end of the year.
Working for yourself or running your own business?
Losing a client can be hard. If it’s an important client, you may need to grieve the loss.
What I can tell you is that you’re not alone if you feel that way. There are a lot of stages to it, and a lot of the stories I’m hearing out there are a mix of brutal and strange.
Here are the stages, best as I’ve can define them, with a few thoughts about them from someone who’s been there.
1) Denial. “Did this really just happen?” “Did this really happen to me?” If the contract’s done, yes, it really did.
2) Anger. “How dare they? They don’t have any clue what they’re doing! How could they part ways with me?”
3) Bargaining: “My rate’s normally $200 an hour, but I’ll do the job for $175. No good? How about $150? What, too expensive? $99 an hour, take it or leave it. Okay, fine, how about $75 an hour, but you throw in a ChatGPT license and a few meals from Chipotle? “
4) Depression: Accepting depression is key. You’re allowed. It could be your smallest client or your biggest revenue stream. The financial loss may or may not be bigger than the financial one. Maybe there are relationship factors complicating things. It doesn’t matter. You’re allowed to grieve.
5) Connection: Who can help you get over the grief? What shoulder can you lean on? Ideally, you’ll have a mix – even if it’s just two people – of personal and professional shoulders. You’ll also probably need a mix of listeners and talkers – the former to let you vent, and the latter to provide sound counsel.
6) Acceptance: This happened. It happened to you, and it happens to everyone. Stick with your business, and it’s bound to happen again. All engagements run their course. Sometimes, it takes a more jarring turn and it’s a lot more to deal with, whether due to the suddenness, the way it happened, or both. Breathe a little. Clear your head. You’re going to need all the clarity you can get.
I’ll add a quote in here, one of my favorite lines in any movie, from the bartender in “Keeping the Faith” (played by Brian George): “May those who love us, love us. And those who don’t love us – may God turn their hearts. And if He cannot turn their hearts, may he turn their ankles, so that we may know them by their limping.”
7) Action: What do you do about it? How soon do you need to replace the client? Were you already underbilled? You’ve got some options now:
Email/call a small handful of people who’ve been helpful to you in the past
Mass mail a ton of your contacts
Do a mail merge / copy and paste with a larger but select group
Post publicly on LinkedIn
A bunch of 1:1 DMs on LinkedIn
Talk to friends/family where you might be able to get fill-in work with side projects
Any other productive idea that can get you further along
Some steps might be more fruitful than others. What I’ve learned is that if you’re sincere and not obnoxious, you’ll get a lot of slack, and maybe a few offers that can help stop the bleeding, or at least slow it.
8) Gratitude: Acknowledge those who got you a step further along. Thank them directly, but also take a few moments each day to be grateful. We all have our guardian angels, people who look out for us. They don’t always surface the moment we want them, but often they appear the moment we need them.
9) Optimization: What do you do after taking action and reflection? What will you do differently next time? What do rounds 2 and 3 and 4 of your process look like?
I’ll admit this is based in part on personal experience, along with what I’ve heard from peers going through a lot now.
So, yes, I’m open to taking on another project or two, along with funneling any others that aren’t a fit for me to the incredible FOAF.pro fractional CXO network.
You can see a two-pager overview about me here, which you may also appreciate if you want inspiration for a relatively concise way for others to refer work to you.
I can’t just share what I’m up to without making an offer in return.
One thought comes from a LinkedIn post by Nihal Mehta at Eniac Ventures that I shared with a few comments.
Nihal wrote, “1. List your top 10 dream customers. Search LinkedIn for who your strongest node of connection is to each. 2. Email each node a few lines of context why you are interested to connect, with a blurb/short deck. Mention your company in the third person… so this becomes incredibly easy to forward around.”
I added, “If you’re a job seeker, founder, etc and I am your closest or one of your best nodes that can reach the person you need, email me a note in the way Nihal describes, and I will send it on accordingly. Make it easy for the forwarder and clear for the target recipient, and be brief so you show respect for others’ time. Do all that – it’s not much, but it’s a lot – and you’ll make big things happen.”
There’s more I can offer too, such as access to the AI Marketers Guild and Serial Marketers (a couple of pretty swell communities IMHO), a referral agreement for FOAF, and my undying appreciation.
Also, I’ll now be at CES in January, so let me know if you’re going. I may have some invites to share, and beyond that, it’d be great to see you.
On that note, whatever you have to celebrate or lament going into the holidays, I hope they’re restorative and peaceful for you. I’m optimistic about the year ahead, and the best thing we can do to make 2024 a better year is to be there for each other.
Happy holidays, Happy New Year, and see you in 2024.
