Whenever a potential new client contacts me, I like to investigate them to find out as much about them and their business as I can before I contact them. This helps me get an idea as to what they are going to be like to work with, as well as the type of product they are looking for.
Sometimes this might seem a bit creepy.
Using nothing more powerful than Google (but really, is anything more powerful?) I’ve been able to find out where they live, what kind of business they run, how long they’ve been in business, pending or historic court cases (red flag!), social media presence, and more. I haven’t found much value in digging into their Facebook accounts, but Twitter and LinkedIn have proved fruitful. I’m not really interested in their personal life, just their professional presence.
I’ve had mostly positive reactions to this process, as most clients seem to understand that my diligence in researching is only to ensure I can provide quality work for them that is on strategy with their existing brand, or an intentional move away from it.
Like I said – “mostly” positive reactions. In one instance, knowing too much about one client was a quick way to getting no work, with a bonus of a mild tongue lashing. But this just shows his level of understanding of the internet and I have a feeling he might have been a tad bit difficult to work with.
I think the positives outweigh the negatives, but perhaps I should change from a freelance writer to a freelance information finder…and embrace my inner creepiness!
How much time and effort do you put into new prospects, and have you found any great tools that help you dig a bit deeper?
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