How To Run A Discovery Sales Call: 5 Questions To Turn Prospects Into Paying Clients 🤑

So you've been reaching out to prospects left and right morning, noon and night, and working your butt off to land your very first client. And you finally got a bite. Now what? Well, first of all, congratulations. I know it can be super stressful and difficult trying to land your very first client. I have been there. I mean it is seriously all of the feels, am I right? But now, after dozens of client outreach emails, messages and referrals, you finally got a response from someone and you are freaking out and wondering, oh my God, what do I do now? Well, keep watching because in today's video, I'm sharing my tips on how to run the perfect client discovery call, also known as a sales call, including the five questions you must ask to turn that prospect into a paying client. Hey posse, what's up? It's Alex and I'm coming at you this week with a video made just for all you brand new, hot off the press freelancers who are about to embark on your very first client discovery call. Eee. Give me a thumbs up below to let me know you're here. And if you're new to the crew, welcome. I put out a new copywriting and marketing tutorial every single week. So if you want more practical tutorials and how to guides like this one, go ahead and hit subscribe below. And don't forget to ring that bell to be notified when my next video goes live. Now let's get straight to it, shall we? Get out your pen and some paper because I'm going to give you the exact steps to follow to close a new client and you're definitely going to want to take some notes. So first things first, as soon as you get a positive response from a potential client, request a discovery call with them asap. You want to get them on a face to face call so that you can start building a relationship with them right away. Yes. Even if you're camera shy, this is a very important no necessary first step. Remember that it's really easy to say no over email before any rapport is built. But once you get them on a call, it becomes that much more difficult for them to brush you off. You want to show them as quickly as possible that you are a rad human who genuinely cares about their success. And I cannot stress this enough, guys. This call is about them, not about you. And this is the secret of any successful sales call. If you're a talker like I am, then you're really going to have to make sure to check yourself throughout the call. They don't just want to hear your sales pitch. So none of this I, I, I me me me stuff, okay? Ask about their needs, their expectations and their goals. Do they need content or do they need copy? Are they looking for someone short term or long term? It's okay to go in with a list of questions that you want to ask and I'll cover five of my go to questions later in this video. But remember, the goal isn't to just complete a tem. The goal of a discovery call is to build rapport with your potential client and to get a better idea of who they are, what they do, how you can help them solve a problem, and perhaps most importantly, if you vibe with each other. Alright, so with that, here are my tips for setting up the call. So in your request for a call, ask them what time zone they are in and for three times that work in their calendar this week. Don't do this whole oh I don't know what works best for you. Oh I don't know what works best for you. Once they get back to you with three time slots, pick a time that also works for you and then go ahead and schedule a 30 minute call in your calendar and send them the invite. Now it's really important for you to take charge of this and lead the way here. Going back and forth and not giving any direction does not give a very good first impression. And plus the goal here is to make their life easier. Leaving all the decisions up to them will just add one more thing to their to do list and the call likely won't happen. And guys, whatever you do, do not send them a calendly link to grab a spot in your calendar. This is one of my biggest pet peeves. I know it's easier for you, but it's kind of impersonal and it implies that you're so busy that you're not able to prioritize their needs when you are the one looking for work. So I like to use calendly when there's an equal power dynamic. But if you're a brand new freelancer and they are a well established business owner, show them that you're willing to make any time work. Trust me, this simple step really goes a long way. It'll make you look more dedicated, flexible and easy to work with and shows them that you're a take charge person who will make their life easier and that is exactly how you want them to feel. Now here is a Copy Posse pro tip title the calendar invite Discovery call your name plus their name. That way when they see it in their Calendar, they know exactly what it is and who they're going to be talking to. Do not just title it discovery call with their name because then that is what they see in their calendar and they are not having a discovery call with themselves. Okay, so the day of your call finally arrives. Yay. Arrive a few minutes early so you're already on the line when they pop on. Do not make them wait. Now, the very first thing you should do, of course, after exchanging hellos and pleasantries like, oh, where in the world are you from? Oh, no way. I went there on holiday once. Is asking for the permission to record the call. Now, of course, in all of these platforms like Zoom, they will be able to see when you push record, but asking it is just really professional and courteous. So a simple oh, hey, do you mind if I push record on this so I don't miss anything is casual and easy and 99% of people will say yes to that. I have never had anyone say no. And this is great because then you can go back and listen to their exact words when you're following up with them after the call without trying to remember it all in your head. Okay, so after you push record, you can start by asking them a few seconds simple questions. These are the five questions you should ask. Now, it's totally fine to go in with a list of questions that you want to ask. I do this for every single call I have, whether it be a discovery call or a branding call. But this is really important. Your conversation