Whatsup!

Hellooooo! How are you doing?

Today we’re talking about something every freelancer struggles with but pretends they don’t.

Client calls.

The moment that turns calm freelancers into scared interns in 0.2 seconds.

Let’s fix that energy today.

Insights

Two types of calls you’ll ever be on

Whether you’ve been freelancing for 2 weeks or 2 years, every call falls into one of these:

Inbound Calls

They found you: through a post, referral, or your work.
You usually walk in with less context.
Your job: ask good questions.

Outbound Calls

You found them.
You saw a gap, did the research, and reached out.
Your job: lead the conversation.

Once you understand which one you’re stepping into, the whole vibe shifts.

Inbound Example

My Kenya Client

Low context · Ask-first call

One of my earliest inbound leads. He messaged saying he needed newsletters, but that was about it.

So on the call, I asked:
frequency, niche, system setup, word count, and what he wanted the newsletter to achieve.

Halfway through, it was obvious he didn’t need newsletters.
He needed thought leadership.

I reframed a few of my blogs as TL samples, checked market rates, quoted confidently — and because I went in with zero expectations, I was myself: calm, chatty, even cracking jokes.

He trusted the clarity.
He negotiated.
We found a sweet spot.

Inbound calls reward curiosity over performance.

Outbound example

Referral Lead

High context · Lead-the-room call

Different energy completely.

They didn’t know me. They didn’t know my work.
So naturally, the questions came fast:

Have you written in this niche? How will you approach this? Workflow? Expected results? Pilot?

Outbound calls demand ownership.
You show the gap you identified, explain your thinking, and prove you can execute.

It’s where knowing your process inside out matters more than anything else.

Four things changed how I handle calls:

Going in with zero expectations
If your brain is screaming, “What if I don’t convert?” you freeze.
Think: “Let’s just have a solid conversation.”

Treating myself as an equal
They bring money. You bring expertise. It is an exchange, not an audition.

Knowing I can always recover
If I fumble, I can always send details later. If I blank out, I can ask for time. This alone dissolved 80% of the pressure.

Letting structure take over
Confidence comes later. Structure helps today.

Get involved

Join me this Sunday for a live breakdown

A full session on how I run onboarding calls:
with scripts, structure, questions, and how I close clients calmly.

Content Brunch Session #4
Topic: How to run a strong onboarding call
Date: 23rd Nov
Time: 11 AM IST
Mode: Google Meet

(If you’ve filled it before, you’re already on the list.)

That’s it for this week.

That’s it for this week!

Keep showing up, keep improving, and don’t let one call decide how you feel about freelancing.

See you next Friday!

Love,
Nikita

P.S. Reply to this and tell me:
What’s one thing about client calls you want me to cover on Sunday?

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