Many writers are uncomfortable discussing money or selling their work. But, like it or not, we are salespeople. Writers pitch for work, trawl for new clients, network, and negotiate.

Over my career, I’ve spent a lot of time with salespeople. They’re energetic, resilient and resourceful, and many of their ideas are useful to writers, too.

Feeding the funnel

Salespeople use the analogy of a funnel for their activity. The top is wide, where you pour all your leads: contacts from networking events, names from social media, editors you’d love to write for, publications in which you’d love to list your byline.

As the funnel narrows, leads fall away. The ones that remain warm turn into prospects (people who’ve shown real interest). The idea is to keep the top filled with new leads so you don’t end up with a dry pipeline down the line when you need it most.

The warmer the lead, the more attention it’s worth, which is where writers often fail. It’s also worth ‘qualifying out’ people who are anyone not interested, to save wasted effort.

Does this agency even use freelancers? Does this company have a content budget? Sites like Who Pays Writers and The Freelancer’s Year’s pitch tracker give a sense of which markets are worth your time. A couple of quick checks can save hours later.

Warm and cold outreach

Outreach means making contact with leads. Unlike most writers, salespeople are very disciplined and thick-skinned about this. The key is do it little and often, keeping each communication relevant and with a light touch.

Pitching a publication you’ve never written for is cold outreach. Re-engaging a client who went quiet six months ago, is warm.

Warm outreach converts (sells) at a much higher rate than cold, and pitches to people you’ve worked with before convert best of all. It all means keeping track of contacts and conversations, paying attention to leads at each stage of the funnel. A simple spreadsheet is enough for starters.

Following up

Sales professionals are obsessive about following up, and with good reason: most sales close (succeed) only after several contacts, not the first. Writers often pitch once then interpret silence as rejection. We don’t want to be seen as a nag, when the editor just may be busy. More advice on following up can be found [here] and [here].

As well as a well-timed follow-up or two, there are gentler ways to nudge an editor, such as engaging with their social posts or sharing some useful content. I might comment on a LinkedIn post of theirs, or chip in to a charity event they’re running.

Win/loss analysis

Salespeople are always making forecasts and analysing performance. Which publications have commissioned you more than once? Which editors never reply? What types of pitches land? A few months of basic tracking will give you useful, sometimes surprising intel. Often, we take for granted the clients that give us the most work, when in reality they should receive the most attention.

The ideal client profile (ICP)

With a bit of data, you can start to build a picture of the sort of person most likely to buy from you, so you can focus your pitching accordingly. Think about the clients who commission you regularly, are profitable timewise, and pay promptly. What do they have in common, in terms of sector, size, format?

‘Ideal’ here relates to sales, not fantasy. My ideal client would be a Big 5 publisher paying me millions for my novels. My actual ICP is a mid-level marketing agency with niche B2B clients that need regular thought leadership content. Unglamorous but it pays the bills.

Objection handling: rejection isn’t always a no

A client who questions your rate isn’t necessarily rejecting it. An editor who passes on one pitch might be exactly the right person for the next one. Salespeople call this objection handling – reframing pushback as a part of an ongoing conversation rather than a verdict. Silence is often just bad timing, not a permanent door closing.

Churn: planning for clients who leave

Clients inevitably leave, which is why you need an active pipeline. Some periodic churn is even positive: a client who pays late, keeps moving goalposts, or demands unpaid amendments is taking up time and headspace that could be used to find someone better. See this overview of pipeline management for freelancers.

BIO – Dan Brotzel’s latest novels are Thank You For The Days and The Wolf in the Woods. He also writes widely on Medium