We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rebecca Deurlein a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Rebecca, appreciate you joining us today. Taking care of customers isn’t just good business – it is often one of the main reasons folks went into business in the first place. So, we’d love to get a conversation going around how to best help clients feel appreciated – maybe you can share something you’ve done or seen someone do that’s been really effective at helping a customer feel valued?

I am in the fortunate position of making a living as a travel writer. I do a lot of writing outside of that area, but a bulk of my time is spent traveling. Each time I take a media trip, I’m grateful for the effort and expense businesses put out to introduce me to what they do and share their passion with me. A travel writer’s day is jam-packed with itinerary items, and each stop includes conversation with business owners, restaurateurs, brewers, wine-makers, ranchers, and on and on. Some writers take these trips and pay attention when they feel like it. If they’re not interested, they check out. And they will come home from a meticulously curated trip and write absolutely nothing for the client. I refuse to do any of those things. I make it my mission to be as engaged with the last business owner of the day as I was with the first. I ask questions and show interest and embrace their passion. And while I’m still on the trip, I’m already pitching stories. I try to treat my customers as if they are the most important people in the room, and I try to show gratitude to everyone who is going out of their way to show me their best. Then I try to get them the recognition they deserve.

Rebecca, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve been a freelance writer since I graduated college but only recently made it my full-time job. Even when I wrote and promoted my parenting book Teenagers 101, I continued to work as a high school English and journalism teacher. When I left education after 24 years, I started a new chapter, one in which I would write about everything under the sun, but focus on my passions, especially travel, food & wine, wellness, and family/parenting. I write for local, national, and international publications. As a freelancer, I have the freedom to pitch stories to the outlets that will best represent my clients, and I have built relationships with editors at major publications like Travel & Leisure, Better Homes & Gardens, Fodor’s, Atlas Obscura, Good Grit, World of Cruising, and Houston Chronicle.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I love finding the stories everywhere I go. And they’re out there, everywhere. You just need to pay attention. People are incredibly interesting, and passionate people are worth talking to. Small towns no one knows about are doing really cool things that they are proud of and want to share. And I get to write about it, to paint the picture for people who will never see that place or talk to that person, or maybe will travel there now because they’re intrigued by my description. I’ve also discovered that capturing places and people and moments in photos is a whole lot of fun and only makes my words stronger and my story more vivid.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I joke that I get rejected on a daily basis, but I really do! Freelancers do a lot of work they never get paid for. It takes time to formulate a pitch customized to a certain publication, and most of the time, the pitch is rejected. Luckily, I came into the profession knowing this. I saw firsthand how many publishers reject a book proposal before it is finally accepted, and the same applies to pitches of any sort, whether it’s marketing, sales, photos, or stories. Working as a freelancer is every bit as much about resilience as it is about talent. You may be a phenomenal writer, but you’re still going to get rejected. Developing a thick skin and an attitude that the next pitch will be a better fit is crucial not just to this job, but to life in general.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebeccadeurlein/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-deurlein/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/RebeccaDeurlein