You’re pouring your heart into your craft. But when it comes to attracting clients, it still feels like you’re shouting into the void. Your calendar isn’t as busy as you’d want it to be, and your lead pipeline looks empty.
This is the least glamorous part of running a freelance business.
The reality is, many freelancers and solopreneurs struggle to get enough clients to book discovery calls, which are essential for landing new projects.
In this article, we’ll dive into some practical lead generation tips. These will help you build a strong online presence, book more discovery calls, and keep your pipeline buzzing with leads.
Let’s get started!
Also read: How to Grow Your Business As A Freelancer in 2024
What is A Discovery Call?
A discovery call is a conversation with a potential client where you explore their needs, figure out how your services can help, and see if you’re a good match.
It’s a two-way street—while the client gets to learn more about what you bring to the table, you also get to understand their project, determine if it aligns with your expertise, know their budget, and decide if you want to move forward with them.
Tips to Book More Discovery Calls
Follow these lead generation tips to get more discovery call requests from qualified leads:
1. Build a niche portfolio
Your portfolio is your calling card. Whether you’re a photographer, graphic designer, writer, or marketer, build a portfolio to showcase your very best work.
For instance, if you’re a photographer, you might highlight a series of well-curated, high-quality shots from different niches (events, portraits, products) to show your versatility. As a graphic designer, you might display before-and-after visuals of rebrands.
| Pro tip: Bloom, a comprehensive CRM platform for creatives, comes with beautiful portfolio templates. Ideal for photographers, graphic designers, and artists, Bloom’s Website Portfolio lets you add descriptions for images, customize the layout, and embed custom CTAs within your portfolio items. Create your portfolio, capture leads, manage projects, all from the same platform! Try Bloom today, for free. |
For strategy-based work, showcasing your work through a portfolio is a bit tricky.
In such cases, create a case study to capture how your efforts have brought in meaningful changes to a project. To build trust, include real numbers for the ROI generated, conversions made, or revenue generated through your campaigns/strategies.
When your portfolio manages to impress prospects, they’ll be keen on booking a discovery call with you.
2. Optimize social media profiles to your niche
If you’re a marketer, use LinkedIn or X to share industry insights, tips, and real life experiences. As a photographer, use Instagram to display your best shots and behind-the-scenes processes.
Create content consistently. Don’t obsess over numbers and engagement—rather, focus on quality. You never know who might be admiring your work silently and planning to hire you for their next project!
In your bio, clearly mention who you cater to and what you offer—don’t leave room for ambiguities. Also, don’t forget to attach a link to your portfolio to your profile. Before contacting you or booking a discovery call, prospects should be able to check your previous work.
Why is this important? It gives the prospect a glimpse into what you do, and in most cases, they’ll proceed to book a discovery call only when they’re happy with your portfolio. A simple way to vet clients!
Make the process of booking the discovery call super smooth. Prospects should have the option to book a call directly from your socials or website. Add a lead capture form (for the prospect to fill up before booking a call) to collect basic information such as the name of their business, the industry they operate in, and the areas they need help with.
Also read: The 15 Best CRMs for Photographers [2024 Edition]
3. Set up a system to streamline leads
When you start implementing these steps and leads start flowing in, you’ll need a lead management system to keep things organized from the get-go. If you’re a creative freelancer, Bloom CRM would be a good fit for your workflow.
Here’s how:
- Use Bloom’s Lead Management Tool to automatically create new leads when someone fills up your lead capture form (for booking a discovery call) or sends you an inquiry
- Set statuses, create tags, and trigger automated follow-up emails for each lead and track them all from a centralized dashboard
Track and manage your lead pipeline seamlessly with Bloom
- Use Bloom’s Scheduling Tool to share your availability with leads. Integrate your calendar, set available slots, and schedule discovery calls at a time that works for both parties
Set your availability and let leads schedule discovery calls at a time suitable for both you and them
- Directly embed your calendar (e.g. Google Calendar) and call scheduling link on your website or social media profiles
- Add Zoom meetings to your schedule
- Create a custom URL to share booking links via emails/DMs
With Bloom, you can streamline the call booking/scheduling experience; no technical complexities or jumping from one tool to another.
Also read: How to Improve Client Experience As A Freelancer
4. Use content marketing
Creating valuable content is a powerful way to attract inbound, organic leads.
Be it a blog post, LinkedIn post, a newsletter, or an Instagram reel, the idea is to publish content that addresses your ICP’s pain points.
By consistently sharing high-quality content, you position yourself as a thought leader in your field and build trust with potential clients. When they see you as an expert, you’ll stay top-of-mind when they’re ready to make a hiring decision.
With every content piece you create, include a strong call to action (CTA)—invite readers to schedule a discovery call or offer a free consultation. Make it easy for interested prospects to take that next step.
This strategy also backs up your outreach efforts. When you proactively reach out to a prospect with a proposal, chances are, they’ll review your profile and website. With quality content published in your website, you can make a strong first impression.
