by Jake Poinier
Today’s guest blogger on the topic of warm calls is Martha Retallick of Western Sky Communications. Thanks, Martha!
“Cold calling” is a sales technique that strikes fear in the hearts of many freelancers. After all, who wants to listen to strangers saying “no” all day long? [Read more…]
by Jake Poinier
Hello Doc: I’ve enjoyed reading your cold-calling tips for freelancers, but wonder if you would break it down even further for newbies like me. For example, who are you calling? No, I don’t want phone numbers, but what I mean is, how do you decide who to call? What do you say?—Trying to think outside the glossies but baffled about where to start
Dear TTTOTGBBAWTS (whew!): You’ve asked an essential strategic question that’s vital to cold calling and sales success. The good news is that a freelancer can construct a high-quality cold calling list with some old-fashioned sweat equity, a bit of sleuthing and minimal expense. But first things first—you need to decide, in a broad sense, what types of clients will provide the best success rate. So, that means: [Read more…]
by Jake Poinier
Cold calling is surely one of the most polarizing topics in the freelance-o-sphere. Those who love it can be downright fanatical about its strength as a tool for finding new clients and freelance jobs. Those who hate it are equally passionate about it making us no better than telemarketers.
Count me among the former. If business is slow, I can’t think of a better way of uncovering a company that might be in need of freelance writing, editing, graphic design or web services. With that in mind, I wanted to offer some cold calling tips for freelancers: [Read more…]
by Jake Poinier
Dr. Freelance: Thanks for your recent post on cold calling for freelancers (and the recommendation for the Well-Fed Writer, which I plan to read). However, I am at a loss as to when it’s best to make the calls. Can can suggest a day of the week as well as time of day that would increase my odds of success?—Warming Up to the Idea
Warming Up: My personal experience has been that early mornings (8-10 a.m.) and midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) are the cold calling best days and times. Mondays are a bust because potential clients are getting their weeks started, and Fridays are no good because their brains are elsewhere—and mine is, too! I like morning calls because I’m a morning person; so, it facilitates connecting with a like-minded soul. [Read more…]
by Jake Poinier
Dear Dr. Freelance: I’m going to bite the bullet and start cold calling for new freelance clients. I’m not scared, per se, but wondering if you have some cold-calling 101 tips for a beginner.—Cold Play
Dear Cold Play: First of all, good for you. I think you’ll find that it’s not as hard as you’d think and more effective than you can imagine at securing new freelance gigs. My primary recommendation is to pick up a copy of Peter Bowerman’s The Well-Fed Writer, which has an easy-to-follow approach that I used myself when things slowed down for me in Year 2 of my own freelancing career. [Read more…]