By Linda C. Ray
Keywords: effective sales techniques, freelance jobs, writing skills, freelance writer
Whether you call it a pitch, presentation or plug, what each of these terms refers to is selling a product. The ability to use effective sales techniques to sell an idea requires the same talents employed by every salesperson, from the used car salesman to realtors and retailers. As a freelance writer, you must embrace your role as a salesperson to compete for freelance jobs.
Although you may hesitate to refer to yourself as a salesperson, that is the frame of mind in which every freelance writer must think to become successful in the freelance writing industry. Even a seasoned freelance writer must fine-tune her writing skills and sales technique if she hopes to see a cover or front-page byline.
As children, we learn to negotiate with our parents to get what we want. As parents, we sell to our children our beliefs, rules and rituals. To secure a job, make a new friend, or influence a nation, you've got to use effective sales techniques to sell your abilities. A freelance writer is no different in that she has to sell her writing skills.
The next time you are vying for publication, try a few of these effective sales techniques to close the deal.
Listen to the editor. What does she want or need? Don't try to show off your writing skills by pitching outside the scope of the job.
Let the editor know how your product fulfills a particular niche. Explain how you relate to or understand the subject. If relevant, give her examples of other freelance jobs you've completed that may have covered a similar topic.
Answer her questions truthfully. Lying or exaggerating will not help you write a thoughtful article, nor will it help you land future freelance jobs. Be ready to offer valid reasons why the editor should publish your article, but rely on your writing skills to influence her decision.
Offer to provide additional services, such as photographs and sidebars. Many small publications rely on writers to include photographs to reduce the cost of using an on-staff photographer.
End the pitch with a strong closing statement that emphasizes your willingness and enthusiasm to provide a professionally, well-written article.
If you under-promise and over-deliver on your articles, more freelance jobs will come your way.
Read these books that offer effective sales techniques and methods:
- The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino
- See You at the Top by Zig Ziglar
- Your 1st Year in Sales by Tim Connor
Linda C. Ray is a journalist without a newsroom at the moment. She gets her research and writing fix from freelance jobs with the Writers Research Group and various magazine and commercial gigs. To pay the bills, Ray has taken her considerable sales abilities and what she has learned pitching stories to editors, to the retail market. She's selling furniture in beautiful Asheville, North Carolina, writing on the back of sales slips when she's waiting for customers. You'll find her in the spring and summer at the drumming circle in downtown Asheville on Friday nights getting out all her frustrations loud and clear.
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