Cold calling companies to sell your freelance writing services is not as difficult as you may think. Personally, I feel that this is one of the most effective ways to drum up new business. The main reason that most freelance writers opt against this is simple: they do not want to take the time to cold call companies, and even more so, they are a bit shy about making these calls. If you can get past these mental blocks you should be able to increase sales.
The question is: how do you approach companies about your freelance writing services without getting hung up on? Below are three tips for increasing your success in this area.
1. Find out who to speak during the first call that you make. In most cases, there will be one person at a company who can hire you to work on a freelance basis. Of course, this can change based on the size of the company, as well as many other factors. But no matter what, you need to make sure that you are speaking with the decision maker. This will go a long way in increasing your chances of receiving a project. When you get stuck conversing with somebody at the bottom of the totem pole, it is going to prolong the process because they will have to get permission to hire you.
The best way to find the decision maker is to ask the first person that you speak with; most likely a receptionist of some sort. Try something such as, “Hi, my name is Chris and I am calling from Acme Co. I am trying to get in touch with the person at your company who is in charge of hiring freelancers.†At the very least, this should put you on the right path to hunting down the person in charge.
2. When you get the chance to speak with the decision maker, you need to make your time count. They may not have a lot of time to speak with you, so make sure that you are quick and to the point. Tell them who you are, what you offer, and how you may be able to help them out. Once you get a good conversation flowing, you will be able to work other details into the conversation such as your industry experience and great rates.
3. You are going to be told “no thanks†more times than not. But this does not mean that the lead is necessarily dead. When I get turned down, the first thing that I ask is whether or not they mind a follow up in a month or so. Most people will say yes, even if they are not interested. At this time, I usually ask for an email address as well. Many times, a follow-up email a few weeks later will result in a job; even if only a small one.
Cold calling is never an easy thing to get used to. But once you begin to achieve some success in this area, you will become addicted. Use the three tips above anytime you are trying to sell your freelance writing services via a cold call.
If you want to get hired as a freelance writer, you need to offer something that a company wants. In other words, what sets you apart from the other freelance writers who are undoubtedly attempting to land the same jobs as you? There are many details that you can tout as unique selling features, and you should definitely know what works in your advantage before you speak with a client for the first time.
Industry Experience
Industry experience is perhaps the best selling feature that you can have. Personally, if I have experience in an industry I always make sure that the potential client is well aware of this fact. Of course, if I do not have experience I do whatever I can to mask this downfall so that it does not sink my chances.
When I first started working as a freelance writer it was difficult to find industries in which I was experienced. But as my career moved forward, this became much easier. Now, I have written a wide variety of articles in many industries which allows me to confidently apply for more positions.
Money
Unfortunately, some clients will base their decision based primarily on money. While these clients may look at what else you bring to the party, they want to make sure that your rates line up with their budget. To increase your chances of winning more jobs, consider setting your rates a bit below the industry average. Yes, this means that you will make less on each job, but at the same time it should allow you to find more work. Of course, this is just a suggestion. You may not have any problems charging a premium for your freelance writing services, and finding clients who are perfectly fine with this.
Professionalism and Customer Service
Make sure that you are professional and customer oriented at all times. When a potential client gets in touch with you, answer their questions as soon as possible. By showing that you are interested in their success, you will have a better chance at winning them over from day one. Nobody wants to work with a freelance writer, or anybody for that matter, who is only interested in their own success. Be professional and show that you care from day one.
All in all, you need to give a company a reason to hire you as a freelance writer. The three unique selling features above are a great place to start.
What qualifications do you need to become a freelance writer? When compared to other careers, the answer to this question is left wide open. In other words, there is no concrete set of qualifications that you must meet in order to become a freelance writer. I know writers who hold a masters degree, as well as some who never graduated from college. Additionally, I spent two years in sales before becoming a freelance writer and many others have done the same in other industries.
Of course, there are some qualifications that will work to your advantage when starting a freelance writing career:
1. A good command of the English language is very important if you want to become a freelance writer. Clients are not going to pay for broken English, or content that does not make any sense. Sentence structure, grammar, and spelling are all very important. Luckily, these are the basics that most aspiring writers learn at a young age.
2. Do you have an entrepreneurial spirit? If so, you will have a much better chance of achieving freelance writing success. Remember, being a freelance writer means that you are going to join the ranks of the self-employed. When it comes down to it, many people are not cut out for this; they need the stability of a corporate environment and regular paycheck. Will you feel comfortable working for yourself and relying on your skills to get paid?
3. The willingness to work hard may be the most important qualification. You can be the best writer in the world, but if you do not work hard to find clients and give them what they want, you are going to fail. The freelance writers who have the most success are not always the ones with the college degree and loads of experience. But often times they are the ones who will not take no for an answer, and will go above and beyond to satisfy clients.
4. Speaking of satisfying clients, you need to make sure that your customer service skills are up to par. Remember, your clients are the ones who will be paying you. On top of that, you are their single point of contact. When you treat customers with respect and give them what they want, you will find that they are more than willing to form long term relationships.
5. Do you have any samples that you can use when getting your freelance writing career up and running? There are two ways that you can get what you need. First off, search far and wide for anything that you can use as a sample. Some new freelance writers use articles that they wrote for a college newspaper, or a sales letter that they put together at a past job. If you cannot find any samples from your past, create a few today. This takes nothing more than choosing a topic, and then putting together a killer article.
As you can see, you do not need a lot of qualifications to become a freelance writer. There are some things that will help, such as the five areas listed above, and luckily each one of the points is easily attainable.
