Originally published in a magazine for the technical and marcom writers industry.
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To build a thriving, in-demand business, it’s not enough to be really good at what you do. Yes, that’s important, but you’re not going to be hired for your technical prowess.
Now, I know the clients SAY they’re looking for someone with at least 23 years experience, two doctorates and mother-tongue level Latin. And when you meet with them, it’s what they ask you about. But the truth is your ideal clients want something more important. They just don’t know how to talk about it.
If you help them talk about what they REALLY want, you distinguish yourself. You become the one they want. But if you let them lead and mostly answer their questions, you’re just another writer.
Let me illustrate.
A client of mine was looking for a new personal assistant and asked if he should include “strong telephone skills” in the help-wanted advertisement.
“No.” I said.
“Why not? The phone is a very important part of the job,” he said.
“Because you don’t want someone with strong telephone skills,” I said. “What you want is someone who will make your customers and prospects feel valued and cared for whether they call on the phone or walk into the office.”
“Yeah,” he said. “You’re right!”
It’s not about the telephone skills. It’s really about the result he wants: to make all his customers and prospects feel valued and cared for.
So why did he talk about telephone skills? Because we humans tend to latch on to a vehicle and forget our destination.
Your prospects are the same. In ads and interviews they’ll ask you about the vehicle. “How many years experience do you have? Is English your mother-tongue? Can you tie your shoe with one hand?”
And most freelancers answer these questions and even try to prove how good they are. And when that’s your approach, you sound like everyone else.
To build a thriving freelance business, you need to take control of the conversation. You need to peel off layers until your prospect is talking about what he or she really wants.
How do you do that?
Ask questions like this:
“Mr. Ideal Client, you mention you’re looking for a marcom writer with at least three years experience. Why is that important to you?”
Ninety eight percent of your competitors will NOT ask that question. They incorrectly think it’s a stupid question with an obvious answer. Umm, wrong.
What you’re doing is peeling a layer. Asking “Why?” is asking about true motivations; about the results he really wants. You move the conversation from focusing on the vehicle to focusing on the destination.
Let’s listen to where such a question takes your conversation:
“Well, the truth is, it’s not about the years of experience. We just assume that someone with more experience will do a better job,” Ideal Client says. “We could have said two years or five, but I feel that three is a good length. After three years, you should have enough experience. But it’s not so long that we’re eliminating many good candidates.”
“Yes, that makes sense,” you say. “So if I understand you correctly, what you’re really looking for is someone who will do a great job, regardless of how long they’ve been doing it. So when you hire a writer, how do you know if he’s doing a great job?”
“Well,” Ideal Client replies. “For one thing, I won’t need to manage them all the time. I won’t need to chase after them to make sure they’re going to make the deadline. I won’t need to explain simple things repeatedly. And when our customers read their work, it has the impact we want. If it’s technical, they tell us how refreshing it is to read a clear manual. And if it’s marketing, they buy or take the next step in the selling process.”
“So correct me if I’m wrong, Ideal,” you say. “What I’m hearing is that one of the most important factors in choosing a freelancer is knowing that you’re choosing someone who will free you up from extra management, not add to your management burden. Is that right?”
“Yes,” he says, beginning to relax at how well you understand him. Very few people ever really listen to him. Usually they’re trying to sell him something. To convince him. But you, you’re different. You actually care enough to uncover what HE really wants.
“And you also want to know that their writing will make the right impression.”
“Yes.”
Congratulations. You’ve successfully moved the conversation away from the irrelevant means to focus on the very important ends.
Think about it: Everyone else’s conversation was all about years of experience, technical skill, and so on. You are the only one who actually dug in and talked about what Ideal Client really, really cares about.
Can you see how you’ve distinguished yourself almost to the point where you’ll have no competition?
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Dov Gordon helps business owners attract more quality customers in less time. You can download a free recording of his popular seminar “How to Build A Step-by-Step Selling System that Brings You All the Customers You Want” by subscribing at http://DovGordon.net.
