Ask an Anchor: How do I send non-sales-y cold emails?

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Hi Sarah, 

I finally took the plunge, and I am officially freelance full-time. The clients who were once my side hustle are now my full focus. It’s scary, but I’m enjoying the freedom and the clarity of not being so scattered.

I know that some of the ongoing client work will keep me afloat, but I am hoping to create some kind of pipeline or, better yet, a financial buffer so if my client relationships change, I’ll be prepared. 

Here is my question: I know I have to start marketing myself, specifically doing outreach. This is totally new for me, and I am really struggling. How do I start doing outreach without being too sales-y? Help!  

Thank you, 

Resistant but Persistent 


Resistant but Persistent, 

Woah! Huge congratulations to you! The world of freelance is lucky to have you. You have your head on straight and know what you need to make this work. 

Toggling between the work you do every day and the work that keeps your business running is one of the most challenging parts about being independent, whether it’s freelance, small business, entrepreneurship, or whatever you’d like to call yourself. 

In regards to being too sales-y: 

Let this fear go. You have to talk about yourself and what you do in order to get work. But the key is that the people who are hiring don’t care who you are per se - they are already short on time and are looking for help. They only care about what you can do for them (and that you’re not going to steal their money). When you get them on the line, it’s your job to understand who they are and what they need. 

Ask them questions about their business to clarify your understanding of what they might need, and tell them how you’re going to help. 

Bad sales tactics are when you promise too much or (the worst offense) pressure people into saying “yes.” Tell the truth about what you can do and clients will respond to that. 

Get these potential clients on the phone quickly, actively listen, tell them what you can (and can’t) do. Send a proposal as soon as you can (or if you’re swamped, tell them when they can expect it and send it on time.) If they are ready to move forward, send the contract and invoice quickly. Once they’re in and saying yes, get the paperwork done and the deposit in motion. Even those who are ready and willing have a tendency to back out, so lock them in and get started. 

Setting realistic expectations and delivering above and beyond will help you with your future sales cycle in a big way. Happy clients lead to happy referrals. 

I know you’re asking about cold emails to potential clients, but I look at businesses holistically, so I need to make sure you have a few more things in order before we move on. The following list is very basic, but will really help you. When it comes to professionalism, which is what clients are looking for, this is essential for a new freelancer.  

Consider some of these assets:  

  • Website / Social / Marketing - nothing fancy, but if you can afford design and some customization, it makes a big difference in the eyes of clients who, frankly, don’t know who the eff you are. Testimonials of any kind are gold. Simple social media effort works, and so does consistent and targeted outreach.

  • PDF overview of your work - when we talk about cold emails, I’ll reference this. Clicking on an attachment in an email keeps people in their inboxes (not distracted) AND is a quick peek to prove you’re as talented as you say you are.

  • Systems - contracts, payment terms, delivery time, will all be something your client will ask you about so have those answers ready.

  • Work hours/response times - boundaries will save your life. Decide how you want your week to look and don’t forget to build in some lunchtime, times to move your body, and times when you are not looking at a screen.

 

The Cold Email

In my experience, and because of the nature of my work, cold emails have nearly never worked. But that’s just me! When people are ready to work with me, they’re looking for my services and find me by asking their friends and searching for articles. 

If they aren’t ready and looking, the concept of working with a business consultant is too new (or cold) to even try to pitch. What has worked is my happy clients talking about the solid work I do with other people. When those referrals come my way, I make sure I have all of the assets I listed above ready to go.

Whatever your business is, do take into consideration how your customer wants to find you. For example, if I grow my services to be more workshop based for bigger companies, I think cold emails will end up being a massive part of building that aspect of my business. What's working now is getting a warm introduction from my network to companies or people I want to work with. 

(Sidebar! We can talk about retainer clients another time because long-term contracts are also going to be a huge part of how to stay sane and cash flow positive)

Ok ok. The cold email. The below outline should be three short paragraphs with a closing line AT MOST. 

Get a warm introduction if you can, then...

