Having an interview or consultation with a potential client is your time to make a great first impression. An interview is the time to also establish rapport, trust, and understand the scope of the project plus any expectations you would expect from each other. Having a checklist of questions to ask in an interview helps you to make the interview a more efficient use of your time.
Doing an interview is nerve-wracking, whether it is done via telephone, video conferencing, or face-to-face. To ease those nerves and turn up confident to an interview you need to come prepared. The best way to prepare is to go through your work history and portfolio.
Go the extra step in preparing for an interview by having a checklist of questions to ask in an interview. Here are 4 examples of questions to ask in an interview that will win you clients time and time again.
Example #1
What is your brand core message that you are trying to deliver to your customers?
Asking questions about the clients business shows that you are keen and interested in their business. By asking questions about their customers (what the client cares about) and brand message is always a winner.
Plus you can use your answer to this question to say that you can help them. Help them deliver what the client needs to increase brand awareness or customer satisfaction.
Example #2
Have you worked with freelancers in the past?
This answer could go in 3 ways
- They’ve never worked with a freelancer before
- They had a great experience working with freelancers before
- They never had a great experience before
Hopefully, you will never get the third answer.
If you do get the third or even second answer, ask them what they felt went wrong or right and what they would want to be different next time they work with a freelancer.
Listen to their answers and position yourself as the dream freelancer to be working with.
Example #3
How often should I send project updates?
Impress your clients by updating them in regular intervals as to the progress of the project you are working on. Clients are trying to trust you to get on with the task they have set you, but they need reassurance. Effectively communicate with clients as to how you are getting on with the project.
Example #4
Do you have anything further to ask?
This final question is a powerful question and the last question to ask in
In A Nutshell
An interview is not just there for the potential client to see if you are the right fit for them, but it is also there for you too. There for you to understand the clients mindset with
- How they feel about hiring a freelancer
- What expectations they have from a freelancer
But most importantly, interviews are there so you can build rapport and trust. Make a great first impression on your interview with a potential client and arm yourself with the questions to ask in an interview.
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When I started reading this, I wasn’t expecting it to go the way that it did. And I’m glad it did. As someone who’s starting out with their own freelance business, this is great to know when dealing with a new client. They’re so simple to ask and lead to further detailed answers rather than yes/no responses. Thank you for sharing this.