Comments on: 5 Integral Steps to Help Secure Every Potential Contract

By: Michael Parker

Michael Parker — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 09:44:45 +0000

Thanks Armen… There’s some great points you made to consider.. Being in business myself I always like to show as much sincerity to my prospective client as I can and I feel if you are as genuine as possible they are more receptive to what you have to say about a certain subject/ decision etc… That way you set up a personal relationship with them really being aware of it.. All the best Armen :-)

By: Stepping Up Your Skills: Areas for Continual Improvement as a Web Designer | Vandelay Website Design

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 00:11:36 +0000

[...] 5 Integral Steps to Help You Secure Every Potential Contract – This article from Freelance Folder will help you to nail down those potential clients and convert them into sales. [...]

By: Sean Hodge

Sean Hodge — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 05:36:37 +0000

I’m from the states, but living down in South America where my wife is from. So, all my web design business is done over the internet. I’ve found that you can be professional in an email and still give some personality. I’ve had success with landing clients by giving very thourough responses to their initial inqueries. It requires more time on my part, but increases my chance of landing the job greatly.

Its one way I stand out. It helps establish a good relationship from the beginning because I’ve shown my throughouness right away. Helps them to feel comforable with hiring me and that they will be getting a return on their investment in working with me.

By: Armen

Armen — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 06:45:04 +0000

Thanks Dave. That’s excellent advice too, and I’m not just saying that. It’s sometimes a weakness of mine, and I don’t always catch every detail.

Verifying details, as you said, may give brownie points, simply because the client walks away, confident you know what you’re doing. It also makes them see that you consider what they say, important.

By: Casual Discussion and Updates

Casual Discussion and Updates — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 02:48:33 +0000

[...] Well, about five or six people contacted me about writing a post for them. It’s not easy getting the time, but I’ve got one done so far, and you can find it over at Freelance Folder, where I’ve written, “5 Integral Steps to Help Secure Every Potential Contract“. [...]

By: Dave Wong

Dave Wong — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 01:39:36 +0000

I would add:

Really Listen

Just as it’s true in a personal relationship, true listening is a practice that cannot be emphasized enough.

Often times, potential clients come in with a list of questions that they’ve gleaned off a website or two, so try to discern the difference between answering a particularly simple question, or whether there’s a larger concern at hand.

When you’re are listening to the question, try not to immediately start thinking of the answer in your head, but rather clarify their question by saying, “So, let me see if I got this straight — you’re asking about xxx and yyy, so does that mean the underlying issue is zzz?”

Oftentimes, if they believe you truly understand them, then you’ve scored brownies points.

By: Armen

Armen — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 23:06:45 +0000

Mrs. Micah – That’s an excellent idea. The more you can find out about a client, the better. If you’re really fortunate, you may even be able to find out what it is they will be looking for in you.

All the best for the job :)

By: Mrs. Micah

Mrs. Micah — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 16:00:51 +0000

For something that I’m hoping I’ll seal, I went to the client’s website beforehand and looked all around. Then in the e-mail and the interview I mentioned things that I particularly liked about it or things that I thought I could improve. Bit of both, to show that I’m useful but also reinforce that the site’s good.

I think that’s part of the extra mile…show them ahead of time what you can do for them as a person.

I’m supposed to hear back in the next 2 days, but I know my e-mail put my on the top 3 list and got me the interview. :)