Due to the rising number of quick call requests I get from prospective customers, I decided to dedicate a blog post on the topic. It appears I really need to convey the message that we, freelancers, are not just sitting around waiting for someone to ask us to talk on Skype, with no preliminary information whatsoever.
Quick call requests vs proper inquiries from prospective customers
I have a detailed contact form on my Hire me page. It’s not an accident – I put it there on purpose.
The fact that I have put a detailed contact form on that page means I do need that information when you contact me for possible collaboration.
Yes, not all fields are required but that’s because not all projects require the same preliminary information. Nevertheless, taking your quick call is not really an option and I will explain why. Read on.
What happens when a prospective customer sends me a quick call request
When I receive a message through my ‘Hire me’ page with nothing else but the client’s name and email address with a request for a “quick call”, it raises a red flag that this prospective client might not be a good one – if nothing else, they ignored the questions I asked on the very same page they contacted me through. Not a good start, wouldn’t you say?
Such emails suggest the client doesn’t respect my time and/or preferences. They most probably think I have nothing better to do than to meet with them; and that I automatically start hoping I will land their job only because they asked nicely to meet.
And what’s even worse – ignoring my preliminary questions and asking for a quick call anyway suggests they are choosing the freelancers with whom they work but they don’t think a freelancer gets to choose the clients with whom he or she works.
Please know that the “quick call” you want is never just a quick call
To talk to you on Skype, I need to set time for it. I need to set time to research who you are and what you do. I need time to arrange my schedule in order to meet yours – which means I need to rearrange the rest of the items on my calendar, too; which in turn impacts the rest of my work and my current clients’ projects.
Why would I do all of this if I am not interested to work on your project; or if I don’t have the needed availability; or if I am not even able to help you?
When you give me preliminary information, I can decide in advance if I am interested, available and able to help – and only then take the extra steps to meeting with you, if need be.
What would happen if I started taking quick call requests without preliminary information
I get between 5 and 10 customer inquiries via email each week. If I speak to every prospective customer who asks for a quick call – this is up to 5 hours spent in speaking on Skype alone; and at least 5 more hours spent in preparing for meetings and recapping afterwards. These amount for up to 10 hours per week.
If I were to take all quick call requests I get without any preliminary info, 2 things would happen:
- I would waste 10 hours accommodating the needs of prospective clients with whom I have no idea if I want to work or not
- I won’t have much time left to do any actual work
From where I stand, these are 10 hours gone to waste for one reason only – because the prospective client didn’t bother addressing the questions I asked in advance.
A few reasons why I wouldn’t meet with a prospective customer without preliminary information:
- I might not be interested in working on their project – e.g. because I don’t like their product or service, I can’t relate to it, I wouldn’t buy it for myself, etc.
- I might not have the time to work on their project – e.g. their project would require 10 hours per week for 6+ months and I have only 5 available per week within the next couple of months
- I might not be able to talk to them in real time for some reason – e.g. I am traveling, I am unable to rearrange my schedule on short notice, I don’t have available time slots in their preferred time zone, etc.
- A request for a quick call without preliminary information is not professional from my point of view because they are forcing me to come to a meeting unprepared
- I am not competent enough to help them – e.g. they need SEO and SEM consultancy; and while I can help on strategic level with their SEO, I am totally not suitable to manage their Google AdWords or PPC campaigns.
Bottom line – I do have reasons for asking all prospective customers those questions in advance.
The more preliminary information you give me, the less time we will waste and the better chances we’d meet on Skype and maybe work together, eventually.
I sure don’t have a problem to talk to you on Skype or elsewhere –but to do so, I need to know I am interested in working with you and on your project; I need to know I am able to help you; I need to know I am not wasting my time… and to know that, I need all my preliminary questions answered.
I respect your time – please, respect mine. If you are truly interested in working with me, invest the 10 minutes (or less) needed to complete the detailed contact form on my ‘Hire me’ page. This is the first step toward successful collaboration.
Ignoring my questions and sending me a quick call request anyway is a red flag and is a sure way for you to get rejected. Yes, I too chose the people I work with and the projects I work on!
Well I agree with all your points listed, I guess “Quick call requests” seems new to me as I haven’t been using calls for business or I just use emails or online methods.
Thanks
Right, i too work exclusively online, Samir, and have the occasional Skype call with prospective and current clients – it’s just easier and quicker that way. Nevertheless, i never accept a call without preliminary info – you are lucky you don;t get such requests (yet) 😉
This is something that really aggravates me as well. I do social media management and many people want to talk to me on skype, but I don’t have time to set aside for a full on conversation. Just like you, it would probably take me 10 hours a week to talk to these people via skype. I prefer email simply because then both parties can answer the other at a time convenient to each of us. I’m like you, I could be out and about. I never know what I’ll be doing an hour from now, or later in the evening. And I typically sleep late, so early morning calls don’t work for me either. There are plenty of reasons why I don’t communicate via skype, although I see why some people would want to do that with a client you’re already working with, but even then it doesn’t work for me. Basically it’s an appointment, and I like to live my life with as few appointments as possible so I can live a free life as possible. It’s like when fedex or UPS has a package that needs to be signed for and they tell you they’ll be back on thursday between 2-5. I hate that! And sometimes they even come friday instead! lol, It’s horrible, haha!
