Face it; most of us creative types have an inferiority complex when it comes to selling our work and ourselves. There are times when I’d love to sell something manufactured by others for a fixed price [widgets come to mind]. I’d love to sell something that isn’t a reflection of me, something that isn’t so easily modified or rejected by others who don’t have a personal stake in its creation. But there’s nothing quite like the euphoria of being paid for an idea that solves someone’s problem, so my career in widget selling is always on the back burner.
We usually sell very part-time [I spend less than an hour a week at it]. It’s painfully stomach-churning making sales calls. It’s painful dialing and asking for an appointment. It’s painful preparing for the appointment and it’s painful before and during the appointment. It’s even slightly painful exiting the presentation.
It’s painful after the presentation. It’s painful preparing and sending in a proposal. And then it’s painful calling to find out if you get the work.
The pain & stomach churning never seems to end. It’s a wonder we get any work at all that isn’t simply handed to us with price tag and schedule attached. [Where was the number for the widget company?].
Selling never stops
Here’s the bad news: the selling never stops. Even after the 10th or 100th assignment for the same client you’ve got to sell price or delivery or creative ideas. So get over it, please.
Selling - although it only occupies a miniscule amount of your time - is essential to the health and vitality of your psyche and company.
So please, please don’t stop making contact with your prospect after you’ve submitted your proposal...after all the pain and angst, after worrying yourself silly about how the meeting went, what you said, what you wore, what they are thinking. Go the extra mile and follow-up.
Call a day or two after submitting your proposal. Ask if it’s been received and if there are any questions. Then ask when the assignment is going to start and when you should call back. Don’t be afraid to ask the ugly, candid questions if you’re unsure about your status. For example, "Do I have a shot at this work?" or "Am I the right person for this job?" wouldn’t be too painful to ask.
I’m of the opinion that - for the most part - prospects know if they are going to send you a project before they receive your proposal. I like discussing budget and schedule when discussing a project, so hopefully the budget and schedule I’ve attached to the proposal isn’t a surprise.
You want to know as soon as possible if you are or aren’t going to be working together. This frees your brain of the dreaded ‘I may get that job’ clutter, ‘so I’d better be careful about committing to other jobs’.
Finally, keep calling until you get the job or they tell you to go away. Don’t assume they don’t want you to do their work. Only assume that you can’t assume what’s going on behind the scenes. They may be in their budgeting cycle, or someone is on vacation. Your proposal is only one of the things that they are dealing with. Give them time to work your proposal to the top of their pile.
In chapter 11 we’ll discuss Negotiating the Final Price.
