Celebrate Mistakes

  Mistakes...Let's be honest everyone makes 'em.  While the knee-jerk response is to get down on yourself, I would propose we go so far as to celebrate the mistakes we all inevitably make.  Coke, Teflon, potato chips and tons of other products came about largely by mistake. 

  How does this apply to your marketing effort?  How does this apply to your freelance business?  Simple: it isn't the mistake that will cause your business damage (for the most part) but rather your reaction to it. Let's look at an example:

I once had a large project disappear the day before it was supposed to get underway.  Instead of expressing my unhappiness to the photographer I mistakenly replied to the art buyer with some very colorful language that would make Nick Nolte blush.  Realizing a split second after I sent the email the error of my ways I thought briefly about jumping off the nearest bridge (happened to be my photographer's largest client) but instead I started drafting another email.  I explained the email that was just sent was sent prematurely and should have read like this instead.  I made no apology for the language (admission of guilt spotlights the mistake) but instead used the second email as a chance to make light of the situation, talk about the next (yet unbooked) project and asked them out to lunch the following day "since the project pulled a Chris Rock"...the art buyer thought it was hilarious and we still joke about it to this day.

  This is not to say you should make a habit of messing things up.  Eventually people will steer clear of you and your services based solely on your reputation as a liability.  Just do look at it like this - at the point which you realize you made a mistake there is little chance of changing the action.  Focus on your response to the mistake, learn from the experience and pick yourself up and keep moving forward.