Welcome to the October 2006 edition of the PMMC Freelance eNewsletter.

As a freelancer, you are selling your skills and expertise in a competitive marketplace. In a short featured article this month, Suzanne Richardson share a few tips on how to promote your best product: YOU.

If you find the newsletter informative and useful, please feel free to forward it to friends or colleagues by using the link at the bottom of this email. You are also invited to contribute to future editions: if you would like to air your opinion, pass on pertinent information for freelancers or contractors, place an 'advertorial' or simply comment on the newsletter in general, please contact us.

Think promoting yourself is awkward ... egotistical ... pushy? Well, get over it. Behavioural scientists George Dudley and Shannon Goodson have performed extensive research on the "science" of self-promotion, and they've determined that it is directly related to a person's success.

In the book Confessions of Shameless Self Promoters, Jeffrie Story (director of sales and marketing at a Fortune 500 company) explains that natural self-promoters are masters of the following skills:

1. They constantly put themselves in the presence of people who can help them achieve their goals. They meet new people, set up informational interviews, attend networking events, join community groups, and mingle with co-workers and colleagues.
2. Some of the best self-promoters are those who make themselves stand out. They know what makes them different and special, and they use those unique qualities to make themselves distinctive and memorable.
3. Just as big companies build brand awareness by repeating the same logo, commercial or jingle over and over, natural self-promoters know how to get inside the heads of their prospects. They make multiple calls and send multiple e-mails or letters to make an indelible impression on their targets' minds.

You may feel uncomfortable putting yourself or your company "out there," but your success depends on it. So if you're not a natural self-promoter, work on developing those skills.

Suzanne Richardson
Early to Rise
Copyright ETR, LLC, 2004

Editor's Note: This article first appeared on Early to Rise. If you'd like to subscribe to Early to Rise or suggest it to a friend, please visit their website.

During the summer of 2006, the number of freelance professionals making use of our services here at PMMC more than doubled.

This marked increase in numbers was at least partly due to a focused marketing campaign, but even in this day and age of search engines and online banner ads, word-of-mouth still remains by far the most effective means of advertising for a professional service provider like ourselves.

We have always recognised the importance of satisfied customers telling friends and colleagues all about us, hence our very generous Referral Reward Scheme, paying £200.00 for a successful referral.

To further encourage our freelance partners (and third parties) to 'spread the word' about PMMC, we have now totally revamped our referral scheme to make it simpler and even more rewarding. From October, instead of a single payment of £200.00 for referring a friend or colleague (only paid once they have been with the company for 3 months), we will pay you 20% of the ongoing service charges they generate, for as long as you are both working with PMMC.

Let's illustrate the advantages with an example: Suppose you are an IT Consultant with a gross annual turnover of £75,000.00. If you refer a fellow freelancer working for similar rates, you will get £375.00 per year every year for as long as you both remain with PMMC. Refer a few more colleagues and pretty soon it all starts to add up to a nice little residual sideline income. Introduce someone raking in the big money (like your Project Manager), sit back, relax and watch the rewards roll in.

So, what are you waiting for? Get out your little black book and tell everybody you know or have worked with or for about PMMC and the ultimate freelance lifestyle. They will get all the benefits of joining much more than just an umbrella company while you are handsomely rewarded for the selfless good deed of introducing them.

There is no need for a hard sell. Simply tell your friends and colleagues (or any other contractors or freelancers you come into contact with) about your personal experiences with PMMC and the benefits of working through an umbrella company. For more information, they can contact PMMC or browse our website, where they can sign up online by completing the secure online registration form. An easy way to bring up the subject might be to forward them a copy of this newsletter (using the "Forward email to a Friend" link below) with a short personal message attached.

Johan Steyn

Editor's note: Johan Steyn has been working as a freelance Enterprise Resource Planning & Management Consultant for 10 years and he is the founder and Managing Director of PMMC (UK) Limited.