Are you planning on attending a get-together where you will have the chance to meet face to face with prospective clients? This can be a bit intimidating, especially if you have never gone through this process before.
Many freelance writers share your concerns. After all, meeting with prospective clients in person can be full of stress. Fortunately, there are three things you can do to calm your nerves and better your chance of landing a new gig.
1. Offer information on yourself, but don’t go overboard. There is a fine line between talking about yourself and your services and coming off as cocky and/or conceited.
2. Learn more about the needs of the client, as well as what they have done in the past. Are they interested in web content? White papers? Feature articles? Something else? In addition to the type of project, get an idea of what their timeline looks like and how they plan on moving forward.
3. Always exchange contact information. Even if you don’t plan on working with the person, you never know when you will need them for something or vice versa.
Note: make sure you take enough business cards with you. Also, don’t be stingy. If somebody wants your contact information, be sure to give it to them on the spot.
When meeting with a prospective client for the first time, follow this advice as well as the tips in the posts below:
How to Ask for the Job in Person
Network in Person without Feeling Silly