by Rachel Smith
14 June 2017
I’m a massive introvert and am happiest holed up in my garret, writing away. But I hear over and over how I should be going to more networking nights, doing more client meetings, popping in to have coffee with editors. I admit I avoid all of the above like the plague. And I watch colleagues build the kinds of relationships with clients that I just don’t have. I do okay, but a lot of what I do are one-off projects and then I move on. Any tips for becoming better at the face-to-face stuff and building more longevity with my client base? SharonI hear you Sharon. A friend recently asked me if I’d gone to meet an editor she’d put me onto a few months before, who’d been commissioning me off the charts – and I felt that old, familiar pit of dread in my stomach and stammered, ‘Uh, no, not yet.’ She said, ‘Well you really should. He’s a great guy and he’d love to meet you given how much you’ve been working together’. And I know. I know I should. I know it would probably be a perfectly nice cuppa and a chat and I might even come away with a few awesome stories for my to-do list. Along with the warm fuzzy knowledge that I’d solidified the relationship further. So why do we find it so hard to escape our cosy writing bubble, get out into the world and press the flesh?
Maybe because it’s intimidating. Maybe because we have a bad case of imposter syndrome. Maybe because you worry you’ll say the wrong thing or end up giving off the wrong impression. Maybe because you worry it’ll feel like an interview and as a freelancer, the last official job interview you went to was in, oh, 1995.
As a die-hard introvert I sometimes have to be dragged kicking and screaming into client meetings. Okay, that’s dramatic. I go to a lot. But I prepare A HEAP beforehand. I am obsessive about prep and walking into that knowing my stuff and having all contingencies covered. So that’s one tip. There’s really nothing like good, solid preparation – whether it’s going in to see an editor knowing a new magazine back to front and everything they’ve covered in the past 2 years, to seeing a new client and knowing his or her ‘pain points’ and competitors.
And while everyone these days is busy and time is money and all that, I do think launching right into shop talk is a mistake. A little small talk about where they just went on holiday, how life is with the new baby, where they live and what they like about the area, whether they’ve tried the cool new bar down the street – or whatever works – helps establish a friendly rapport and better yet, alleviates any anxiety on both your parts, making it easier to put your business hat on later.
I also ask a heap of questions. About the project, if it’s a client. About the magazine if it’s an editor. The sections they’re looking to fill; the kinds of stories that would really float their boat. Their pain points. Also, having done your prep means you can inject a little wow factor into the meeting. Talk about where the client’s website could be improved and how you’d tackle it with some really impressive solutions. Or, offering a few story ideas to a new editor that you’re pretty sure they’ll love (and know they haven’t done before).
Think lots of eye contact (even if you’re shy!) and lots of positive language. Catchphrases like, ‘That sounds like something we could do; let me look into it further’ or ‘I haven’t done a lot on Facebook ads but I do work with a great social media marketer who could take care of that for us’ would give any client confidence that you can handle their business. For an editor, it might be thinking on your feet and offering a few different angles to a story to get them over the line.
The most important thing to remember is to treat these meet-and-greets as a part of your business and a part of doing business. Sure, these aren’t social engagements, but you’re just two people at the end of the day helping each other out, so if you can, don’t let it become this big, scary thing in your head. Also, like any muscle – you use it, or you lose it!
Are you a fan of client meetings? What are your tips for successful face-time?
