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Freelancers are the adrenaline junkies of the working world. They constantly have to put themselves out into the eye of their potential clients, pitch what they do in a memorable and efficient way, and then hope someone will hire them. It's the same jump each time but no promise the parachute will open before they hit the bottom. The big difference is, the risk of death isn't present for the freelancer when they jump. Regardless of that fact, everything freelancers do carries a huge risk.
Every project you work on, every character and image on your Twitter or Facebook account, everything you do both online and offline will be judged. Some days, it's very difficult to hold back bad-mouthing a client that drove you up a wall. But you have to watch your step everywhere. Once you post it online, it's there forever. Even if you delete it, it's on a server somewhere. Google can find it, trust me. Everything you do carries a risk. And that's a lot of pressure to put on someone who now wears all the hats of their career. It is both terrifying and exciting at the same time.
I recently completed several small projects this past month. With those clients, I have the possibility of additional work later down the line, but I can't rely on that currently. I need to put myself out there and look for more work. What does that entail? Cold calls, or in the current era cold emails. Sending an unsolicited email can seem just as invasive as walking into someone's place of business and pitching your services like an old fashioned door-to-door sales rep. The big mystery is who ends up reading your email. If you send a message through a company's website, it could be read by the office intern or even the CEO, depending on the size of the company. It might never get to whom it needs to be sent to. The entire process is a huge risk and you might never get a response. But nothing will happen if you fail to try in the first place.
Another route for cold emails is doing some research and trying to target your email to a specific person. For my line of work, I target an Art Director or a Creative Director. Some companies have multiple directors, so there's a risk my email is going to the lowest one on the power totem pole. Which might not be a bad thing. They may see my work and forward my message to the person whom makes the big decisions. But if they are busy or simply forget, then I hit another dead end. It's not a fun way to go but emails are free, unlike other options.
I've never been a fan of junk mail. Like actual post office style mail. But if you want to get your name out there, it might be a good way to go. Granted, it's a more expensive route but you can make a longer lasting impression. Several years ago, I made a short story book and sent out limited copies of it in hand made paper boxes. The story was about my socks and as an added feature, I included a single sock with the book. I only yielded two emails from the list of twenty or so recipients, and even those didn't lead to any new work. It was costly and a labor of love, and in the end didn't get me anything. The process made me much wiser though. Eventually, I forgot about it.
A few years later after I sent out my mailer, I was hanging out with a college friend at a new dive bar. There was a gentleman sitting next the wall near us who had probably had one too many. He decided to join the conversation, which we were cool with. He and I started chatting and I told him I was a designer. One thing I loved to do was tell stories and I told him about my sock story. His eyes lit up and he said that HE was one of the people I sent my mailer to. He happened to be the, soon to be ex, executive creative director of a huge agency in town. He told me that he would bring MY book into creative meetings and brainstorming sessions as an example of how to engage your audience. It was a glorious moment for me that I almost started crying. I was able to keep my composure, thankfully, and we exchanged business cards. Even though he still hasn't responded to my emails I sent just one week after our chance encounter, that evening gave me hope.
The wise words of Yoda ring true for freelancers. If you don't put forth the effort to be known for your craft, no one will know you exist. That involves putting your neck out there, repeatedly, and hoping someone will hire you for what you love to do. The courage, or insanity, to keep doing it is the real challenge. Much like putting your head into the guillotine willingly and hoping your words resonate with someone in the audience that you're worth it. And even if you lose your head, there's always tomorrow to put your neck out and try again. It's all about risks.
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I've decided to start a weekly blog called Tuesday Tips! It will be short and sweet (maybe) and contain useful information (definitely).
This week's topic: Professional Robots Suck
It might be difficult to put on a smile when you're feeling low, but in business you have little choice if you want to do well. There is also a difference between being professional and being a robot.
Recently I received an email from a fellow designer, specifically a web designer. This individual was polite and professional in their message, but there was something missing from the message. They were pitching their web design and marketing services but failed to point out parts of my site that they thought could use some work. I don't know this designer personally, but I checked out their site. Seemed legit enough but I politely declined their inquiry, stating the site was fresh and I got the design side already covered. I didn't receive a reply from my reply, so I assumed they moved on. I was wrong.
I received an exact duplicate message just a week or so after the first message. Complete copy and paste job on the content, word for word. Really? I mean, really? The original message didn't sound like they looked at my website at all. There was no hint that they explored beyond the Contact page. That was a turn off. Then I got an exact copy of the first message, that I turned down already, not more than two weeks later. This feels like a dial-up telemarketer with a prerecorded message. Nothing human about it.
This is not only slightly annoying, but gives the wrong impression about you as a professional. Not only did you not bother to explore the site of your possible client, you didn't read the first message that said "No thanks" after first contact. Rejection sucks but you have to be professional no matter what.
If you're a freelancer and are trying to make some new contacts by pitching your services, do some research before you send your cold-call (email). Customize your message, make a point to mention parts of their current site, maybe sprinkle a suggestion here or there, make the effort to sound like you want to help (which you want to). Yes, it will take a lot longer and might not reap a lot of results even with the customized content. But it will reflect much better on you when you do get an email from a long ago cold-call recipient who noticed you took the extra time and effort. It will make you look like a living human being that is easy to approach and worth working with.
This is how you build strong professional relationships. It's always worth the extra effort.
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