7 Common Mistakes Freelancers Make When Pitching a Client and How to Correct it
Transform a cold email into a warm greeting by turning it into a client-oriented version.
Did someone warn you pitching clients, negotiation and closing sales would be part of the daily tasks as a freelancer? — No? me neither.
Welcome to the boat.
Being a freelancer seems so beautiful from the outside because you are supposed to be your own boss and it seems you are living from your passions. To pitch clients, and to be a salesperson probably is not a passion, it is a necessity in any business. One of the biggest challenges of freelancing is to run different roles such as to do your main craft and try to be a salesperson.
Forgetting to attach a file in an e-mail or write the incorrect addressee name, or pitching for another company are some of the most common mistakes that could cost you a new client or a returning one.
Here are other ways these pitching mistakes could be highly cost to you in different ways and ranges, for example:
- You waste time by failing in the addressee’s name.
- You can lose reputation
- Remember: action speaks louder than words
Easy and dumb mistakes are easy to fix if you become a detail-oriented person. You are offering a purchasing experience to your client. Every detail matters for a customer service experience. The mistakes I list here are as easy to fix as double-checking the email you are about to send.
Pitching Mistake #1: You send the same cold emailing to all kinds of clients
Honestly, I didn’t know why I wasn’t getting new clients in Upwork. When I freelanced on the platform, I thought that if I had a high-quality cover letter, I could send it to everybody. A year after, I knew I was wasting my time.
Indeed, you need a high-quality cover letter BUT, to be adapted to every client. If you are pitching to new clients from platforms like Upwork, I suggest that you fully read the client’s information and their needs.
In this way, you can personalize your sales pitch and engage in a more personal way with your client. Transform a cold email or cover letter into a warm greeting and turn it into a client-oriented version. For example:
- Add a warm greeting and focus on the needs you are going to cover
- Tell your client the solutions you will bring to their business
- Avoid focusing on yourself and your achievements
Pitching mistake #2: Don’t assume your client’s 1 pm is the same 1 pm as yours. Be aware of the different time zones.
Time zones may differ from your location and your client’s. I highly advise checking first what’s your client time zone is so you can adapt to them. You can’t miss this important event of getting to know your new potential client. Missing a call or not attending a meeting can be one sign of disinterest, even though you are the most committed to the project.
Important: Don’t assume your client will be at their hometown.
For example, don’t assume I am in Mexico just because I am Mexican. There are a lot of travelling and ex-pat entrepreneurs. And several countries such as Canada, have more than one or two different time zones. You better ask.
Once you are aware of the time zone, try to arrive at the online meeting at least 5 minutes earlier. Punctuality gets never old-fashioned.
Pitching mistake #3: When you realize you have sent the most important email of your life addressing the wrong person. This one could be a heartbreaker.
Ah, mince.
If sending emails is preferred by 86% of business professionals it is not hard to imagine that a wrongly addressed email has been sent from time to time.
Unfortunately, I know this feeling. Sadly there’s nothing you can do to fix it.
Once the email is sent and you realize the mistake, you can only prepare your best apology and work on your crisis plan.
It is common to get confused after reviewing several proposals on platforms like Upwork and LinkedIn.
There are no second chances for first impressions.
No other quote could express it better. There’s nothing less professional than addressing like:
Hi, Mrs. X when it is Mr Y who is receiving the email.
Before submitting an application or sending an email, ensure you are addressing the correct person or company.
It takes 7 seconds for recruiters to scroll down a resume or application. Guess your chances to get contacted if you are pitching to the wrong company.
Names, position, email addresses and email content is the information to be double or triple checked.
This mistake can take you less than two minutes to fix but can cost you to lose not only the opportunity to get a potential client but will cost you credibility and professionalism.
Pitching mistake #4: Attach the file, please. Avoid the email chain.
Prepare your apologies and warm greetings for this one:
Sorry, I forget to attach the file.
