Last week I had three encounters with potential clients I’d never met before. All virtual. All new contacts. I’m not sure I’m seeing a pattern yet, but what happened is worth talking about.
A bit of context: my work has always come through referrals. But lately, people seem to be searching for very specific keyword combos — “B2B”, “social media”, and “coaching” — and my B2BSoMe website has landed at the top of Google’s search results. Without any serious SEO effort. So that’s nice.
Three enquiries came in. Two from Germany, one from Australia. Honestly, this was unusual for me — I barely get leads through the website. Probably my Google My Business activity paying off. But it was unfamiliar territory, and I wasn’t sure how much time to invest in these exploratory conversations.
None of the three turned into anything. But each for a different reason.
The Ghost
An enquiry from Germany. I replied in detail and included a link to book a video call — I want to get a read on the person, and they should get a read on me. That’s just professional. A quick follow-up email came back with more questions. I answered those too. Then: silence. Nothing. End of communication. You can’t help but wonder what you did wrong. I’d expect at least a quick “sorry, not a fit” — but maybe I’m just old school.
The Gut Feeling
Another German enquiry. This one made it to a video call. During the call, something felt off. The person wasn’t really engaging, seemed vaguely disinterested, and I felt this peculiar arbitrariness in my stomach. Bauchgefühl — gut feeling — said: walk away, this means trouble. Do I write a proposal anyway, or just leave it? I listened to the gut. Left it.
The Intern
An enquiry from Australia. I’d already met this potential client in person and we’d talked about why a proper social media strategy needs to come before jumping into social media activity. She asked for a proposal. I sent one. About two weeks later she got back to me: the board had decided. They’re going to have an intern do it.
A few years ago, I’d have been stung by that. What I’m offering isn’t intern work. But maybe I didn’t get across clearly enough that a social media strategy requires a bit more than being in your twenties and having a digital native’s permission slip.
What I’m Taking from This
These three experiences in one week pushed me back toward what I know works: doubling down with existing clients. We’ve won wars together. We know exactly what we’ve got in each other.
And another realisation: when you’re this far from your potential clients and you’ve only ever met them on a screen, the trust component is missing. How do you build trust via video call? I reckon it’s incredibly hard. So going forward, I’ll probably focus on making connections offline first and then maintaining those relationships online.
The alternative? Build products — video courses, ebooks — things that don’t require personal contact upfront. But through reading or watching, maybe a bond forms that leads to closer collaboration down the track. I’m curious to see how that plays out in 2021.
From the archives of reinergaertner.de, running since 1997. Translated with AI help and my questionable bilingual proofreading. If you spot a Germanismus — that’s a feature, not a bug.