Pitching a client is like a science experiment, a few wrong steps and the test tube of job opportunity might blow up in your face. Getting your pitch right is essential. It marks the beginning of your work. In simple terms, it determines whether you get the client or the client slips out of your hand like the dust of disappointment.

Although ‘be good at what you do’ might seem like the only important factor, being able to present your work and your extreme capabilities to do it is also essential.

Starting out as a freelancer, pitching for work can be a tough bridge to cross. Someone has to be willing to improve their pitch to get better. Are you wondering why your long emails giving detailed information about your need for getting the job aren’t working? Why your creative articles not helping you to get a client in the marketing sector?

Here’s what to do and what not to do while pitching a client:

1. Long Emails

Giving all the details about your work and skills might seem like the righteous way to present yourself if so you couldn’t be more wrong. When writing to your clients write crisp and straight to the point information.

• Use bullet points instead of long paragraphs.
  According to client reviews, they don’t even go through a very long email. Such emails go straight to the trash.
• Only give relevant information
  Remember, this isn’t a race for higher word count. Be precise and witty.

2. ‘BCC’ is not that blind

BCC is a big no, no when it comes to pitching. For a new freelancer in business getting as many clients as possible seems like the right way to go. Although that is what you want, sending the same pitch to every single one of them is not the right way to go through.

Personalize every pitch according to the company you are sending it to. These companies have hundreds of pitches to go through, and a copied pitch is only going to land in the trash folder. Personalized emails are more like to be opened by 26%.

• Make sure to give every email you send time and effort. This shows whether you will give your maximum effort to the gig or not.
• Make it look like they are the only ones you are applying for. Even if that’s not the case**

3. Inexperienced?

As a new freelancer, you might not have a lot of experience in how things go down in the freelance business. But you don’t have to mention it in your pitch. All the ‘I am just starting out’, ‘I am new’ is unnecessary while pitching a client and most probably ends up in a lost opportunity.

4. Grammatical Errors.

This is a very basic error. We don’t realize when ‘marketing’ becomes ‘merketing’. It gives a terrible impression and is unacceptable. In this case, a word is worth a thousand dollars.

• Be sure to proof-read your pitch before sending it out.

5. Errors in Formatting

Even if you don’t get the project you will definitely become a laughing stock in front the client. Hence having a correct format, which is suitable for the kind of information you are giving is essential before pitching a client. Proof-read everything before you send your pitch out for final judgment. Professionalism is the key to success.

• Use bullet points
• Don’t put in long paragraphs
• Attach samples if needed

6. Confidence

Being both less-confident and overconfident is bad for your image in front of the client. Being less confident reflects that you don’t have faith in your own work. The client won’t be able to trust you with their project.

Being too confident while pitching a client is just a representation of a bad attitude. It is good to be confident in your abilities but it is not right to think that you are the only one capable of working to your full potential.

• Too much sugar or no sugar, your cake won’t be served.

7. Being Irrelevant

There is no need to write about how much you love marketing or why you love writing in your pitch. Don’t write your educational history. Also, you must only add the samples that are relevant to the job you are applying for.

8. Not Listening

Many clients would contact you through a call. It is important to incorporate the lines or the specifications they use in your pitch or response.

Many freelancers don’t do that. They get straight into business and talk about what they want from the job or their perspective. It is essential to understand that to get the job you must listen to what the client requires, not what you are capable of giving.

• Listen to what the client wants. Editors look for a specific kind of content for their audience. Make sure to give your client the priority.

9. Client Research

It is essential that you research before you send out emails to clients which includes knowing about the company, its businesses and its presence in the market. What is their motto? What do they want from someone they hire? Your research activities can play a critical role in acceptance or rejection of your proposal.