How To Pitch Multi-Million Dollar Companies In Your Industry
Cold pitching is one of the most challenging things freelancers have to do. As I’ve grown in my freelance business, I have begun to understand the importance of working with companies who have the income to pay you what you’re worth. Today on The Ambitious Freelancer, I am opening the curtain to let you know how to pitch multi-million dollar companies and startups.
Do you want to listen to the audio version of this post? Check it out here:
Let Go Of Your Imposter Syndrome
Before we get into the bulk of today’s article, I want to touch on one thing––imposter syndrome. 🙇🏽♀️
When I first started pitching bigger companies, I felt like an imposter, even with a Master’s degree. Who was I to pitch these multi-million dollar startups? Would they look down on my writing, my degree, or my rates? I am still not 100% comfortable pitching multi-million dollars, but I persist anyway.
Whenever imposter syndrome starts to get you down, lean on others for support. Write out your cold pitch emails, then ask a friend to hit send for you. Think about your unique skill set, whether it’s writing, graphic design, coding, or anything else. This skill may come naturally to you, but it may be utterly foreign to the person you are pitching.
Important Things To Remember When Pitching Multi-Million Dollar Companies
Pitching multi-million dollar companies is challenging for everyone. No one tells you what to expect, which makes everything even more challenging. Here are some essential reminders before we talk about where to find multi-million dollar companies to pitch.
Big Money Doesn’t Equal Gigantic Budget
Let’s rip the bandaid off right now, just because a company is worth $3 million, doesn’t mean they can pay you that.
Companies have budgets that are allocated to certain things. 📊
Even if the company just secured a massive round of funding, it doesn’t mean they can pay you a huge sum of money. Depending on the demand for your skill, you can expect a huge difference in the budget.
For example, many tech startups are always looking for coders and product developers. If you are a tech developer, you could probably get a significant amount of money freelancing for multi-million dollar companies. I am a freelance content writer. While multi-million dollar companies can afford to pay me more than solopreneurs, they aren’t going to be paying off my student loans in their entirety for one article.
Since you don’t know the company’s exact content marketing budget, try your best to ask for a fair price. If you’ve been working with smaller companies up until now, don’t be afraid to raise your rate a bit, but don’t be outlandish.
Get Ready For Some Bureaucracy
Next, let’s chat about the bureaucracy.
If you are pitching multi-million dollar companies, you aren’t working with just one person. Instead, you are working with an employee within that company who likely has multiple bosses above them. Companies have a structure and numerous departments, which is something you have to get used to.
So, what does this mean? It means that you’ll likely have to have your work approved by multiple people, and payments will probably take longer to process. Check out Episode 28 of The Ambitious Freelancer, where I talk about dealing with clients with longer payment timelines.
Where To Find Multi-Million Dollar Companies And Startups
Now, let’s discuss where to find multi-million dollar companies. To pitch these big companies, you’ve got to know where they are. My favorite places to find multi-million dollar companies are Angel List and Crunchbase.
AngelList
The first place I find multi-million dollar companies is AngelList. I love this site because it is a modern way to find startups of all sizes.
I love AngelList’s startup database. You can sort by industry, the amount raised, location, how long companies have been on AngelList, and more.
If you are looking for part-time or full-time employment with the companies on AngelList, they also have a jobs database. I love this database because you can sort for remote jobs, although I don’t use that to pitch companies.
Want to know more about AngelList? Check out Episode 25 of The Ambitious Freelancer:
Crunchbase
Recently, I’ve found that some companies don’t have their amount raised on AngelList, so I’ve been seeking out other companies. Crunchbase is a fantastic alternative to AngelList, with even more detailed information about the money a company has raised.
Crunchbase is a little clunky, the UI could use a MAJOR update, but it is filled with amazing information.
One thing I adore about Crunchbase is the ability to see who a company’s investors are. Many investors have profiles on Crunchbase, and that allows you to fall down rabbit holes pitching other companies they are invested in.
The one downside to Crunchbase is that you are a bit limited with searches there. I would suggest finding the company on AngelList then searching for the company on Crunchbase. Otherwise, you end up looking at results like this when doing a general company search:
If you know the company’s name, you can look them up directly and get to their profile quickly.
Besides the search limitations, most freelancers will love their free plan. Crunchbase also has a Pro plan that’s $29 per month. Check out their pricing page for more details. I suggest you start on the free plan and level up if you need too.
Overall, Crunchbase is a wonderful place for research. You could be on the site for hours looking at all the companies listed on the platform.
