Anticipate the questions you’ll be asked

At this stage, you should have:

• A genuine prospect you want to contact.

• A list of the prospect’s pain points and how you can solve them.

• An elevator pitch tailored to the prospect.

• A longer pitch script tailored to the prospect.

The next step is being prepared to answer their questions.

Most experienced freelancers get to a point where they have the most common questions and answers mentally stored away, but in this step, we’ll write down potential questions and answers, so you can go into any conversation prepared.

Determine an FAQ so you’re always prepared

Let’s refer to Mo’s frequently asked questions. Clients have commonly asked him these three questions, and these are his prepared responses: 

1. How can we contact you?

You can contact me via email Monday to Thursday, from 10 am ET and 5 pm ET.

2. What is the timeline for publishing an article?

If I receive all assets required on X date, I can have a first draft to you on X date. I can file the fully edited piece ready-for-publish three working days after receiving your edits.

3. Do you charge per word?

No, I charge a fixed fee per project to ensure the best result for both my client and myself.

Build your own FAQ

Let’s get started with your FAQ in the workbook.

To make this exercise easier, imagine that you personally need to hire a service—perhaps a website designer or social media manager. First, write down the questions that you would ask the person you’re theoretically going to hire. Then, apply these questions to yourself.

Here are some examples of frequently asked questions, with more provided in the workbook:

Project-based

• How would you approach X problem?

• What blockers did you come up against when you did this similar job for X?

• What were the results of this article you published?

Logistics

• What is your timeline for this project?

• Do you charge hourly or by project?

• What is your fee?

Comms

• Can you join our Slack/communications channel?

• Can we check in with a daily or weekly meeting?

• How can we contact you?

Setting boundaries

The perfect time to set initial boundaries and work through any compromises is when you’re developing your FAQ. Discussing boundaries and compromises is one of the most challenging aspects of freelancing, especially in the beginning when you’re getting to know your own processes and workflows.

Some examples of where you might need to set boundaries or compromise are:

• Negotiating your rate

• Upfront payments or deposits

• How you prefer to communicate with clients

• Your working hours and days

• Any retainer/reserved time

• Project deadlines

To be comfortable with your pitch, the best you can do for yourself is to spend time preparing answers to the questions that intimidate you. As you come up with more, feel free to add them to your FAQ chart.

Recap

• Brainstormed the questions a prospect might ask you.

• Built your FAQ.

• Prepared for compromises and boundary-setting.