Testimonials
Author Name: Bernadette Doyle
A reader asks: 'I have now been seeking freelance assignments
for the past eight months. I have been meeting HR/Training
managers in a one-on-one discussion and it's painfully long till
they decide to give the assignment. A client whom I approached
recently wanted to know the names and contact details of clients
with whom I had worked earlier. She did this even without
evaluating me and the programs that I conduct. Is there a way a
client should be evaluating a trainer/consultant? Is there a way
one can influence the evaluating process the client adopts? For
those of us who are starting with such assignments, we may not
have many references to give.'
Bernadette replies: What you're encountering isn't all that
unusual. It's pretty standard for a training manager to want to
know about your credentials and track record before they even
engage in a dialogue with you. Think about it from their point
of view. You are trying to sell to time pressed people who are
bombarded with approaches by others just like you.
At this point in time, they are calling all the shots. Clients
are completely entitled to evaluate prospective vendors in
whatever way they see fit. Trying to tell them that they
'should' be evaluating you differently is a waste of your time
and theirs.
In this situation you have two choices 1. complain that it's not
fair or 2. learn the rules of the game and start playing by them.
When I was in the same situation as you, I chose number 2!
I know it's tough when you're just starting out. I have been
there, and I can tell you from experience that the situation
you're in won't last forever.
First of all, let's deal with the lack of references and
testimonials. When you don't have many references to give, it's
challenging. It's the old catch 22 of you can't get a job until
you have experience, but you can't get the experience because
no-one will give you a job!
So what's the way through?
Is there any business you have a good relationship with who
would be willing to be a case study for you? When I was getting
started, I had a friend who was a small business owner and was
sympathetic to my plight. He needed help with sales and
marketing, so we came to an arrangement where by he got a very
good deal on my services and in return his company was a bit of a
'guinea pig' for me.
There aren't many people who would be willing to let a 'rookie
trainer' loose on their team, so success with this strategy does
depend upon you having a good relationship with someone who sees
your potential and believes in you. The work I did for his
company helped me build experience and confidence in what I was
offering.
A friend of mine approached local businesses and offered to do a
free 1 1/2 hour 'taster' session with their sales team. He had
brilliant rapport skills and once people got a sense of what he
had to offer, they wanted more. He did £100,000 worth of
business in his first year as a freelance trainer, and this was
his main selling technique.
Get experience by finding local business groups or clubs and
offering to speak for free at their meetings. I still cringe
when I think about some absolutely awful presentations I gave
when I was getting started, but the old motto 'practice makes
perfect', really applies here. You'll gain invaluable presenting
experience, anecdotes that will help you with sales meetings and
get some experience fielding questions and helping real business
people. Of course this will raise your visibility too. When I
was starting out, I did this purely to gain experience, but I
ended up getting a lot of business via this method. Offer
something at the end of your talk, such as a free article or CD
in exchange for contact details, and you can start to build up a
prospect list using this method too.
These are three suggestions, but the key is YOU have to be
creative and determined and find a way to get the references and
experience you need. It is possible, and plenty of people have
done it before you.
Reading between the lines of your email, what's really going to
make a difference for you is 'beefing up' your own attitude and
self-belief. I sense that you're being somewhat timid and
apologetic in the way you are approaching people, so they are
immediately writing you off. Training managers want to hire
trainers who exude 'I can do it' confidence. Bolstering your
confidence is YOUR responsibility, not theirs. This is the
'Inner Game' on being a Client Magnet. The ironic thing is, when
you truly exude this confidence, a lot of the obstacles you are
currently encountering just fall away.
However tough it seems today, you must remember that even as you
are reading this, there are companies out there who do need what
you have to offer, and business contracts are being signed today
for services you can provide. To get in on the action and start
diverting some of these contracts your way, you need to start
talking about what you can offer in a language that makes sense
to companies. Describe what you're offering in terms of
problems that they have that you can solve and goals they desire.
Companies don't want more freelance trainers, but they will
welcome problem solvers.
So whether you can boost morale, reduce absenteeism, increase
sales, improve customer retention,(or all of the above!), you
need to start perceiving and presenting yourself as a valuable
problem solver rather than just another trainer.
Bernadette Doyle publishes her weekly Client Magnets newsletter
for trainers, speakers, coaches, consultants, complementary
therapists and solo professionals. For more practical help that
you can use today download my free Masterclass on 'How to
Attract Corporate Clients' for specific ideas and techniques that
you can use immediately to get results. Visit
http://www.clientmagnets.com
