Here’s the scenario you likely know all too well.

You’re working hard to meet your client deadlines, finish projects and deal with all the administration that goes with your current work.

Yet you know you have to make time to focus on gaining new clients, because once this busy period is over, you’re going to be back to the drawing board, having to hustle to get more money in the door.

Your ideal solution is a steady stream of clients, lining up to work with you, waiting patiently for you to slot them in. Or better yet, contracts that renew month over month on a lucrative retainer that allows you to plan your work in advance, and make time for new clients when you’re ready.

And when you do, make sure you re read my article on three Amazon tactics you can use to get more out of your clients.

Deep down I think we all know how important it is to keep your sales funnel ticking over, and ensuring you’re never short on work or revenue each month.

So how do you juggle these moving parts and make the process of finding more clients more streamlined and targeted.

Well it’s all about being more strategic and setting up some systems.

Before you yawn in boredom, consider how the effort to get this in place is actually going to free up more time for you down the track.

That means more time to earn more revenue consistently, have a full roster of clients lining up to work with you and the ability to do this on autopilot .

1. Go Public

While the old adage `Even bad press is good press’ is not actually true, if the media is talking about you, then you can guarantee you will attract more clients by way of association and exposure.

The great news is this does not need to be limited to traditional media. Although a write up in a local magazine or publication on your work, or a shout out by a client is useful, it may not necessarily drive traffic. The reason being is that there are no clickable links with offline media.

People have to physically type in your URL to find you. What it is great for though is an instant credibility booster to say you were featured in `so and so magazine’ and to put this or the media outlet’s logo on your website for proof of your excellence.

2. Get Social Proof

Social Media is a perfect platform to be seen and found on – what’s more it’s technically free (most of the time) bar some time and consistent effort and engagement.

You can track all traffic to your website via social media sites which will provide you with proof on whether your efforts are actually converting.

For example set up a simple email template using `Canned Responses’ – a great Gmail extension, that you can send each time you finish up work with a client that gets them to leave a testimonial on your LinkedIn Company page.

They would do this under the service or package listed that they invested in – you’d make it easy by sending them the exact link to do this. BAM – you’ve just added social proof that you are worth hiring, and you can copy and paste that same testimonial on to your website. So it has a dual purpose.

If you don’t have a LinkedIn Company page consider using a simple Google Form or a `Contact’ plugin that collects Name, email and feedback, listed on a page on your website. Give them specific instructions on the type of testimonial you’re after too so it makes it easier for them to do.

You can then post  this testimonial on Facebook too, in a non douchebag way, like:`So thrilled to have just received this lovely recommendation from one of my favourite clients about our latest project….” – with a link to your services page of course so they can find out more.

Or better yet, if you have a blog, write a post (with your client’s permission to showcase them) that goes into great detail on the work you did for them, including screenshots (if applicable to your line of work) and a write up of the process and results. At the bottom of that post, or throughout you send them to your products and services page. Or a giant `Contact’ or `Hire me’ button.

Don’t just stop there, use the same post you put on your Facebook page or profile and share it on Google Plus, but change the angle slightly and share a different link – this time to your home page with a trackable bit.ly link. Or a landing page where they can get your free optin – perhaps a report on the 5 ways to save money on expenses if you’re a financial expert and send them a follow up email to start the conversation.

This way you can judge what sites are sending you more qualified referrals and do this on a more regular basis, plus have a system to deal with new inquiries and potential new client work.

By the way you can see in Google Analytics as well as each individual platform’s analytics how you’re performing, but bit.ly links are just another measure to track metrics by too.

3. Take Online Leads Offline

Continuing on with the great progress you’ve now made on social media, why not consider how to take this networking and engagement offline. If you’re work is dependent on foot traffic to your actual residence, shop or office then look at how you can run advertising, or competitions to encourage your social media community to visit you in person.

Or use social media sites to send gift cards, vouchers or discount codes to come into redeem with you – like Facebook Offers where you can set up a campaign for a set budget within your financial realm, that will allow them to use on physical or digital products.

