The Handover Process
I spend a lot of my time handing things over to people.
I hand over outlines I've written to writers. I hand over wireframes I've created to designers. I hand over developed pages I've project-managed to my marketers.
That means that I have a lot of touchpoints with people in that process.
I'm not a professional salesperson, but I am a business owner - and therefore I know that in interactions with people, every touchpoint matters.
When you're selling your services to a prospect or when you're handing over something for another person to work on, you're doing the same underlying thing - you're condensing a lot of information into a small box.
The way you conduct yourself while doing that is important.
I often try to "give as much as I can" during that conversation, whether it's synchronous or performed async.
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If it's synchronous, I try and say as much valuable things as I can in as little time possible. I speak fast, but I also am very mindful of the 30 minutes I'm given to pitch.
I get to the point quickly, and move over to understanding what challenges that person has asides from what I can personally contribute on.
I'll say things like "to be mindful of your time, note we have about 18 minutes left. You know by now what I do - how can I make sure you leave this conversation with something of value?"
I make connections to other freelancers, or give good references, or help think of an analogy that explains a complex process.
This is a bit cringy, but I am often told that I refuse to leave a conversation without giving value to to the other party.
That's a good thing for people to say about you.
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If it's async, I will use as many mediums as I can to convey what I mean.
I'll leave comments on the Figma file, and take screenshots with arrows and captions, and record a video of me walking through every bit of UX interaction I want or the reasoning for building this page to begin with.
I'll provide references and explain why I think they're good, and speak in terms the designer or writer or developer relates to. I'll make analogies or tell stories or, on occasion, draw something on a canvas to get my point across.
If they have any specific requirements, like getting the Figma design with auto-layout, or having someone else QA their writing, or having a person to talk to during the process - I make sure they get it.
I know I depend on these people to do my job well. If I treat them properly, they will do the same.
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As a service provider, you have many touchpoints with many people.
Don't let them go to waste.
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