It is great when a potential client asks for your help, but what do you do when you see the person can use your help but they don't ask.
I’ll admit that I love it when someone asks me to help them because if they do there is a good chance they become a client. It becomes a win for both of us. However, that does not always happen.
Sometimes you need to ask them if they are interested in working with you and that can be hard for many consultants (freelancers.) As hard as it can be to ask, you must.
If you have built a relationship and people are comfortable with you, it can be easier to ask them but for many consultants it is still hard.
Sometimes the person doesn’t want to admit they have a problem or they can’t see that they have a problem.
However, there are other times the person is waiting for you to say “Would you like someone to help you?”
The challenge for many consultants and freelancers is they never think the timing is right but at some point, they need to ask.
It is very easy to keep nurturing a relationship forever and, in the process, build a great friendship. However, on more then one occasion I’ve watched a consultant lose the chance to help a “client” because they never asked the client if they could use some help. The reason the consultant lost out on the opportunity could be as simple as the “client” didn’t think the consultant (freelancer) would be interested in helping them so they never asked.
If it is fear that is preventing you from asking, put the fear behind you. What is the worst thing a person can say? No. But the person could say Maybe or Yes.
This article looks at three scenarios — Yes, No, and Maybe — where a consultant asked a client or potential client if they were interested in someone helping them.
Here is a link to the entire article.
