Early this morning, I received a text from a client wishing me a happy Mother’s Day. Yes, that’s odd from a number of perspectives, but this is a quirky client and I appreciated the thought.

Before I could respond, I heard another text come in. It was a reply to my client’s text from someone I don’t know. Then my client replied to that.

Apparently my client sent his Mother’s Day message to 10 people — and when one of the others replied, it went to everyone else on the original list.

The lesson:

Be sure you know who is receiving your messages, especially if you are replying to an incoming text the sender may have sent to multiple people. Not sure? Then don’t “reply,” start a new thread.

Do you have a valuable text messaging lesson? Please share it!

Jacquelyn Lynn is a business writer, ghostwriter and executive ghost blogger who writes books, ebooks, articles, blogs, case studies, social media copy, white papers and more for a wide range of clients. Let her help you develop and implement an effective blogging strategy.

In retrospect, we could have avoided all the ugliness – and perhaps even still be working together – if we had written and both signed a contract that detailed the project and clearly defined what was included (and not included) in my fee, along with our respective obligations and responsibilities for moving the work forward. Our primary point of contention had to do with revisions. He retained me to ghostwrite and produce a book; I thought I was clear on how revisions would be handled, but he disagreed. We both dropped the ball – and we both knew better.

Insisting on a detailed contract does not indicate a lack of trust. Rather, it provides a vehicle for you to confirm your mutual understanding of your agreement. Contracts don’t have to be formal, complex documents (depending, of course, on what they cover); they just have to clearly outline the deal you’re making. This is the chance for you to say, “Wait, that’s not what I meant,” or “That’s exactly what I expect.”

Some tips on contracts:

• Make standard provisions apply to both parties. If, for example, the contract exempts the supplier from specific liabilities, the language should be revised to exempt the customer as well.
• Use precise language. It’s difficult to enforce vague language, so be specific. A clause that states a supplier isn’t responsible for failures due to causes “beyond the vendor’s control” leaves a lot of room for interpretation. More precise language forces a greater level of accountability.
• Include a default provision and an escape clause. Describe the circumstances under which either party would be considered in default and what will happen. Also define what’s necessary to terminate the contract if either party wants out.
• Don’t assume anything not in writing. If it’s in the contract, it’s enforceable; if it’s not in the contract, it’s not enforceable. Period.
• Consider a legal review. Depending on the amount of money and the degree of risk and liability involved, you may want to have an attorney take a look at your contracts.

To paraphrase DJ Marc Burgess: If you don’t have a written agreement that’s been signed either physically or electronically, you don’t have a deal.

As a ghostwriter and book collaborator, I work with a lot of entrepreneurs and business owners. One thing most of them have in common is a resistance to handling the details. I’ve learned to tell them that’s fine – the details are my job once we have the agreement in place, but we need that agreement first. That non-payment lawsuit was an adventure I don’t want to repeat.

Please share your thoughts and advice on how to handle the issue of contracts.

Jacquelyn Lynn is a business writer and ghostwriter who writes books, ebooks, articles, blogs, case studies, social media copy, white papers and more for a wide range of clients.

You probably learned this rhyme as a child and maybe chanted it to a playmate who was teasing you. It would be nice if it were true, but it’s not. Words can hurt. They can also help. However words are used, they’re powerful. And their strength comes not only in how other people talk to you, but in how you talk to them — and how you talk to yourself.

For example, I don’t have problems. Problems are negative, they’re anchors that can drag you down. My competitors have problems they have to deal with. I may be dealing with the same issues, but to me, they are challenges, not problems. And in addition to challenges, I have opportunities — again, they might be the very same issues, but that’s how I see them. What’s important is that I don’t have problems. And you shouldn’t, either. This is basic, but it can’t be overemphasized.

People who hear you speak will respond subconsciously to the underlying message sent by your choice of words. That’s why the best sales training courses spend so much time on this subject. This isn’t just a bit of smoke-blowing that insists that all you have to do is say everything is wonderful and great and fantastic, and it will be. No amount of talking is going to accomplish anything unless you also have the right information and action to go along with it. But language is an important tool in your success arsenal, whether it’s the words you use when you speak or when you think.

Why are positive affirmations a staple in any self-improvement program? Because they work. Tell yourself over and over, every day, that you are capable, you are smart, you are successful, you are whatever it is that you want to be. It won’t take long for you to believe it and when you believe it, you can make it happen.

What you say to yourself and how you say it is more important than what you say to anyone else. After all, whom do you trust most in this world? Yourself. Whom are you going to believe, over and above anyone else? Yourself. So speak to yourself in language that will lift you up, give you confidence, guide you to the knowledge you need, and motivate you to achieve your goals.

Jacquelyn Lynn is a business writer, ghostwriter and executive ghost blogger who writes books, ebooks, articles, blogs, case studies, social media copy, white papers and more for a wide range of clients. Let her help you develop and implement an effective blogging strategy.

