How to Impress A Potential Freelance Client in 30 Seconds or Less
First impressions matter — do you come prepared when meeting a new potential client?
One of the many joys of freelance work is the countless number of project interviews you get to partake in. I think of them as mini job interviews — you are convincing the client that you are a good fit for their project and that you are worth your proposed rate. It’s super important to come prepared!
As you begin to build your brand and gain more clients, being good in a client interview is an essential skill. That’s why I want to share a simple trick I do to impress my potential clients — it’s truly a game-changer.
The 30 Second Personal Introduction
You need to be able to introduce yourself, your background, and your current work in 30 seconds or less. It’s as simple as that.
I can hear people saying, “30 seconds only?? That’s so short! I have so many interesting things about me that I need to share!”
No one wants to hear about your “interesting” life in a job interview
That’s the whole point — short, sweet, and professional, baby
It is almost a guarantee that your client will ask you to share a little bit about yourself during the interview. Which of the following examples conveys professionalism and organization?
“Uhh… yeah. So I graduated from X school… It was fun, haha. Then I started working for X company for X years… and then I started freelancing. I definitely have learned a lot along the way!”
Vs.
“I graduated from X school with a degree in X. I then was able to get a job working for X company, where I was exposed to a lot of great learning opportunities, such as X and X. I have been freelancing for X years, providing high-quality services to my clients.”
I mean, come on. This is a no-brainer. You need to have your professional story prepared prior to any job interview. The amount of trust you can build within the first couple of minutes by doing this will blow you away. And it makes landing the deal so much easier.
And no, I don’t mean you should have a robotic and rehearsed explanation. That does not feel authentic and will make your client feel like you are hiding something. We are aiming for professional and prepared — not rehearsed and disingenuine.
The true key to success with this tip is to practice. Write out a bunch of different options. I have a Google Doc full of short paragraphs about myself. Freelancing work can be hard to explain — try out different ways to word what you do. And PRACTICE OUT LOUD. I can’t stress this enough. You want what you say in the interview to sound natural and have a nice flow to it, so be sure to practice saying it out loud to hear how it sounds.
Eventually, through practice, you will be able to explain your background, work, and education in under 30 seconds.
The Key Takeaways
Clients have told me that they are very impressed with how I present myself. And I take that complement very seriously! In freelancing, we often don’t get the benefit of in-person meet-ups with our clients. This tip really is such a great way to impress your client right out of the gates, build trust, and land more high-quality jobs.
This tip works for in-person job interviews as well! Please try this tip out and let me know if it works for you — I’d love to hear about your experiences with it.
Happy project hunting!