When a client responds to a pitch or a discovery call goes well and a client wants to work with you, there’s a feeling of excitement … followed quickly by “oh no…now I have to talk to this person!!”
If you’ve ever had that feeling of excitement followed quickly by mild panic, this episode is for you. Nicki and Kate walk through tips to help you reframe the situation and calm your nerves for discovery calls with prospective clients, as well as reduce any anxiety that may come before kicking off a project with a client who wants to work with you.
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Looking for closed captioning or a transcript? Check out the episode on YouTube!
A Sneak Peek at the Episode
[1:30] Before you start to dive into a project, a question you probably have is, “How do I get everything need to prepare for this project and calm my nerves?” Kate and Nicki go over how to prepare for those discovery and kick-off calls and explain that it’s perfectly natural to be nervous before those first calls.
[2:51] Nicki goes over how she thinks about those initial calls to prospective clients. There’s a sudden feeling of “I’m talking to somebody new. They don’t know anything about me so I have to convey my skills and who I am during this call.”
[4:20] Kate notes that you should reframe it as, you are getting on this call because it’s a good project for you and them. This helps relax the situation and leaves off putting so much pressure on you. It’s a getting to know you call for the discovery call because you may not even want to work with this client or company.
[5:27] Nicki notes that it’s called a discovery call because you’re going to be asking the clients the questions and finding more about their business. You may come up with ideas together or you may send more ideas after the call. This isn’t about being brilliant on the spot. It’s about figuring out what your client needs help on and asking them questions.
[7:56] Some clients may ask how much the project costs right off the bat, mostly because they don’t know what to ask and don’t know how to deal with copywriters in the first place. It’s your job to guide them through the process of working with a copywriter.
[12:21] You don’t have to know everything on a call, and the client doesn’t expect you to. If you hit a snag in the conversation where you’re unsure (like pricing or timing), you can tell them you’ll look into it, look at your notes, and get back to them. Don’t feel too pressured to answer questions you don’t know the answer to. Coming back to them at a later time lets them know that your work, particularly your project pricing, is tailored and customized to them and what they need.
[14:24] Nicki dives into what an input call entails and how to calm yourself about it. She mentions that this is really about digging in and asking as many questions as possible to make sure you truly understand the project, the voice they want to convey, and the target audience. Don’t ever be afraid to ask questions, because as you ask questions and get those answers it will probably create more questions.
[16:54] Kate and Nicki talk about struggling with specific vernacular while speaking to clients. They explain that when talking to the client that they could describe it to them in a different way to gain more understanding on who the client is trying to reach. Having this understanding gives the copywriter more clarification so that you can be at ease when delving into the project.
[22:35] You’re benefitting your client by forcing them to think through the project and figuring out what the goals are and how it will benefit the company. This allows for the client to see everything from a different perspective.
[27:48] Kate and Nicki wrap up by mentioning how important clarifying what the timeline is with the client. You should allow time for revisions to make sure you’re not scrambling before they need to go live with the project.
Related Links
- 8 Questions You Need to Ask Your Copywriting Clients
- Go Where the Clients Are
- Tips for Copywriters Working With Remote Clients
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About the Build Your Business Podcast
Ready to turn your love of writing into a successful copywriting career?
Join professional copywriters Nicki Krawczyk and Kate Sitarz to get the tips, tools, and training to help you become a copywriter and build a thriving business of your own. Nicki and Kate have 20+ and 10+ years of experience, respectively, writing copy for multi-billion-dollar companies, solopreneurs, and every size business in between.
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Last Updated on September 10, 2023
