The Secret Behavior Hacks That Make Potential Freelance Clients Instantly Trust You and Say YES to Hiring You Faster [Financial Freedom]
What if the real reason clients choose you has nothing to do with your experience and everything to do with a few subtle signals you didn’t even realize you were sending?
If you’ve ever wondered why clients might be hesitant to work with you, or choose someone else (even when you know you’re great at what you do), this episode tackles the exact trust gaps that could be holding you back and shows you how to fix them in a way that feels natural, not forced.
By the end of this episode, you will learn how to:
Build instant trust with potential clients, even if you’re newer or charge higher rates.
Attract better-fit clients with one tip so that you can get clients you love
Turn simple habits into consistent client wins for more revenue
Hit play NOW to learn the small but powerful shifts that can help you land your next client faster without changing who you are.
Connect with Kiri, the host:
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Episode Transcript:
[00:00] In this episode, you're going to find out five ways you can make a client trust you instantly and wanna sign up with you. Welcome to the Freelance to Freedom Podcast. This podcast helps early freelancers learn how to get more clients with clear strategies that help your freelance business make more money in less time. I'm your host, Kerri Mohan, founder of Flourishing Freelancer. Let's dive in.
[00:22] By the end of this episode, you're going to find out why you can be swearing and still get clients, the importance of making sure you're putting yourself out there, and why communication needs to be timely. Welcome back to the show. If any of you guys are good at what you do, you make sure you ask where the client found you, why they decide to work with you, etcetera.
[00:46] And sometimes you do this after they sign on, but it's better to do it right in that intro call. And over the years, I began to realize that there were these silent signals or invisible strands or whatever you wanna call them that made clients trust me and go with me as a freelancer even though I had higher fees. And I felt like I was definitely someone who maybe didn't have as much
[01:09] experience as other people, but there were these invisible signals that were being communicated through what I did that made the clients wanna sign up with me. So I would say the first thing is actually timely communication. And this doesn't just mean after a client reaches out, I'm never one to say, hey. You know, you should respond immediately because then it makes you look desperate.
[01:33] Right? You don't wanna be that person that's like, hey. Absolutely. I'll talk with you right now in five minutes. Right? You wanna give a little bit of leeway here, and you wanna respond maybe in three or four hours. But you don't wanna let time go on too long without responding. Right? So I think timely communication is a big one.
[01:48] So that means you respond to comments on social media quickly. You respond to the emails, right, and DMs that people reach out to you via DMs. You make sure that you give them the courtesy to respond as soon as possible. So it shows that you are active, you are present, and they are on your radar. And this should carry over into your working relationship as well if they
[02:09] sign on with you. I've heard over and over again from, I would say, 99% of my clients that they love how much I overcommunicate or I'm very timely and communicate all the time because it is really coming back to they most of the time are not gonna meet you in person. So they're trusting you with their business and paying you and so many other aspects just by being present and by over
[02:34] communicating constantly. Now, of course, there are boundaries. There's I I don't expect you to be on twenty four seven, and I never ever advocate for that. But having that timely communication at least throughout the first three to six months where they can trust you is really, really key. And honestly, I only had one client ever that thought it wasn't a good idea, and he did not like it.
[02:56] And he said, I do not need to hear every single update of how the project is going. I just need you to let me know when it's done. And I remember just being like, oh my goodness. Are you serious? Like, this is, like, one of the things people love about me. I think he was a rarity because that was, oh god, like, six or seven
[03:11] years ago, and I'm just not receiving that kind of feedback at all ever. So I think that was just him. We are also a really bad match, and I've talked about him in the past too. And, yeah, we were a bad match. But that is something I think is, like, one of the number one signals that will make a client wanna trust you is to see that you are open to
[03:29] communicating quickly. Number two is have at least one social media account. I think nowadays, you just can't not have that, especially if you're starting out with marketing and you're starting out with putting yourself out there and you haven't built anything. I do remember even like, god, it was, like, fifteen years ago or fourteen years ago, my husband had his own car detailing business, and he would go be he
[03:52] was a mobile detailer, which people loved because he would go to their house. And I remember, like, insisting that I set up this Facebook account and him taking before and after photos, and he would get so annoyed at me. He was like, come on. Really, Carrie? Like, I'm busy working. I was like, no. Please do it. And sure enough, someone reached out, and they
[04:10] said, hey. I went with you because you had a Facebook page, and I got to see all your recent work. And I got to see that you were actively doing detailing and seeing what the before and after pictures looks like. And I was like, win. Yes. And that was, like, fourteen years ago. Nowadays, I think it's imperative that you have somebody it's not like it needs to
[04:26] be updated every day, but you need to have some one social media account where you're kinda letting people into your life, whether it's Instagram or TikTok or LinkedIn or Pinterest or something that people could say, hey, this person's a real person. I see that they're legit, and they're hopefully not gonna run away with my money. The next point you really need to think about is position clarity.
