Do You Ask for the Gig?

Successful salespeople know that at a certain point when they are talking to a potential customer, they need to “ask for the order.” Rather than make their presentation and let the prospect say something along the lines of, “I’ll think about it and get back to you,” they ask the prospect whether they are ready to buy today.

Freelancers can use this tactic when talking to a potential client. If you are talking to someone about their writing needs, there is nothing wrong with asking for the gig. If your personal style doesn’t let you feel comfortable with saying, “Hey I think you and I would work well together. How many pages/articles would you like me to start with?”, that’s OK. I don’t think I could be that bold, either.

If the discussion is going well, there is nothing wrong with summarizing what you and the client have talked about so far and stating exactly how you can provide the writing services they need. Then ask, “Where would you like to go from here?” And then wait for an answer.

With this strategy, you are asking the potential client to make a decision about whether to go ahead and hire you without being overly aggressive about it. Since you have just explained to the client that you understand what they need and that you can provide them with the writing services they are looking for, why would they need to talk to anyone else? All they have to do is give you the green light and they can get on with other things that they need to look after. Both parties get what they want.

How do you ask for the gig?