First impressions are EVERYTHING.
So how do you make your new clients ADORE you, and want to pay you again and again and
again?
Keep watching to learn the 6 steps I follow for every single one of my new clients…
Hey hey guys, it’s Alex!
Thank you so much for being here.
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Every single week I release a new tutorial on how to start and scale your freelance writing
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me!
Now this week’s video is in response to quite a few of you asking…
“Alex how do I start working with a new client?”
Well let me tell ya, there is a right way to do it, and there's wrong to do it.
Finding prospective clients can be hard enough as it is, so when you do find one, you want
to make sure to make an AMAZING first impression.
So, let’s say you get approached by a prospective client online, or you get in touch with a
business that needs your skills.
Well, that very first interaction sets the tone for what is hopefully a closed deal and
a great long term working experience together.
But let’s face it, sometimes you don’t get the job.
Or, sometimes you do get the job, but a miscommunication leads to some unmet expectations and you’ve
lost that client forever.
Well, I’m here to make sure neither of those scenarios happen.
So I’m going to share my exact process that you can follow to not only have your clients
say “Yes!” but make them FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU.
These 6 steps will ensure clear communication, fair compensation, and a productive working
environment for both you and your client.
Cool?
Now, if you’re like “Bah!
Alex, I don’t even know where to FIND my first client, let alone have one fall in love
with me.”
Well, you’re gonna want to hop on over to this video here on How To Become A Copywriter
& Get Your Very First Client.
Alright, now let’s dive into my 6-step client onboarding process that works like a charm!
iIt all starts with...
The Discovery Call
Ok guys, so listen up.
Your FIRST goal with any prospective client is to get on the phone.
Preferably a Zoom call where you can actually see each others faces.
I know, scary.
But I’m telling you, you’ll never have a successful freelance business if you’re
afraid of face-to-face communication.
So once you’re in touch with your prospective client, simply ask when they might be able
to hop on a quick Discovery Call so you can get to know more about them and their unique
business needs.
You see what I did there…
You want to make this ABOUT your client.
Not about you, or why they should hire you.
And PLEASE do not send emails or DMs begging for work.
That just seems desperate.
The Discovery Call is your opportunity to get to know your client and offer value up
front.
But more importantly, it’s your chance to suss them out to see if they’re someone
you’d actually like to work with, and vice versa!
So ask them about their business, ask them why they started it.
Ask them what products and services they currently have and the mediums they’re using for marketing.
And, of course, ask them where they feel they need the most copywriting support.
And you don’t need long.
30 minutes should be long enough to get all the info you need at this stage of the game
and get a good gut check on the kind of working relationship you could potentially have.
Now here’s a Tip: Be courteous and flexible and, as much as possible, take charge of the
call scheduling, instead of leaving it up to your client.
It’s your process after all, so be the one to guide them along the experience and make
it as easy as possible for them.
And one more thing guys – always, always record your calls!
Especially at this stage of the project.
It’s best to have everything on record so you can refer back to understand what’s
been agreed to and what expectations have been set.
Ok, step 2 is to send your client a...
Personalized Portfolio So after the Discovery Call, follow up with
an email thanking your client for their time and include a link to your portfolio with
samples curated to their specific business needs.
Now, you may have already sent them some samples when you first got in touch, and that’s
cool.
But now that you have a better grasp on what they need and the nature of the project, you
can curate a collection of work samples that match it.
For example, if they want you to write a sales letter, this is when you can send samples
of your best sales page copy.
If they want you to write an email sequence, of course send them your best performing email
campaigns.
You get the idea.
Of course, if you’re just getting started your portfolio will be limited, so you may
want to include all that you have, and that’s cool!
But just keep this in mind as your business grows.
And here’s another tip: Make it easy for your clients to view your portfolio.
So instead of attaching a bunch of documents in one email, send them a link to a folder
on Google Drive or Dropbox so they can easily access it without getting lost in an email
thread!
So, in your email, ask your client to review your portfolio and get back to you with a
specific Project Scope.
Which is step #3.
Locking down the scope of a project and understanding each deliverable is absolutely critical to
determine pricing, timeline and expectations.
And the Project Scope is simply a list of deliverables the client needs, and when they
need them.
Along with the Scope, ask for any examples of existing pages or assets that are similar
to what you’re creating to give you a rough idea of the length and format.
And make sure the list is as thorough as possible.