I hear ya, Lisha!
Although, i am one of those people who prefer to have appointments with clients once in a while – it’s easier to discuss some things in real time – we just get more work done that way!
But i loved how you put it – you like living an appointment-free life. Great addition – i too prefer life without meeting somebody else’s schedule 😉
These are great tips I can adapt as I continue to work with prospective editing clients. It never ceases to amaze when when some people act put-off when I request more information about their project. They just want to drop it off, and viola.
Don’t get me wrong, Jeri, but those clients are my favorite! Not that i like them – no, i just feel relieved that they proved to be “unsuitable” and incompatible with myself as early as the stage when i ask questions… and you know i always have questions, and a lot hahaha
If someone acts put off by your questions and request for additional information, move on – they probably aren’t a client you want to work with anyway 😉
I feel the same way as you do, Diana! I also feel the same as Jeri. Clients really DO need to show respect and provide their chosen freelancer with as much info as possible. Why some people choose to ignore questions on a form is beyond me. It’s a good thing you have “required” fields; otherwise, you might not learn anything!
Right, Lorraine – we must respect our own time, hence the required fields. And we (meaning freelancers) should never ever get into a contract with a client who doesn’t respect our time… period. Thanks for dropping by 😀
Diana — I find that one of the most difficult pieces of information to get from a prospective client is their budget. They don’t know what they want to spend or they’re afraid if they give you a number then that’s what you’ll bill them when maybe you would have charged less. They don’t understand that if you are a consultant you are selling time. So if your budget is xxx amount then I can craft a program with elements that meet that budget. If your budget is less, then the program elements will change. Simple, but not always easy to communicate.
That’s a good point Jeannette. Money is always the hardest thing for people to talk about and negotiate…
This is indeed a very good point, Jeannette (as Lisha pointed out) -and i totally agree. Maybe i should put a clarification on my hire-me page explaining why i need a budget – thanks for the addition!
However, in the context of this post about the quick call requests – some clients don’t know what their budget is and/or what’s a fair budget for the help they need – but they can simply say so in the budget field, right? Ignoring the question won’t make it go away, you know – i will still ask for it 😀
Hi Diana
I’ve had loads of this type of enquiry just lately. And virtually all of them have found me via my website.
It seems to me that a lot of people who find you through search engines are just bargain hunters who don’t really understand the freelance market or value people’s time.
Like you, I have a detailed enquiry form. But few bother to use it and just go down the easiest route for them and the hardest for me.
At some stage I’m going to review my website content and look for ways to attract only the better clients.
Nice to see you around again, Kevin 😀 Truth is, you will always attract this type of clients. Yes, you can optimize your site to attract mostly clients you want and like but those “bargain hunters” as you called them – you will attract those as long as you are online and discover-able through search engines.
Your best bet (our best bet, actually – everyone’s!) is to streamline the process – find a quick and easy and not time-assuming way to handle those quick call requests. I have a canned message for that purpose and it takes me literally 30 seconds to reply to such inquiries. 99% of those “prospective clients” never bother to reply further 😉
Maybe folks just miss human contact. Hate to be the contrarian, but these days it seems everyone is making a point of NOT communicating the good old fashioned way…human voice and even a visual. There is a comfrot level there…especially if you are parting with hard earned cash. It’s nice to her the inflection of a voice, rather than try to judge a tone in an email, see someone’s eyes. Maybe there is a reason so many customers are asking for this. After all, that is how business was done in the old days and business still managed o get done. 🙂
Oh, Jacque, i totally agree with you.; I am NOT against real time conversations – vthrough skype, phone or face to face. However, i am against to requstibg such calls without giving any preliminary information as it is a waste of tim for both parties. Let me give you an example.
Let’s say you are launching a new website and you need help with your content marketing strategy. You need not only someone to draft that strategy but help you implement it afterwards. If you look through my site and services section, you might think i am a good fit and would like to talk to me. So far so good.
If you tell me all the details – what you want and what you expect of me, etc., i will decline your invite because i don;t have the availability to help you – i have too much on my plate. can suggest i can create the strategy for you but you will have to find someone else to handle the day-to-day implementation. IF that is pk with you – we can meet and talk. If it’s not ok – then we will move on, without talking in real time.
And if you just send me a note “let’s stalk” and i agree to a meeting without any preliminary information, we will both lose at least 1 hour of our time to arrange a meeting which quite possibly will NOT result in collaboration simply because i am not available to accommodate your project’s needs.
Another example. You have a medical equipment blog (or something). You like my blo and writing style and assume i blog for money, too. You contact me with a request to talk.
If you give me preliminary information about your business and blog and what you want from me, i will decline on the spot because i am NOT a professional blogger, i know nothing about medical equipment and i have no desire to learn anything about it.
If you don;t give me information and i agree to meet, again – we will waste our time arranging a meeting and talking, simply because i will never ever take on your project – it’s simply something which does not interest me.
Sorry for the long comment – i just wanted to make sure it’s crystal clear i am all FOR skype and phone calls as part of the freelancer-client communication… I am against quick call requests from clients who don;t bother give any preliminary information 😉