Selling Yourself as well as Your Services

My husband and I got into a rather heated discussion the other day over the marketing side of freelancing. He has a marketing background, and I despise anything sales-related, so the stage was already set for some dissension before we even started.

Background Story: I placed a bid for an editing job. The clients came back and asked if I would do a one-chapter sample edit. (And yes, I was paid for it. I don’t work for free.) I agreed, and discovered that they had asked the same thing of another freelancer. Basically, they were perusing their options to determine which editor was a better fit. I thought, “kudos for them,” and proceeded to do my best work. I turned it in, sent a nice email, and awaited a reply.

My husband feels that I lost a prime opportunity to sell myself. He wanted to know if I mentioned in the email what exactly I could bring to the project. He wanted to know if I added a plug or two for my incredible skills and the direction I would take their book.

Well, no.

I am of the school where the work should speak for itself. They got my resume and experience in my bid for the job. They got a first-hand look at what I could do for their book. They knew my rates and, to my mind, had everything they needed to make an informed decision. I hate it when salespeople try to push their services or wares on me. I can see right through them and don’t enjoy someone telling me what I should think. So I don’t do it in my own professional life, either.

Hence the heated discussion.

His points:

1. I am selling a service. Therefore, I need to actively sell that service.
2. Just because I can see the absolute semantic beauty of my editing skills doesn’t mean the client can. I need to point out what I’ve done, why I’ve done it, and why they need exactly that from me
3. The clients might be too lazy to look at details in the editing, but they are probably reading the emails. The emails were my opportunity to shine.
4. I needed to act like I really wanted the job.
5. The clients were male, and men tend to respond better to aggressive tactics. I need to tailor my tactics to the client.
6. I will probably never hear from them again, and it’s no one’s fault but my own.

My points:

1. I don’t want to have to continue selling myself as the project goes on. Either they want to work with me, or they don’t. Either way, I can adjust and move on.
2. Our business holds on to clients for a long time. Why? Because we simply do good work. That should be enough.
3. I hate selling. I gave the clients all the information they needed, and I am assuming they are intelligent enough to see through any sales tactics that might cover up shoddy workmanship or a lack of experience.
4. I use this approach all the time, and I get work that way.
5. We’ll wait and see how they respond before I assume he’s right. My way is just fine, thank you very much.

I didn’t get the job.

The husband may have been right.