Hit 300 rejected proposals before I figured out the pattern

I've been freelancing for about 5 years now. Kept sending out bids and getting nothing back. Counted them up last month. 300 rejections. No response or a flat no. Started looking at my old proposals side by side with the few wins I got. Turns out I was writing way too formal. Used big words. Tried to sound smart. The jobs I got I wrote more casual, like I was talking to a friend. Totally changed how I write proposals now. Anybody else notice a weird pattern in what makes people say yes?

2 comments

2 Comments

lucaslane7d ago

Yeah the "trying to sound smart" thing kills more deals than people realize...

gonzalez.phoenix6d ago

I was in a meeting last Tuesday where a guy kept throwing out words like "synergy" and "paradigm shift" and I watched three people just check out completely. @lucaslane is right, that whole trying to sound smart thing is like a fast pass to losing people. It comes off as fake and it makes everyone feel like you're talking down to them. I've lost count of how many times I've seen a solid idea get ignored just because the person presenting it couldn't talk normal. You gotta just be real and say what you mean without all the extra fluff.