So, you’ve sent out 100 pitches, emailed dozens of potential clients, sent voices messages through DMs… and you FINALLY got someone to agree to speak with you about your copywriting services. What’s the next step? Glad you asked!
Your next step is to have a sales call with that person.
A sales call (a.k.a. “discovery call” or “intro call”) is a focused, structured conversation that allows you to determine if a client is the right fit for your copywriting services, and vice versa. The goal is NOT to make a sale, but to accurately assess the fit.
A sales call helps you figure out 4 important things: 1) what a person wants, 2) WHY they want it, 3) what’s getting in their way, and 4) how urgent it is for them to solve their problem now.
A sales call is MUCH different than a typical, everyday conversation, in that it’s focused — not random or disorganized. It’s not about you. It’s about serving the other person and determining if there’s a mutual fit for working together. The majority of your call should consist of you asking the right questions, LISTENING, and being present as they share their vision with you.
If you’re not genuinely excited about what the person is saying, they’re probably not a good fit for you.
The Mechanics of a Sales Call are Easy; Getting Your Energy and Mind Right is the Hard Part (at First)
Pick up the phone, dial, and talk — that’s the easy part.
The challenging part is getting your ENERGY and your MIND right before, during, and after the call.
You’re probably not struggling with the mechanics of “how to have a sales call,” so much as you’re struggling with feeling like a sellout for having the nerve to try to sell your copywriting services in the first place. You might have crippling, negative self-talk or voices in your head that are terrorizing you, making you doubt yourself every step of the way.
Many copywriters over-complicate the sales process, because they’re afraid of rejection, judgment, or making mistakes. My advice would be to set these fears aside, and talk to people anyway. Ignore any negative “voices” in your head, because the sales call is not about you. It’s about serving the other person.
Shift your focus away from YOU and put all the focus on serving the other person. If you keep practicing and improving, clients will eventually purchase your copywriting services. If you get good at delivering those services, you’ll have repeat clients.
The act of talking to another human being is only “difficult” if you’re socially inept, severely doubting your own self-worth, and/or if you don’t know the basic questions to ask during a sales call. The first two can be overcome with coaching and a daily practice that builds you up. (For help with this, email me to inquire about my 90-day program for copywriters: “Land Your First Dream Copywriting Client.”) The third one can be overcome by practicing the 4 questions below.
The 4 Questions to Ask During a Sales Call
At its core, a successful sales call covers 4 basic questions:
- What do you want?
- Why do you want it?
- What’s getting in the way?
- How urgent is it for you to solve this problem right now?
As a copywriter, you’ll want to tweak and tailor the 4 questions to fit the context of the conversation. Don’t just treat them as a script; use nuance, think on the fly, and ask questions in your own unique voice and style. Ask in a way that’s relevant to the person you’re speaking with — and keep it as simple as possible.
Most people you talk to will want “help with copywriting,” but that’s just scratching the surface. Their real desire goes deeper than that. Maybe they hate writing, but they have a burning desire to help more people, and so they need a copywriter to nail their voice, write for them, and take over. Maybe they want to save time, so they can be more present with their family. What’s their deeper desire, and why?
A Real-Life Example of Questions a Copywriter Can Ask During a Sales Call
Here’s an example of how you might tailor and tweak the 4 questions in a real-life conversation (based on a call that lead to a $3K sale, followed by a $3K/monthly package):
1. [What do you want?] “So, NAME, you mentioned in your email on 10/6 that you were looking to hire a copywriter for direct mail letters. I would love to hear more about what you’re envisioning for this. Can you tell me a bit about what you’re looking for specifically?” → Example answer: the client talks about how they always get new clients every time they send out a letter. They want to mail out 1 direct mail letter per month to their database in order to get more business.
2. [Why do you want it?] “And why do you want to publish 1 direct letter per month? Tell me more.” → Example answer: aside from increasing their revenue, the client wants to serve more of THEIR customers; and they want to challenge themselves to mail out at least 1 letter per month consistently. Right now they’ve barely been sending 1 letter per quarter.
3. [What’s getting in the way?] “I’m curious, if these direct mail letters work so well, why aren’t you writing them yourself?” → Example answer: the client says, “We’re not copywriters. We’re _____ (insert profession here). We’d rather focus on our specialty than do the copywriting. We want to hire someone who’s dedicated to doing the copywriting, as they could probably do a better job at it than us and do it more consistently than we’ve been doing it. Also, we just don’t have time to consistently write the letters ourselves; we don’t want to do it. But it needs to get done.”
4. [How urgent is it for you to solve this problem right now?] “NAME, I would love to take that off your plate, and I can definitely help you write 1 direct mail letter per month. When would you ideally want to have the first letter done?” → Example answer: The client says they would like to have a first draft written within 2-3 weeks. If they say, “We want to get started in 2 months,” I would bring curiosity to that and ask, “Why? What happens in 2 months?” or “What’s the strategy behind waiting 2 months to send out a letter that could bring you new business?”
From there, if everything seems like a good fit, you can make your recommendation, state your offer, give your pricing, and collect payment. If the client doesn’t ask you for your pricing towards the end of the call, you can say, “Do you have any questions for me?”
There’s a lot more that goes into a sales call… but these 4 questions can get you moving in the right direction, while helping you feel more confident when speaking with potential copywriting clients.
Want to Speed Up Your Results? Get Coached by a Successful Copywriter & Author of The Anti-Marketing Manifesto
Need my 1-on-1 help? Email me to apply to my exclusive copywriting mentorship: “Land Your First Dream Copywriting Client.” This 90-day program is for copywriters who are serious about landing high-paying dream clients and making a great living as a freelance copyriter.
In addition to getting my full “Sales Calls” training module for copywriters as part of this program, you will also learn:
- How to create copywriting samples that you get you hired (with my edits and feedback on your work)
- How to customize your pitches in order to hear more “yes” responses (see the pitch that brought in $300K+ in copywriting invoices)
- How to move on quickly from rejection, ghosting, and disappointment (because those things don’t matter in the long run)
- How to get better at landing copywriting clients and working with clients long-term
(Note: This program is a 4-figure investment and is *not* for dabblers.)
Email me to request an application.
Michelle Lopez Boggs is a copywriter, copywriting mentor, and author of "The Anti-Marketing Manifesto: How to Sell Without Being a Sellout." She's helped her clients sell millions of dollars' worth of products and services online by using the MEI(S) principle — motivate, educate, and inspire, and sell. 