Three Ways to Make a Client Trust You

A reader asked me, “How do I make a client trust me on the first call?”

I felt that question in my chest because I used to be her. I have been there. I sat in front of every interview wondering the same thing. Will they see through me. Will they like me. Will they say yes.

Here is what I have learned. Nine out of ten interviews fail because the freelancer is doing the wrong things on that call. Not because they lack skill. Because they are pointing their attention at the wrong place.

Let me share three ways to point it right.

Tip 1: Understand what the client actually wants

Understanding the client means you understand their goal, their values, their mission, the overall soul of their company.

The client will forget you unless the two of you actually connect.

When they ask, “Tell me about yourself,” the typical answer goes, “I was a, I worked as, I did this and that.” That is a resume read out loud. It is also forgettable.

The better answer goes, “I love. I am deeply passionate about.” Talk about what you care about, not only what you have done. Care is what people remember. Care is also what shows up in the work later.

Tip 2: Conviction and direction

Twenty percent of what you say. Eighty percent of how you say it.

It comes down to how well you know the topic and how well you deliver it. If you mumble through your own expertise, the client will mumble through their decision.

Position yourself as the expert. They are the ones who need your help. Not the other way around. This is not arrogance. This is honesty about the role you are stepping into. A doctor does not apologize for being a doctor. Neither should you.

Tip 3: Be someone they can trust and easy to work with

They want someone who can properly cover the task from A to Z with less hassle.

Put your arms around their problem. Make them feel that you actually care about it. That you will not disappear after the call. That you will not need to be chased for updates. That you will tell them honestly if something is going wrong.

This is the part most freelancers skip. They sell skill. They forget to sell steadiness.

The quiet part underneath all of this

I want to say something to the Christian freelancer reading this.

Trust is not a sales technique. Trust is the natural fruit of care, clarity, conviction, and truthful competence. Those four words are not marketing words. They are character words. You cannot perform them on a call if you have not been building them in private.

Care grows when you actually pray for the people you serve. Clarity grows when you do the hard work of understanding before speaking. Conviction grows when you have done the thing enough times to know what you know. Truthful competence grows when you refuse to oversell and refuse to undersell.

This is why Christ is necessary here, not decorative. He is the one who frees you from needing to impress, because you are already loved. He is also the one who keeps you honest, because you answer to him before you answer to the client. A freelancer who works from that place becomes someone clients return to, and someone other freelancers can safely learn from.

Your takeaway

Focus on what you are really, really good at. Grow your experience. Offer it to those who need it. Whether for free at the start, or for a cheap trade. Just go and build it now.

You do not dig the well when you are thirsty.

Less talking, more action.

If you are on your first calls right now and your hands are shaking, that is okay. Mine did too. Show up anyway. Care first. Speak clearly. Stay until the job is done. That is the whole thing.

For the glory of God.

- Lala