Coaching series: Can Zach get this beginner freelancer (Brad) to a 6-figure income ($8,333/mo) within 6 months?

Follow their journey through the ups and downs and watch them grow!

Milestones from today’s episode:

• Significant progress in networking and niche selection since starting the training
• The stress of relying on a single client and his aim to diversify his client base
• Understanding potential clients’ needs through direct conversations for service tailoring

Coaching highlights from today’s episode:

• Using an initial quick win to transition clients into longer-term services
• Keep options open with multiple potential clients to leverage scarcity and exclusivity in discussions
• The value of treating early clients as beta testers, asking for honest feedback, and using their experience to refine and improve a service offering

Original coaching call recording date: 10/13/2023

Want to get one-on-one coaching from Zach?

The DYF Accelerator community includes weekly live 20-minute one-on-one Zoom coaching with Zach that follows the same format as you saw here.

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AI-Generated Summary:

• 0:00 – 2:00 — Zach introduces the podcast series focused on coaching Brad from early-stage freelancing to a six-figure income within six months, mentioning the DYF accelerator community for listeners interested in similar coaching.
• 2:00 – 4:00 — Zach shares a light-hearted moment about both becoming kleptomaniacs in Skyrim, leading to Brad’s task from the last session to take a weekend off for recharging, hinted through a metaphor of playing pinball.
• 4:00 – 6:00 — Brad discusses taking a break by playing Skyrim, feeling relieved after a client decided to pause a project, and beginning to understand his own anxiety and burnout signs.
• 6:00 – 8:00 — Brad reflects on his learning curve as a freelancer, his decision to move into affiliate management, and gaining validation from a professional community about the realistic timeframe for seeing project results.
• 8:00 – 10:00 — Zach emphasizes how early challenges and setting correct expectations are beneficial for Brad’s long-term goals, sharing his own experience with misaligned expectations in client projects, and concluding that Brad’s experience, though not monetarily rewarding, was valuable in knowledge and preparation for future success.
• 10:00 – 12:00 — Zach and Brad celebrate Brad’s progress, discussing his development in networking, selecting a niche, and making cold offers, leading to Brad’s desire to restart his podcasting efforts with a newly aligned focus.
• 12:00 – 14:00 — Brad reflects on his significant progress over four months, from not knowing how to network to having a niche and an offer. Zach acknowledges this rapid development and suggests focusing on crafting an offer with a strong guarantee.
• 14:00 – 16:00 — Brad considers moving towards a performance-based model with his clients while Zach discusses the potential and value of offering affiliate management services, highlighting the importance of setting correct expectations.
• 16:00 – 18:00 — Discussion on the significance of affiliate programs in business and how technical challenges can deter people from starting one. Zach inquires about Brad’s pitch for setting up affiliate programs, leading to a discussion about value-based pricing.
• 18:00 – 20:00 — Brad plans a pricing strategy based on company size and potential affiliate program success, considering a flat fee with performance-based milestones. He acknowledges the flexibility in working with smaller companies for experience while managing expectations.
• 20:00 – 22:00 — Brad discusses his pricing strategy for affiliate management services, aiming for a flexible model based on company size and success. Zach suggests considering alternative pricing frameworks to make the offer more appealing to potential clients.
• 22:00 – 24:00 — Zach proposes a one-time setup fee with a performance-based commission model as a more attractive and less risky option for clients, emphasizing the efficiency and scalability of installing affiliate systems.
• 24:00 – 26:00 — Brad expresses interest in the monthly fee model for the purpose of gaining experience but is open to productizing the service in the future. Zach outlines the benefits of a productized service model, stressing the potential for quicker validation and scalability.
• 26:00 – 28:00 — Zach discusses the importance of aligning pricing and service delivery models with client expectations and the potential challenges of selling ongoing services at high monthly fees without immediate results.
• 28:00 – 30:00 — Zach encourages Brad to consider how quickly he can test and validate different service models, suggesting that a productized setup could offer faster insights and results compared to ongoing, labor-intensive services.
• 30:00 – 32:00 — Brad acknowledges the necessity of ongoing affiliate management and discusses potential challenges, such as handling scammers. Zach encourages Brad to note down these considerations for future reference.
• 32:00 – 34:00 — Zach suggests an initial microservice offering for clients as a quick win, leading into ongoing services. This approach mirrors the concept of roadmapping, offering clients a taste of working together before committing to a larger engagement.
• 34:00 – 36:00 — Brad expresses a preference for starting with ongoing services to gain deeper experience, despite Zach’s suggestion of starting with a quick win to ease clients into longer commitments.
• 36:00 – 38:00 — Discussion turns to setting goals for Brad, focusing on responding to potential clients and setting up more calls to avoid reliance on a single client.
• 38:00 – 40:00 — Zach offers strategic advice on negotiating with potential clients by maintaining a sense of scarcity and exclusivity around Brad’s services.
• 40:00 – 42:44 — Brad decides to focus on setting up positioning validation calls and going through the blueprint course materials as his goals for the coming week.