5 Sales Mistakes To Avoid When Pitching Your Next Freelancing Client

The reason most freelancers fail to secure new clients is that they make crucial sales mistakes during their pitch. 

This happens because they focus too much on what they offer and not enough on what the client needs or prefers. 

A client can easily sniff out which freelancer is genuinely confident, and who’s out of touch with the actual problems and potential solutions of the project..

…Which is why we’re going to walk you through:

• Overlooking the Preparation Phase
• Failing to Define Clear Outcomes
• Ignoring the Client's Communication Preferences
• Not Showcasing Your Unique Value Proposition (UVP)
• Underestimating the Power of Testimonials

Let's dive into the first crucial mistake to avoid.

Mistake #1: Overlooking the Preparation Phase

Many freelancers dive into pitches headfirst without proper research.

Keep a mental note of this: the higher up you go, and the better prospects you meet, you’ll NEED to do more in-depth research to close a deal.

Researching your potential client's business helps tailor your services to their specific needs – something as simple as this can showcase your credibility. 

The benefit of this approach is clear: it significantly increases your chances of landing the client by showing that you understand their business and how your services can solve their problems. However, the mistake many make is not doing this research, leading to generic pitches that fail to impress.

To solve this, set aside a designated research phase before every pitch. Begin by gathering detailed info about the prospect's business, their industry, recent achievements, competitors, and everything. Create a checklist of research points to cover for each client, so you never miss any key points to make your pitch more impactful.

Mistake #2: Failing to Define Clear Outcomes

A pitch without clear, achievable outcomes is like a ship sailing without a compass.

Clients want to know what they're getting for their investment. You need to outline measurable outcomes associated with your services to set clear expectations and make it easier for clients to see the value in hiring you. 

Now of course, you can’t promise you’ll achieve the numbers you’re estimating (unless you’re HIGHLY confident about your services) - so make sure the  

Overall, you significantly increase your appeal by avoiding vague descriptions of your services and instead focusing on what clients will gain.

To solve this problem, research some baseline metrics beforehand on what KPIs a project like yours would need + the industry benchmark as well. As a cherry on top, also ask your client how THEY would measure success in this project; that’ll make sure both of you are on the same page regarding the project’s needs!

Mistake #3: Ignoring the Prospect's Decisions

Most sales gurus won’t like this - but your future client may.

When pitching your services, most sales gurus you see on the internet would tell you 101 ways to follow up, handle objections, and ‘get back into the conversation’. While they share quality content which is applicable most of the time, there’s one mistake you make while pitching and that is to come out as desperate.

No one wants to come off as desperate, but unfortunately, some actions make you seem like you’re there to grab money instead of solving their problem! 

And this happens when you don’t let the client think about the final decision.

Some clients decide through persuasion – this is where the hard-objection handling comes in handy.

But other clients, usually experienced ones, have huge guards up when they’re about to hire a stranger. If you push those guards by not taking ‘no’ or ‘I’ll think about it’ for an answer, it’ll come off as desperate and lower your status as a freelancer!

So here’s a quick line to help you qualify whether the person can be persuaded, or needs genuine time to make a decision:

“Of course John, makes total sense. If I may ask, what are the factors that’ll influence your decision?”

If they answer this, you ask counter questions and offer a solution there and then. If they deflect, respond with this:

“Sure thing, John. When would be a good time for me to follow up with you for the final decision?” 

And then, tell them you’ve set a reminder right away for the day/time they share with you.

Mistake #4: Letting Your Prospect Lead The Call

I know, I know… This one’s a bit oxymoronic considering the past few points have been client-centric.

But it is what it is!

Most freelancers make the mistake of losing control of the conversation early on in the call. You can tie this to several reasons, mostly it’s due to the: 

1. Lack of confidence
2. Lack of research
3. Mix of both

Before you pitch yourself in the call, you need to understand the client - and to understand them you need to ask QUESTIONS! 

And get this…

The one who asks the most questions is the one who stays in control.

Weird breakthrough right?

Sooner or later, you’ll meet a prospect who has a strong personality and they may take charge early on in the meeting. In this case, you need to maintain a strong frame – instead of sitting back and answering whatever they ask you, you need to change the frame of the conversation and come back to ask questions. 

In short, you need to politely reaffirm that YOU’RE the one qualifying the client, not the other way around!

Mistake #5: Underestimating Testimonials

Trust is the currency of freelancing, yet many overlook the trust-building power of testimonials.

We all know how valuable testimonials can be, but only a few of us know how to utilise them!

Now, if you’re an absolute beginner, you may think…

“I don’t have any projects - how do I make use of testimonials?”

And you’re not wrong… but you can take a different angle overall. If you don’t have project-related testimonials, you can make use of micro-testimonials. These are recommendations from people who support you in terms of work ethic and trust you with your skills. 

These could be peers you’ve worked with professionally, a team member in a university society, or anyone else in between.  

🚨 However, this doesn’t mean you fake these! Stay true to your word, or else it’ll come to haunt you sooner or later. 

Once you have a list of testimonials at your disposal, use it at the end of the pitch or proposal on what it’s like working with you. 

And that’s it for today! 

I hope you liked this week’s issue and apply everything you learned today - see you next week. 👋💸

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