Discovery calls are super important. But, yeah, they can feel scary when you first start freelancing. Honestly? I was nervous before my discovery calls for the entire first 3 years of my freelance career. Let this be your guide to nailing your discovery call and closing your dream clients.
What’s a Discovery Call?
A sales call, sometimes called a Discovery Call, sales discovery call, or a Disco Call, is a chance for you to “discover” more about a client or project. They’re a live sales pitch for your services and make sure a client is a good fit for you. They can be conducted via video or phone – I usually do video.
Why should I offer Discovery Calls?
Successful discovery calls help you identify your potential clients' specific pain points. As a freelancer, you are your own sales rep. If you ask the right questions in your discovery process, you'll be able to learn more about the needs and challenges of your prospects and offer them the perfect solution to their problems (your services).
Here’s why I offer Discovery Calls to all potential clients:
- They humanize you and build rapport
- You’ll get in-depth answers about the project
- You can sort out all the details quickly and easily without back-and-forth emails
- They’ll usually give you a gut feeling about whether they're the right customer for you
- You can propose your rates and negotiate them face-to-face in real time if you need to
Discovery Call Pro Tips
Get ready to nail your Disco Calls – these are my top tips. This is straight out of The Freelance Resource Library (which comes with all of my programs 😉 or you can buy it independently!).
Use a Call Scheduling App
Avoid going back and forth via email with your clients to schedule the call. Use a scheduling app like Cal. It's completely free! And you can customize the questions they have to answer when they schedule the call.
Send your pricing guide beforehand
Before you get into a sales call with a potential client, make sure you’ve sent them your pricing guide – even if you just send it the day before. If you think this will be a custom project, let them know that these prices are estimates and may vary based on the project's scope.
Effective discovery calls aren't possible if they aren't prepared have a conversation about your rates. You want to be able to get them to commit during the discovery call or at least have all the information they need to consider working with you.
Consider a questionnaire
To save yourself time and energy, you can set up a set of discovery questions and send it to the client before the sales call to gather more information. I’m creating a guide for these – keep your eyes peeled (or join any of my programs to get it in The Freelance Resource Library).
Don’t be scared
Some clients may already know what they’re looking for, have a contract they usually use, and have a set budget. They might come to the call prepared to interview you. That’s fine – especially when you’re first starting out!
But understand that you’re also interviewing them. They might not be a good fit for you. Don't be afraid to speak up and ask all your discovery questions before the call is over! You can always say no to a project.
Get used to being nervous
You’ll be nervous, and it will probably feel intimidating. You might get anxious about it or just overthink it afterward, too. It’s completely normal to experience nerves or imposter syndrome. Heck, I still sometimes get nervous before and after Disco Calls! As you gain more experience, sales calls will become easier for you. You’ll come to understand what you’re looking for in a client and what they expect from you.
Keep it close to the vest
Don't negotiate your rates and packages if they don't try to. Always aim higher than you think they should. You can always negotiate down if necessary.
How to be your own sales team
If you want to level up your business, sell bigger and more expensive packages, and instill confidence, nailing sales discovery calls is essential for you. Treat discovery calls like a sales engagement – because that's exactly what they are.
You can use active listening and open ended questions dig deeper if they don't have their own proecess for working with freelancers. Find out what they've been avoiding. Show them how you've helped similar businesses. Try positioning your services as a product.
I genuinely create a custom proposal for every client I work with who doesn't already have a process for working with freelancers. It makes it feel personal to the client and I can call out specific needs I discovered during the sales process.
Discovery Call Agenda Example
This is how I structure a Sales Call. Feel free to steal this agenda!
After the sales call, run them through your onboarding process!
- Introduce yourself and ask a bit about the client and their company.
- Define the scope of the project, the client's goals, and if there will be anyone else working on the project. Ask if they have a style guide and/or brand voice guide!
- IF THE PROJECT DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT FOR YOU, STOP NOW.
- If you don’t want to continue just say something like, “I really appreciate you taking the time to meet with me, but I actually don’t think that this project is going to work for me.” You can say this at any time during the call or even send this as an email after the call if you want to!
- If you feel ready to take it on or want more info, continue.
- If you don’t have time for it in your schedule right now, offer a date in the future when you could start or offer to refer it to someone else.
- Pro tip: Pop Club has a channel called #opportunities. You can post it there for an easy, reliable referral!
- Once you’ve gathered information about the project and decided to take it on, you can either:
- Tell them your pricing (rates)
- OR let them know you’ll send them a customized proposal and/or questionnaire via email after the call
- Coordinate details of the project:
- Dates and TIMES of deliverables
- Methods for the deliverables
- Determine the client's preferred method of communication
- Let them know how you collect payments or ask if they have a payment process in place for freelancers.
- Ask for resources, assets, style guide, brand voice guide, examples of what they’re looking for, and anything else you'll need from the client to complete the project if you don’t plan to do so with a questionnaire later.