I was recently on a mission to expand Team Contract Shop, and let me tell you… despite the plethora of online service providers out there, it’s so much harder to find the right person than you might think.

Once I actually find a potential team member, the next step is evaluating whether they’re worth talking to… and to do that I spend time looking at their online profiles and the content they’re releasing.

What happens if I can’t find the info I want?

Well, I just don’t book a discovery call — simple! — but that’s bad news for anyone who was hoping to catch my attention (and bad news for me, too, because I'm still without the help I'm looking for!)

 

5 Things that Are Driving Your Potential Clients Away

I condensed my list of pet peeves into a convenient oh-my-god-if-you-want-to-be-hired-don’t-do-this list, and am sharing them here for others to learn from.

Ready?

Here we go…

1. Update your personal social media profiles.

You’ve just left a Facebook comment telling me you’d LOVE to help with XYZ, so I click on your profile name to figure out how to get in touch with you. But… there’s no website, there’s no contact information… no way to tell that you’re in business! How am I supposed to know you’re serious about being hired if I can't find any hint of being a business owner? 

Make it super easy for me to click over to your website, learn about your special skills, and why you’re the perfect person for the job I need you to do… AND make it easy for me to contact you from your website, too. Make your “Contact Here!” or “Discovery Call” button suuuuuuper obvious. I’m a busy lady, and I don’t have time to dig through #allthepages to figure out what your email address is.

PET PEEVE ANTIDOTE #1: Always always always include a link to your business website and/or your Facebook business page on your Facebook personal profile. (Pro tip: a website is always a better choice.)

2. Clearly convey the services you provide.

If you reply to my “help wanted” ad with “Sure! I’m a copywriter and I do that!” then I’m going to your website with the expectation of seeing something indicating you’re a writer… and that you offer writerly-type services.

If you’re offering a particular service, make sure you provide examples and/or packages that show the work you want to be doing. If you tell me you want to write email sequences, but if all I see is your macro photography gallery, I’m going to assume you don’t actually want to be writing and won’t do quality work for me.

PET PEEVE ANTIDOTE #2: Keep your website copy on target — clearly explain your skills and services and talk to the right audience!

3. Don’t obscure your service mission with cutesy graphics.

I can’t even count the number of times I’ve run across a website with adorable little graphics and headers. Clearly, someone spent a lot of time on them… unfortunately, they didn’t clearly convey what service that business owner was offering.

Related to #2, above, I don’t have time to sift through conflicting information to figure out who you are and what you do. Make it easy on us poor, overloaded clients!

PET PEEVE ANTIDOTE #3: Make sure your graphics support your copy and don't inadvertently convey a different “vibe” than you want! Bonus: I want to see who I’m working with… include a photo of YOU… one where you’re smiling!

4. Support your professional self with a professional email address.

Yeah, I get it… when you’re just starting out, you’re doing everything on a shoestring budget, and not much gets cheaper than a gmail address.

But if I’m contacting 5+ people, and your email address isn’t the same as your business name, I’m going to get super confused when I’m trying to match up responses and service providers.

PET PEEVE ANTIDOTE #4: If you want to be a pro, act like a pro! Look into GSuite, it starts at $5/mo for one user. Or if you have a website, look at using an email address through your hosting company.

5. Communicate like the professional you are.

If it looks like a template, reads like a template, and lacks personalization like a template… it probably is a template. This is such a turn off! (And, yes, I'm aware that The Contract Shop® sells contract templates, but I'm the first one to tell you to personalize them for you!) 

If I reach out, take a few minutes to respond thoroughly and with some personalization. Go above and beyond to answer my questions and exemplify the service you’re offering (ie: If you’re a copywriter, don’t respond with poor grammar and abrupt sentences).

PET PEEVE ANTIDOTE #5: Put a little effort into your responses. It’s often your first chance to make a positive impression on a potential client. You can still use templates for standard answers, but make sure you personalize them for who you’re responding to.

The moral of the story: If you do these five things, you’ll be miles ahead of your competition, and that much more likely to be hired!

What are your personal pet peeves when looking to hire a service provider? Let me hear all about them in the comments!

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