One of the valuable marketing tactics available to you as a freelancer is your ability to offer a solution to a problem your client has. You can use initial consultations to identify their problems – Do they need more clients? Do they need funding? Do they have information to share?
There’s good money in being a problem solver. Once you get in this mind state of how to solve problems very efficiently, very quickly, and very accurately, then people will want to pay you to help them to solve theirs.
So, how do you take somebody who you just met on the phone and in half an hour or an hour provide them with a solution to a desperate problem that they have? It’s very, very simple.
If you want to break it down, it breaks down like this: Identify the problem. Come up with a successfully defined outcome. And work towards that outcome. Honestly, yes that is simple, but the skill involved in solving problems is the ability to simplify them down to their basic elements. Let’s talk about how to do that:
Isolate the Problem
If you’re doing a consultation with a potential client, the first thing you want to do is find out what they want to solve. Most of the time after a few minutes of small talk to break the ice, the client usually says something like, “Well Kimberly, the reason I contacted you is because of xyz.” I troubleshoot with them for a bit, asking questions such as, “What specifically about xyz do you want to know?” or “What’s your goal with this?”
Isolate the problem. When the client doesn’t come out and tell you, then you can say, “What can I do for you today? What would be something that you’d be extremely pleased if we could get to the root of and come up with a goal for making it happen?” Clients get really excited when you ask them questions like that, because you put it on them and let them know you’re interested in what’s important to them.
Define Outcomes
Once you have isolated the problem, it is important to have a measurable outcome. How will your client know when the problem has resolved? What will this look like when it’s finished?
For example, say the client has a goal of getting more emails opened and hires you to improve their subject lines and email copy. Perhaps you define an outcome of a 20% higher open rate over the next month based on your email subject lines.
The interesting thing is when I talk to most clients, they do not actually have an outcome as far as how they will know when it’s done. The defined outcome should be tangible and obvious to anyone, even someone not directly involved with the project.
Enter the Therapist
My background as a clinical therapist has definitely influenced my use of this technique. Sometimes your clients need a sounding board, and they get value from having time to talk to you about the problems their business is facing. Besides just allowing them space to get it out of their system, everything they share becomes information for you to provide them with a service that solves their problems.
Bring Objectivity
As a freelancer providing a consultation, you also bring objectivity to the table. Many of your clients in the business world might be surrounded by others who either don’t get their business or are afraid to make suggestions to them. They may have lots of “yes men” around them without any real answers.
Provide your clients with truth and directness with a fresh set of eyes – sometimes that is exactly what they need.
To Sum Up…
Help you clients focus on the issue at hand, then show them how your specialized skills can address it. By using problem-solving techniques with potential clients, you’re not doing much marketing of your own business – you’re putting the focus on them and how you can have a role in meeting their needs.
Once you understand this value, you can also use it in your own business – identify your goals, bring objectivity, and define your own outcomes for growth. You can provide accountability for yourself as well as your clients.
One last takeaway…
It’s important to note that you don’t always have to get it right and solve every single problem for your clients, or your own business for that matter. You just have to head in the right direction, provide some movement that gets your client closer to their business goals by using your freelance services. Let them know your main goal is helping them, not selling yourself.
Has this strategy worked for you? Comment below!