11 Questions To Ask Your Freelance Client For A Successful Process

You can avoid many problems and issues by asking your potential clients a set of essential questions before you decide whether to work with them.

I’ve made the mistake of not asking these questions to a prospective client, and it always ends up bad.

If you’re a new freelancer starting up, you might want to say yes to more clients than when you’ve gained some experience. Though I will say these common interview questions can help you avoid the worst types of collaborations.

So let’s get into the 11 questions you should always ask your potential clients.

11 Questions To Ask Your Freelance Clients

The best way to handle new clients is to start with a meeting. It doesn’t have to be face-to-face. You can easily do it online using Google Meet or Microsoft Teams.

1. Have you worked with any freelancers before?

This is incredibly important to know from your clients. If they have worked with freelancers, you can get started more easily.

If the opposite, you have to be specific about how you work, your processes, payment, etc. Overall you need to be ready to explain the different steps in more detail.

2. Can you describe your project to me?

Next up, it’s time to dive into the project description. What is it that needs to be solved, and what is their expected end goal?

It’s so important to take the potential client through the entire journey to understand what they’re looking for so you know what to deliver.

It’s best practice to scope out the entire project they want to be solved so you ensure you’re aligned on all parameters.

3. What are your objectives with your project?

The objectives and goals differ depending on the project you’re delivering to your client. If it’s a freelance writing job, a goal could be to rank on page one on Google for a specific type of content.

If the freelance job is related to growing their email list, the project goal or objective could be to grow the list to a specific size.

It’s essential to ask your client this question as it will define how you will tackle the project.

These more business-related questions also show the client that you think further than just the project. It’s a super strategic question to ask, and you’ll benefit from it in the end.

4. What is the deadline for your project?

The deadline for the project often aligns with the budget range. The tighter the project deadline, the higher the budget. It’s as simple as that, and be transparent with your client about this.

They often have some thoughts beforehand on when they need the project done, so they’ll often give you a range of then they need the project done, and then it’s up to you if you can make it happen.

Don’t promise anything unless you’re 100% sure as soon as you have the deadline. Tell your client you’ll need to make a brief project plan to see if the deadline is achievable.

5. What is your budget for the project?

Now the budget is an exciting thing. You might want to try and read your client a bit because some clients don’t like to be asked what their budget is.

If you feel comfortable asking the question, then you should go ahead and do it.

The project budget defines many aspects of how you will solve the project. If they want it done fast, you’ll have to work over hours, which increases the budget. It all depends on the project type.

Often the client will ask you to make a budget and return with it for a second meeting.

6. How Do You Prefer Updates?

It’s essential to align with your client on how they want the communication to be and how often they want updates.

Some clients want weekly updates, some want monthly updates, and some want to be contacted once you’re done. It’s entirely different from client to client.

What I’ll recommend is to use project management tools to communicate through.

Using project management tools, your client can always get an update by looking at the tool, and you have an overview of the entire project in one place.

7. Can you show me similar projects you like?

To align expectations, it’s always a great idea to ask for similar projects your client likes. Because when your client explains their project to it, you might imagine it in one way, whereas your client is imagining it in another way.

By getting examples, you get an idea of what direction to go in, but remember it’s only for inspiration, do not copy the projects. It’s a very important mistake never to make.

Especially within content writing and visual elements, it’s excellent with inspiration so you know what direction to take your writing services or graphical skills.

8. What are your values within your company?

If you’re creating visuals for your client or written content on social media platforms or even on their blog, then it’s so important to understand their values.

Values define the way your client communicates, and there has to be a common thread throughout their entire communication that you need to uphold.

This also enforces your client relationships in general as it shows interest in how they do business and shows them that you have their goal in mind. This is one of the elements that makes you a successful freelancer.

9. How do you prefer to handle payment and terms?

This is not fun for many freelancers, but your client is most likely used to talking about this, so don’t sweat it. Just jump into it, and discuss how they prefer it.

Some clients prefer to get your freelance rates explaining your hourly rates, and others want a full budget and maybe a budget in mind right here and now.

Except for the type of payment, you also need to handle terms. How often should the client pay you? Monthly payment is excellent if you’re paid by the hour, but if it’s on a project basis, you might want to split it up.

You can read more about the different ways of handling payment here.

10. Here is my work process; does it fit yours?

Now to the process, how do you work? And how does your client work? And lastly, how do you make this fit together, so you can work with your client in a flow that fits you and your client?

Start by laying out your work processes. This is important because you’re the one who needs to perform the work, so the client will be the one to change their ways.

Sometimes it’s small changes you need to make in the way you work to become accustomed to the way your client works.

That’s why it’s crucial to become aligned on this point to avoid issues in everyday work.

11. Lastly, do you have any questions for me?

It’s essential to ask your potential client if they have any questions for you. If their hiring manager is on the call, they might have some personal questions to see if you’re a match.

The client itself might ask for additional services, and even if you can’t deliver those services, helping to find someone who can is a big bonus for the client, and you get to give a referral to one from your network.

Of course, you can mention they can always ask follow-up questions down the line if something comes to mind.

Conclusion

With answers to these questions, you can better understand who the client is, what they’re looking for, and whether you find them a match for your freelance business.

By asking these questions, you easily avoid all the clients for whom you’re not a match for either their business goals or how they work in general. Maybe even the price range they’re looking for is entirely off the budgets you’re working with.

Remember not to force these questions. If you can feel your client is hesitating, then skip the question. Or if you can feel in the conversation flow it’s not appropriate to ask a certain question, then skip that as well. Each client is different, and so should your approach.

So many factors play a role while finding a new client, whether small ad-hoc tasks or an entire project they want to be solved.

If you get started and your client refuses to pay, here is a guide on handling that.