Or get them to take an action to sign up to your newsletter on social media sites, and then send them a gift card that they have to bring in to your shop or office to redeem, or a free in-person consultation if that’s what converts best for you.

4. Become A Networking Pro

If you typically gain most of your clients through referrals or word of mouth, or from meeting people and striking up a conversation, then you will need to increase the frequency of regular networking events you go to – even when busy with work.

For example BNI is a global networking organization that has local chapters who meet every single week to network strategically and ask for referrals. Plus if you join a professional networking group, you and other professionals in other industries can help make referrals to one another.

There are always events happening on Meetup.com or Eventbrite that you can search on based on your location and keywords. Try some out and become an active member if you’re finding you’re gaining new referrals and clients.

Be selective in what you attend and make sure it makes sense for you to be present there – i.e your ideal client base is attending too. The connections you make and referrals you receive or ask for may help you start focusing on a new niche or sector that you never thought of targeting.

5. Differentiate Yourself

If you want to expand your client base, or diversify your services then you have to stat making a name for yourself and creating a strong brand as a freelancer.

If your website looking shoddy or outdated, you’re not on social media and you don’t have an email list – well it’s time to get started. Perhaps use some of these networking events to build yourself a mutual win-win relationship with designers, copywriters and social media marketers to help you establish your identity and the values you stand for.

What about starting a podcast to let your expertise shine through to people interested in your skillset and knowledge? Or create a regular video series where you showcase your work but in a way that lets others in on your process, so they’re more engaged with what you do and feel a closer sense of connection with your work.

If you’re a decent writer why not start blogging or contributing on other authority sites that need your knowledge and at the same time send you qualified traffic to your site. On those weeks when you have downtime with little client work (something this post should be helping you rectify) you can get to work on creating content in bulk.

That way when you get busy again, you will already have a resource pool to draw on to keep your communications, branding and promotion consistent. Better yet outsource what you’re comfortable with to make your job easier, so you can focus on your client work.

If you’re sick and tired of not having consistent recurring revenue and an active list of clients who want to continue working with you, you absolutely need to look at your current strategies (or lack of them) and change it up.

Take just one of the above recommendations, apply it for a minimum of two months, and let me know the results.

In the comments below let me know your most successful strategy to get regular client work

Who better?

When looking for the ideal freelancer to learn from, few might expect a reference to this notorious Star Wars character.

But really, who better than Han Solo to emulate?

Han deals with force users, droids and imperial fleets on a regular basis, yet he’s been gifted with nothing more than a quick wit, his fellow “nerfhearder” Chewbacca, and the Millennium Falcon.

Despite having the deck stacked against him, Han is still notorious for being one of the slickest smugglers in the galaxy—and although it’s a bit more exciting than web design or freelance writing, it still makes him a fellow freelancer!

Although his work was done ‘a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away’, let’s see what Han can teach us about making our way as successful freelancers in the world today.

1.) Overcome your doubts.

“Never tell me the odds!”

You’ll encounter a ton of new (and sometimes frightening) scenarios as a self-employed freelancer—your first client, the first time you were finally able to leave your ‘day’ job, the first time you had to outsource work, and even the first time you had to hire someone new!

You won’t face them all (or all at once), but you’ll definitely be running into quite a few new situations along the way, and you have to be willing to roll with the punches.

Speaking of punches, Mike Tyson famously said, ‘Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the mouth.’ Maybe it’s foolish to be taking advice from a guy who has ‘Ear-biting’ as a skillset, but I’ve always held that quote dearly (just not near my face).

To me, it means that no plan is so perfect as to anticipate everything, and you have to be willing to trudge on even when you unexpectedly get punched in the mouth.

Just as Han refused to let a skulking protocol droid prevent him from doing what needed to be done, you should refuse to listen to the naysayers when starting and growing your freelance business.

2.) Focus on what you are truly good at.

“Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.”

It’s okay to want to make more money, but many freelancers let this desire run wild, and they end up over-extending themselves trying to land every paying gig out there.

