How to write to clients so that they don’t “fall off”

A freelancer can write to a client under different circumstances and using different tools (email, messenger, message on social networks, response on the stock exchange, and so on), but there are things that you should pay attention to so that the client does not want to burn such a message immediately after reading it.

I saw especially clearly the mistakes of such authors when people turned to the Projectorate in search of work. And those episodes when I purposefully looked for contractors for design, design, layout or programming are worth special mention.

Reading letters from applicants and performers, I often recognized my own mistakes (from the outside it’s clearer!) - and immediately corrected them in my own processes. When I encountered some gross, banal and obvious mistake, I thought: “How is this possible? I would never write like that!” But perhaps I just don’t remember that I wrote exactly the same way at the beginning of my career.

To make this chapter as useful as possible, I will present the information as follows: first, I will list the key points to consider when writing to a potential client, and then I will explain when they are critical and when they are not. I'll tell you what exactly a potential client wants to get from a written contact, as well as what is important for a freelancer to take away from it. I will explain which things will set the client up for communication with the performer, and which will repel them.

So, let's go!

Here are the main questions that a client has when he receives a written message by email, in private messages on a social network, in a messenger, in a comment on a post with a search for performers - anywhere:

Who is writing this to me?

When strangers approach clients, the first thing to do is immediately want to know who they are and where they are from. What are their names, what is their position. Perhaps you can find more detailed information about them somewhere on the Internet. Therefore, if a freelancer is not familiar with the client, then he:

1. It appears;
2. Names his position (or profession, for example, “I am a designer”);
3. Provides a link to a place where you can research detailed information about the freelancer.

Even if this is a message on social networks, it is better to ignore the fact that the freelancer’s name is already displayed in the correspondence history and introduce yourself formally. This way, the freelancer can communicate to the client how they want to be treated.

Here it is appropriate to recall the chapter “Where to look for your first clients.” It’s good if the freelancer’s profile is designed in such a way that you want to do business with him.

“Hello, Alexey, my name is Egor, I am the designer of the Projectorat (https://projectorat.ru).”

Where did this person get my contact? How did he find me?

Potential clients often have several projects in the works in different areas. They may have different communities on social networks, different companies, and products. And one of the most common mistakes I encountered as a potential client was people offering to interact, but not saying what project. For example: “Can I advertise in your community?” But I don’t know which of my five communities we are talking about (by the way, for such cases, you can prepare a document with all the prices for all sites and send it in response). Or: “I’m talking about a task for a designer, is this still relevant?” It would be relevant if I knew which of the three design tasks we are talking about. Or: “You were recommended to me as a person who might be interested in layout services.” Who recommended it? As a result:

1. If this is a response to a publication with a task or a vacancy, then it is advisable to refer to it when applying;
2. If we are talking about a recommendation from a specific person, it would be nice to give his first and last name.

“I am responding to an advertisement on your personal blog (https://link_to_announcement).”

What does this person want or have to offer from me?

It’s better not to delay with this message! I remember reading a resume of several thousand characters, which told about all the applicant’s places of work, his credentials and achievements, and this experience was in no way related to the position for which he was applying, and then, having read to the end, I realized that the applicant in the end did not say who he would like to work with. In such a scenario, it was better to immediately say: “I would like to work as a designer for you!” Or: “I would like to take on the task you described in that publication!” And only then, if necessary, decipher the essence of your appeal in more detail. So:

1. A short message with a specific proposal;
2. Disclosure of this sentence if it may not be clear in summary form or requires additional details.

“Ready to take on your task. I've done something similar in the past. Here are links to similar projects"

If I agree with the proposal, what should I do next?

Many performers, having voiced an offer, expect that the client will then organize everything for them. He will ask the necessary questions in a response message, offer to chat, set a time for negotiations, clarify contact details, and so on. A deal-oriented freelancer will do everything possible to ensure that the client only has to nod his head and the work can begin. To do this, you need to use a call to action in your message. Depending on the circumstances, you can call for anything, but most often it will be an offer to negotiate if the service is complex, or to pay the bill immediately if it is simple.

