These two boys.
They have been waiting for this for over a month. My 10-year-old was so excited and anxious yesterday he got a stomach ache. They were up until almost midnight because they couldn’t sleep.
Then, up at six this morning.
And, these are two dudes who love their sleep.
Needless to say, they were excited.
Thing is… it’s not unlike what a client feels when they hire a freelancer who does a good job of marketing themselves. You’ve sold them on you. They believe in you. They’re thinking, “My project will finally get done right!”
They’re excited.
They’re, anxious.
Their hope is through the roof.
Of course, the excitement quickly crashed into reality for my boys when they started playing the new season of Fortnite. Day 1 bugs. A new meta. A totally different map. It got HARD again.
(There’s a whole other lesson about persistence in here, too.)
And, about five minutes in, they were frustrated.
The six-year-old was crying.
I could see that “WTF” look in my 10-year-old’s eyes.
Excitement quickly become disappointment.
And, again, it’s not unlike what can happen with clients… when they’re as excited as they are when they hire you… but a cold reality slaps them in the face when you don’t deliver like they imagined you would.
They can end up MORE frustrated.
Than if they’d reluctantly hired you.
It’s a curious thing.
Expectation management.
And, the truth is, a lot of freelancers oversell themselves. And, create a perception in their new client’s mind that they can NEVER live up to. In fact, this is one of the worst side effects of “generalist” syndrome.
But, there is a way to get freelance clients without overselling yourself.
And, it’s not some gimmick.
In fact, it’s one of the oldest sales “tactics” in the book.
Clients will come in knowing EXACTLY what to expect. In fact, I’d call this the “anti-hype” tactic. It’s the exact opposite of hyping yourself up. Yet, you end up being MORE convincing and getting hired more.
Been my experience anyway.
In any case, I cover this “tactic” in Lesson 3 of Module 3 in my Upwork 101 course. And, you can get started with it for nothing over on SkillShare. Just go here to start your 2-month no-cost trial: https://skl.sh/2hfGS0s
Take the entire course (plus all my others).
Cancel anytime before the 2 months is up.
And, never pay a penny.
Simple.
Anyhoo, up to you.
Link is here: https://skl.sh/2hfGS0s
Later,
John
