I first created a Facebook profile in 2008 after I moved to a new high school. Not gonna lie, while I rarely post, I check it almost every day – both from a personal and professional standpoint.
Twitter followed a couple years later, though I rarely used it. Pinterest was always fun to use, inspiring my future house, kids, wedding, wardrobe, and other things I loved. I didn’t create an Instagram until around 2014, but I only posted a handful of photos to it and don’t use it today except for my business page.
LinkedIn, however, I got into in the early 2010s… and it has been my favorite social media channel to date.
Sometimes, people look at me weird when I say that. But hear me out.
Not only does LinkedIn allow you to connect professionally with those you’ve worked with in the past, keeping up to date with their careers, but you can also connect with (or follow) professionals and professional organizations you admire. Or, even professionals you don’t know, but from whom you can learn about your industry or topics of interest.
You can share articles, white papers, studies, websites, portfolios, webinars, and other forms of education and connection to which you can soak up and learn from. You can join groups around specific topics or industries, and learn from and connect with other professionals.
There are no perfectly-posed photos, drama between friends, or rampantly-spread fake news or politics (unless you follow those sorts of things, which I do not).
I’ve found books to read, people to follow, webinars and certifications to watch or take, inspirational videos or motivational articles. I’ve learned about my industry. It never fails that every time I scroll through my LinkedIn feed, I see something that I want to read, watch, click on or learn more about. I often screenshot things or copy links and send to coworkers or friends in my industry.
I also think it’s a great place to share my own knowledge and information about my business.
Also, it’s obviously a great, organized and easy way to showcase your past jobs and talent for future employers.
No matter what stage or industry your career is in, I encourage you to get on LinkedIn. Chances are you probably already have a profile but aren’t active on it. Get more active. Post your thoughts, share posts, spread information and knowledge.
In January, I finished the book Onward by Howard Shultz, founder and two-time ceo of one of the most well-known brands in the world: Starbucks. In the book, he wrote about his inspiration for Starbucks and how the company began, and how he grew it into the brand we know and love today. However, even Starbucks wasn’t without struggles, as it saw significant financial difficulty in 2008 that took several years to overcome.
Personally, I’ve never been a huge Starbucks fan. Blasphemy, I know.
Most of the drinks were too sweet and even not-very-health-conscious me had a hard time putting those sugar packed liquids into my body. Then, the regular coffee tasted fine, but not good enough for me to pay $4 for. One thing I did always love and gave credit to was the atmosphere and the customer service, but I didn’t give myself much luxury to thoroughly enjoy it.
While reading Onward, I felt almost guilty for feeling the way I did about Starbucks. Howard was that inspirational and motivational. His passion and love for his company was almost tangible, even through a book. And I found myself highlighting, marking and sticky-noting several passages throughout the chapters with advice on business and life.
How Howard built Starbucks, with the passion and love, ingenuity, creativity and drive, is how I envision running my own business.
Not on the same level… obviously.
But with the same passion, creativity, drive and love for my work and customers that he had.
There was one particular passage at the end of the book that I both highlighted and sticky-noted so I would double remember. In fact, I might get it printed on something to hang above my desk.
Grow with discipline. Balance intuition with rigor. Innovate around the core. Don’t embrace the status quo. Find new ways to see. Never expect a silver bullet. Get your hands dirty. Listen with empathy and overcommunicate with transparency. Tell your story, refusing to let others define you. Use authentic experiences to inspire. Stick to your values, they are your foundation. Hold people accountable but give them the tools to succeed. Make the touch choices; it’s how you execute that counts. Be decisive in times of crisis. Be nimble. Find truth in trials and lessons in mistakes. Be responsible for what you see, hear and do. Believe.
I got goosebumps when I read that. Because not only can I apply that advice to running my business, but it’s also applicable to every day life. To my 9-5 job. To being a leader.
I think every leader in every organization should read this. Embrace it. Embody it.
My advice to you is to read, embrace and embody those words. Share with leaders in your life. Use it as a foundation for your business or career. You never know where it can take you or how successful you can be.
(After all, it comes from a man who built a company with a net worth of several billion dollars and instant brand recognition all over the world.)
Also, I highly recommend the whole book. Definitely a great read!
Is one of your goals this year to grow your book of business?
In order to do this, you’re going to have to perfect the art of pitching and bidding for contracts.
While I wouldn’t classify myself as an expert, I have personally submitted hundreds of pitches and done quite a bit of reading/research on how to win a contract. This is especially important when I’m bidding on contracts through Upwork since there is no limit on how many others can also bid, and I could be competing with tens of others.
When you pitch work to a company or bid for a contract, the keys are to:
Stand out
Be memorable
Quickly showcase your qualifications and why you are the best fit
This includes whether you’re bidding for a posted contract or pitching your business to a prospective client.
So, how do you do this? Especially within just a few sentences or short paragraphs? Here are a few things I’ve learned and recommend.
Bidding for a Posted Contract
If you’re using a freelancer service such as Upwork, or applying for jobs posted on a job network like LinkedIn, these tips may be applicable to you.
Carefully read the job description. Make sure you understand everything the client is looking for. Not only do you want to ensure it’s something you’re actually interested in, but also something you’re qualified for. Sometimes clients are looking for specific expertise or tasks that may not be applicable to you.