The crazy thing is, spreading yourself too thin (and offering too many services) puts you on the fast track for destroying your authority and earning potential—you become viewed a jack of all trades and a master of none.

Clients don’t care about the breadth of your knowledge, they just want to be assured that you can do the thing that they need done really, really well.

In fact, according to a recent study on The Presenter’s Paradox, featuring less than superb offerings (ie, anything other than your best skills) can decrease percieved value:

Robust findings in impression formation demonstrate that perceivers’ judgments show a weighted averaging pattern, which results in less favorable evaluations when mildly favorable information is added to highly favorable information.

In laymen’s terms, putting only ‘average’ options next to ‘amazing’ decreased the perceived value of the ‘amazing’ options. Similarly, offering only ‘so-so’ services next to the things you are truly skilled at will just devalue your best work.

3.) Know how to sell yourself.

“Fast ship? You’ve never heard of the Millennium Falcon?”

I’ve often heard the belief that there is no such thing as bragging—you are either lying or telling the truth.

I don’t fully agree with that, but I do believe that there is absolutely nothing wrong with marketing your skills in a way that highlights just how damn good you are at your job.

It’s not that you should shun humility, but think of it this way—if you don’t relay to your clients how much of an impact you can have for them, you’re not really telling the truth and you’re actually doing them a disservice.

Would you recommend a friend or a colleague ’humbly’, or would you simply be honest about how good they are?

There’s nothing wrong with doing the same for yourself.

4.) Act with confidence.

Princess Leia: I love you.
Han Solo: I know.

Selling your skills (especially when you are just getting started) can be nerve-wracking, but true confidence is only born when you allow yourself to act confident.

In other words, ‘fake it ’til you make it’ isn’t bad advice in this situation.

It takes a certain level of belief in yourself to successfully negotiate with clients about your rates and perks, but if you ever want to get paid what you are truly worth, you’re going to have to do it.

Fun fact: In the original scene, Han was supposed to reply with ‘I love you too,’ but Harrison Ford thought that didn’t fit with Han’s character, so he ad-libbed it. Although George Lucas didn’t like it, Ford fought for the line and it stayed in, now remembered as for it’s character defining delivery.

Even Han’s actor sticks to his convictions!

5.) Shoot first.

“Yes, I’ll bet you have.”

Are you really going to wait for Greedo to make the first move?

You can’t sit around and wait for great clients to fall into your lap, you have to be aggressive, reach out, and submit persuasive project proposals all on your own.

You have to ship. You can’t be afraid to follow up with clients, ask them for referrals, actively create a magnetic marketing plan and allow yourself some needed (and well deserved) self-promotion.

Chase down big clients that are going to put your skills to the test, network with smart people who can take your business to the next level (even if you’re an introvert), and never sacrifice your premium positioning for clients who balk at your prices.

In short, be a rugged, action-taking freelancer just like Han! That debt to Jabba isn’t going to pay itself.

6.) Always keep your cool.

“Uh, everything’s under control. Situation normal.”

Freelancers have to deal with situations that most other creative workers won’t ever have to worry about.

Maybe you’ll have to be like Han and shoot out the control console when things get ugly—in other words, you might have to step up and fire a client if it isn’t working out.

Maybe you’ll run into the good problem of having a ton of work on your plate. Don’t lose your cool and end up venting on a client, or worse yet, start dropping jobs you definitely have time to complete because you’re letting the stress get to your head.

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.”

Most importantly of all, don’t let client disputes and customer complaints get under your skin and force you to make a mistake that ruins your sterling reputation.

7.) Fly casual.

“I don’t know, Chewie… fly casual!”

Sometimes the best way to get what you want is to fly casual: over-thinking situations and getting burned out from stress do more to hinder you than to push you forward.

We’ve covered proven ways to be more productive to help you make better use of your time, but don’t fall under the ‘busy trap’ and think that the grind will save you—great things take time, and expending yourself to exhaustion every day can blow up in your face by hurting your creative output and your love for your work.