  1. A simple headline, like “Copywriter looking to work with [Insert Company Name]”

  2. Keep it short
    > Brief introduction
    > Tell them how you’re going to improve their business
    > Tell them about your services and expertise

  3. Link out to your website AND include a PDF of your services and expertise (it might seem redundant, but think of it as thorough instead.)

Upon response:  Create another short email and include a link to book a call with you. This system is a HUGE time (and fumble) saver.  Calendly is excellent, but I know there are a few other services that will help people book you automatically. Assume your client is busy — make their life easier from the get-go. 

And have fun! 

Sarah

Do you have a question? Ask!

 

See the archive of Ask an Anchor

Ask an Anchor: Why am I daydreaming about a 9-5 job?

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I NEVER thought I’d daydream about working 9-5 for someone else. NEVER! But that’s often where my thoughts go these days.

Hi Sarah!

2019 has been ROUGH for me, to be quite honest. I'm on a rollercoaster of wanting to drop everything and quit, but then psyching myself up and pushing forward with my business. I NEVER thought I'd daydream about working 9-5 for someone else. NEVER! But that's often where my thoughts go.

I can't throw in the towel without at least trying to set myself up for success though, I know that. I want to understand my money and get my goals in line.

I have a feeling that the doubts that make me want to set everything up in flames might see themselves to the door once I can see where I'm going.

Thank you!

Conflicted in California 


 Dear Conflicted,

Let's talk about a real problem with the internet's fascination with business ownership. I like to call it: Entrepreneurship Porn. It usually looks something like this…

  • Go out on your own and immediately make six figures

  • Have the perfect branding

  • Obtain the "right" $300 clogs

  • Curate (and afford) the perfect living space

  • Get perfect photos of yourself

  • Also, have babies

  • Feel entirely OK with ambiguity

Easy as that! You're running a successful business!


This whole scene is well-intended, but a farce. And I know from talking to tons of business owners each month that it's causing severe anxiety and sadness. Overall, without real context, the above picture of entrepreneurship leaves people feeling one step behind, always.


Just like embracing real bodies, there is a movement surfacing that is helping us see the effort, pitfalls, and emotional turmoil that come with going out on your own. My work,internally and externally, is to help normalize the path of business ownership, which CAN lead to success. But first, the struggle, learning curve, and the reality of the dream. Have you figured out by now that the struggle is perfectly normal?


What it really takes to run a successful business:

  • Be an expert in your craft or service FIRST

  • Understand marketing

  • Believe customer service is of the utmost importance

  • Be financially literate and savvy

  • Also if you'd like to scale, know how to manage a team

  • Don't forget about that big picture thinking!

  • Also! Remember your family and friends and maybe take a vacation every once in a while.


Frankly, after juggling all of the above (of which I have left out A LOT), sometimes people DO choose to work for someone else. I consider that decision a "win" in and of itself.


A win? HOW? Running your own business is "the dream," right??

If the formula and track seem awful/hard/unappealing, a realization that you don't want to do "all of the above" will save you years of hardship. By uncovering the difficult truth of what it means to be a business owner, you will not only save money but stress & anxiety, which we know cause long-term health problems.


That all being said, I LOVE THAT WHOLE LIST. I LOVE RUNNING MY BUSINESS. I believe wholeheartedly that small businesses are the future. I support and teach them! Small business' success = my success!


Back to you, dear writer — I honestly don't think you're in the "shift back to 9-5 work" category just yet.

The folklore / rule of thumb is that it takes 3 years to reach "profitability," whatever the heck that means. For me, because of my low overhead, my business was "profitable" from the get-go… but that doesn't mean I was making enough to do essential things like save for emergencies or contribute to an IRA (or pay for all of my groceries). To afford the important extras, it took 4 years. Even now, during my 6th year, it's still a lot of work to maintain the income I genuinely need to feel great about keeping my doors open.


So why do I do it? And why should you keep doing it? Find ways to like all of the work. From doing your "craft" to figuring out a growth strategy.