should be very organic. You don't want it to sound like you're grilling them or interviewing them. Let the natural ping pong of questions and conversation happen. Your job is to be curious about their company and brand. Ask the right questions and listen, listen, listen. And here's another Copy Posse pro tip. Do not ask yes or no questions. This will inevitably lead you to do more talking than your prospect, which is never a good thing on a discovery call. So instead of asking, are you looking to hire a copywriter? Instead, ask. So tell me more about what you're looking for in a copywriter. And don't ask multiple questions at once. Ask just one at a time and allow their answers to naturally lead into the next question. So with those tips in mind, here are five of my no fail questions to ask during your next discovery call. And after that, I'll share the single most important thing you must do after your discovery call to show up professionally and powerfully and get that money, honey. All right, question number one. What goal are you hoping to achieve. Now, I know this is a really broad question, but it's a great icebreaker. It's a fantastic opportunity to get the conversation flowing naturally in one direction or another. It's also a great way to suss out their expectations. So are they looking for a magical cure to a tanking business and think copywriting is the answer? Are they looking to rock their upcoming launch? Are they looking to uplevel their brand messaging? Knowing this is so important so you know how to guide the conversation. All right, question number two. What is your mission and why did you start your company? So I love to ask this question because it really gives you insight into who you're potentially working with. Ask them how they got started in their industry, what they're most passionate about, and why they do it. This will give you a really good feel for the type of business they are, what they stand for, and ultimately if you guys stand for the same things. So if you're resonating with what they're saying, that's a really good sign of a good fit. Question number three, what kind of copy do you need? It's basic, but it is important. In order to know if and how you can help them, you first need to understand the full scope of the project. So when they answer this question, really dive deep into the specific types of copy they need. So for example, if they need website copy, do they need homepage copy, about page copy, a services page, and so on. If they need sales copy for a launch, do they also need sales emails, email? If they need it all, ask them what they need done first. Having a clear scope and list of priorities will majorly come in handy later when you follow up with them. All right, question number four. Who is your ideal customer? Yes, as always, we go back to the customer avatar. So believe it or not, there are actually people and entire companies out there who have no friggin idea who they are selling to. So this is a really great time to get inside the head of your client's audience. If they don't know the answer, do a little digging to see if they have at least a general idea of who will end up buying their product. And also let them know that you can help them build an entire customer avatar from scratch, which will drastically increase their conversions and brand success and make you look even more profess. All right, question number five. What is your ideal timeline? So this is more of a nuts and bolts logistic kind of question, but it is so important to discuss briefly. If they want a long form sales page in two Days. I'm sorry, but that's probably not going to work. And they most likely have no idea how much work and research actually goes into a well crafted sales page. So this is your opportunity to gently educate them on the amount of time and work that's required for the copy they need. Now, there are a lot of other questions that you can ask, of course, so let your conversation naturally flow and ask whatever comes to mind. Once you have the answers, you need to send a quote. For the scope of work, you can wrap up the call. And just like at the beginning, you want to continue to make this process as easy and seamless as possible for them, assuming you do want to move forward, of course. So at the end of your call, let them know that you'll follow up with a quote, writing samples if they haven't already requested them, and a timeline of deliverables. When you tell them that you'll follow up, you're giving them one less thing to worry about and one more reason to trust you. So simply say, great, thanks so much. It was a pleasure talking to you. I'll be sending you a follow up email with the next steps and this is really important. Follow up the same day via email. Thank them again for their time and let them know that you wanna work with them to help them achieve their goal. And this is where the recording of your call will really come in handy. So outline what you can help them achieve. Make sure to include the specifics they asked for in their own words to let them know that you were actually listening when they spoke and that you're 100% on board with them. So map out the project scope and deliverables, making sure to list them out individually. And don't forget to communicate the timeline you expect to finish the work in. Now you can also use this as a great opportunity to offer something else that you might be able to help with. Yes, this is where you can finally sell yourself a little bit. So for example, if they need help with the sales page, but you notice they don't have any other necessary components of a sales funnel like targeted ads, a landing page, or emails, let them know that you're happy to negotiate those into the project as well to ensure maximum results and conversions. Showcasing a deep understanding of their business and their sales funnel will help them feel supported. And it is the single most important thing you can do to get that. Yes. All right, until next time, I'm Alex. Ciao for now. All right, guys, if you enjoyed that video, make sure to check out the next one from me right here, and you can click right here to get a free gift. How much should I charge for my services? If you've ever wondered this as a freelance copywriter, this video is for you.