And how is Han supposed to collect his bounty if he’s too burnt out to handle Imperial Storm Troopers?

Your Turn

Are there any other freelance insights we might be able to gain from everyone’s favorite ‘scruffy looking’ smuggler?

Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Most freelancers are guilty of getting too involved in the day-to-day running of their business at the expense of the big picture.

This “wood for the trees” approach becomes more acute the busier you get, which leads to a curious outcome — the more “successful” your business (in terms of the amount of billable hours you work), the less likely you are to run a business that meets your desired long term goals.

One thing I have learned over time is that more clients does not equal a “better” business. There is definitely more to life than how much work you take on, and keeping that in mind by carrying out periodical health checks on your business is the key to keeping your freelancing career on the right path.

In this post I want to focus on the five step process I follow about once every month to ensure that I am building a business that is successful and which allows me to live the life I want to live.

Note: I would recommend that you read my post on remodelling your business before starting on this.

Step 1: Assess What You Do

In my opinion, nothing is more valuable than time. It is what drove me to freelance in the first place. Why spend an arbitrary eight hours in an office when I can do twice the work in half the time and earn far more per hour in equivalent earnings?

Ultimately I view exchanging time for money as a necessary evil and treat it as such. If I am going to offer up my time for ransom (which is one way of looking at freelancing) then I want to make damn sure that it is time well spent. That’s why I periodically assess how I spend my time.

There are many ways in which you can monitor your time. Personally I use a modified version of the Pomodoro Technique, which segments my working hours into thirty-minute windows. Work that I do is divided intuitively into categories such as:

• Client Work (I also specify the client)
• Email
• LWB (my blog)
• Social Media
• General admin

You get the idea. Once you have done this for some time you will be able to assess how much time you spend in each area of your business, which then empowers you to make judgments as to how well spent your time is and take action accordingly.

For instance, say my time spent on email was getting out of hand (this is a common time suck for many of us). I might choose to partly outsource that work by dictating my email responses quickly and sending the resultant audio file to a VA to draft and send the emails. And because I keep track of the time spent, I will be able to see if this time-saving measure has a positive impact.

I don’t necessarily want you to follow my approach verbatim (unless you feel it will work for you) — there are many approaches you can take. For instance, Natalie recently recommended the Rescue Time app for monitoring what you are really spending time on. Find the approach that works for you and stick with it — the key is to know where your time is going and reduce the time taken in areas that don’t directly generate an income or don’t inspire you.

Step 2: Assess Your Existing Clients

Regardless of whether you work with longterm clients (like me) or on short term projects, when your business is established you’ll tend to attract (or seek out) the same “type” of client. Over time you can lose sight of who you truly want to work with and this can lead to a portfolio of work that you do not find particularly rewarding. Or even worse, you can discover that you don’t really like working with some of your clients.

Therefore, it is important to take the time to assess your existing clients periodically. Remember this: unless you are living on the breadline, money should not wholly dictate your decisions. If you’re unhappy with a client and see no means of repairing the relationship, drop them. Life is too short to work in unrewarding or problematic partnerships. As a freelancer you have the power to choose who you work with — wield that power.

I appreciate that this is a tough process — dropping a client is not easy. I tend to get all sorts of thoughts running through my head such as, “What if I lose some good clients and suddenly I need the money?” But as long as you make an honest and objective assessment of the situation and factor risk into your decision-making process, there is no reason why you should hold onto a client that is ultimately holding you back.

Don’t just work for the money — work with the right people to make your freelancing career a rewarding one.

Step 3: Resolve Any Ongoing Disputes / Unhappiness

If you are largely happy with a client (or at least feel that you would be) but for an unresolved dispute or uncertainty/unhappiness on your part, now is as good a time as any to take steps to resolution. Quite simply, life is too short to not take action.

One fear that you may have in approaching a client with a view to resolving disputes is creating a scenario where your ongoing work for that client might be at risk. But if you are unhappy with your existing relationship then it is far more likely that the possibility of a positive resolution outweighs any inherent risk. And besides that, if you do not take action what do you intend to happen in the long run? Are you simply going to allow the issue to fester and grow indefinitely? Probably not — so why not sort it out now?