5. Showcase client testimonials
People prefer to check reviews before purchasing something, and the same rule applies to your freelance business. Showcasing feedback from your past clients can make a huge difference. Reach out to former clients and request a testimonial—text-based or a video message, whichever they’re comfortable with.
Once you acquire the testimonials, it’s time to flaunt them! Turn the testimonials into small quotes, attribute each review to the respective clients, and add details like their company name and designation.
Put them on your website—on the home page, on a landing page, within case studies, or you might even create a dedicated testimonials page. Social media is also a great place to share them.
And remember to wrap up each post with a clear CTA, inviting people to book a discovery call with you. As you keep working with new clients, continue to update your testimonial section from time to time.
How to Prepare for Discovery Calls
1. Check the client’s digital presence
Before you get on the call, take some time to explore your lead’s website, social media profiles, and other digital assets.
For example, if you’re a strategist and your lead is a B2B company, review their blog, newsletters, and social media content to identify potential gaps in their content marketing strategy. When you prepare well, the client will know that you’re invested in the project and willing to go the extra mile to make it a success.
2. Do your homework and see where you fit in
As a part of your preparation, do research on the lead’s industry, competitors, and possible challenges.
If you’re a marketer and you notice their competitor is more active on certain platforms, you can suggest ways to bridge that gap.
Have clarity on where you can add value and offer specific solutions based on their current situation to stand out from other freelancers.
3. Have questions ready
Prepare thoughtful, open-ended questions that will help you dig deeper into the client’s needs.
Questions like “What do you hope to achieve with this project?” or “What has worked well in the past, and what hasn’t?” allow you to get clarity on their goals and challenges.
Or if you have more specific questions related to the project, feel free to ask.
4. Tailor your services to their needs
After you’ve listened to the client and understood their needs, briefly explain how your skills align with their goals.
Focus on the services that specifically address their pain points. For instance, if you’re a marketer and the client is struggling with brand awareness, highlight your expertise in social media strategy or paid ads, rather than going over your entire range of services.
This way, you’re positioning yourself as the solution to their specific problems rather than just listing what you offer.
Best Practices to Follow During and After Discovery Calls
Whether the discovery call ends up with a closed deal or not, you have to create a good impression. Here are a few communication tips and tricks to help you out:
| During the call | After the call |
| Don’t be overly salesyA discovery call is not about hard-selling your services. Your goal is to establish a relationship and understand your potential client’s needs. Focus on listening first—ask about their business, what challenges they’re facing, and the objectives they’re trying to achieve. For instance, If you’re a marketer, instead of diving straight into your pitch, ask them how they’ve been handling their current campaigns and where they feel stuck. Make a conversation, show genuine interest in their business, and build a rapport with the lead.Be transparent about what you bring to the tableWhile it’s important to listen, you also need to be clear about what you offer and how you can help. Once you’ve understood what the prospect is looking for, explain how your expertise aligns with their specific needs. For example, as a designer, talk about how you can create visuals that resonate with their niche target group, as you’ve done something similar for another brand. Be polite and provide feedback without being overly criticalIf the client asks for feedback on their current strategy, website, or design, be tactful. Identify areas for improvement without sounding overly critical. For example, If a client is asking for feedback on their current branding, you could say:“Your logo and color scheme are strong and memorable. One area we could explore is updating your typography to align it more with your current brand image.” | Say thank youSend a thank you email after the call. Keep it short and polite—something like, “Thank you for taking the time to chat today. I enjoyed learning about your project, and I’m excited about the possibility of working together.”Follow up in time Don’t let the conversation end with the thank you email. If the client requested a proposal or additional information, send it within the agreed timeframe. Even if they didn’t, you can follow up with a brief email in a few days to stay top of mind. You might say: “Just checking in to see if you had any further questions after our call. I’d love to help in any way I can.” It’s a chance to build on the relationship and encourage next steps without being pushy.In case the project is not a good fit for you (or the client had their reasons), reply with something like: “Thank you for taking the time to chat today. I enjoyed learning about your project. It’s unfortunate that we can’t collaborate at the moment due to [objection], but if any opportunity arises in the future, I’d be more than happy to help you out!” This way, you can still be in touch with the client and leave the door open for future collaborations. |
Capture and Manage Qualified Leads With Bloom CRM
A discovery call is a crucial first step in turning a lead into a paying client. The lead generation tips outlined in this article will help you attract qualified prospects and encourage them to hit the ‘Book a Call’ button.
With a CRM tool like Bloom, you can streamline lead management, simplify the scheduling process, and provide an exceptional user experience for your clients.
From capturing leads to onboarding clients and managing projects, Bloom supports your entire freelance workflow within a single platform, allowing you to focus on what you do best—delivering value to your clients.
Get started with Bloom for free and keep your lead pipeline flowing!