From time to time you’ll get the following question:
“I’m looking for someone to do X, do you have experience with this type of project.”
If you haven’t done X before, then what do you say?
You obviously want to avoid lying…
On the other hand, you don’t want to say no and miss out on the opportunity.
So what you need to do instead, is “reframe” your experience.
For example:
1. The client asks if you’ve done X before
2. You tell them that you haven’t, but you’ve done Y.
3. You demonstrate that X and Y and similar…
…therefore, if you’ve done Y, you can pull off X.
Along with this, you should mention anything else that makes you the best choice for the project. This could include personal experience, experience with the topic or audience, or even previous experience with other clients.
Taking all this into account, you could say something like the following:
“I haven’t written an advertorial before. That being said, I’ve written dozens of pieces of long-form copy which follow a very similar structure. With this experience I could probably put together a decent advertorial for you.”
“What’s more, I also have experience in the XYZ industry which is highly relevant. I understand your customers and their challenges, and know this market inside and out. I’m more than happy to send over some samples which demonstrate this.”
Now, this doesn’t always work.
A lot of the time you’ll be up against people who do have the relevant experience…
…but a lot of the time you’ll actually get the job.
And this only needs to work once.
You see, the next time someone asks, you will have what they’re looking for.
Alastair Walton