Are you available?

I just got back from WordCamp US 2024, and if I had to sum it up in one word, it would be “opportunity”.

At an event like WordCamp, it’s everywhere. In the hotel lobby, over dinner, even on the convention center floor — people are huddled together, chatting, building connections, and opening doors.

In fact, someone from TAB even told me they landed their biggest client in company history at the event.

It’s easy to chalk that up to luck or being at the right place at the right time — and that’s partially true. But there’s a big difference between just being present and making yourself available.

For many of us, “sales” feels like a dirty word. We’ve seen it done so poorly that just the thought makes us sweat. But good sales isn’t about hard pitches or coercing people into forking over cash — it’s about making yourself available for opportunities.

We spend a lot of time sharpening our skills, tweaking our websites, or arguing with strangers about best practices online… Yet, it’s rare that any of that actually brings clients through the door.

You know what does?

Availability.

If you missed WCUS, don’t worry — opportunities are everywhere.

When your phone rings, are you ready to answer, or are you “too busy”? When someone Googles “web designer near me,” is your site visible or buried on page 2? When your neighbor says hi when you’re checking the mail, are you looking at your phone or striking up a conversation?

I’ve often found myself frustrated when a big job gets awarded to a lesser agency — I’m sure you’ve had this happen many times too. The story I like to tell myself is that the client just didn’t realize how good I was or how bad the other agency is — and while that may be true, I don’t think it’s why those jobs didn’t come my way.

If you’re not putting yourself out there, you’re invisible.

The most successful agencies aren’t always the best at websites, they’re the ones who are eager to be available when opportunity comes knocking.