Getting Inside the Client\u2019s Head: How Your Intake Process Influences Your Fee<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Before you can charge high rates, you need to present yourself as a professional \u2013 and that starts with having a well thought-out intake process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Suffice it to say that a quick phone conversation simply isn\u2019t enough for you to form a quote. There\u2019s no opportunity to figure out what it is your client really wants (as opposed to what he says he wants) and there\u2019s no chance for you to get inside your client\u2019s head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s why I ask questions that reveal several key things, like:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Note that these aren\u2019t necessarily the questions I\u2019ll be directly asking the client \u2013 rather, these are the questions I keep in the back of my mind when I\u2019m chatting with the client. Because the more I know about what it is the client really wants, the better equipped I\u2019ll be to provide them with a desirable solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note that I deliberately use the word wants<\/em>. Not needs. Wants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why is that an important distinction?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because the budget can stretch for wants<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you can sell the client what they want<\/em>, not just what they think<\/em> they want or what you know they need<\/em>, you can get them excited about the project and convince them to pay you more money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019ve been a freelancer for longer than a couple of years, you\u2019ve probably sent a few project proposals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A project proposal is a fantastic way to showcase your skills and value \u2013 and demonstrate to the potential new client what working with you is going to be like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That said, the common mistake that I see a lot of freelancers making is treating their project proposals like an annual report for a large corporation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A project proposal isn\u2019t a static document.<\/strong> It\u2019s not something that you just send as a formality. It\u2019s your method of winning the sale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s why you need to write your project proposal like an advertisement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As an example, let\u2019s take a look at an excerpt from a standard project proposal that a newbie freelancer might produce to win a contract with an agency. (This specific example is a college student\u2019s final project for a business course, but if this is what we\u2019re teaching our future business owners, God help us.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Source:\u00a0Sample Project Proposal Design Document<\/a>\u00a0by Arturo Pelayo. Excerpt published under the Fair Dealing provision for the purpose of education as per Section 29 of the Copyright Act of Canada.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is only one page out of a 14-page proposal, but it\u2019s enough to illustrate some of the principles I\u2019m talking about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Can you identify some of the major problems with this project proposal?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s start with the fact that the project proposal jumps straight into who the service provider is<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The big problem here?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nobody cares who you are.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n They just care about how you can solve their problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another big issue with this project proposal is that it\u2019s written in a terribly bland manner. And finally, it fails to set up the problem before introducing the solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I send project proposals, I use high-impact sales copy type statements to highlight the client\u2019s problem, get emotional buy-in, and then present the solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Want an example? Here\u2019s an excerpt from a recent project proposal I wrote that landed me an initial $1,500 project and an $1,100 follow-up project:<\/p>\n\n\n\n FACT: Generating online sales is hard. <\/strong><\/p> Today\u2019s solopreneurs and business owners are stressed out, distracted, and busier than a one-eyed cat watching nine rat burrows. When they\u2019re not on the phone talking out details with business partners or attending conferences trying to get sales, they\u2019re typing out vision documents and trying to find ways to make their most creative and out-there misfit ideas meld together into one cohesive whole.<\/strong><\/p> And while they have big visions and big goals, they often get too caught up in the day-to-day to actually figure out, let alone stick to, a strategic plan that breaks goals into achievable milestones.<\/strong><\/p> They\u2019re disorganized, distracted, and dismissive of anything that isn\u2019t immediately relevant to the things they want right now.<\/strong><\/p> Without a persuasive sales pitch, you\u2019re left shouting through a megaphone as crowds walk past you with their eyes dead set on what they think<\/em> they need, not realizing that what they actually<\/em> need is someone who can mentor them and help them grow their business.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The proposal then goes on to list project components, fees, deadlines, testimonials, and past project samples before proceeding to a call to action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The project proposal isn\u2019t just a formality; it\u2019s a sales asset that you can use to prove your value. And by including testimonials, portfolio samples, and \u201cproblem\u201d statements that show you understand the client\u2019s challenges, you can justify charging a higher fee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll also want to use a simple website builder to draft your project proposals instead of Word. (Personally, I recommend Strikingly.) A website builder makes it easy to give your project proposals a variety of appealing visuals, so they look more professional than sending a simple Word doc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It really is that simple \u2013 you can command high fees if you know how to justify your value. And that starts with the project proposal. With a professional-looking (and human<\/em>) project proposal, you can not only win the project, but get clients to pay extra for the privilege of working with you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cI wish I was a poor starving artist,\u201d said no freelancer ever. When I started freelancing, I was making next to nothing. (And I know I\u2019m not the only one.) I scraped by with a mix of low-paid blogging gigs, Craigslist projects, and the odd guest article. Nowadays, I\u2019ve ditched the low rates, I haven\u2019t … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/freelancetofreedomproject.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/freelancetofreedomproject.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/freelancetofreedomproject.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freelancetofreedomproject.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freelancetofreedomproject.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=167"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/freelancetofreedomproject.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/freelancetofreedomproject.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freelancetofreedomproject.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freelancetofreedomproject.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The Lost Art of the Project Proposal: Justifying Value and Increasing Desire<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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