Here are questions you can ask yourself as you start to envision the future:

  • What do I do the best inside of my business?

  • What can I hand off? And/or …

  • Do I have the means or trajectory to hire the right support who can take on the parts I don't enjoy?

  • Can I pay myself enough so I can do more than just survive?

  • Are there success points outside of income?


The category you could be in is one where you need to take a bit of pressure off of your "business" so you can actually focus on it. The pressure usually comes from financial responsibility, learned money fears from your upbringing, or (better yet) the perception of what you should be making.


Let's talk about internal vs. external motivations:

Connecting success with money will always leave you feeling, well, poor. Connecting success with real milestones and achieving creative goals will always be more fulfilling. The true nature of our patriarchal, capitalist society requires you to have money, not just now but later, to make sure that in your twilight years, you're taken care of. If we had a system that supported our health and well-being, we would have a lot more art, less stress, and maybe even world peace. Who knows.


I recently shared my cash flow with one of my lovely "assistants" (let's be real, they're my bosses.) I think they were surprised by what they thought my business looked like vs. the reality. The cash flow is tight, but there's also excellent work on the horizon. Numbers don't lie, but they also don't tell the whole story.


The money will always come and go. There are strategies, but mostly it takes longer to acquire than we hope and keeping it takes a lot of self-discipline. Continuing to pursue your business in a strategic and not-hemorrhaging-money type of way looks different than the stereotype of entrepreneurial success. I want to get you used to the idea that running a business is an energy, not a path to happiness or fulfillment. Overall, though, it can and should be a path to security and comfort.


Sending all the virtual hugs,
Sarah

SEE THE ARCHIVE OF ASK AN ANCHOR

About our founder Sarah Schulweis

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Sarah Schulweis is a forward-thinking entrepreneur, small business owner, and creative consultant who specializes in helping other entrepreneurs transform their unique visions into strong businesses. She is known in the small business community for her holistic business consulting and ground-breaking interactive programs and resources including Cash Flow Cleanse, the 6-Month Business Foundations Program, and Goal Guide.

In 2013, Sarah founded Anchor & Orbit Consulting to help independent business owners find their path to sustainable growth. Sarah has partnered with hundreds of clients across a range of industries to advance their visions at any stage. From the big picture – like defining personal success, providing mindset shifts, unblocking fears, facilitating financial clarity, and directing energy, to hands-on tasks – such as formulating key hires, setting up business systems, uncovering strategic market placement, and creating sales practices. Clients describe Sarah as a guiding light, a natural community builder, and a small business innovator who connects the right people to the right resources.

Clients describe Sarah as a guiding light, a natural community builder, and a small business innovator who connects the right people to the right resources.

Using a comprehensive approach to understanding business, Sarah believes that the first step toward success for any entrepreneur is finding internal clarity about one’s values, motivation, and source of true happiness. In addition to offering one-on-one sessions, Sarah facilitates workshops that give participants an opportunity to drill down into the core of their mission and outline concrete business plans that lead to lasting growth. For example, in her 6-Month Business Foundations Program, participants take incremental steps toward personal and professional goal planning, financial analysis, market exploration, cash flow analysis, and strategy development through meticulous research, reflection, and assignments. Sarah loves when others have epiphanies, especially when their lightbulb moment leads them to a clear picture of what is needed and how to get there.

Sarah believes that the first step toward success for any entrepreneur is finding internal clarity about one’s values, motivation, and source of true happiness.

Sarah believes deeply in the economy of small business and was first drawn to the analytical and strategic side of entrepreneurship while attaining a B.A. in Communications at San Francisco State University. She fell in love with the independence, innovation, and possibilities of small business ownership while crafting her first business plan. This lead to her decision to minor in Entrepreneurship, focusing her studies on small business launch strategies, brand identities, marketing materials, and more. Through trial-and-error, while working with ceramicists, florists, graphic designers, writers, carpenters, event planners, and many others, she has discovered approaches that work, as well as patterns and traps to avoid. With an array of tools and time-tested solutions, Sarah guides business owners through obstacles, both internal and external. She recognizes that real financial and personal growth occurs during the process of overcoming challenges.

