In going through old email conversations today I found a few potential clients (probably about 15) that decided not to hire me, in many cases I am not sure what happened to them (I would bet 85% of them didn't because of money), I just know they didn't pay me. Should either of us be surprised there were a good number of people that didn't hire me? Heck no! I know that not everyone I meet is going to hire me and the same will apply to you. The truth is, not everyone you meet will end up hiring you (even if you think they're a good fit).
What I did find surprising in these emails is that when I checked up with these folks to see what they ended up doing the answer was pretty much the same - they were doing and had done nothing.
Whether it was months or years that have passed since they decided not hire me they all had the same bad branding, same bad marketing and yes the same bad web site. Nothing changed at all.
It's sad really, I knew I could have helped these clients, but they found some reason not to move forward, and end up right back in the situation they were in before they contacted me.
What I find is that people that decide to hold off (particularly because of money) are waiting until some magical event happens; they're waiting for a mystical sign or perhaps something better. Zilch.
Over time, something else comes up and they slowly forget about their success, they lose hope or just decide it's not worth it and try something easier.
Whether it's freelancers looking at the product section of my site and deciding to keep looking for free info, or clients thinking something better and cheaper will come along I guess I just feel badly for their businesses - most of them are doomed, they just don't know it yet.
With all of that doom and gloom there's got to be some good news too - there is: it's never a bad idea to follow up with people (so save those old emails). If you have old contacts that didn't pan out, drop them a line and see if things have changed and that they may want to work with you now. Realistically, most will probably decline, but if sales are slow you may end up finding that a few do decide to hire you!
Most people are going to be too proud to call you back after saying they won't hire you - so follow up!!!
PS - thanks for the recent great comments about the Being a Starving Artist Sucks and Verbal Kung Fu for Freelancers books.
PPS - My friend Bill was right, more often than not when a client says, "I can't afford you" they really mean, I don't believe the money I invest in you will be worth it. You'd be surprised how people can "find" money all of a sudden when they feel that investing in training, design, marketing, etc. will benefit them.
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