How to Approach a Company to Offer your Freelance Writing Services
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.