I personally took the route of largely ignoring issues with one longterm client in particular to my detriment. The fear always was that if I addressed the issues directly that I would destroy the relationship. However, when I did finally let my thoughts be known, the matter was in fact resolved in a satisfactory manner. If you approach your attempt at resolution in a measured manner, you are likely to find that a positive outcome is more likely than you initially thought.

Step 4: Consider Outsourcing

In the first step I mentioned that you might consider semi-outsourcing your emails in order to reduce time spent on something that does not directly contribute to your income. While that was included as an example for how you can effectively reduce your non-billable hours and focus on what is really important, it also serves as an example for the benefits of outsourcing.

I am guilty of not outsourcing enough — until recently, I hadn’t even really considered it. I felt that the value of my service was inherent to me, and as such outsourcing was not something I could consider.

Well; I was right and wrong. Although most freelancers personally hold the key to the value they provide, if you look closely you will see that there are any number of individual tasks that could easily be carried out by a virtual assistant. I’ve already mentioned email management, but other examples include:

• Outline planning
• Article research (if you’re a writer)
• Emails (as previously mentioned)
• Bookkeeping
• General Admin
• Social Media

The list goes on. If you can delegate the non-vital tasks to a virtual assistant and focus your own talents on the areas that matter the most, you may find that your business runs much more smoothly for it.

Step 5: Assess Your Direction

Finally we have the big picture — something you should never lose sight of.

Consider this: if you are a freelancer then you are in charge of your destiny. By not asking yourself where you want to be in a year, two years, or five years time, you are ignoring one of the greatest benefits of running your own business. At no point should you lose sight of what you want to achieve and whether or not your current direction has you on the right path.

Far too many of us get wrapped up in simply making more money with little regard for other (perhaps more important) concerns. For instance, if you earn far more than you need to but spend less time with your kids than you would like, what should you do? The answer is obvious, but if you do not take a moment to step back and assess your direction, you may not see it.

I appreciate how difficult it is to turn down business. Most of us started with nothing and worked our way up to success, so the concept of not taking on available work is entirely alien. But once you are established and profitable, your default answer to any prospect should be “no” rather than “yes.” Start with no, then figure out if there is any compelling reason why it should turn into a yes.

You’re no longer scraping the barrel. You have a profitable business. Therefore you have the luxury of building a business that compliments your quality of life. Make decisions accordingly.

Are You On the Right Track?

I’ve love to get your feedback on the above five steps I recommend. Do you feel that your business is currently on track? Or do you have suggestions for other ways in which you might choose to periodically assess the progress of your business. Let us know in the comments section!

If you want to close more freelance deals, you’re going to have to sell.

Obvious, right? Most hustling freelancers out there already follow the Glengarry rule of thumb: always be closing. While magnetic marketing tactics can help turn this process to your favor, it still pays to know how to chase after great gigs yourself, and that requires knowing how to write a persuasive project proposal.

If your current proposal writing gameplan involves a blank sheet in Microsoft Word and no idea on how to correctly pitch your services, well, you are in desperate need of this post.

The truth is, all of us freelancers can benefit from a CANI (constant and never-ending improvement) attitude when it comes to whipping up successful proposals.

That’s why if you’re looking to fall into our camp, or if you’re just out for some actionable tips to make your proposals better right away, you should take the time to read this post.

Let’s dig in!

1.) Constantly Tweak Your Best Template

One of the best tactics for creating persuasive proposals is to stop trying to ‘wing it’ every time you need to create one.

In order to maintain superior results over time, it’s better to work on a template that you can use to not only streamline the creation process, but that you can tweak to perfect the basic parts of your proposal.

This is especially true when you are targeting only ideal clients on a consistent basis—if you are generally building websites for churches, it’s to your advantage to optimize a general template for all of these business, consisting of the 5 elements that every proposal needs:

1. Problem statement
2. Recommended solution
3. Benefits
4. Project fees
5. Call to action

Trying to create something from scratch every single time (without any idea of what’s working) is like driving with your eyes closed!

