What Mindset Shift Turns Discovery Calls Into New Clients?
The psychological shift you need to make is having confident energy.
If your discovery calls feel a little awkward and a little desperate like you’re trying to impress, convince, and pass some sort of “are you good enough” test.
That’s exactly why you’re not landing the type of clients you want.
It’s probably not because of your portfolio or even your pricing.
It’s because of your energy. Brutal right? But stick with me because I am going to show you the simplest tweak you can make to make your clients chase you down.
Because here’s the biggest secret most freelancers never figure out.
The best clients – the high-paying ones that don’t micro-manage every single thing and trust you to do your job.
They aren’t hiring freelancers who give off “pick me” energy.
They hire freelancers who exude confidence, even if they don’t have all the answers because, newsflash, no one does.
So stop waiting to feel like an expert to act like a boss and pay close attention because today I’m going to show you how to instantly shift the power dynamic on sales calls – or discovery calls – so potential clients feel almost compelled to hire you.
I’m also going to give you 5 one-liners to make you sound more confident and trustworthy on client calls – even if you don’t *really* feel that confident… yet.
And if you’re new around here – Hey, I’m Alex, award-winning copywriter, expert marketer and founder of the Copy Posse where I teach over 400,000 rad humans on the internet how to make more money with better messaging.
If you’re not sure where to start, take this 30-second quiz and Alex will send you a hand-picked collection of Posse resources that are perfect for you.
Alright, now here’s what most freelancers do on calls… Tell me if any of these sound familiar to you…
They say things like:
“Sure, I can do that…”
“Absolutely, no problem…”
“So what happens next?”
I hate to tell you this, but it’s giving major pick-me energy.
If you want to easily close clients on calls, you need to demonstrate confidence and leadership.
The sales conversation isn’t about you getting the client.
It’s about you leading the client.
I’m not saying you should “fake it till you make it” or pretend like you’re an expert when you’re not.
You don’t have to lie to create a sense of confidence and safety…
The truth is, the secret to landing clients on your sales calls has nothing to do with what you say.
And everything to do with how you make your clients feel.
All it takes is one psychological shift that you have complete control over, even if you’re just getting started. You ready for it?
The Psychological Shift
Before you hop on any client call, discovery call, sales call or even a job interview, shift your mindset from “I need you” to “I got you” – feel the difference?
One has desperate energy, and one has confident energy.
One person is auditioning… The other person is leading.
Your mindset going in needs to be: I’m here to lead, I’m here to guide, I’m here to help them make a radically aligned decision – whether that’s working with me or with someone else.
Yes, I know that’s a scary thought especially if you do really want (or even need) them to pick you.
But when you make them feel “I’m genuinely here to help you – one way or another – no strings attached”. Your client’s nervous system instantly relaxes, and they immediately feel: “Oh. I’m in good hands. I trust them.”
Now here’s the coolest thing about this. This is completely subconscious and psychological even if your words don’t change. You may be answering their questions the same way and giving them the same information.
When you come from a place of “I got you” vs “I need you,” something really cool happens.
The client starts to think to themselves “Dang, this person really knows their shit. I wonder if they’ll want to work with me.”
And that shift is everything.
So let’s make this practical and talk about how you can actually shift into this dynamic, even if you’re feeling a little nervous or lacking confidence in the moment.
Because it’s one thing to say “stop coming across as desperate”.
And it’s another thing to actually be prepared with powerful one-liners that you can use on your next discovery call to instantly shift the power dynamic.
And I’ll explain exactly why they work.
Mindset Shift #1: “This is how I typically lead discovery calls…”
I love this one because it gives off such boss energy.
Like, this isn’t my first rodeo. I’ve been there, done that – and I’ve done it so many times that I have a repeatable process for it.
When you say this at the beginning of the call, you’re signaling that you will be leading this call.
You have a process you’re going to walk the client through, and they can instantly relax.
Trust starts to build immediately, and they already start to feel like you got them.
Now, only use this if it is, in fact, a discovery call and not a job interview. In a job interview dynamic you can still show up with “I got you” energy, but you may not use this exact line since they are usually the ones to lead the interview.
Good rule of thumb here, if you’re hosting the call, it’s a discovery call. If they’re hosting the call, it’s an interview.
AND PRO TIP: Whatever your sales process is, I highly recommend you always ask the client for permission to record the call.
That way, you can go back over the call later and avoid the distraction of frantic note-taking during the call. However there is nothing wrong with saying “great, just taking a couple quick notes” – it shows them you’re listening and paying attention.
Alright, next one-liner…
Mindset Shift #2: “So tell me what you want to accomplish…”
Or “what you’re hoping to achieve” or “what would make this a total homerun for you.” The goal here is to get an idea of their goals, expectations and challenges.
