Starting a Freelance Business? Skip the Website and Pickup the Phone!
One of the most important factors in determining whether a new freelancer will be successful in starting a freelance business is how diligent they are in introducing themselves to prospect customers.
There is no skipping this step. Introducing yourself to prospective customers may not come naturally to you, but it’s a piece of cake once you understand a few simple strategies.
It never ceases to amaze me how many new freelancers spend their early days developing websites or brochures about their services.
It’s not that I have anything against websites or brochures – in fact both will undoubtedly strengthen your business in the long run. But if you break down the steps you must follow to start a freelance business and reach profitability in the first 30 days, there’s no room for websites or brochures. You won’t need either to introduce yourself to prospect customers. They certainly aren’t necessary to get your prospects talking during an introductory meeting.
Websites, brochures, and sales collateral are great for reputation building or confidence building in the long run, but you don’t need any of them to start a freelance business successfully.
In fact, if you spend all your time in the early days working on a website, brochure, or other marketing collateral instead of introducing yourself to prospect customers, it will absolutely detract from your success. Some people get so wrapped up in the development of these materials while starting a freelance business that they never get around to picking up the phone.
Another danger of developing marketing collateral early on is that it can lock you into an approach that is inflexible. When you arrange a meeting to introduce yourself, you can play the angles, adjusting your approach in accordance with what you find. You can vary your response in accordance with the needs and concerns of the prospect. The prospect may tip his or her hand early enough in the game to allow you to shift your emphasis. If you’ve already presented your ideas in a brochure or website, you’ve committed yourself to a certain approach that may turn out to be inappropriate in some or all cases.
So if you’re just starting out, stick to the basics. You’ll need a phone number with professional outgoing voicemail message, and a professional email address (with your own domain, not yahoo or hotmail.) Once you’ve got those, then you’re ready to pick up the phone and introduce yourself to many prospects as possible!
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1. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. The number one barrier to starting a freelance career is usually the fear and uncertainty of leaving stable, high-paying corporate job. If you’re like tens of millions of other professionals across the world who have been laid off, downsized, or otherwise terminated over the last two years, then the silver lining is that you no longer have to worry about this barrier!
