How to Handle Sales Calls / Discovery Calls

A sales call, sometimes called a discovery call, can be conducted via video or phone. They’re a great way to sell your services.

They humanize you to the client and allow you to get more in-depth answers about their project than you may be able to via a questionnaire or an email.

View the whole questionnaire lesson here →

Often times on your discovery call the client will simply want to tell you what they need and see if you can do that in a timely manner. You won’t even need to “sell yourself.” But it helps to build your confidence by asking yourself questions beforehand.

Generally, it’s really a gut feeling, timing, and whether they can pay your rate that will determine this. Over time, you’ll develop an understanding of this more deeply. For now, just do your best to prepare your questions and get ready mentally.

I recommend getting a call scheduling app – most have a free version – to schedule your calls. It will save you time and make you look more professional! I use Calendly, and they do have a free version. Cal.com works well, too, and is free.

Before you suggest a sales call with a potential client, make sure you’ve sent them your pricing guide. 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.

To save yourself time and energy, you can set up a questionnaire and send it to the client before the sales call to gather more information.

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. Make sure you speak up and ask all of the questions you need to know the answers to before the call is over!

If the client already has a contract, budget, and timeline, it’s okay to just go with that! Just make sure you fully read the contract and ask for anything you need that isn’t included. Also, be sure that the rates they propose actually work for you. You can always say no to a project. If they don’t come prepared in this way, proceed with the sales call structure below!

You’ll be nervous, and it will probably feel intimidating. You might get anxious about it or just overthink it afterward, too. That’s okay! It’s completely normal to experience nerves or imposter syndrome. Heck, I still get nervous before and after every sales call I do!

As you gain more experience, sales calls will become easier for you, though. You’ll come to understand what you’re looking for in a client and what they expect from you.

How to structure a Sales Call:

1. Introduce yourself and ask a bit about the client and their company. Let them know you'll be taking notes during the call so that's why you may be typing or looking away from the camera. I like to take notes in the Freelance Writer's Dashboard inside the Client Roster. If they don't become my client, I just mark them "inactive."
2. 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!
• Not sure what other questions to ask? Here are a bunch – just pick 10 or fewer that seem relevant and helpful for you.
3. 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, 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: Our Slack community has a channel called #opportunities. You can post it there!
4. Once you’ve gathered information about the project and decided to take it on, you can either:
• Tell them your pricing (offer a long-term bundle if applicable)
• OR let them know you’ll send them a questionnaire and customized proposal via email after the call
• Don't negotiate if they don't try to. Always aim higher than you think they should. You can always negotiate down if necessary.
5. Coordinate details:
• Dates and TIMES of deliverables
• Methods for the deliverables (I use GoogleDrive but you might use Upwork, Notion, Asana, WeTransfer or some other file sharing or project management tool)
• Determine the client's preferred method of communication (suggest yours first though - mine's email)
• 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, 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.
• If it seems like you'll definitely be working together, talk about contracts! You can use yours (see the contracts lesson) or theirs. Just be sure to read theirs thoroughly.

After the sales call, run them through the onboarding process you set up in the last chapter.

Pro Tip: My 3 favorite questions to ask...

1. What are you looking for from a freelancer right now?
2. What have you been avoiding?

Sales Call Checklist (Simplified Outline):

1. Introductions
2. Scope
3. Pricing
4. Details

• times & dates of deliverables
• deliverable methods / project management tools
• communication method(s)
• payment collection
• resources/assets/style guide
• contracts