Instead, assemble a solid proposal and make it a constant work in progress.

2.) Take Time to Know Your Client

Have you ever sat there and wondered, “Who the heck falls for those Nigerian scam emails?”

I’m sure we all have at some point in time, but the (not so) shocking truth is that those Nigerian scammers are smarter than they seem—since they know it’s unlikely that a highly educated, technically savvy and skeptical person will ever respond to them, they purposefully construct over-the-top emails to draw in their ideal target.

You should do the same… without the scamming of course!

Rather, you should take the time to understand who you are sending the proposal too before you write it; the ‘spray and pray’ methodology is not going to land you the clients that pay the big money.

One critical aspect of reflecting your knowledge of a potential clients is using the words that they use. Doing some research into the client’s industry, specific concerns and even their competition can help you address them in their own language throughout your proposal.

You should assemble a basic ‘dossier’ on clients you are pursuing, as they will typically be the largely clients and thus warrant the extra effort. Spend time researching the company, the person you will be contacting, and what their ideal outcome is when working with someone like yourself, and you’ll be ahead of 99% of the competition in the race for the big contract.

3.) Avoid ‘Chinese Menu’ Pricing

One of the biggest pricing mistakes that freelancers make is offering too many options to potential clients. As psychologist Sheena Iyengar revealed in her When choice is demotivating study, too many choices can leave a potential client with ‘action paralysis’—since they don’t know what to choose, they’ll opt for nothing!

If you are scared of only offering one option (or only a few) on your initial proposal, remember this: you can always offer a client more options later on, but it’s harder to take a choice off the table once it’s already been seen.

The added benefit of keeping your initial proposal simple is that you can construct crystal clear language so there is no confusion on what you going to complete. How many times have you ended up doing work not in the initial proposal because your terms with the client were unclear?

If that answer is even one (or if you’ve ever run into payment problems), you should definitely consider trying to nail down one project proposal first rather than sending a client a ‘menu’ of confusing options.

4.) Send Them Quickly!

This almost seems like advice that is too simple to dole out, but a lot of freelancers make this beginner mistake (trust me, I’ve hired many).

When you’ve peaked a clients interest after first contact and have been asked to shoot them an email ‘when you get the chance’ to keep the conversation going… make sure ‘when you get a chance’ is right away!

The reasoning behind this is that clients are more likely to accept offers when interest is high—the pain you can solve is on their mind and they’ll be more likely to pay to get it off their mind.

Check out this data that Bidsketch compiled on proposal timing and closed deals:

The early bird does get the worm when it comes to sending proposals. The quicker you can get something to a client once you’ve negotiated the basics, the more likely you’ll be to close the deal.

5.) Focus on What’s Important

This advice seems to work it’s way into every good freelance post, but there’s a reason—it doesn’t matter if you’re closing a deal for writing, marketing, or web design, the bottom line is clients will only be willing to pay premium prices if you can communicate your value.

Your proposal does need to outline ‘the goods’, but remember that it’s critically important to focus on the outcome rather than spending too much time on the process.

That’s because clients of all types can understand how your improved web design can help with their eCommerce sales, but in terms of how you do it, most won’t care, and you’ll be greeted with a glazed over expression as you rattle on about which heatmapping software you’ll be using to test their current design.

Sell results, and craft your proposal around ideas they ‘get’ and concepts that care about; save your technical abilities for later if you want to continue to establish credibility.

Your Turn

This discussion isn’t complete without your voice, so let it be heard…

1. What other advice can you offer on writing persuasive proposals?
2. If you need even more information on crafting better proposals, be sure to download our free guide on The 5 Elements of the Perfect Proposal.

Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you down in the comments!

When you’re working for yourself, and at the demand of your clients, it can be really hard to stay focused on priorities and performance.

