My previous post about hiring a salesperson for your freelance business generated quite a bit of interest, both on and off this blog. While I could spend days answering questions, I thought it might be more productive to explore the options available to freelance writing businesses, and tell you about how I’m doing it along the way.
As I see it, there are several sales models for a freelance business, all of which have amazing potential and none of which fit every situation:
Sales Model #1: Do-It-Yourself Sales
This is the sales model most freelance writing businesses follow. Most freelance writing businesses are a one-person shop. You wear many hats in your business, including writer, bookkeeper, salesperson, marketer and even janitor.
This model is fine, if you’ve got the time and if you’ve any good at sales. I started out like this, and I did all right. I was able to dig in and get advice from sales greats (like Zig Ziglar) and learn quite a bit on my own.
Some freelancers prefer this model because it gives them more personal interaction with their clients. Some clients are looking for this type of relationship, too, so it can be a win-win.
The problem with DIY sales comes when either A) you’re not very good at it, or B) you don’t have time to do it. Arguably, B is a problem that will work itself out. If you don’t have time for sales, you won’t sell anything, and you’ll have plenty of free time (but little income).
Sales Model #2: Hire a Full-Time Salesperson
Having a full-time dedicated salesperson will be a boon to any freelance writing business. Yes, I realize that it’s all about whether or not they’re any good, but if you hire them on a commission basis, you’ll figure out pretty quickly if they can do the job or not.
The upside to this model is that you’ll have plenty of work, and you have someone who can fill in the gaps when it comes to your skill set. It’s all right if you can’t sell: you don’t have to.
There are some problems with this model, too. This model works best if you’ve got some capital to invest to get the ball rolling. In addition, it can be very difficult finding someone who’s familiar enough with the freelance writing marketplace to be effective.
Sales Model #3: Share the Sales Load with a Partner
This is what I’ve done. My business partner (who also happens to be my wife) is a dynamo when it comes to sales. Before we were married, she sold real estate. She had plenty of experience with sales, and was good enough to have made a living doing it.
Your partner can take any number of forms. You might partner with a freelance graphic designer, for example. You might partner with a PR company. In my case, my partner also handles the bookkeeping. She does some writing, too, but only on topics she really enjoys. We have a real synergy, and not just because we’re husband and wife. If you’re fortunate enough to find that kind of partner who can also do sales, you’re in great shape.
There are downsides to this model, too. Partnerships are a wonderful arrangement for small businesses, but they don’t always last. All of the dangers of running a business partnership are present. Should the partnership be dissolved, your customers probably don’t know you very well, and will likely follow your partner after the break. I won’t even get into the mess it can be when those partners also happen to be married (or related, or friends, or have any other personal connection beyond the business).
I can’t tell you which model is best for you. What I can tell you is this: if you’re not any good at sales and don’t have someone else out there pounding the pavement, your business is eventually going to die. You need to be able to close the deal or have someone that will close the deal for you.
True partnerships are difficult, at best. And not just in freelance writing. I’ve known others in other businesses to get burned in a partnership arrangement. What I find works better is a contractor-subcontractor arragement. I’ve been on both sides of these relationships. Clinet belongs to contractor, as does responsibility for final product. The only drawback I’ve found is that sometimes the contractor doesn’t pay til he/she gets paid. But contractor-sub agreement isn’t an agreement with the end client. I let my subs know they will get paid regardless. However, I’m careful that I don’t sub out work that I could do more quickly than tweaking what comes in from subcontractor. And I have to know that subcontractor will make deadline.