For clients, a discovery call is an opportunity to test the waters and see if you are the right person for the job before they commit and invest.
And yet, you go into the call trying to close a big deal.
You're there proposing marriage, while the client showed up for a coffee.
That mismatch kills the deal.
A full engagement is a reasonable ask from someone who already knows what it's like to work with you.
But it's a massive ask from someone who's still deciding if they even like you.
The average freelancer looks at a smaller, lower-priced offer and doesn’t really want to get on a call for a project that barely moves the needle on their income…
Short-signed thinking like this leads to missing out on so many potential long-term clients that weren’t ready for the full $10k project on day 1.
Get that person in the door on something smaller, and you've got a real shot at closing the $10k project once they trust you.
It almost never starts with a full commitment →
A lower-stakes way to work with you opens the door to more projects, turning initially a $1k client into a $100k+ client over time.
Offer only a high-ticket offer, and you're left with the few clients who showed up fully ready…
Everyone else, including the people who would've become your best long-term clients, never gets the chance to start.
So stop proposing marriage on the first date 😉
Best,
Jamie
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