Let’s face it, almost everything can be a distraction to you actually getting the important work done. You end up consumed in time-wasting activities that aren’t actually bringing in the money.

So if you’re struggling to set yourself up with a daily routine that actually works and makes you more productive, here are some top suggestions.

Use a `Get It Done’ List

If you’re a list person, and love the feeling of crossing tasks off throughout the day, then I’d like to challenge your way of thinking. I’m not saying you shouldn’t have a list, but you shouldn’t have a to-do list that’s 18 items long.

If you want to do the work, and focus on the priorities then you should have no more than 3 priorities on there each day. These should be written down the night before, and be the first thing you wake up to in the morning.

If you like clean, minimalist and simple I suggest a notebook or the TeuxDeux app.

Commit to the `Be the Best’ List

Call it what you want, I’m talking about a short list of actions you undertake every day (or at least attempt to achieve 80% of the time) that will make all the difference to your client work and effectiveness.

This list should contain key tasks that move you closer to your goal of making more money, getting more clients or being happier and successful. You can include:

• Contact one person to reconnect with via email or phone (client or friend) with no alternative agenda

• Read your favourite industry based blog or magazine for inspiration or tips

• Read something completely unrelated to your work that stimulates you and forces you to think outside your comfort zone

• Send a card, an eCard, an email or make a phone call to check in just one of your current clients

• Review your monthly targets and business goals and check in with whether you’re on track and how that feels

• Empty your `urgent’ inbox by the end of the day (don’t check email in the morning) and make sure you respond to your clients and potentials above anything else

Get Savvy On Social Media

Even though being on social media might be a key part of how you attract and generate new leads for your business, it can also be a major time suck.

So make sure you have a plan for how you spend your time, and only invest that time on the key sites, that actually drive you traffic to your website and portfolio (hint if you don’t know, check Google Analytics).

Then have a strategy for posting one piece of valuable content, information or a question to each of these sites that’s in line with your work or opinions, that your community would like. Or post a recent client project your proud of and ask people to feedback – whatever it is, don’t pitch people but inform and be of value.

Track the hits you get (use bit.ly for shortening links or Hootsuite’s shortener) and success of these posts and continue to tweak and optimize how effective they are.

Use Buffer or Hootsuite to schedule out several posts to multiple social media platforms in one hit – so you only need to do this once. Then schedule out or retweet other people’s useful content for during the day. All this should take half an hour or less.

Minimize Your Distractions

Install Rescue Time to track how much time you’re actually spending online and then work to increase your productivity each week by minimizing the distractions.

This is a great tool for showing you how long you spent on email, websites, the phone, and on your powerpoint presentation and a complete eye opener as to where your time is actually being spent – not where you think it is!

Another great tool to use is Freedom – Internet Blocking Productivity app for MAC or Google Chrome extension Stay Focused. In fact there are numerous tools to help you cut out using sites altogether for set periods.

So if you know you need to get a client proposal out, or you work between 12-3pm then set these apps to ban you from visiting any distracting or alluring websites that will make you come unstuck.

Doing any or all of the above will definitely help you feel more productive and squeeze more out of your day. Who knows you may even have free time….

It’s all about consistency and applying these recommendations daily, even if you only achieve 80%. The collective results of doing this consistently will be well worth it.

What things do you do every day to be more productive and focus on your priorities?

In my opinion, the best thing about freelancing is the fact that we are in control of our destiny.

There’s no working our asses off in the vain hope of getting a raise. Hard work begets results. If you apply yourself to your business in an effective manner, you are likely to experience a positive outcome. There could be worse ways to make a living, right?

The simple fact is that there are always ways in which we can seek to improve and remodel our businesses. It could be anything from making more money, to working more efficiently, to dealing with better clients, to dealing with our existing clients more effectively, and any other number of things. With that in mind, in this post I want to give you ten actionable lessons from one of the best business books I have ever read that you can take away and use to improve your business right now.

What is Rework?

Ignore this book at your peril ~ Seth Godin

For those of you who don’t know, Rework is a book for business owners and entrepreneurs. However, it is unlikely to be like any business book you have read before.