1. It is advisable to use a call to action. If it is not there or it is implied but not stated directly, then the client does not have to respond to such a message;
2. If a freelancer offers negotiations, the client wants to know in advance what they are about and how long they will take;
3. A potential customer would like to be able to immediately see the artist’s phone number so that, if necessary, contact him after reading.

“I suggest communicating by voice in Telegram. My Telegram is @ekamelev. Or give me yours and I’ll add it myself. Just in case, my phone number is _phone number_ Will it be convenient for you on Tuesday, October 7, at 15:00 Moscow time?”

Notice that in the example I'm asking the prospect a question. This is done so that the customer has a reason to agree or offer his own option. Sometimes situations arise when the letter is worded in such a way that the client, after reading it, believes that negotiations have already been scheduled by default and do not need to be confirmed. This can put the freelancer in an awkward situation.

These are all the main points that are worth touching on in the letter. But even if everything is done perfectly, there are several nuances that will force the client to put the message aside until better times or immediately refuse to read it. What are these nuances?

The text is too long.

It happens that a person makes a very simple and understandable request on which a decision can be made instantly, but he wraps this request in two pages of text. He talks about his career, fate, life situation. He may go into too much detail about the details of a sentence and even get off topic in the process. If a client is choosing between several artists and can quickly compare their messages, then he will read the shorter ones first. And the long ones may not be reached at all. Even if the choice is small, there is always a chance that the client will postpone reading a long text until better times, and then simply forget about it. Therefore, I would recommend writing to potential customers to the point and briefly. It would be a good idea to re-read what you wrote before sending it. Is it possible to remove unnecessary things from the message or simplify complex formulations?

Additional work.

It may happen that a potential client receives a written message from a freelancer, but cannot simply accept or refuse the offer because additional steps are required to make a decision. And people who are willing to pay a lot of money definitely do not like to do the work preceding the transaction with their own hands. Here are examples:

• Prepare technical specifications or any other documents.
  This is especially true for complex services. When a designer, layout designer, planner, programmer, copywriter (and many others) asks the client to draw up a technical specification (specifications) so that the contractor can estimate the amount of work. Such freelancers do not realize that if the client himself is not an expert in the field where he orders the service, then he simply will not be able to draw up a normal technical specification. At best, you will get a document that describes in the most general terms the essence of the work. In such a situation, it is easier for the client to find another freelancer who will save him from the unpleasant and difficult task of drawing up technical specifications: he will offer to call him, during the conversation he will ask about all the important points and, based on the answers, will draw up a document that only needs to be agreed upon.
  
• Prepare answers to questions.
  Or “fill out the brief.” There are many automated simple services where a brief is simply necessary. But if we are talking about a complex service, I would recommend filling out the brief yourself for the potential client, asking him questions during the initial negotiations, and not forcing him to work before the start of cooperation.
  
• Obtain incomprehensible information from third parties.
  For example, a freelancer needs to know some technical issues that only some of the client’s employees know about. In this situation, you should not ask the customer to get answers to these questions. It is better to find out the contacts of these employees from him and communicate with them yourself. This way, a freelancer will save the client from the unpleasant task of “finding out something from someone that you don’t understand at all.”
  
• Ask counter questions to continue the dialogue.
  When a message lacks obvious information, the client may become irritated and reluctant to communicate further. For example, when a freelancer writes: “Here is a brief for you, fill it out and send it to me by email.” And at the same time he does not indicate the address.

Familiar communication.

Nowadays, it is not customary to spend extra time on formalities; many people behave in a simple way, especially on the Internet. However, many people still find it more pleasant to communicate using “you” than “you”. Plus, it’s always easier to switch from the first to the second option than vice versa.

In my practice, I have encountered people who allowed themselves to become abusive in their correspondence after the second or third message. And we are talking about an ordinary conversation, not an emotional argument. Of course, many clients will not want to work with such specialists.

To be fair, I note that there are professions (I won’t name them so as not to offend anyone) where the ability to use obscenities can - contrary to all the rules - play into a freelancer’s hands.