Yup, that’s enough for apologies, and your client will surely understand. But don’t you think you could have avoided sending an extra email? — Let’s be efficient.
Photo by Ben Hershey on Unsplash
Again my odd tip: Double check your email or application before pressing the SEND button
Distractions may be minimalized if you stop multitasking and stay focused on one single activity at a time.
To be detail-oriented is a quality most of your clients would be looking for in a person to work with. Everybody wants to minimize mistakes.
View this email as a contest where you are been a judge in the ‘pretending game’.
The person who is receiving the email is not your client YET but could be and it all depends on you and your attention to details like attaching the file in the first try out. — Hit a home run in the first pitch.
Pitching mistake #5: “Tell me how can I help you” and other ways to let your client down
This mistake cost me a few clients.
I am ashamed to say I recently realized that including this phrase in my pitch was making my clients run away. — You tell me how can I help you.
I will tell you why.
Dear my past self: If a person doesn’t know anything about blogging, copywriting, digital marketing and social media design; how do you want them to know:
I want an SEO optimized listicle about how to overcome writer’s block.
Clients come to you with a vague idea of what they want, but they don’t know what they need. It is your work to figure it out.
It is like a patient who is sick, has some symptoms and wants to recover but doesn’t know which treatment to follow. In this case, you are the doctor.
Voilá.
After having this huge discovery my pitch switched from:
Tell me how can I help you to a complete actionable plan to follow where I include:
- Description of service I offer
- How long will I take
- The delivery dates
- Optional side services
- Costs
Clients want solutions, they don’t want them to tell you what to do. You should bring mental peace to your client in your professional area.
Make sure your client knows you are indeed making your craft with ease without major supervision as none needs to tell you what to do for taking action.
Pitching Mistake #6: Negotiation is also a task a freelancer does? Not every time but indeed is a mistake if you don’t
In case you missed my past articles, I had a stubborn and ambitious boss. She is a master of negotiation. I will quickly tell you one of her secrets.
For example, if the client was questioning the price of a flower bouquet, she would say: How about if instead of 12 flowers I add 18.
According to the net cost, it was possible to add +6 flowers and still have revenue.
Think of this: Your client will be satisfied by knowing his money has the greatest value.
You don’t have to make a big discount or to give away your product or service for free. What you can do instead is to make your client pay the full cost while you include an extra or enhancement of the original service.
Depending on your expertise are you can offer a quicker delivery or a discount on the next purchase, increase the word count in case of the writing business owners.
One of my biggest mistakes as a content writer has been not to initiate a negotiation when a person is indeed interested but not sure to get any of my services.
I let pass the opportunity because it is pretty obvious that I am not a seller and because I tried to follow a top freelancing tip: Make your work valuable and set your prices.
Yes! You should value your work, set your prices and don’t work for free.
But, we can be a bit more flexible with our rates and the description of our services. I would suggest putting negotiation above your not working for a free tip.
Negotiation will open you to a wide range of opportunities you haven’t considered before.
Pitching mistake #7: Reply immediately. Instead, take your time to reply to your client’s doubts and concerns
I used to answer as quickly as I could messages from clients on Upwork and Fiver but I stopped doing this. I’ll explain to you why I stop rushing to reply.
I immediately answered because responding average time is an important factor for qualifying our customer service. Although you may want to answer your client as fast as you can…
Take your time to answer.
But first: take your time to understand your client’s needs and pay attention to what they are requesting.
If you completely understand what they are asking you from the very beginning:
- The communication will run smoothly
- Both of you will be at the same level of understanding
- No ambiguities mean successful understanding.
Also, take your time to do your research. If your client gives a clue they have an online business, you can take a look and prepare a customized offer and pitch based on their needs. Accordingly to the Pitching Mistake #1.
In this way, you are indirectly telling your client that you do care about them before they are even your paid clients.
You have taken the time to research by yourself. Remember Every detail matters.
Write, proofread and check once and twice what you are answering back. You may be just in time to fix one of the previous pitching mistakes.
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