Your phone rings. You answer and it's a potential client who loves your demo! Your body starts to fill up with joy and excitement! But five minutes into the discussion, the client mentions that dirty word Fiverr and how he found someone on that website who will do the voiceover for a lot less than what you quoted. Your excitement begins to fizzle as you start shaking your head. You may be wondering if you should cut the client off and go about your day. Please don't do it! You can still win over this client with a few simple steps.
I know the feeling of wanting to have an adverse reaction to a client mentioning cheaper talents on Fiverr. It's easy to get offended and there may be several snarky remarks begging to come out of your mouth. Instead of taking this personally, just talk to them. Get to know them! Some lowball clients will never be worth it but some are pretty open to hearing why they should choose YOU for a higher rate. Live conversations build trust and rapport. When you're negotiating, avoid email at all costs. Get them on the phone!
Be likable. Nobody wants to work with a grump. Joke around and keep the conversation professional but lighthearted. It's easy to get agitated when they bring up the "Don on Fiverr said he would do it for cheaper." Keep your composure and just chat. If they still choose the Fiverr talent by the end of the conversation, wish them well, and welcome their feedback on the other talent. Trust me, this works. The fact that you're taking a vested interest in their project even though they could be hiring someone else will make an enormous impression. And yes, there will be a decent chance they will come back and hire YOU.
Now, I don't want to be pretentious about Fiverr talents. There are plenty of decent talents on there. But for now, let's stay in the "how do I win this client over" lane. Many moons ago, I was in radio sales for CBS Radio and I was always competing with another radio station for advertising dollars. I had to learn how to be patient and just get to know the client. I had to work on building rapport instead of making a hard sale. It can be the same with booking voiceover work, especially from a client considering using another talent for a lesser rate. Be likable and build trust. It works.
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