Where Are The Gaps in Your Marketing & Sales Process?

Are you struggling to attract the right type of clients (or any clients at all)? Maybe you get lots of enquiries, but they never go anywhere? Or perhaps it's getting the enquiries in the first place that's the challenge.

Figuring out where the problems are in your process will help you figure out how to fix them.

Problem #1: You don't generate enough leads

Every morning, you check your inbox hoping for an enquiry, but instead of emails from potential customers, you've got an inbox full of spam. Does that sound about right?

Fortunately, this is probably the simplest problem to diagnose: your marketing is crap.

It might sound harsh, but if enquiries are few and far between, then your marketing just isn't working. Sticking a couple of posts on social media and hoping work will come rolling in just isn't going to cut it.

You need to be getting yourself in front of your ideal clients. And you need to make sure they know how you can help them.

Too many freelancers shy away from selling themselves, and it makes no sense. If what you offer can genuinely help people, why wouldn't you want them to know about it?

Be confident in your products or services - if you're not confident, why would potential clients feel confident buying from you?

And sales posts don't have to be "sleazy" or "spammy" or "cringey". Check out my promo video - it identifies a problem my ideal clients might be having, explains how I can help, and lets viewers know what to do next:

Or how about this fun story I created to promote my mentoring programme:

Once upon a time, there was a frustrated freelancer.

They were highly skilled, qualified and knowledgeable in their field. They acted honestly, ethically and with integrity. And they added lots of value to the businesses they worked with.

But no matter how hard they tried, they just couldn't attract their ideal clients.

So they sought out advice from so-called experts.

First, they spoke to a successful-looking guy called Tom.

"Oh fair freelancer, why do you look so frustrated?" asked Tom.

"I just can't seem to get the clients I want," replied the freelancer.

"Aha! Then you need a fancy website."

And so the frustrated freelancer went away and got a fancy new website.

But still, their ideal clients did not appear.

Next, they met a confident-looking bloke called Dick.

"Oh fair freelancer, why do you look so frustrated?" asked Dick.

"I just can't seem to get the clients I want," replied the freelancer.

"Aha! Then you need to get on LinkedIn, and Facebook, and TikTok."

So the freelancer went away and invested hours learning how to use the many, many platforms.

But still, their ideal clients did not appear.

Next, they were approached by a self-proclaimed guru called Harry.

"Oh fair freelancer, why do you look so frustrated?" asked Harry.

"I just can't seem to get the clients I want," replied the freelancer.

"Aha! Then you need my expensive course, which will teach you how to build a six-figure business overnight."

So the freelancer went away and broke down in tears because everything was so bloody overwhelming and confusing.

Then, one day, they came across an intelligent, witty, kind, caring and highly skilled mentor called Lisa.

"Oh fair freelancer, why do you look so frustrated?" asked Lisa

"I just can't seem to get the clients I want," replied the freelancer. "I’ve tried everything – website, social media, blogs, emails – nothing works!”

“Well, that’s because your marketing is all over the place and you don’t have a proper process for attracting, nurturing and converting clients,” Lisa explained. “But don’t worry. I can teach you how to fix things so you can get more of the clients you want.”

And so, the frustrated freelancer handed Lisa a modest bag of gold.

And for the next 12 weeks, through a combination of one-on-one Zoom sessions, WhatsApp conversations and various resources, Lisa worked with the freelancer on their sales and marketing process, provided feedback, training and support, and helped them take back control of their business.

At the end of the 12 weeks, the freelancer was no longer frustrated. They understood how to attract, nurture and convert their ideal clients, and had the skills and confidence to do it.

And they all lived happily ever after.

The end

And of course, you can always be more direct:

These are all posts I share on socials media, but social media isn't the only online marketing I do. I also create blog posts, videos and a free weekly email.

And as well as creating content, I also do more direct marketing too, because content marketing is often a longer-term strategy. I've had clients who have been social media followers or email subscribers for months and even years before they reach out.

So if you need faster results, it's definitely worth doing some direct marketing. Go to networking events and talk to people. Or reach out to your ideal clients via email, direct message, direct mail or with a call.

But avoid using a generic spray-and-pray approach. Instead, personalise your message, and don't dive straight in with a pitch - the first step is starting a conversation

Whichever marketing activities you choose, be sure to focus on the metrics that matter - are you generating good enquiries? Likes and views don't pay the bills.

Problem #2: You get enquiries and leads, but they never go anywhere

Maybe you're getting plenty of enquiries, but they never work out. Either they don't move to the next stage, or they just aren't the right fit.

There could be two problems here.

1. Your marketing is attracting the wrong type of people
2. The way you respond to enquiries is putting people off

Problem number one is common if your marketing messages are quite generic. People aren't sure exactly what you're offering, who you work with, or what you can do for them. You might also have this problem if you are giving the impression you are cheap, desperate or inexperienced. You'll know if this is the case if you constantly get people trying to haggle you down on price.

If the problem isn't the quality of enquiries, but you keep getting ghosted, then the issue could be with the way you are responding. Maybe:

• You're not providing enough information
• You're overwhelming the prospect with choice or detail
• Your response comes across as too pushy or aggressive
• Your response comes across as too passive or indifferent
• You don't come across as confident
• You're trying to push for a call or meeting too quickly
• You haven't convinced the prospect that what you offer is right for them
• You haven't convinced the prospect that what you offer is value for money

And the list goes on.