How To Find Your Contact
So, now that you have your company in mind, how do you find the person to contact? Let's consider a few things before I share how I find my contacts.
Look For The Right Person
First, you need to be on the lookout for the right person. I wouldn’t pitch the general inbox of a multi-million dollar company. General inboxes are flooded with messages daily, especially if you are pitching an established company. Your best bet is to pitch someone closely connected with what you do.
If you are pitching:
Blogging or editing, pitch the marketing manager.
Graphic design or art, you might still want to pitch a marketing manager because they likely oversee stuff like that.
UI/UX design, see if they have someone over software engineering at their company.
Overall, you want to pitch the person who would be your boss if you were clocking in 9-5.
One of the best places I’ve found for finding the right person to contact is LinkedIn. People often claim their workplace on LinkedIn, and you can go to any company page to see a list of their employees on LinkedIn. For example, here is the company page of a popular fashion company Rent The Runway:
As you can see by the screenshot above, Rent The Runway has 1,178 employees on LinkedIn. The person I am looking for might not be listed, but there is a huge chance that I will find some success here.
After you click on the link that tells you to see all the employees on LinkedIn, you’ll be able to do some searching to find your person.
By pulling up the results, you’ll then be able to apply some filters. You can narrow it down by a ton of different things like connections, current companies, industries, schools, etc. My favorite filters are a little bit further down the list, though.
You can also decide to filter your results by first name, last name, title, company, and school like so. I usually filter by title. AKA, marketing manager, Head of HR, Software Engineer, etc. This is your best friend because no one has time to sort through 1,000+ entries. Plus, LinkedIn has a bad habit of limiting search inquiries if it believes you are behaving more like someone who needs its Sales Navigator or Recruiter package. I got limited once, and it was not fun.
You may search here and turn up empty. Try a few more general or more specific phrases.
If you are afraid of limiting search results, you could also try Googling some of the stuff. For example, you could Google “Content Marketing Manager Rent The Runway,” and see what pops up. Usually, this will lead to someone’s LinkedIn page, and you can try the same trial and error approach without paying for Sales Navigator.
Find That Email
After I work to find the contact, it’s time to find the email address. To do that, I use a Google Chrome extension called Find That Email. It crawls someone’s LinkedIn page to find their email address, and I have nothing but positive things to say about this plugin. Overall, I’ve found it accurate and helpful for me as I get someone’s email.
Find That Email follows a freemium pricing model. The free Find That Email plan is pretty generous, and you can find 50 emails per month, which is good for most people who are starting to cold pitch. If you want something more robust, you can get their $29 per month plan that gives you 500 emails per month. That number is more than enough for any freelancer who is cold pitching.
If you can’t find the email for the exact person, try for someone in the ballpark of what they do. For example, if you can’t find the content marketing manager’s email, look for the marketing manager’s email. If they like your pitch (or they think their co-worker will), they’ll point you in the right direction.
Writing A Pitch Email To A Multi-Million Dollar Company
Last, but not least, a few tips for sending pitch emails to multi-million dollar companies:
Keep It Short
The person on the other end of your email has a busy day ahead. Don’t take over their entire day by writing a long email. The length of your email does not have to correspond with how much the company is worth.
Remember, You Are Talking To One Person
You are talking to one person, not the company’s bank account. The one person you are talking about is just like you. They aren’t rolling in the dough, even if they can make a comfortable living. You don’t have to be starstruck.
Don’t Make It All About You
When you write a cold pitch, your main goal is to let the company know what you can do for them. Yes, list a few of your accomplishments and why you are qualified to do the work but don’t dwell on it. Don’t lead with a conversation about you. First, make a connection with them, talk about why you love the company, etc. Then transition into a bit about you, and finally wrap up the email with your pitch or ask.
If You’ve Cold Pitched A Small Business, You Can Cold Pitch A Large One
Last, but not least, I want to make it clear: If you have cold pitched a small business, you can do the same with a large one. You can stand up and pitch any business you desire. Don’t let anyone make you feel unworthy.
Conclusion
There you have it, folks. My step-by-step guide to pitching large companies. Are you ready to make strides in your cold pitching journey this year? I’d love to learn more about how you pitch companies and if you’ll be using these tips in 2020.
P.S.: Do you need help with all the client calls you’ll do after pitching bigger companies? Grab my journal Client Calls Simplified for some excellent client call advice and a pretty journal to write all your call notes in.