When I wrote the title to this post, my finger accidentally hit the Caps button. Freelance Value-ADD is not a disorder, but man, what an appropriate Freudian slip.
Why? Because we freelancers tend to have attention deficit when it comes to marketing ourselves. We jump from the tried-and-true last thing that got us hired to something we read on a blog or social media, flitting from this and that so fast that sometimes we fail to see some of the opportunities laid out in front of us.
And they are there right now.
Consider this example from a writer friend of mine:
Jane (not her real name) was recently hired by a new client to write blog posts. The client has a big budget. His company is ridiculously busy right now. Jane has had to wait weeks for feedback on her first assignment.
Instead of seeing the delay (which delays her payment) as merely an annoyance, Jane also saw the hidden opportunities in that delay. The client is a multinational, multilingual company. Jane is multilingual. Knowing her client has zero time to edit one blog post, she contacted him to put herself out there as someone who could help lighten that load. But she didn’t just do that.
The company also needed someone to write who was fluent in a language Jane isn’t fluent in. But she has connections, so she reached out to her network, then when she wrote to her client about the editing, she led with this information — that someone she knows is on the job trying to locate the right writer for him.
That client can’t be anything but thrilled to have a writer like Jane in his orbit. Jane not only does the job he’s hired her for, but she’s making his life easier (or at least offering up the skills that will do that). And she’s solving problems for him so he can concentrate on clearing off his to-do list.
That’s opportunity that was right in front of Jane.
[bctt tweet=”#Freelancewriting opportunities are right in front of us. Are you seeing them?” username=”LoriWidmer”]
That kind of opportunity is probably in front of you right now. Here are some ways in which you can start capitalizing:
Add an extra sentence.
What is Lori going on about, you may be wondering. It’s this: add one more thing to the conversation that tells the person you’re talking with what else you do. I’ve started doing that this year. Example: on an interview yesterday, the source asked for the publication date. I said “I’ll have to check. I’m writing for two pubs at the moment … (and here’s the add) plus I’m placing articles I’ve ghostwritten for corporate clients.”
Why that works: it’s not promotional. It’s informative. It gets you work without you having to sell. You just state a fact. Add it to your intro when someone says “and what do you do?” Add it to your email signature. Work it into your byline, your social media profiles, you name it. Just plant the seed.
Think one (or two) steps beyond today.
Like Jane did, you need to be paying attention to what’s happening in your client’s world. Are they super busy? Are they taking on new clients or new product lines? Are they experiencing employee turnovers (and what can you do to fill that gap)? Are they working on a marketing campaign? And when you ask (you should) and they tell you what’s being considered, where can you make smart suggestions or be of some real help to them?
That method can be beneficial to your bank account, but in a different way. My friend Jane is thinking of how 2021 will look for her from an earnings perspective. Yes, it’s September. This year is already in good shape. But she’s not content to work in the comfort zone –instead, she looks toward changing the unknown. Right now, the unknown is her future. That’s the motivation for her to help her clients think of solutions that she can handle for them — solutions they desperately need.
Suggest complementary projects.
I had a number of article assignments that had grown beyond the length requirements, and the additional info was just too long for sidebars. I suggested two-part series in those cases, and in most cases, the editors thought it was a great idea. Or that blog post you’re writing (in fact those blog posts on the same topic) could be a great white paper suggestion. Or that white paper you just wrote could become a series of six or so blog posts…. Think beyond your assignment or project into how your clients (or publication’s editors) could leverage them into more bang for the buck.
When deciding if there’s an untapped opportunity in front of you that could become your value-add, measure it this way:
- It should be something your client would want anyway
- It should be a deliverable (not a concept or a convoluted plan that would take too much time, effort, or money on the client’s part)
- It should make their lives easier
[bctt tweet=”Finding your next #freelancewriting gig might be as close as the projects and clients in front of you right now.” username=”LoriWidmer”]
As you talk with clients, ask questions about their work day, their work load, and their goals. From there, you could well uncover an opportunity for you that could benefit your clients and help them meet their goals.
Writers, what other ways do you find those hidden projects?
What stands in the way of you making suggestions to your clients?
How has suggesting projects benefitted you both?