My sales call playbook
Part 2 of my series on how to land contracts as a fractional or consultant.
Happy Friday, friends!
I’m back with more tips and tricks on getting hired as a fractional, independent consultant, or freelancer. And as I’ve been finalizing today’s send, I’ve seen a bunch of new subscribers join - hello! I’m so excited to have you here, and curious about how you found me - if you’re up for it, reply and let me know! :)
Last week, I shared what to do before a sales call - how to position yourself, qualify leads, and set yourself up for a productive conversation. This week, we’re moving to the next step - the call itself.
Before we jump in, two quick reminders:
→ The recording of my December session on building a fractional or consulting business will only be available for one more week. It covers how I built my business, found clients, refined my niche, and priced my work.
→ Applications for 1:1 mentoring close on June 13. If you’re craving clarity, momentum, and a trusted partner as you build your business, you can find all the details and apply here.
Okay - let’s talk sales calls.
First, a hot take. 🌶️
I’m about to talk a lot about sales calls - but I don’t really do them.
What I mean is, I treat calls with prospective clients as opportunities to listen and help, not pitch or sell. Still, for lack of a better term, I’m using sales call here - even though they’re really more like collaborative conversations.
(If you’re curious, my external-facing booking form calls them intro calls. I know many consultants who call them discovery calls, but that has never felt quite right for my audience. No strong logic here - just going with what feels right for me.)
Structure the call
Having a clear structure for sales calls has made a huge difference in how I show up - I feel more confident, more prepared, and follow-up becomes way easier.
Since this part is super specific to how I do business, I’ll share more with paid subscribers below. You’ll find the exact structure I use, including how I open, what I listen for, and how I decide what to share.
Show up as the expert
One of the fastest ways to build trust on a sales call is to show you’re the expert - especially when the client isn’t one. Lately, I’ve been hiring freelancers and consultants on behalf of a couple clients, and keep seeing the same pattern…and it drives me crazy.
I’ll describe a business need…and then they ask how many hours of support I think it’ll take.
And honestly, I have no idea.
The work is outside my wheelhouse - that’s why I’m looking for help. So when someone asks me to scope the work, it makes me wonder how much experience they really have with this type of work.
The people who stand out do the opposite. They listen carefully, ask smart questions, then outline what they think I need and how they’d approach it.
Sometimes that still means an hourly structure, and that’s fine. What’s important here is that they’re leading the conversation and helping me understand what’s really needed based on their expertise.
That builds massive confidence and makes it a lot easier for me and my clients to say yes.
(FWIW, I used to be the person asking how many hours a prospective client needed. Productizing my offers was probably my biggest turning point on this front - more on that here.)
Actually listen
Yes, I know this seems obvious - but it’s a big differentiator.
When I’m hiring on behalf of a client, the proposals that stand out are the ones that show someone truly listened during the call. They’re not just sending a cookie-cutter proposal - they’re sharing one that shows they understand the business and they get the challenge.
That doesn’t mean that every proposal needs to be custom-scoped (yikes). I productized my offers a few years ago and still tailor every proposal based on the conversation (more on that next week).
And what makes that possible is actually listening.
My AI notetaker has helped a ton here, despite my initial resistance to using one. I started using Fathom Premium late last year and it’s been one of the biggest game-changers in my business lately - especially when I combine it with my custom ChatGPTs to help me pull out key insights from the call (and identify trends when looking across multiple calls). If you want to give Fathom a try, my referral link will get you a free month of premium.
Be generous
One of the best ways to stand out on a sales call is also one of the most fun - actually help.
This doesn’t mean delivering a full-blown strategy on a 30-minute intro call. But I always show up ready to offer value - usually in the form of quick insights, surface-level opportunities (from my pre-call research - more on that process in the paid section of last week’s newsletter), or a strategic lens on something they’ve mentioned.
Sharing value like this does a few things:
→ Builds trust
→ Shows you know what you’re doing
→ Gives the prospect a preview of what it’s like to work with you
A quick pause here - below the paywall, I’m sharing exactly how I structure sales calls, the two questions I ask at the end of each call that save me a TON of time and energy later, plus updates on my outreach challenge and LinkedIn strategy. I’d love to have you join me as a paid subscriber, but if this is where we part ways, here are some other ways to support this work if you find it helpful:
“Like” this post - down at the bottom if you’re reading in email
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