The first few years of my career as a freelancer, I figured that an in-person meeting was logical in order to get jobs. After all, not everyone is comfortable hiring someone they have never met face-to-face.

And it does make sense for clients to want to meet with a prospective freelancer, but I have come to observe the same thing with most face-to-face meetings: They don’t land the work for me.

At first, I thought it was me; that I wasn’t getting the jobs because I didn’t present myself well in person or did not do enough to hook the client. Perhaps my portfolio was lacking, I figured. But after finding out that many of the people I met with had postponed their project or still have yet to complete it, I’ve realized that there has to be more to it. It’s them…the prospective clients.

All of this has led me to a basic conclusion: The clients that insist on in-person meetings generally dilly dally on projects. Many are from the old school where they want to meet (some several times) in order to define their project goals or see what a copywriter can do for them. They aren’t the types of clients I am looking for. I want clients that know what I do and are ready for action. But I don’t want to limit my business, on the other hand, and refuse to meet with clients. I just have to be more selective about who I work with.

Not all clients have turned into a total washout by far. I still meet with people but do so more to go over project details once I have landed the job.

via How I Avoid Consultation Casualties – FreelanceSwitch.