Getting Freelance Writing Prospects to Yes

Today, I’m out of here. I’m traveling back home for a final goodbye. There’s a memorial picnic happening in my father’s honor. The tent has been delivered, food has been made, photos printed. Tomorrow, the memories come out.

Then on to Ontario. Somehow, it just seemed fitting to head to his favorite place after giving him a warm, loving sendoff.

Because I’m sweating final details right now, I’m also recycling some old posts for you. I’ve refreshed the content a bit so that I’m not simply repeating myself. But if it sounds familiar, it is.

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One of the first things we freelance writers have to deal with when talking with prospective clients is convincing them to put their faith in an unknown. Yep, we’re the unknown in this equation.

It makes sense that clients would be a little nervous about hiring a writer — there are so many freelancers out there, and not all of them practice with reliability or professionalism. I’ve been on the receiving end of freelancers behaving badly. Believe me, I understand when clients are nervous.

That’s why it’s up to us to make it easy for them to hire us.

Here are a few things you can do to help clients overcome their initial trepidation and say yes to hiring you:

Make it transparent. What’s your process when working with writing clients? Spell it out for them. What do you provide exactly? Where do they come in? What can they expect in terms of time, involvement, delivery, revisions, first drafts? There are plenty of questions. Remove as many as you can. Some of the questions you’ve heard a million times, like “How do we get this published and do you help with that?” Answer them before they’re asked.

Put it in writing. My clients get a follow-up email these days with bulleted lists of expectations, what we talked about and agreed to, and what they’ll see from me and when. Also included — what their role is in the process, and what they need to do. The more you empower your potential clients in your writing process, the easier it will be for them to drop the reservations and say yes.

Have a real conversation. Drop the salesy bullshit, okay? Just talk to them like you’re explaining what you do to your friend or your mother. Recently, I talked with a client about what’s included in my price for articles. The facts were all there, but I adopted the tone of someone who wants to help them understand and will guide them through it. Why? Because that’s not a bad way to conduct business, and it humanizes you. Right now, you’re a name on a website, in an email, on a letterhead or business card. Show them you’re a real person.

Suggest a starter project. Sometimes, long-term commitment is just too much for a new client. So why not suggest they “try you out” on a smaller project or a proofreading project? If they’re not feeling the weight of a heavy financial commitment, you’ll have the chance to form that trust relationship.

Be a resource. You may not want to take on getting your client’s book published, but you can provide them with the contact information of agents, publicists, publishing houses, etc. Answer questions when you can, and help them locate the information if you can’t. Clients are more likely to commit to the project if they know they’re not stuck wondering what to do next after you finish writing.

Writers, how do you remove client reservations? Any examples?