With an array of tools and time-tested solutions, Sarah guides business owners through obstacles, both internal and external.

When Sarah isn’t architecting cash flow analyses or thinking about ways to maximize a client’s growth potential, you can find her spending time in a dance class, poring over a new cookbook, or taking an early morning walk. A native of Los Angeles, Sarah currently lives in Oakland and enjoys phone calls from her family as well as unwinding in a cozy chair with a good book.

Learn more about Sarah here:

Articles

Podcasts

Facilitator Profile: Julia Somers

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What do you do? (The brief version)

I’m an eCommerce consultant based in Los Angeles. I love helping small businesses grow their online platforms through strategic editorial direction and email marketing.

Do you have any words of advice or encouragement for people considering joining the program?

Don’t be afraid to invest the time and energy in yourself and your business! You and your business are worth the reflection, planning, attention and strategy that the program provides. If you’re really on the fence, read the testimonials, fill out the application (it’s non-binding!) and schedule the intro call with Sarah to discuss whether you’d be a good fit. Your future self with thank you.

Why were you initially drawn toward the A&O Program? (As a participant)

I first learned about Sarah and A&O through the Have Company podcast. I related so much to Sarah’s story and connected with her humor and humility right away. When I came across the Program, pretty instantly I knew that here was a course I would really benefit from.

Don’t be afraid to invest the time and energy in yourself and your business! You and your business are worth the reflection, planning, attention and strategy that the program provides.

At the time, I was running myself ragged juggling 5 different clients with no systems, boundaries or structure in place. I was unsure of what to charge for my services and of what to call myself or my business. I knew I wanted to work with small, independent businesses who were committed to making products locally and with integrity but didn’t really know my next steps or how to carve out a sustainable future for myself.

After a few emails with Sarah, I booked my intro call. She was so kind and warm of the phone and reassured me that even though I felt like I didn’t technically have a business yet, the Program would beneficial in laying out a solid foundation for when the clarity came. She was 100% right.

What are your favorite parts of the program?

Everything! Haha - really though. It’s a complete foundation for any small business or freelancer. When I took the course, the initial Discovery writing assignments, Ideal Weekly Schedule, and Cash Flow were my favorites to work through and look at - it felt so empowering to look at everything objectively with my facilitators and make a plan that felt sustainable and realistic.

I was unsure of what to charge for my services and of what to call myself or my business.

In the year since taking the course, I still regularly go back to Ideal Weekly Schedule and Cash Flow whenever I feel like I need make a pivot with a client or with pricing.

Apply Today | Visit Julia’s Website

The link between small business owners & hunter-gatherers

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I constantly consider what it means to run a soul-enhancing, burnout-making, future-shaping business.    

Understanding what motivates humans to dive into their own “thing” helps me help my clients keep it running. Opening a business can seem counterintuitive. A “real” job will give people the income they need to feel secure. Why choose the independent path? What happens when people finally pave it for themselves but feel lost again?

Creativity and freedom are usually what people say they want of their independent income life, but I think there’s a deeper motivation. It can feel nearly biological to shift into the unknown. Deciding to grow what seems to be working but is unproven is interesting.

Creativity and freedom are usually what people say they want of their independent income life, but I think there’s a deeper motivation.

The salaried way of life is a newer concept for us humans. For centuries, we planned our whole lives around survival -- from shelter to relationships to food. Of course, we crave the security of someone else worrying about how to pay us. Then our nervous systems can relax and, ideally, we can focus on more significant intellectual issues rather than baseline survival. But in truth, a salaried job is far less secure than projected, and anxiety levels are higher than ever.

We’ve even created systems like social media that give us a sense of urgency and “fight or flight” regularly… just to feel human again. I see the complacency that the security of a job provides drip deeply into our system. That’s very scary. I know this because businesses I work with are far from complacent or passive. They are tax-paying, freedom-fighting, pleasure-craving monsters, and I love them.

