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Freelance Friday: Stop Guessing—3 Ways to Know What Clients Actually Want

Author

Michael Fleischner
April 11, 2025

Hey Freelancer 👋

Let’s get real for a second.

Too many freelancers spend hours perfecting services, tweaking websites, and building offers that never actually convert. Why? Because they’re guessing what clients want instead of asking, listening, or testing.

This week’s Freelance Friday is all about ending the guesswork and replacing it with simple, strategic ways to figure out what clients actually need—so you can get hired more, grow faster, and stop wasting time.

1. Ask Your Audience (Even if It’s Small)

You don’t need a big email list or a huge following to get insights—you just need to ask.

  • Run a 1-question LinkedIn poll.

  • Send a short email to 5 past clients: “What’s your #1 struggle right now when it comes to X?”

  • Use Instagram or Facebook Stories with polls/questions.

👉 You’ll be surprised how much gold comes from a few quick answers.

2. Mine Their Words

The best copy and positioning doesn’t come from your brain—it comes from your audience’s mouth.

  • Review old client emails and note the words they use to describe their problems.

  • Read posts, Reddit threads, or forums your audience hangs out in.

  • Grab headlines from Upwork job posts in your niche—they’re loaded with pain points.

👉 Speak your client’s language, and they’ll assume you’re the expert.

3. Test Before You Build

Before you spend 20 hours designing a new service package or course, test the idea.

  • Post a 3-sentence offer on LinkedIn or Twitter—see who bites.

  • Pitch a beta version to your existing audience.

  • Offer a free call to validate interest.

👉 Sell before you build. Feedback is faster (and cheaper) than failure*.
*This one was always difficult for me, but it’s a game changer. Just because you think it’s a good idea doesn’t mean you’ll sell anything :)

❝

If you want better answers, ask better questions." — Tony Robbins

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Action Step

Pick one method this week to get real client feedback on a service or idea you’ve been thinking about. Then refine your messaging, offers, or marketing to match what people are actually asking for.

Here’s to giving them what they want and building a freelance empire.

Talk to you next Friday,

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