Over the past month, I’ve spoken with several prospective clients who all faced a similar problem: They didn’t know what they wanted. Instead, they came to me to learn about ghostwriting and to fish for ideas.
And you know what? That’s perfectly fine — I’m happy to help them. A big part of my job is educating someone about what I do and the menu of options I offer.
Sometimes I’ll land the ball in their strike zone and they’ll become a client. Other times, I’ll keep throwing and missing. In the latter case, when I sense we’re not connecting, I’ll come right out and say it: “It looks like I may not be the guy you’re looking for for this project.” Then I add, “If you’d like, I can put you in touch with a colleague.”
I do this because I believe in what Richard Levick calls an “abundance mentality”: That there’s enough work for everyone. That is, I’m not sacrificing business by referring someone to a colleague; I’m building up goodwill from both parties.