I see the complacency that the security of a job provides drip deeply into our system.

The way we used to live as farmers, hunters, and gatherers feels more like what small businesses do now. For centuries our brains used to be required to work and I think we crave it today. Some people planned, some people tilled, some people knew the soil intuitively. Everyone was part of their community and always had to think ahead.

In our farmer days, I doubt there was ever a “knowing” what was to come or a real sense of security. It’s the same when you own your own business.  What I think my fellow business owners really want is to know their entire process intimately. When I talk with clients about “learning” their business, they nod enthusiastically. It’s FUN for them to have a sense of control, anticipate the future, adjust when things need to shift - all to help them feel like they’re working on something bigger than themselves.

Back to the farmers.  Knowledge about land patterns and ecosystems was passed down to the next generation. People grew their food and tended their cattle in a way that would create the most security as possible. But what about the year when the rain poured down for months, obstructing the key moment to plant seeds for the summer?

What happens in that dark hour? At an earlier time, grains were dried, fruits and vegetables were canned or fermented. This left room for error and an alternative route to prevent starvation.

Knowing what is going to come is a luxury -- and doesn’t seem innately human to me. Yet, security is possible for a business when you create a path toward building a safety net. Beware the drama we create to break up the mundane, or worse, the vices we use to numb our human desires for more.

What I want to do is hone in on the patterns of a life and a business. I want to help people see the future through their desired income and create a plan to anticipate the unfortunate loss of income. Better yet, I want people to get more creative about how they can shift with the changes in the wind patterns around them.

What is the program, anyway?

A few things you should know about us and the Business Foundations Program:

  1. We don’t do “sales” — you won’t find us doing “free webinars,” nor are there discount incentives, or false deadlines. We’re a no-BS type of crew. We KNOW the work we do works so we don’t need tricks or gimmicks or formulas. If what we say resonates, we’d love to explore that with you.  

  2. We don’t have all the answers and this isn’t a silver bullet — this program was built around experience with hundreds of businesses and a one-on-one support system to tailor the program to support each participant.

  3. This program is not for everyone and there is an application for a reason — the process helps us figure out if you are a good fit for us. After the application is complete, Sarah (our founder) will schedule a call so you can talk about what you’re facing and she can explain the program in its entirety.

  4. We coach not cheerlead — we want to you achieve your goals so we create a game plan with a clear finish line. We’ll pick you up when you fall, but you’re in charge of your destiny.

I decided to join the program—quite honestly—before I was ready, but I knew that this was the kind of work I needed to be doing if I was going to position my business to truly grow. It was an absolutely necessary investment that has allowed my reality to consistently scale toward my vision.

We’ve written a few posts with brief information about the program. Including …

Some logistics:

  • The next cohort begins Monday, July 1

  • Applications are now open — & the application is not binding! We just want to get to know you.

  • Once you apply, we will set up a one-on-one call.

The course materials were presented in a really accessible way—it was a wonderful mix of your research and the interpretation of that research (written in your own voice). It made the materials feel relatable. The lead-ins to the assignments were helpful as well, *especially* when you provided your own examples as a way to guide me through and learn how to complete the assignment.
— ZINZI EDMUNDSON, KNIT WIT MAGAZINE

Your Investment Includes

  • A dedicated facilitator

  • 6-months of resources to guide our conversations

  • 6-months of assignments to solidify all subjects

  • Encouragement to find a “special project” to work on with our guidance

  • Bi-weekly group calls with facilitators

  • Five hour-long, one-on-one sessions with your facilitator (these are essential to your success)


Meet The Facilitator: Sarah Schulweis

What are your favorite parts of the program? This isn’t a “part” of the program, but the result of it -- I LOVE the epiphanies! I love to see the light bulb turn on in someone’s mind at the exact moment when it all comes together and they have a moment of clarity. Read more from Sarah.


Want more info NOW!? Ok ok! Here ya go! Ready to go? Fill out the application now.