Q & A: Telecommuting: How to Pitch Telecommuting to Employers
Earlier today, we looked at some good sources for telecommuting jobs and we also looked at how to plan out a telecommuting job.
Both are important to follow before you pitch telecommuting to employers. But it's also important to remember most business have two primary concerns: money and space. In terms of sales, they would be called "pain." And those "pains" are what you want to address when pitching a telecommuting situation. Here's how:
Highlight their financial pain. Consider, for a moment, that most commercial space is rented and/or taxed by the square foot. Which, of course, means that on-site employees cost businesses money above and beyond wages and benefits. If you telecommute, the employer is spared this expense.
Highlight their space pain. Since it costs money to house employees, most businesses are tight on space. If you telecommute, the space you would have occupied can be put to other use, such as housing another employee, placing office equipment, or maybe using it to stick a couple interns.
Sweeten the pot. Now that you've addressed the two major pains most employers have, having you telecommute will seem more attractive to them. To seal the deal, offer them even more. Tell them that you'll be in constant contact with management and co-workers by way of IM, email, phone and fax. If you're pitching this to a company in a nearby city, offer to come in once per week for meetings and to pick up/drop off paperwork and other essentials. Otherwise, show them how easy it will be to conference you in on meetings using equipment they already have (e.g. speaker phone and/or web cam). Finish by telling them you will be there virtually - but without taking up space and costing them extra money.
If you have a job search or on-the-job question, feel free to email it to editor at wildjobsafari dot com
Both are important to follow before you pitch telecommuting to employers. But it's also important to remember most business have two primary concerns: money and space. In terms of sales, they would be called "pain." And those "pains" are what you want to address when pitching a telecommuting situation. Here's how:
Highlight their financial pain. Consider, for a moment, that most commercial space is rented and/or taxed by the square foot. Which, of course, means that on-site employees cost businesses money above and beyond wages and benefits. If you telecommute, the employer is spared this expense. Highlight their space pain. Since it costs money to house employees, most businesses are tight on space. If you telecommute, the space you would have occupied can be put to other use, such as housing another employee, placing office equipment, or maybe using it to stick a couple interns. Sweeten the pot. Now that you've addressed the two major pains most employers have, having you telecommute will seem more attractive to them. To seal the deal, offer them even more. Tell them that you'll be in constant contact with management and co-workers by way of IM, email, phone and fax. If you're pitching this to a company in a nearby city, offer to come in once per week for meetings and to pick up/drop off paperwork and other essentials. Otherwise, show them how easy it will be to conference you in on meetings using equipment they already have (e.g. speaker phone and/or web cam). Finish by telling them you will be there virtually - but without taking up space and costing them extra money.If you have a job search or on-the-job question, feel free to email it to editor at wildjobsafari dot com
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