Look to see if the client included a proposedrate in the description, which can either encourage or deter you from applying. Check for links to their website or additional information. Finally, some clients will include words/phrases to include in your pitch (to ensure you read the job description), or questions they want you to answer ahead of time.
Tailor your pitch to the job specifics. I, like I’d imagine many other freelancers, have a generic pitch typed and saved on my computer. Whenever I’m applying for contracts, I copy and paste that into the application. While I’ll talk later about what I actually include in it, one thing I do for each job is tailor the pitch to the job.
If the client is looking for a blogger, I focus on my blog experience and expertise. If they are in need of a social media manager, I share my experience in social. Same with proofreading or digital marketing consulting.
Then, I try to take it one step further. If the client is a pet food business, I share something personal about my pets at home. If they need insurance content, I highlight my experience specifically with insurance. The point is to get the job, so make sure the client knows you are the one for their specific job.
Highlight specific qualities. This goes hand in hand with tailoring your pitch to the job, but focuses on specifics about you and your experience. Is there a particular client you’ve worked with or experience you have that makes you more qualified than others? Can you share statistics you have on ROI or engagement with content you created? Be specific about why you are best for the job.
Link to your website or portfolio. This is an important step in setting yourself apart from other applicants. First, if a client sees your website or portfolio in your pitch, they may see you in a more professional light.
You also give them an opportunity to screen you before wasting each other’s time with follow up communications or interviews. They can look at your site or experience and determine whether or not you are right for their brand or job, and decide whether or not to move forward.
Consider including your rate. Whether or not you do this can be subject to change based on the job. If the client asks for your rate, you should probably include it. If not, you can decide based on information you have about the client, or proposed rate they have in the job description, whether or not you’d like to include rate out front.
The key is to find the sweet spot that doesn’t scare the client away, but also doesn’t let them think they can take advantage of you. Perhaps try to avoid including a specific rate, and instead give a range. Or, my go to statement is: I’m happy to negotiate a per word or per article rate. This gives us both flexibility but keeps the ball in my court, because I can say yes or no to what they say.
Pitching Your Business to a Prospect Client
If you’re at the point in your career where you’re “cold-selling” yourself to businesses to bring them on as new clients, that’s great! Many freelancers start small with people they know, or businesses in their local community. Or, perhaps you’re ready to expand to those you don’t know or who are larger or even national. These tips may help with your endeavors.
Do your research. One of the worst things you can do is pitch to a prospective client without having done research on their brand. While you’re doing research for yourself, much like prepping for a job interview, you also want to know the exact areas where you can help.
Understand as much as you can about their products/services. Learn about their values and brand, including the tone and feel.
Spend time on their website and check out their blog.
Visit their pages on different social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. What type of content do they post? How do they engage with their customers? How do customers engage with them?
Search them on Google. Does their website appear? Do they have any Google reviews? Are there any articles about them?
Find the important people on LinkedIn and Google. This may include the owner, CEO, CMO, someone from HR, or whomever you are pitching to or want to talk to. What is their experience? How long have they been with the company? Can you find out anything personal that you can relate to?
Tailor your pitch to the client. Similar to pitching for a specific job, you want to tailor your pitch to the client. The client shouldn’t feel like you just blasted out the same pitch to 10 different businesses. Help them understand their business is important to you, and make them feel like they are the only client that matters. Also try referencing things you learned about them or their brand in your research.
Be specific. This is two-fold to answer two questions: How can you help them, and why should they hire you?
It’s critical that you do not criticize the brand. Don’t list what they are doing wrong. Instead, encourage them that you can help it be even better. Maybe you can help with training the current marketing person. Or, perhaps marketing is being done by the owner of the business and you can simply free up their time for more important things. Be positive about what you reference and how you phrase how you can help.
Additionally, be specific about why they should hire you. Talk about your experience, involvement with the community, past experiences with the company. Include stats or information that provides context or support to your experience.
Be personable. You’re hoping to build a long-term working relationship with this client, so make sure they see you as a person they can work with. Include something about yourself, or how the company personally interests you. For example, you love this locally-owned pet store and have made several purchases from there yourself for your own fur baby.
People like working with people, and since they don’t know you and didn’t approach your first, you want to make sure they know you mean well, you can help them improve their customer acquisition/retention/whatever goal you want to help with, and that you are a great person to work with.
Link to your website, portfolio, and client testimonials. Again, this gives a sense of professionalism right off the bat. Plus, the prospective client likely doesn’t know you or exactly what you can provide. By linking to your site, you give them the opportunity to research you and understand what your business is all about to help decide whether or not they want to hire you.
What to Include in Your Pitch
Keeping the above tips in mind, here are a few things I try to include in every pitch. Typically, I try to keep mine between 250-300 words – short, sweet and to the point. Yours may be shorter or longer depending on the client or job.
A brief explanation of my experience, including college education and years in the industry.
A brief overview of the type of clients I’ve had and industries I’ve worked in (specific to the job, such as blog writing or social media marketing).
One sentence about where my specific expertise lies.
One to two sentences specific to the job/client and specific experience I have related to it. Or, a short narrative that makes me relatable.
A link to my portfolio.
One sentence about certifications I hold.
If applicable, one sentence about rate.
A closing, encouraging reach out to me with any questions, thanking them for their time, and sharing my excitement about discussing next steps.
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