Setting Your Business and Your Client up for Success

<aside> 📃

Download a PDF Copy

</aside>

Hi there! I’m thrilled you want to learn more about starting your client relationships strong with a great discovery call. In my many years of freelancing, I’ve perfected an agenda that provides a thorough overview of what the client needs, sets me up to offer additional services and value, and it takes 30 minutes or less.

Prequalifying Clients

I prequalify clients before I get on a discovery call with them. I include a few important questions on my call booking form, and they have to answer them to book the call. If they don’t, I follow up via email before I accept the call. If the prospective client is a referral or wants to set the call via email instead, I ask the questions via email before I set the call.

Here are the questions I ask:

1. Could you briefly describe the type of project you would like to partner on? Are you looking for blog posts, web content, social media posts, or something else?
2. Do you have a budget range in mind for this project? This will help me ensure my services align with your expectations.
3. When do you ideally need the content by? If there are specific deadlines, it would be helpful to know so we can assess the timeline together.

Some prospects are not viable prospects or just don’t fit my business goals. I want to find that out before we’ve both wasted 30 minutes on a conversation that leads nowhere. If the client isn’t a good fit, I send back a quick email:

Hi [Name],

Thank you for your interest in partnering with me on your project and for sharing more about your project. Based on the information you’ve provided, I think my services may not be the best fit for what you’re looking to achieve (or: it doesn’t look like we are aligned on pricing for the project). I want to make sure you find the right support, so if you’d like, I can recommend a few other professionals who might be better suited to your needs.

Thanks again for reaching out, and I wish you the best with your project.

All the Best,

Unless their rates are horrid, I always offer a referral. I’ve had several clients come back to me with bigger projects and I’ve had the freelancers I refer to send me great clients. It’s referral karma!

Some clients also come back and say their budget is actually xxxx, and if it’s in alignment with my rates we proceed with the call.

Agenda

This is the basic agenda I use and adapt for each client call. I’ve included my process, a sample script of the questions I ask, and a few expert tips that explain motivation and how to position yourself.

You’ll notice that most of the call is me asking questions. Believe it or not, asking the right question can establish you as an expert far more quickly than going on and on about your services and skills.

Introduction (5 minutes max)

Start with a warm welcome and thank the client for their time.

• Hi [Client’s Name], thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me today! I really appreciate it, and I’m looking forward to learning more about your business and exploring how I can support your content goals. I want to make the most of our time together, so please feel free to share anything you think is important as we go along.

Introduce yourself briefly as a content writer and explain your focus on helping businesses achieve their goals through compelling, targeted content.

• I’m [Your Name], and I specialize in content writing that helps businesses like yours reach their goals through engaging, targeted content. My focus is on creating pieces that not only reflect your brand’s voice but also connect with your audience to drive real results—whether that’s building brand awareness, increasing engagement, or generating leads. I’m excited to learn more about your business and see how we can make content a powerful tool in your growth strategy

Expert Tip: Set a friendly, professional tone, positioning yourself as the facilitator of the call. This is your first Boss moment in your relationship with the client. It’s important to set yourself up as an expert, partner (not employee), and the leader of the call.

Understanding Client Background and Goals