Contract Worker - Freelancing Experiences

Let’s be Superficial Communicators!

by Rico on October 24th, 2008

It’s pretty irritating how people pay more attention to the manner of your message, rather than its matter. If you’ve seen someone get by because they knew how to package themselves in a very appealing way—despite of a lack of any considerable lack of substance beneath the style—then you know what I mean.

Yes, it’s irritating how people manage to get their foot into the door through charm alone. It’s even more irritating to see a client suffer because they, quite simply, fell for the wrong pitch, as they find out that what looked so good in the beginning fell short of its promise.

It’s true that first impressions last. But it’s also true that they last up until a point. Style can take you very far, but it’s real substance that make a relationship between a client and freelancer last—and lucrative.

Personally, I think my strength lies more with getting the job done than marketing myself to prospective clients. This adds to my irritation. Yet, ultimately, I understand that the world works a certain way; even the most objective of us are superficial.

Part of successfully connecting with prospects is to appeal to their superficial side, then build a stronger relationship on this foundation. I guess I just need to learn to appreciate the fact that everyone judges a book by their cover—whether it’s to their benefit or detriment.

Share This

Related Stories

• Quick Idea-Generation Techniques, #1a
• What Freelancers Can Learn From Obama’s Victory
• Do You Know What Your Bank Lets You Do?
• Why You’ll Learn a Lot Through RSS
• 10 Ways to Deal With Clients

POSTED IN: Communication