I know it sounds like you have to walk a tightrope to get the right balance, but you don't.

You can have a standardised enquiry handling approach that still allows you to adapt your response to each individual.

But don't rush your response. Pay attention to what the prospect is asking. Do a bit of research (e.g. check out their website) if necessary. If their enquiry is vague, ask for more information before trying to push for a call. And don't be too eager to get them to the next stage until you know they are the right fit - you don't want to waste their time or yours.

Problem #3: You do loads of calls, meetings and proposals, but don't close enough sales

This one is frustrating. You spend hours prepping for a call or meeting, doing the actual call or meeting, and then creating a detailed proposal, only to get ghosted.

I've been there.

But do you know how I stopped it from happening? I stopped doing free calls and meetings.

I'll happily give away my experience and knowledge for free in my content - blog posts, emails, ebooks, downloads, etc. And I'll share it with anyone I think will benefit.

But bespoke advice and support? That's valuable, and that's why I charge for it. And because I charge for it, my clients value it more, so they are more likely to implement my advice. And when they implement my advice, they get results. Win-win. My clients get value for money, and I get paid for my time and expertise.

It's so easy to fall into the trap of giving as much value as possible in the hope the prospect will eventually decide to buy from you. But if you're giving away all your expertise for free, why would a prospect see any value in it?

Learn to value your time and expertise more, and be selective with who you give it to. Be more careful about which calls and meetings you agree to. Don't spend hours on calls with people who are only shopping around for the best deal.

And make sure your sales skills are up to scratch. If you're losing lots of promising leads at the proposal stage, it might simply be because you're not very good at selling. Maybe you're not giving a good impression. Maybe you aren't doing a good enough job of demonstrating the value you can add. Or maybe your follow-up process isn't effective enough.

If you aren't sure why you can't close, don't be afraid to ask for feedback. Find out why potential clients decided not to move forward or why they decided to move forward with someone else.

Problem #4: You get a decent amount of sales, but clients only buy once

This is not so much a marketing problem, but more of a service problem.

Either your service isn't great, so clients don't come back, or you don't offer any follow-on products.

If it's the first problem, you need to work on the quality of your service. If it's the second problem, you need to think about how you package your services.

When I offered done-for-you copywriting, I got a lot of website projects which I loved. I enjoyed doing them, and it would be a good chunk of money. But it would often be a one-and-done deal. Once the website was live, that was it.

Yes, they might come back to me for the odd new page or a few updates in the future, but they didn't need me to rewrite their copy every week. So once I'd completed a project, I had to replace it with another new project, which meant I was constantly having to find new clients.

I countered this by offering content writing services to every website client. Not every client took me up on it, but some did, which meant I started to build up a regular monthly income through retained clients.

If you're in a similar situation where your services are one-and-done, look for a way to change it. Could you offer ongoing support or a retainer of some kind? Are there add-on products or services your clients might be interested in? Are you letting clients know what else you offer besides the thing they initially signed up for?

It's easier to keep hold of happy clients than it is to constantly find new ones.

Problem #5: You have too many clients, but not necessarily the type of clients you want

Do you have too many demanding clients? Or clients who don't value you? Or clients who never pay on time? Or clients who go quiet for months, then suddenly pop up with an "urgent" project?

Maybe you get loads of work, but it's not the kind of work you want. It doesn't really play to your strengths. Or it's low-paying, low-value work.

Do you find yourself taking on everything and anything that comes your way just so you can pay the bills? Working long hours, cancelling plans to accommodate clients, and still not earning anywhere near what you'd like to be?

Chances are, your problem is your pricing.

If you're cheap, you attract price buyers, and you fill your time quickly with low-paid work.

I was guilty of this when I started my copywriting business. I would take on everything that came my way, and my prices were stupidly low. I had clients who treated me like crap, and work I resented doing.

But I needed to make money.

And I kept telling myself that if I got all this experience, I'd eventually start getting the higher-paid work.

That was a stupid way of thinking.

It doesn't work like that.

If you want people to pay you what you are worth, you have to charge what you are worth.

You have to say no to the crappy clients and the work you don't want, so you can free up time to go out and find the clients you do want.

Once I fixed my pricing, stopped agreeing to every project, and focused on my marketing, I managed to build a business that made me happy. I had far better clients, worked less and earned more.

And because I wasn't making myself miserable and I wasn't overworking myself, I was able to give my clients a far better quality of service.

So if you have too many clients (or too many of the wrong type of clients), put your prices up, start saying no, and focus on attracting more of the clients and work you love.

Do you need help fixing your sales and marketing process?

If you've read the above and still don't know where the problems are, or you're struggling in multiple areas, or you know what's wrong, but don't know how to fix it, book a call with me.

My 90-minute starter sessions are designed to help you figure out where the gaps are and how to fix them. We'll look at what you can do right now to improve your results, and we'll put together an action plan to help you move forward.

Starter Session - Lisa Slater

Let’s find out what’s holding you back so you can start attracting more of the clients you want and building a business that makes you happy.

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Alternatively, if you're ready to take more drastic action and are serious about getting your freelance business under control, I offer two mentoring options. Mentoring Lite is a rolling monthly support with fortnightly calls, and Mentoring Intensive is a 12-week programme with weekly calls and lots of hands-on support.