The basic default message promotes Constant Contact (example: with a hash tag for Twitter and “check out my latest Constant Contact campaign” for Facebook). You can edit that language to promote your company or event.

Here’s how to do it: On the “email settings” page where you set your subject line and select the list(s) you want to send to, scroll down to the “social sharing” section. Click on “edit” to get to the main social sharing page, then again on “edit” to change the text in the individual shares.

A bonus tip: Research shows that Facebook messages with an image get higher readership than those without, so when you’re editing your text, add an image.

Jacquelyn Lynn is a business writer and ghostwriter who writes books, ebooks, articles, blogs, case studies, social media copy, white papers and more for a wide range of clients. Let her help you develop and implement an effective blogging strategy that includes social media posts designed to drive traffic back to your blog or website.

Recently I received a piece that took a slightly different spin on that concept: The “envelope” was a brown paper bag. The pitch was from a non-profit with the mission of feeding hungry children around the world, linking the concept of brown-bagging your lunch to helping starving children. And it got my attention.

In spite of — and perhaps even because of — the popularity of the internet and email, direct mail marketing remains a powerful medium. What creative and effective techniques have you seen that prompted you to open an envelope?

Jacquelyn Lynn is a business writer and ghostwriter who creates written content in the form of books, ebooks, articles, blogs, social media copy, white papers and more.

1. Include a social media section with a list of urls that you want a prospective employer to see.
2. Set up a Facebook page (not profile) for your professional identity.

There’s been a lot of chatter in the media lately about companies asking job candidates for their Facebook passwords. I don’t understand that and I don’t believe many (if any) companies are actually asking for passwords (if I’m wrong, please leave a comment and correct me). However, I absolutely believe companies are checking the Facebook profiles of prospective employees and using what they see to make their hiring decisions.

You can argue the fairness of that all day long, but why waste your time? It’s reality. Deal with it and know that if your personal profile includes profanity, slurs, irrational rants, and photos of you indulging in questionable behavior, it could affect your job search. But even if your personal profile doesn’t include that sort of negative content, will it serve as a strong, positive recommendation to a prospective employer? A well-crafted Facebook page can do that for you.

Most of us think of Facebook pages as being for businesses, but individuals can set them up. Go to www.facebook.com/pages, click on “artist, band or public figure,” then use the drop-down menu and choose the category that best describes what you do in the business world. Agree to Facebook’s terms, click on “get started,” and set up your page.

Populate the page with a profile picture and cover image that show you in a professional setting; timeline entries that list your professional achievements; and letter-perfect, typo-free status updates designed to impress prospective employers with your knowledge and dedication. Ask enough of your friends to “like” the page so Facebook will assign a vanity url — ideally, the name that’s at the top of your resume, but if that’s not available, choose something close. From your page, visit and like other business and organization pages that relate to the type of job you’re trying to get.

Important: A Facebook page is not a substitute for a strong LinkedIn profile. I’ll share some LinkedIn tips in a later blog.

Jacquelyn Lynn is a business writer and ghostwriter who writes books, ebooks, articles, blogs, social media copy, white papers and more for a wide range of clients.

The first step is recognizing that the relationship needs to end. Some of the signs that suggest you may want to take that step include:

• The client doesn’t respect or appreciate your work.
• They make excessive demands on your company and staff.
• They are not fair-minded in either their expectations or what they are willing to pay.
• They want work done cheaply and under unrealistic deadlines.
• They don’t want you to make a profit.
• They pay bills slowly, or sometimes not at all.
• They push you to the limit in all areas, taking advantage at every turn.
• They see you as a disposable vendor, not a valued partner.

It’s always a good idea to try to fix the problem before you simply drop the customer. Put the offending party or parties on notice. Talk to them. Outline what the problems are, what the possible solutions are, and ask for their cooperation to help reach those solutions. Be sure to document these efforts to you can refer to them later, if necessary.

If your attempts to make the relationship mutually productive don’t work, it may be time to move on. Calculate what you will lose in gross revenue, and decide if your business can stand the financial hit.

If it can, use the time you had been spending on that client to focus on more profitable clients and prospect for new business.

If it can’t, put up with the current problem until you can replace that client’s vital gross revenues with one or more new clients.

Jacquelyn Lynn is a business writer and ghostwriter who writes books, ebooks, articles, blogs, social media copy, white papers and more for a wide range of clients (and she’s only had to fire a few of them). Let her help you develop and implement an effective blogging strategy.

That’s the headline of an article in today’s Orlando Sentinel about a plan to streamline various county government operations. The Sentinel reporter focused on job losses (of course). He wrote: “Among the major shake-ups was a push to ‘right-size’ the county human-resources offices by shrinking them from 10 to six offices within various departments, resulting in 16 job losses. The county’s fiscal-services branch also is expected to lose a similar number of positions.”

Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs focused on benefits to taxpayers when she wrote in a memo that the moves will build “a culture of efficient, effective, customer-service oriented government in the most fiscally responsible manner possible” and could save $4.6 million annually. (Source: Orlando Sentinel)

Rightsizing (with or without the hyphen) is a positive and necessary strategy for any operation — government, commercial or charitable. Sometimes rightsizing includes the elimination of jobs; sometimes it means the creation of jobs. It can also include opening, closing, shrinking and expanding facilities, along with retiring old and implementing new technologies. Rightsizing always means change — and that’s what makes it challenging.

But the bottom line for a healthy bottom line is that employers shouldn’t have positions in their operations that aren’t needed. They shouldn’t spend money on supplies, equipment, space or other things that aren’t needed. They shouldn’t follow procedures that are not effective. Are you seeing the theme here?

My book Downsize? Rightsize! How to get your company to the right size for maximum productivity and profitably (available for immediate download on Kindle) explains how to decide if your operation needs to be rightsized, how to put together and implement a rightsizing plan, and how to stay rightsized.

Kudos to Mayor Jacobs for doing the right thing for the taxpayers of Orange County by rightsizing their government operations.

Jacquelyn Lynn is a business writer and ghostwriter who writes books, ebooks, articles, blogs, social media copy, white papers and more for a wide range of clients. Let her help you develop and implement an effective blogging strategy.

Grassroots support for the FairTax Act (H.R. 25) is growing, prompting those who are afraid of it to distort the facts and engage in fear-mongering. Let’s look at the truth about the FairTax:

The FairTax will replace our current federal taxes with a federal retail sales tax of 23 percent (the rate set forth in H.R. 25; not 30 percent or higher as some claim). Wages will no longer be subject to federal withholding; workers will take home 100 percent of their paychecks. The FairTax will repeal: individual income tax; alternative minimum tax (AMT); corporate and business income taxes; capital gains taxes; Social Security taxes; Medicare taxes; all other federal payroll taxes; self-employment tax; estate taxes; and gift taxes. Because the FairTax abolishes all taxes on income, it eliminates the practice of punishing productive, hard-working people and businesses.

The cost of goods and services will drop because the FairTax will remove embedded federal taxes and the cost of managing and collecting them from prices.

The FairTax will be levied against all new goods and services. Nothing will be exempt, and there will be no loopholes or special interest considerations. Now you don’t see how much federal tax you’re paying when you make a purchase; under the FairTax, you will.

Every taxpayer will receive a monthly “prebate” in an amount covering the amount of tax paid on the bare necessities of life. This protects low-income people and means that no American will ever have to pay federal tax on essentials.

The FairTax will allow individuals and businesses to make financial decisions based on what’s best for them without considering the tax consequences. Millions of dollars previously spent on consulting with lawyers and accountants on tax strategies can instead be invested in economic growth. The millions of hours spent preparing tax returns can be used for more productive, or perhaps just more enjoyable, activities.

The FairTax eliminates the so-called “underground” economy. Drug dealers, prostitutes, illegal aliens, and others who have avoided paying federal income tax will pay their fair share into the tax system through their retail purchases, as will the foreign tourists who come here to shop and spend.

The FairTax will turn the United States into a tax haven and bring businesses and high-paying jobs back to this country.

Finally, the FairTax will create a more informed electorate—something most politicians fear. Every taxpayer will be able to see on every retail purchase the exact amount of money he or she is sending to the federal government. What better way is there to hold politicians accountable?

For more information about the FairTax, visit www.fairtax.org.

Jacquelyn Lynn is a business writer and ghostwriter who writes books, ebooks, articles, blogs, social media copy, white papers and more for a wide range of clients. Let her help you develop and implement an effective blogging strategy.

An instinctive reaction to tough times is to cut, and to grow when times are good. But that may not be the best strategy for your company. If your organization is not performing at its optimum level regardless of economic and industry conditions, instead of downsizing, you should rightsize. Sometimes that means cutting, sometimes it means growing, and sometimes it means doing both at the same time.

My latest ebook, Downsize? Rightsize! How to get your company to the right size for maximum productivity and profitability is now available on Kindle. The regular price is $2.99, but as a special promotion it is absolutely free if you order it on March 15, 16 or 17.

All I ask is that after you read it, if you like it, please go back on Amazon and leave a review, and recommend it to your colleagues who may need this important information.

In today’s dynamic and challenging business environment, keeping your business rightsized is essential for ongoing success and profitability. Downsize? Rightsize! explains how to recognize that you need to make some changes and then the steps to take to put together and implement a plan that will make and keep your company efficient, effective and profitable – and do it as painlessly as possible.

Click here to get your copy. Remember, there’s no charge if you order Thursday, Friday or Saturday, March 15-17, 2012.

Jacquelyn Lynn is a business writer and ghostwriter who writes books, ebooks, articles, blogs, social media copy, white papers and more for a wide range of clients. Let her help you develop and implement an effective strategy for using ebooks as a marketing and lead generation tool.