After this question, you should have a pretty good idea of what they are struggling with or why they need your support.
Before you get all excited and talk about the things you can do to solve their problems, I always recommend pushing them for some more detail.
Remember – the goal of this call is to build an emotional connection. People don’t buy logically – they buy emotionally.
So if you get this client to open up and feel like you get them on a deeper level, you’re 1000x closer to getting a “yes” from them.
No matter how much experience you have.
They might need to hire a copywriter to help them write a sales page and email sequence. Okay, that’s the task. But it’s not the underlying emotional reason behind the task.
What are you hoping to accomplish with this campaign? What are the results that you’ve had in the past that you don’t like? Have you ever hired a copywriter for this before? What worked? What didn’t?”
Continue asking clarifying questions and digging until you get to the bottom of the real problem and uncover their expectations.
Because having someone write six emails is not actually what they need.
They want to be able to hand tasks off and not micromanage deadlines. They want someone who understands copywriting and marketing, who writes in their voice, and builds trust with their audience without them having to think about it much at all.
So what do they really – and why do they want it?
Alright, next up…
Mindset Shift #3: “Where do you feel like you’ve missed the mark?”
This is powerful. You’re listening to what they say they want, and now you’re asking them a very tough question that’s going to say a lot about the type of client they are.
They are either going to go into blame mode – blaming other people or circumstances about why they don’t have what they want.
Or, they go into problem solving mode – they respond with something like: well, I guess I just don’t know if the offer is strong enough, or I’m making mistakes, or I haven’t wanted to invest the money to hire an expert, but I’m realizing I need to.
That tells you a lot.
Now you don’t necessarily have to do anything with this. Your job is not to validate them or make them feel better about themselves.
Your job is to simply show them you understand the problem they need solved.
The best way to do this is to articulate back to them exactly how you can help, using their own language.
90% of sales is simply listening and restating what your client says.
Mindshift Shift #4: “What will happen if you don’t figure this out?”
This one flips everything, and I love it because the client is going to verbalize the urgency of the situation themselves.
You don’t have to convince them to hire you because they are going to tell you themselves why it’s so important to move forward.
And now you know the real reason they want to hire you and the opportunity cost if they don’t.
They aren’t hiring you because of what they want – the 6 emails.
They’re hiring you to avoid a future headache or challenge.
And once you have a good understanding of where they are in their business, what they want, why they want it, and what will happen if they don’t get it.
You have everything you need to close the sale right there on the call.
Which leads me to the last one-liner…
Mindset Shift #5: “If we decide to move forward, here’s what the next steps will be…”
Two subtle power shifts here.
The first one is that you are saying: “If we decide” – you’re indicating this is a mutual decision. It has to be a fit for both of you.
This instantly makes you seem more valuable.
And second: you are once again taking charge of the call and leading the process.
You want to keep this process as easy and seamless as possible for them.
So at the end of your call, you can let them know you’ll follow up with a step-by-step action plan.
When you tell them that you’ll follow up, you’re giving them one less thing to worry about, and one more reason to trust you.
Simply say…
“Great, thanks so much! It was a pleasure talking to you! I’ll be sending you a follow-up email today with the next steps.”
Follow up the same day via email.
Thank them again for their time, let them know you want to work with them and help achieve their goal.
This is where your call recording will come in handy…
Map out the project scope and the deliverables, making sure to list them out individually…
Include the specifics they asked for, in their own words, to let them know you were actually listening when they spoke, and that you’re 100% on board with them!
Showcasing a deep understanding of their business and needs is the single most important thing you can do to get that yes.
The Deeper Truth
Now let me say something important…
These lines give you structure and predictability, which will naturally help you appear more confident.
But real confidence comes from repetition, practice and operating from a place of authenticity and alignment.
You’ve got to do what works for you – and different methods work for different people, based on your personality.
If you’re constantly chasing clients in ways that don’t feel great…
Cold pitching when you hate cold pitching…
Posting content randomly even though you hate social media…
Desperately DM’ing people hoping something sticks…
And it’s not working, is that really a surprise?
People can feel that misalignment.
But when you’re using a client-finding method that actually matches how you’re wired? Confidence comes so much more naturally.
If you want to figure out the best way for you to find clients — based on your personality and strengths — I created a free quiz that tells you exactly that.
In just 30 seconds, it’ll show you how you’re naturally designed to land clients.
- Find out your best way to find clients.
- Learn the #1 freelancer trap stopping you from landing high-quality clients.
- And get practical tips and a personalized action plan you can implement immediately to find your next client.
So you can stop chasing… Start leading…
And walk into every discovery call with that calm, “I got you” energy.
Until next time, I’m Alex – ciao for now!