And if there is any confusion, or anything that you’re not clear on, ask for clarification
NOW at this step.
The last thing you want is to create any gaps that could lead to scope creep down the road—
which is essentially when a project scope expands from what was originally agreed to,
without the time or budget to accommodate it.
Now here’s a tip: Make sure to get the scope in writing via email, rather than over the
phone.
It’s easier to work with an organized list that everyone can read and refer back to as
needed.
So once you get the project scope, it’s time to send your….
Project Proposal
Now this includes your quote for the entire project, and your proposed timeline for the
deliverable.
This is also where you can suggest a payment schedule that would work best for you.
For example, maybe you want to be paid 50% up front, then 50% upon completion of the
job.
Or, paid as milestones are completed throughout the project period.
Also, and this is HUGELY important, be sure to note the CURRENCY in your quote.
As freelancers, you’ll work with businesses across the globe, which can leave a lot of
room for miscommunication when it comes to currency.
So, be VERY specific about what currency you operate with in your project proposal.
While it might be helpful to provide a quote in your client’s local currency, that can
get a little bit complicated when it comes to payment if you do not have a bank account
set up to receive those funds.
So to avoid getting dinged with exchange rates etc, invoice in the currency you WANT to be
paid in.
And here’s another tip: If this is a new client or a large project, you’d make a
really good first impression by providing this proposal in a clean and styled PDF document.
Now I have ZERO, and I mean zero design skills so I like to use Canva to create gorgeous
PDFs with my logo and branding colors.
But, if this is a client you've worked with before, with whom trust has been established,
you can simplify the process and stick to email.
It’s really up to you!
Okay now, if you’re not sure how much to charge for your work, check out this video
on my 8 Pricing Tips to build a 6-figure writing business.
Alright, so next after you and your client agree upon the quote and timeline, it’s
time to move onto...
The Statement of Work
Your statement of work is a concise and optimized version of a freelancer contract that outlines
the previously agreed-upon job scope, quote and timeline.
And yes of course the currency you want to be paid in.
Think of it as a one-page agreement — and you want to get everybody on that same page.
Of course, some copywriters will still prefer to use a proper freelancer agreement, which
I do recommend for new clients or unknown clients or if you’re entering into an on-going
retainer agreement.
And you can get great free examples of freelancer contracts on sites like And.Co and Freelancers
Union.
In my experience, though if there’s going to be miscommunication between your and your
client, it almost always happens in relation to scope, timeline and payment.
So I use a super simple Statement of Work that cuts to the chase and outlines exactly
what the project involves, and I get my clients to sign and date that rather than a long multi-page
contract that can seem like overkill, especially for short one-off projects.
So to help you guys out, I will give you my Statement of Work template for free that you
can easily customize on your own and for your own clients!
I’ll tell you where you can get your hands on that in just a hot second.
Alright, so once the Statement of Work is signed, sealed, and delivered, you are ready
to start the project!
And this is where the fun begins.
Now that both you and your client are crystal clear on what needs to happen and when it’s
time to schedule an official Brand Call.
Brand Call Now while it might be tempting to just start
writing, I highly (highly, highly, highly, highly, highly) recommend you schedule a brand
call with your client to understand their brand voice and messaging better.
So on this call, you want to ask about their vision, their mission, their goals.
How do they see themselves?
How do they like to communicate?
Are they friendly and quirky?
Or matter-of-fact and practical?
Whether you’re a copywriter, a content writer, a designer, a developer or a marketer — it
is so important for you to be able to emulate your client’s brand voice in your work and
be able to understand the specific needs of your target audience.
This is HUGELY important to know before you begin writing to avoid a tonne of revisions
or just completely missing the mark altogether.
This is also a great time to ask more detailed questions about the product or service you’re
writing about and the context in which people will be seeing your copy.
The more information you can gather about the brand, target audience and user experience
will really help you deliver work that is compelling, contextually relevant and congruent.
So, once you’ve checked the brand call off the list, you can now move forward and get
started!
Your project has now officially begun!
Now, if you want to see my exact 10-step copywriting process that I follow for every single new
sales piece I write, from the first outline all the way to the final draft, you can watch
that video next right here.
And, as promised, to get your hands on my free Statement of Work template, just look
for the link in the description below!
That’s it for now guys!
I hope you found this video helpful!
Be sure to subscribe!
Thanks for joining!
I will see you next week!
Until then, I’m Alex, ciao for now!