[04:46] How clear are you with what you offer? And one of the best ways to think about this is think of the first answer that comes to your mind when I ask, what do you wanna be known for? There. Did you get it? Like, that is just that's what I wanna be known for. For me, a lot of it revolves around helping people leave corporate, specifically women.
[05:09] I really do like working with women. I want women to leave corporate and build a life that I have built. It's so amazing, and others have built it. It's totally possible, but I want to be the person that grabs your hand and takes you across that bridge and says, here, you can do it even if you're working corporate, even if you've just been laid off. Whatever it is, I can help
[05:32] you come and jump to the other side and have such a better life. Now if that is ringing true with you, please, there's a link in the show notes to set up a call with me, and I I would love you to do that. But that is the first thing that comes to my mind. Let me be that person that helps you quit corporate and create the life of
[05:51] your dreams as a freelancer. Right? And then maybe from there, many bigger and better things, which is what's happened to me. So many business opportunities have come into my lap because of what I've built. The next thing is testimonials and social proof. Okay? It's the world we live in. We live in this world where people check reviews. And thankfully, other than outside of the freelancer marketplaces, Upwork, and whatever, I do
[06:17] not think there's a place where you can rate freelancers, not yet, really, without their permission. Like right? Like, you know how online, like Yelp and Google reviews and all that are there. As soon as you register your business, you're open for reviews on those sites. But I do think, like, testimonials and social proof are really important for that trust factor. Right? And you want people to trust you before you've been saying
[06:40] yes just because it's gonna mean more likely that they say yes. Alright? So that trust factor is huge. And when you have testimonials, which is the social proof or even, like, logos of clients you've worked with on your web page, I mean, anyone could do that. So that's why testimonials are better. But anything that signals like, hey. I'm legit, and I've worked with these people, and
[06:57] these people can vouch for me whether you have reviews on LinkedIn or on your web page. That is so big because people say, okay. Alright. This person's this person's real. If these people trust her or him, then I can trust that person. And it's so subtle but so important in today's landscape, especially online. Right? And then lastly, professionalism. I like to keep it a little vague because
[07:19] it can mean a lot of things. I know freelancers who swear in their posts, in their social media posts, and they don't care because that's just part of who they are. But they still keep their information accurate and professional. They're just attracting a different kind of client. So I think that professionalism, like, you know, you can swear in your posts. You can swear in your videos, but are
[07:37] you getting back to people on time? Are you being considerate? Respectful? Are you not swearing at someone or calling out someone? Right? That's totally different. So I think having that professionalism in your post that talk about your work I swear in my post sometimes. I mean, if you follow me on LinkedIn, you'll see that sometimes I swear in my post.
[07:54] Right? It's just all about making sure that no matter what, you're still showing professionalism and love for your work and your craft. That is gonna be a huge difference. So to recap, we have timely communication. Come on, guys. Just, like, respond to people. Don't wait too long. Just get out there and make sure that you're responding to comments that people leave, the DMs, emails.
[08:15] Be respectful. Make sure you're responding. Okay? And that timely communication, people will notice that. Make sure you have at least one social media account that you update somewhat regularly, even if it's just once a week. Make sure that you are very clear on who you help because I think that is gonna help weed out people immensely. And people are gonna you're gonna be known for one thing.
[08:35] Make sure you have testimonials and social proof either on LinkedIn or your website or anywhere, even if it's Google reviews, if that's the type of freelancer you are, make sure that people are leaving them. So that might mean you have to ask for them. Okay? But the more you ask for them, the more you get them, the more likely people are gonna say, okay. I trust this person.
[08:52] And then finally, professional. Be professional in everything you do. And then people are gonna say, okay. This person's legit. I see that they love their craft, and they they value what they do, and they value other people even if you are a little spunky or, you know, a little crazy in how you talk or swearing or whatever.
[09:08] As long as you're professional about it, there's a way to do both. And that is, I think, the invisible signals that are going to make a client trust you, the freelancer, instantly and make them want to sign up for you and reach out to you over other people. So I hope this helps. I want you to stick around. We got tip of the week coming up, and
[09:27] we're going to be talking about what converts for clients in a very short lesson. And next week, we're going to be talking about questions to really ask yourself if clients aren't coming in and you need them. Be sure to stick around next Tuesday. That's gonna be a really good lesson. My name is Kyrie Mohan. I am the founder of Flourishing Freelancer, and I really hope you set up a
[09:47] call with me so I can learn more about your business and how we can make it stable and move it forward. Are you struggling to get the income you desire as a freelancer? Download my money mapper for a clear view of the earnings you need to achieve your dream salary. It calculates monthly income while factoring in taxes, expenses, and the best part is that it grows with your business to include contractors
[10:11] and a SEP IRA. Head to the link in my show notes to calculate what you should be earning to start increasing your income.
