Are you making this common mistake with the proposals you send to potential freelance clients? Because if you are, it could be costing you work. Find out what this common mistake is — and how to fix it — in the article below.
Picture this: You just finished putting together a masterful proposal for a potential client.
First, you got on a discovery call to understand their deepest needs and desires. Then you sat down and crafted the perfect scope of work that will exceed their wildest expectations.
From there, you put your suggestions into a carefully designed proposal — which walks the client through everything you know about their business, their goals, and how you will achieve them by working together.
Which means by the time you get to the investment, it’s a no-brainer to hire you.
So you put the proposal into an email and send it off to the client…
And you never hear from them again.
It’s One Of The Worst Feelings You Will Have As A Freelancer
I remember spending hours working on a 2,000-plus word proposal for a high-tech water bottle company early in my career. I was sure it was going to be my big break.
But after I sent over my proposal, they never got back to me.
And now that I have more than a decade of experience, there’s one MAJOR thing I would have done differently.
It’s a simple change to my proposal that has nothing to do with the content…
And as everything to do with the presentation.
See I never send a client a proposal via email anymore.
Because when you do that, 99% of the time they just skip right to the price. And they completely ignore all the careful thought you put into showing them why working with you is an amazing decision and value.
I Only Share Proposals On A Video Call Now
That way, I can walk the client step-by-step through my understanding of their business … the careful decisions that went into my recommended solutions … and get them to agree that my thought process is making sense along the way.
Which means by the time I discuss my fees, they are eager to say yes and get started.
Whereas if I let them skip ahead to the pricing section, they would likely experience sticker shock. And I would lose the deal. (If they even bothered to get back to me at all.)
So that’s my advice for you today.
Never send a proposal via email. Always take the time to walk the prospect through your thought process on a call.
Because I can virtually guarantee you will close more deals that way.
But What If Your Prospect Doesn’t Want To Hop On A Call?
After I shared this tip with my email readers, I got a great follow-up question from a freelancer named Emily. She asked…
“This is great advice Brian. How do you handle the prospects that don’t want to hop on a call, and just want you to email them?”
I wrote her back and said I’d show the prospect why it’s in their best interest to get on a call by saying something like…
I want to make sure that I take up as little of your time as possible. And based on working with dozens of other businesses like yours, I find that it is always less time-consuming to get on a call. That’s because we can discuss any questions you have in real-time, rather than wasting several days trading emails. And it also allows me to make sure that I have covered all of your key goals and objectives, and did not leave out anything that’s important to you.
Which means instead of taking up an hour or more of your time to go back and forth via email, we can knock everything out in a quick 20-30 minute call.
So let me know if you’re free to have a call either [Date & Time #1] or [Date & Time #2]. And if neither of those options work, let me know a good time for you and I will do my best to work around your schedule.
Do you see how this email gives your prospect almost no choice but to get on a call with you? Since you are showing them why a call is in their best interest. And you’re promising to save them time in the long run.
That’s how I’d handle a client who is initially resistant to getting on a call to discuss the proposal.
Now Let Me Show You How To Make Freelance Clients Come To You — Like Clockwork — Using A Simple, 30-Second Conversation…
All the details are inside my free business blueprint 30-Second Referrals.
With this free PDF, you’ll discover how to use a simple, 30-second conversation to get two referrals from every single client you sign. (I’ll even show you exactly what to say during this conversation with my word-for-word script on page 13.)
That way, you can make clients come to you like clockwork. And you can fill your pipeline with more new business than you can handle.
But there is a small catch…
30-Second Referrals is only available to members The Freelance Like A Pro email list.
So enter your best real email below to join us and claim your free copy of 30-Second Referrals now. (And you’ll get my members-only emails to help you run a more profitable and stress-free freelance business, too.)
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Thanks for the freelancing guide and the emails that you've been sending out — the 30-second referral method is so stupidly simple, that it's genius!
Connor Inch, Freelance Copywriter