As a lot as I’d love for shoppers to learn my portfolio, take a look at my samples, and instantly say, “Excellent — you’re employed,” that’s not at all times what occurs.
Generally they need a gathering first.
And actually? I perceive why.
Purchasers need to know you’re an actual human, somebody they’ll take pleasure in working with, and somebody who runs their enterprise professionally.
The humorous half is that these conferences really feel nothing like the job interviews I had years in the past.
Again then, I sat throughout from an employer who managed your complete room.
Now, I run a enterprise, and I get to stroll into these conversations with much more confidence and management.
However that doesn’t imply shoppers aren’t evaluating me.
They completely are.
They need to understand how I work, how I believe, whether or not I talk clearly, and whether or not I’ll make their life simpler, or tougher.
And the extra ready you’re, the better these conversations change into.
What Purchasers Are Actually Evaluating Throughout a Assembly
Analysis exhibits that almost 90% of expert freelancers and shoppers agree that shoppers need professionals with specialised abilities and experience, and that features confidence in the way you talk and collaborate.
When a possible shopper will get on a name with me, they’ve already seen my portfolio.
They already know I can write.
What they don’t know is what it’s like to truly work with me.
In order that assembly turns into their alternative to see if we genuinely match.
I’ve had shoppers inform me that they booked the decision as a result of they needed to examine if I actually understood B2B writing, if I had a system, or if I used to be going to vanish mid-project.
And after writing for manufacturers like Walmart, GoDaddy, Wordtune, and dozens of SaaS corporations, I can let you know this: shoppers care much more about how you’re employed than you assume.
And after 10+ years freelancing? I’ve realized that being ready for sure questions makes all of the distinction.
6 Questions Freelance Writers Ought to Count on (and How I Reply Them)
Beneath are the questions that come up repeatedly, and the way I’ve personally dealt with them with actual shoppers over time.
1. “What’s Your Writing Course of Like?”
Purchasers ask this as a result of they don’t see your behind-the-scenes world.
They need reassurance that your writing course of isn’t chaotic.
Once I first began freelance writing, I keep in mind telling a shopper that I “define and analysis earlier than drafting.”
It wasn’t a nasty reply, nevertheless it didn’t truly assist them perceive something.
Through the years, my reply has change into a lot clearer and extra grounded in actual expertise.
For instance, after I write long-form B2B content material for SaaS manufacturers, I at all times clarify that I begin by reviewing their subject, scanning any belongings they’ve already created, and outlining primarily based on gaps of their present content material.
I’ll generally give the instance of the primary article I wrote for OptinMonster, how I outlined primarily based on their previous posts, added new analysis, after which layered in my very own expertise as somebody who used the instrument myself.
I additionally allow them to know that I can faucet into my community for some SME content material they could want like quotes or an interview.
This kind of data makes my charge extra acceptable for them!
2. “Do You Want a Transient?”
This query at all times makes me smile as a result of I’ve seen each model of a quick you may think about.
Once I wrote for shoppers like Walmart or Wordtune, a number of the briefs have been so detailed that I barely needed to analysis something.
Different shoppers despatched me nothing greater than a key phrase and a unfastened headline, and I needed to construct your complete construction myself.
So when a potential shopper asks whether or not I want a quick, I at all times flip it again to them and ask, “What sort of transient do you usually present?”
This does two issues:
- It tells them I’m versatile
- It helps me perceive what they count on from me
After which I share a private instance.
I’d clarify how one in all my long-term SaaS shoppers most popular two-sentence briefs as a result of they trusted my experience, whereas one other shopper despatched me fashion guides longer than the article itself.
I accomplished each sorts of initiatives efficiently — which instantly reassures the individual I’m speaking to.
And sure, shoppers typically ask about generative AI now.
My sincere reply is that I don’t use AI for writing my drafts.
At most, I’ll use it to assist me supply examples, to kickstart concepts for an inventory, or assist me with author’s block however each phrase within the remaining piece is mine.
The shoppers who work with me admire that transparency.
3. “How Do You Construction Agreements?”
This one virtually at all times comes up, and the shopper often needs to know three issues:
- How I value
- Whether or not I require long-term commitments
- Whether or not turnaround time is negotiable
I’m clear that the majority of my work is advert hoc and that the sort of settlement matches in my life however I’m open to bi-weekly content material.
I don’t require month-to-month retainers, shoppers ship assignments at any time when they’ve them.
For instance, I’ve had search engine marketing shopper who employed me strictly on an as-needed foundation at any time when that they had a SaaS shopper needing content material.
No minimums, no recurring package deal — simply project-based work.
I additionally clarify that I usually give new assignments a 7–10-day turnaround.
And I’m very sincere right here: I by no means put that turnaround time in my contracts as a result of I don’t need to be locked into it if a number of initiatives land directly.
This honesty is what helps me land long-term shoppers.
They know precisely what to anticipate.
4. “How Do You Keep Organized?”
I keep in mind one shopper asking me this and considering, “Does it matter?”
However for them, it did as a result of disorganized freelance writers miss deadlines.
I now reply this query confidently as a result of I’ve developed a system that works for the amount of shoppers I deal with.
For instance, I preserve each shopper’s onboarding particulars saved on a GSheet. I embrace their fashion guides, voice preferences, instance posts, and linked assets in addition to their charges (as a result of every shopper have completely different charges).
Earlier than I ship a draft, I recheck their fashion information as a result of each shopper is completely different.
And sure — I’ve an in-depth enhancing course of that helps me flip in error-free and easy-to-read content material for shoppers.
*I share this course of in my course Writeto1k.
5. “How Do You Deal with Revisions?”
It is a massive one as a result of it reveals your boundaries.
Once I wrote for a big SaaS firm early in my profession, I dealt with far too many revision rounds as a result of I didn’t have clear boundaries but.
That have taught me how shortly revisions can spiral.
Now I’m clear and calm when explaining my course of.
I inform shoppers I’m comfortable to revise something they want, it’s their content material.
However I additionally make clear that I embrace one spherical of revisions per deliverable and that I flip round revisions inside two enterprise days.
Then I clarify my system: I make a reproduction of the unique draft, implement revisions within the copy, spotlight modifications, then merge all the pieces again right into a clear file.
Purchasers at all times admire that degree of readability as a result of it exhibits I’m methodical, not scrambling.
6. “What’s Your Price?”
Ah sure, the query I want got here first, not final.
I realized early on that shoppers both conform to my charge immediately or they don’t.
There’s not often a center floor.
So now, I’m at all times prepared with a transparent quantity or vary relying on the scope.
One private instance I typically share is how I now ship my charges earlier than the assembly if I’m not sure whether or not a shopper is a match.
It saves each of us time, and the shoppers who proceed to the assembly are already aligned with my pricing. These are the shoppers who change into long-term companions.
Frequent Errors Freelancers Make Throughout Shopper Conferences
The largest mistake I see is freelance writers freezing when requested about charges or timelines.
One other massive one is over-promising fast turnarounds.
And actually, providing limitless revisions could be one of many quickest methods to burn your self out.
I’ve made these errors.
Most of us have.
However you study shortly that confidence comes from readability, boundaries, and having a course of you belief.
Don’t Neglect: You’re Interviewing Them Too
Purchasers aren’t the one ones allowed to guage.
You’re operating your personal enterprise, and which means you must take note of how they behave on that decision.
I’ve turned down shoppers who appeared disorganized, dismissive, or who needed unrealistic timelines.
And each time I trusted my intestine, I prevented a headache later.
The most effective shopper relationships occur when each side respect the work, the method, and the partnership.
And these conferences? They’re simply the place to begin.