“This will be huge for your portfolio.” “If this works out, it’ll lead to a lot of paid work from us.” We’ve all been approached by people who want free work. Sometimes it’s your mom (which means you should probably do some pro bono work for her — she’s done substantially more for you!), but…
You’ve probably heard that you should always be selling. It doesn’t matter if you’re sporting a suit and tie at a conference pre-party or chatting business with a fellow parent at a kid’s birthday party: if the person you’re talking with could end up either hiring you or referring you to others, you better sell…
Earlier this week, I dug up the first real proposal I’d ever written for a client. It was from mid-2006, and the project was a marketplace for doctors to virtually consult with their patients (back then, this client and I were apparently blissfully unaware of the many legalities around doing this). So as an eager…
The iPhone 6 came out, and today millions of Apple aficionados will be swapping out the last best-phone-ever with the newest best-phone-ever. For many, this is the most exciting day they’ll ever have with the iPhone 6, shadowed only by “Keynote day”, when Tim Cook announced the phone and it’s features. Likewise, your clients have…
We all know how important communication is during the sales process, but for a lot of freelancers knowing how and when to followup is often a mystery. After you first meet someone, when should you first contact them? How long should you wait before you followup with someone you’ve sent an invoice to? When and how should you pester…
Let’s get real and talk about the one prerequisite needed prior to any discussion around setting your rates, writing proposals, or up-selling retainers and productized consulting. Finding clients. For many new freelancers (and even seasoned freelancers) who don’t have a strong referral base or a system for acquiring leads, this is one of the most…
I recently sat down (literally!) with my friend Steli Efti, the founder of Close.io. For about an hour we talked about how freelancers and consultants can create more referrals for their business. Steli is a master of sales — you won’t want to miss this episode! Mentioned this episode: Steli on Twitter Close.io The B2B Referral…
In this article, I will attempt to answer the #1 question I get: where do I find high-value clients? By “high-value client”, I mean somebody who hires you as a consultant in the best sense of the word. These are clients that value your input and expertise, and regard you as much more than just…
Today I want to focus on helping you win more proposals. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: if there’s one part of your sales funnel that you should optimize, it’s how you write and deliver proposals. How much time do you spend finding prospective clients, qualifying them, meeting about their project, and…
This week I sat down with Jan Jones of Oozou, an agency based out of Bangkok, Thailand, and Jonathan Tarud of Koombea, another agency, this one in Colombia. We discussed what it’s like to run an agency when your clients are half a world away from you. Whether you’re in San Francisco, Topeka, or Saigon, you’re…