#011 - The Power of a Point of View

How to create a unique POV that differentiates your value and teaches clients how to buy.

I left my 9-5 job as a marketing director to freelance full-time as a marketer.

But I panicked as I felt like my new job was as head of sales… for myself.

I didn’t know how to sell.

I’d never asked for money, let alone relied on my sales abilities to pay my bills.

Selling your freelance services is hard.

But buying freelance services might be harder.

Consider the marketing leader tasked with delivering on her strategy.

She has many choices: hire a full-time employee, turn to an agency, or trust a freelancer.

A wrong decision could mean the difference between success and failure.

It could cost her her job.

Like 83% of leaders, she hesitates to hire freelance talent for the first time.

Her reluctance is fueled by negative news about freelancers, past experiences, and stories from friends that seed fear, uncertainty, and doubt.

As a result, her business, like over half of companies, has still not employed freelancers.

So, she defaults to what she knows - returning to the same expensive agency partners.

The lesson here?

Your prospective customers may not know how to buy what you’re offering.

Your job isn’t to sell, it’s to teach them how to buy.

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The secret lies in leading with a compelling point of view.

A compelling point of view captures three things:

1. Your insight into a customer’s situation, problem, and the options available for solving it
2. An honest assessment of the alternatives, including the pros and cons of each
3. Defining the characteristics of an effective solution

1) Insight

Leading with an insight into the customer’s problem sets you apart from the jump.

It establishes your credibility and expertise in the market.

Plus, it teaches them how to think about their situation in a way that leads toward you.

A good insight should be unique, go beneath the surface, and point to your value.

Example:

In a recent presentation to a client seeking PR support, we led with the insight that there are 6 in-house comms people for every 1 journalist today, making it harder than ever to get coverage – so simply pitching media is no longer enough.

It was a bold move. We came in and challenged the very nature of their RFP and how they were looking at their problem.

This was our contact’s reaction:

2) Assessing alternatives

Most leaders haven’t bought services like yours before.

You need to help them assess the available alternatives.

I common objection is that: “I don’t want to talk about my competition”

Well, wake up!

Your client is already talking about your competition - with or without you.

Why not be the one to frame the discussion?

Your client wants your point of view on the market:

• How to compare and navigate alternative approaches.
• How to assess the pros and cons of each.
• How to avoid landmines.

This isn’t about bashing specific competitors but offering an objective and balanced perspective on competitive approaches.

Example:

In orienting the client to our POV on securing coverage and brand building in this new market, we discussed the pros and cons of various alternative approaches.

This framing provides an opportunity for discussion on the client’s experiences with each alternative, allowing you to assess fit and gain insight.

At the end of this step, you should be able to identify a common gap across the alternatives.

3) Characteristics of success

The final aspect of your point of view is your criteria for an effective solution.

Based on your conclusions at the end of the last step,

“What would need to be true for the insight to be realized?”

You’re aiming for agreement on what is and isn’t important in evaluating a solution.

Remember, you’re talking about criteria here. Not about yourself (yet!).

Your goal is to get your client to see the world like you do.

Example:

What companies need in a marketing partner to help them cut through in today’s noisy market isn’t found in any of the alternative approaches today:

1. Capabilities beyond simply PR alone
2. A partner that can operate as an extension of your team with speed and agility
3. Strategic thinking coupled with tactical execution

At this point, one of two things will happen:

1. The customer doesn’t agree with your point of view.
2. This may indicate they’re not the right fit because they don’t value what you offer.
3. They agree with your point of view.
4. Congrats!
5. You’ve established a set of purchase criteria that should vault you to the top of the list.
6. You can now shift to demonstrating how you’re the best partner to deliver on those criteria.

I understand if you’re apprehensive.

This is a big change from the pitch you’ve grown comfortable with;

A story that likely starts by talking about you, your background, your services, and past clients.

But that’s the whole point.

They don’t want a salesperson. They want a guide.

They don’t want a pitch. They want a story that helps them navigate the buying process.

After 7 years of freelancing, I’ve realized my job isn’t to sell after all.

My job is to help clients make better decisions they can feel good about.

And that’s a job I know I can do.

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Jeff Gadway
Founder, Freelance Marketing Alliance

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