Know the short-term and long-term results
A client approaches you to write a brochure. He may or may not know that his product
can also benefit from other types of promotional pieces, such as ads, direct mail, news
releases, websites, and so on, to sell his product or service.
Your job is to
educate the client. The brochure may be the first promotional piece in a
consortium of promotional pieces. Here, you must know the short-term and long-term view
results of the brochure.
The short-term results are the results the brochure will achieve for the client; and the
long-term results are the results the brochure will achieve/contribute for the entire
campaign. It answers the questions, "How do the results of this brochure fit
into the entire campaign?" and "How can these results be strengthened
with other forms of promotional materials?"
Show the client how a campaign, that's
comprised of a succession of assignments, can achieve and exceed his expectations
and outsell and outdo the performance of a single assignment.
Use "tie-in" services
Whenever a client approaches you with a
single assignment, ask yourself what tie-in services can supplement the single assignment.
A news release achieves better results when it's accompanied with a photo. And a press kit
complete with press releases, photos, brochures, and company information can
achieve better results than a single press release. All of these extra tie-in services can
turn writing a single press release into multiple writing sales.
Offer the "concept to completion" benefit
Instead of pitching yourself as a
freelancer who can write newsletter copy, pitch ourself as a freelancer who produces
newsletters, from copy to completion. You multiply your income by outsourcing parts of the
job and delivering a finished product, not a piece of the product. You also can extend
your "concept to completion" services by pitching yourself as a marketing
consultant, in which you make recommendations to the client as to the best way to market
the newsletter.
Develop strong consultative skills
Besides selling your freelance services,
also offer consulting services. Clients pay you to explain ideas, concepts,
recommendations and turnkey solutions as to the best way to achieve the results they
desire. Consulting with clients can lead to securing freelance work, since clients realize
you have the skills and expertise to undertake the task.
Know the future needs of clients
Clients come with present needs and
future needs. A client may hire you to write a newsletter now, but they'll also consider
you for future work if you know what their future needs are and how to fulfill them. The
company may be ushering in a new product line, creating a new division within the company,
sponsoring a charity event, or creating a website. All of these future events need a
freelancer to do promotional writing and freelance work. That's you. Your job is to show
clients how you'll address their future needs with solutions that'll increase their
profitability and/or productivity. This is usually accomplished with a proposal through
which you pitch yourself as the freelancer who has the solutions to undertake the future
tasks.
Use proposals to secure work
Proposals are an inclusive persuasion tool
to convince prospects that you can increase their profitability and/or productivity with
your freelance services. Proposals specifically show the client how you intend to achieve
the desired results, the time and costs involved, and why you and your solutions are the
best choices to boost the company's profits.
Adaptations
Any of your freelance writing services can
be adapted for websites, turning a single assignment into two assignments. Get paid to
write a press release or brochure, and then get paid again to adapt the copy digitally.
Add-on services
Desktop publishing services, marketing
consulting, compiling and selling media lists, and project coordinating can help multiply
your work and your income.
This article is reprinted with permission
from
www.WritingCareer.com |