David
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WHAT TO WATCH & READ:
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Recent content shared by Serial Marketers and friends:
[Main Report] Navigating the Generative AI Marketing Revolution. Access valuable insights from contributions by marketing leaders and experts by immersing yourself in this main report from Generative AI Series. Unearth the strategies for adeptly navigating the landscape of generative AI-driven marketing.
See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil by Paul Chaney
Pika Launches AI Video Editing App And Announces $55 Million In Funding by Kenrick Cai
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EVENTS
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UPCOMING SERIAL MARKETERS EVENTS:
(times EST unless otherwise specified)
Weekly on Wednesdays at 12pm: AI Insiders — join this event series from AI Marketers Guild to discuss new developments and trends with AI
1/3, 5-7pm (NYC): Join us at our next First Wednesday event in NY to meet fellow Serial Marketers in person in this fun, relaxed setting.
TECH & BUSINESS NETWORKING
December 20, New York
“Join us at Obsidian’s Tech and Business Networking event, where a happy hour ambiance sets the stage for unparalleled collaboration and networking. Set in a vibrant Manhattan venue, our event combines the informal, engaging atmosphere of a happy hour with the dynamic energy of the tech and business world. Who Should Attend? Our event is tailored for: -Tech Founders and SaaS Creators. -Marketing Mavericks and Real Estate Brokers..”
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WORLD LOGIC DAY
January 21, Austin, TX
“Join us this year to engage, collaborate with, and learn alongside the decision makers building a brighter future together. For 2024 we expect over 1,500+ attendees and will gather in Austin’s beloved Long Center for the Performing Arts. Over 30+ community local and global partners have already committed to celebrating and joining us for UN World Logic Day in Austin, TX this year (see list below). We are thrilled to announce our Local Co-Chairs Anika Chokhavatia (UT McCombs & 2023 World Logic Day Award Winner) & Emily Gupton (Austin Women & Technology) & our Global Co-Chairs Nisaa Jetha (Founding Chief UK Member), Olivia Dell (Cometa & NOVA Impact), & Sofia Sunaga (Intergen Family Office) who embody and champion logic and impact in their professional and personal lives.”
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GENERATIVE AI FOR MARKETING SUMMIT 2023
February 27-28 2024, London UK
“The Generative AI for Marketing Summit 2024 is set to take place on February 27th-28th, 2024, at a venue to be confirmed in London. This pioneering event marks a significant milestone as the first gathering of strategic marketing leaders, creatives, and technology enthusiasts to explore the transformative power of Generative AI. Generative AI has ignited unprecedented levels of excitement and curiosity within the marketing and creative industries. Its potential to revolutionize marketing workflows is undeniable, and this summit aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how Generative AI can shape the future of marketing.”
Register
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JOBS
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Keep checking out the #jobs channel in Serial Marketers for more. Also, check out the AI Marketers Guild job board. For other job resources for marketing jobs, see a long and regularly updated list here.
VIRTUALNESS
Marketing Manager
Remote
“We are looking for a rockstar marketing manager. You are a self-starter who loves to nurture long term relationships that create win/wins for both our partners and Virtualness. You are talented at articulating the benefits of a product, educating people on how to use a new product or feature, sharing partner stories, and bringing back to the team insights you are gaining from your conversations and working collaboratively cross functionally to amplify a partnership. You are responsible for building deeper connections between creators, brands, and their communities, while driving the adoption of our platform.”
Apply
GHOST
Director of Marketing
Remote
“We’re looking for an experienced marketing leader who specialises in product marketing and demand generation to help us tell a better story about what we do and, more importantly, why we do it. Of all the fast-growing companies in the space we’re in, Ghost is the only one structured as an independent non-profit organisation. The only one releasing our software into the public domain as open source. Ghost is a full stack web application for running independent publications. It’s one of the most popular modern open source projects in the world, and is used in production by tens of thousands of websites and companies.”
Apply
BLUE SHIELD OF CALIFORNIA
Senior Manager, Digital and Marketing Analytics
Oakland, CA
“The Senior Manager of Digital and Marketing Analytics at Blue Shield of California will oversee a team of analytics professionals, collaborate with business leaders to apply analytics in achieving their goals, and manage digital and marketing analytics to drive engagement, optimize digital journeys, and assess marketing effectiveness.”
Apply
WINDSTREAM
Marketing Director, Product Design
United States
“The Director of Product Design for Kinetic will lead the Marketing team in creating and evolving innovative web products for our customers. This role will have one direct report and is responsible for overseeing the entire product design process, from conducting Product Discovery and brainstorming initial product ideas to creating the final designs and high-fidelity prototypes. The Director of Product Design will also work closely with other departments, such as engineering, product management, marketing, and sales to ensure our products meet customer needs and align with our company goals.”
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