Tired of hopping on the Facebook threads that say, “I’m looking for ________” and watch as 546 responses ensue??
It’s enough to make the most confident of us, still feel realllllyyyy small.
A common mistake many freelancers and virtual assistants make when prospecting for new clients on Facebook, is they look for only those that are solution aware, meaning they already know what the solution to their problem is.
Here is a breakdown of the three types of potential clients:
Cold Prospect: All they know is that they have a problem that needs to be solved. They don’t know you. In fact, they don’t even know what the solution is!
Warm prospects: These clients know they have a problem. They are aware of the solution to their problem, but they don’t know you exist yet.
Hot prospects: Hot prospects are solution focused, they know what the problem is, what the solution is, and…they know about you. For whatever reason, they just haven’t signed yet.
Most freelancers and virtual assistants tend to go after warm and hot prospects. For example, a warm or hot client may post a thread saying: ‘Hey I am seeking a VA to do X or Y’ or ‘Hey I need a freelancer to handle X or Y’.
Those jobs get the most responses.
I recommend however that you go after cold prospects.
Cold prospecting is done differently from warm or hot prospecting. A simple introduction, overview of the services you offer and an invitation to talk further would suffice for warm and hot prospect, not so with cold ones. Prior to reaching out to cold prospects you must educate yourself first.
Here is an example:
I am a sales funnel strategist and a cold prospect for me would be someone who posts in a Facebook group saying,
I am so annoyed! I put out this course and I am not getting any sales, I will probably have to close up shop things because are not going as I expected.”
At this point in the sales cycle they do not understand the solution {a sales funnel} and they do not know me.
All they know is that they have a problem.
Someone who posts in a Facebook group that he/she needs a sales funnel for their course on the other hand is a warm or hot prospect. When warm or hot prospects make these group posts, there is a lot of competition on that thread. Why?
Because they are asking for a solution and they know exactly what that solution is and all you have to do is pitch your service.
I, on the other hand, go for people who post something like: ‘I am just losing money, I really need some encouragement.’ Although they didn’t say they needed to hire someone I offer my support and expertise; at that point I do not try to directly sell just offer solutions.
Afterwards I can invite them to talk more with me.
When in Facebook groups looking for clients, try your best to locate colder prospects, people that aren’t looking for a VA or freelancer yet. Try to find cold prospects who do not yet know that they need YOU.
This does mean you will need to know more than simply how to execute a task or understand a software. You will need to see the bigger picture, the WHY, and the strategy behind it all. If you know you have great skills, but lack the confidence to pitch yourself in more than just a “worker bee” frame, this is something Madelaine and I would love to help you with in Create Your Laptop Life! It’s the difference between scrounging around on Fiverr for jobs, and confidently commanding the rates you deserve.
Reese Ben-Yaacov says
This post is perfect! I love how you spell it out for your readers.