The Sound of Silence

 Ever faced this situation?You are invited to bid on a project. You happily respond right away with an intelligent bid, and you’re feeling confident that it’s in the bag. Then a few days go by, and you don’t hear from the buyer. You contact him, but he doesn’t respond. You wait a few more days and contact him again. Still nothing.  You’re left scratching your head, wondering what is going through the buyer’s mind and how you should handle it.  

Ilise Benun, national speaker, author of several marketing and self promotion books , and co-founder of a one-on-one coaching program for small business owners called Marketing Mentor, offered this advice, originally published in Graphic Define Magazine, “It takes an average of seven (some even say 10) sales calls to close a deal. So if you always give up after the first couple of tries, you’ll never sell your service to anyone. It’s your responsibility to remind your prospects (sometimes again and again) that they are interested in your proposal. It’s your responsibility to be persistent until they’re ready to continue the conversation.” 

How many times have you followed up? Once? Twice? Never?  Ms. Benun goes on to outline 5 followup techniques for those who are timid or uncertain about how exactly to handle the silence: 

1. Ask for a simple “yes” or “no.” People are very busy. Make it easy for them.
2. Put “Second Request” in the e-mail subject line. This will remind the buyer of their silence and hopefully elicit a response.
3. Give the buyer a deadline to respond. Some people only take action when a deadline is looming. So ask your prospects to respond by a certain date, even if that date is arbitrary.
4. Express concern. On a second or third try, express concern by saying “I hope you are all right.” This works especially well with people you know personally. It brings the interaction to a human level, reminds them that there’s a real person trying to reach them, and usually provokes a response.
5. Put them on auto-drip. Whether or not you have a deal pending, you should have an automated marketing tool in place to help keep your name in all your prospects’ minds such as a monthly or quarterly e-mail newsletter, a print newsletter, or a direct-mail postcard.

And lest you feel like you’re ‘bugging’ your customers by following up, the rule here is to use good common sense when walking the fine line between harassment and persistence. This line will be different for every customer, depending on how well you know the person. Remember to remain professional in your approach, and ask leading questions that require the buyer to think and hopefully respond, such as: 

“When shall I contact you next?”

“May I stay in touch with you every month or so?”

May I put you on my list to receive my newsletter?

Following these simple but effective communication strategies may break the silence and push the project forward. But if not, your professionalism and efficient followup techniques will keep you in the forefront of the customer’s mind so that you are the first one they call when the time is right.

 For more information or assistance with bidding and followup, contact me directly at victoriaaipri@yahoo.com.

Don’t Forget Your Manners

If you work for a company, you know exactly what is expected of you each day. Aside from your actual job duties, no doubt you’re considerate of other employees, you say ‘Good Morning’ when you arrive, and you check your email frequently throughout the day. So why is it that when you become a freelance writer, all of those manners fall by the wayside?

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen Elance writers respond to buyers without beginning the email with Good Morning, Hello, or Dear So-and-So. I’ve also seen writers respond in IM language, like they’re texting on a cell phone. And I’ve seen responses that offer no clue as to who the writer is or how they can be contacted. Who does business like that?

If you’re working as a freelancer- be it writer, designer or programmer–you’re in business for yourself. Even if you only work at it very part time. Everything you say, do and write reflects back on you, your company, your professionalism and your ability to get the job done. There’s simply no excuse for forgetting your manners just because you’re sitting in your home office as opposed to your corporate office. In fact, your level of professionalism is even more important to the success of your business because of the intense competition in the freelance world.

So here’s a few tips on getting it right:

• Greet your prospect and do it properly (‘Good Morning’ instead of ‘Hey There!’)
• Ask questions to convey your interest in them
• Provide your contact information, including name, phone number and email or website
• Provide your hours of availability (i.e., 800-555-1212, 9 am to 5 pm ET Monday-Friday)
• Offer to initiate a phone call to prospect within a reasonable geographic area to discuss the project (i.e., If you’re in the United States, I’d be happy to call you to discuss your project further.”)

These details are normal communications expected in the corporate world but so often ignored among freelancers. Stand out among your competitors by excelling in your attention to customers’ needs. People do notice. And they will show their appreciation by choosing to do business with you.

If you are a freelance writers who needs assistance in any phase of the business, please visit www.OneStopSEOShop.com and click on For Freelance Writers Only, or feel free to write to me via the Contact Us page.

How a Freelance Writing Niche Can Strengthen Your Appeal

Take a quick peek at www.Elance.com, www.sologig.com, www.guru.com or any of the freelance job boards, and it’s soon obvious that the average freelancer is outnumbered. Before you even have a chance to convince a buyer of your skill, you’ve got to somehow cut to the front of the line. Not easy to do with thousands of competitors. You may be awesome, but that buyer may never know it. How to stand out in the crowd? Specialize.

Corporations and even small boutique companies have been doing this for ages. Why shouldn’t you? But choosing your specialty may not be so easy. When I first began as a freelance writer, I did anything and everything, from editing to writing to transcribing audio. The bills had to be paid so I did what I could. Over time, however, I felt drawn towards specific areas of writing. At first, it was copywriting, but writing someone else’s sales letters all day wasn’t my idea of fun. Soon , I learned more and more about SEO (search engine optimization), and although writing is only a part of this growing craft, I enjoyed it and I was good at it. So this is where I have stayed.

You can do the same. If you specialize rather than generalize, you may feel a bit lost at first. You may not be as busy with multiple projects and deadlines right away; ultimately this is good, as it gives you needed time to learn more about your area of specialization so you can excel more quickly. You can still take on the odd jobs to keep money coming in. I still take an occasional editing job or sales letter project just to stay in the game. But specializing offers you the opportunity to do one thing really well and, eventually, to become a master, charging the big bucks and cultivating a valuable list of clients.

Want to know more? Check out www.OneStopSEOShop.com and click on For Freelance Writers Only.