These were things that could scare off a client during the first written contact. But this is what, on the contrary, will play into the hands of the freelancer and help win over the customer.

Calling by name at the beginning of the message.

Such an appeal serves as additional confirmation that the message was sent to a specific person and is not part of a mailing to dozens or hundreds of potential clients. Simply put: if a stranger addresses you by name in a letter, this somewhat reduces the likelihood that a robot is writing to you.

And it’s just nice when people call you by name. The main thing is that the appeal is correct. There is no need to use diminutives, slang, or abbreviations. There is no need to call the Alexandrovs Sashas (Shurs) or the Alekseevs Leshas if they themselves have not asked for it. There is no need to confuse Marya and Maria, Natalya and Natalia. And God forbid you call Nikolai Kolyan.

Mention of third parties from among mutual acquaintances.

If a freelancer mentions a mutual friend in a message to a potential client, this will immediately create more trust. Because now the customer will have the opportunity to ask that person about the contractor and get another opinion on whether it is worth placing an order. The nature of people is such that contacts through mutual friends are one of the most effective tools for establishing new partnerships.

So, the freelancer took into account everything he could when sending a letter to a potential client: he eliminated additional work, removed unnecessary things, and added pleasant things. What's next? And then he should think about his beloved self and add to the letter those things that are not very interesting to the customer, but are important to the performer.

At the very beginning of my freelance career, I kept silent about things that were important to me, fearing that the client would “fall off.” I took on all possible potential orders in order to gain experience and expand my client base. But the moment came when there were more orders than I could handle, and it was necessary to introduce a mechanism for screening out those customers with whom I definitely would not be able to comfortably cooperate. There could be several such cutoffs.

• By price
  At some point, the time comes to name the minimum cost of performing the service, so that clients whose budget initially does not reach this level do not waste their and your time on negotiations.
  
• By timing
  A freelancer may find himself in a situation where he is so busy that he cannot quickly take on new tasks. It is better to immediately warn a potential client about this who needs the work done “yesterday”.
  
• Under special conditions
  For example, 100% prepayment may be such a special condition. Or a mandatory personal meeting. Or execution of an agreement only using electronic document management. Over time, when the process of providing the service has already been formed, the freelancer can announce his conditions to potential clients in advance, so as not to surprise them during the first negotiations.

Let's now take into account everything that I wrote above and write a letter to a potential client. As usual, I will use my profession as an example:

"Hello,Alexey, my name isEgor, Idesigner of the Projectorate (link to site).

I am responding to an advertisement inyour personal blog (link to publication). Ready to take on your project.

I've already done something similar. For example,corporate website of a shipbuilding company (link to work).

I suggestchat by voice in Telegram on Tuesday, May 7, at 14:00. My Telegram -@ekamelev, add yourself. Or give me yours, I’ll add you. Just in casemy phone number is 8 952 385-36-57.

Negotiations will takeup to half an hour. I will ask the questions necessary to accurately estimate the timing and price of my work.I must warn you in advance that I take on projects starting from 150,000 rubles.

Is the appointed time convenient for you?I look forward to any response here or your phone call."

Before sending, I re-read what I wrote three times. You heard right and let me emphasize this point. THREE TIMES. I correct all errors and typos, coordinate sentences, shorten wording and make it clearer, get rid of professional terms, place punctuation marks in the right places, and break the text into paragraphs. Yes, all this is not as important as the essence of the written message, but it adds confidence to me in the result of my work, demonstrates to some clients my attention to detail, simplifies the perception of what is written, and saves me from factual errors due to inattention.

I would like to end the chapter with thoughts about spelling and punctuation in letters. Until the age of 25, as a fairly literate person, I paid more attention to these things than I should have. He corrected other people's mistakes, reproached himself for his own, and attached great importance to other people's literacy. But with age and experience, I realized that literacy is a skill that is not very important if a person does not work with text. And those people who pay freelancers money for work also understand this very well. Therefore, there is nothing to worry about if the performer has a problem with spelling and makes mistakes. A clear letter with a bunch of mistakes is much better than an incomprehensible letter from a literate person.