Written by the founders of 37signals, it is essentially a collection of eighty-six short but highly actionable articles relating to startup and online businesses. Contained within is a number of wonderful lessons that can be adapted for our purposes as freelancers. And that is exactly what I am going to focus on in this post. Enjoy!

1. Forget About Formal Education

I have never let my schooling interfere with my education ~ Mark Twain

Many freelancers are not formally trained in whatever it is they get paid to do. Take me for example — I nearly failed English at school and have no writing or journalistic qualifications, and yet I make a good living as a freelance writer.

My point is this: you shouldn’t let concerns over a lack of qualifications or experience guide your goals. In fact, qualifications are far less important than you might think — consider for example the following statistic quoted within Rework:

Ninety percent of CEOs currently heading the top five hundred American companies did not receive undergraduate degrees from Ivy League colleges.

If they don’t need to be the (arbitrarily denoted) “best of the best,” why do you? Let your dreams guide your goals, not your preconceptions about qualifications and experience.

2. Planning is Guessing

Plans let the past drive the future.

I am a big fan of planning and goal setting, but I always plan with the following key principle in mind: your plan is only as effective as your willingness to remain flexible within an ever-changing environment. As the authors of Rework say, long term plans are essentially nothing more than “guesses [that are] inconsistent with innovation.”

If you are still adhering to a plan you dreamt up weeks or months ago, stop to ask yourself if that plan is still the best course of action. The likelihood is that you need to make (at the very least) some minor changes.

You have the most information when you’re doing something, not before you’ve done it.

Despite the reality of the above situation, plans are almost always written before you’ve even started down a particular path — i.e. when you do not have all the relevant information available.

I believe in planning, but more importantly, I believe in flexible planning. Have an idea of where you’re going, but make sure that idea doesn’t prevent you from changing direction and innovating when circumstances allow.

3. Workaholism

Working more doesn’t mean you care more or get more done. It just means you work more.

Has there ever been a time when you’ve felt wildly overworked? I’m pretty sure everyone will answer in the affirmative to that question. Now let me ask you this: since you are your own boss, why do you choose to work yourself like a slavedriver?

While you could probably give me any number of reasons to validate your workaholism, the simple fact is that overworking is not necessary. There is always a better way — a more efficient way — to get things done. You just need to figure out what that way is and apply it to your business.

I grew up with a father who was obsessed with his work. He dedicated more to his business than he would now say was healthy. I am determined to avoid the same mistake he made — I am passionate about leading a balanced life that involves work and play in equal measures. I am sure you feel the same, and yet so many of us still overwork ourselves.

Our culture celebrates the idea of the workaholic. We hear about people burning the midnight oil. The pull all-nighters and sleep at the office. It’s considered a badge of honour to kill yourself over a project. No amount of work is too much.

How many times have you come across someone who acts as if their ridiculously long working hours are something to be proud of? Can you actually recognize times when you have acted in that way yourself? It’s utterly absurd when you stop to consider it — why should working too hard be something you’re proud of? Wouldn’t building a successful business while working reasonable hours be more impressive?

You may say it’s all very well and good to say that one should work less, but how do you actually go about doing it? Well, I certainly don’t have all the answers, but I think Rework offers some quite compelling statements for you to consider carefully:

• Workaholics wind up creating more problems than they solve.
• [Overworking] isn’t sustainable over time. When the burnout crash comes — and it will — it’ll hit that much harder.
• [Workaholics] try to fix problems by throwing sheer hours at them. They try to make up for intellectual laziness with brute force.
• No one makes sharp decisions when tired.
• Workaholics aren’t heroes…The real hero is already home because she figured out a faster way to get things done.

I like that last one especially. Give it some thought.

4. Draw a Line in the Sand

Great businesses have a point of view, not just a product or service.

Let me ask you one simple question: what is it about your business that sets you apart? Why should prospective clients choose you over the huge number of comparable businesses within your industry?

Until you have a genuinely compelling answer to that question, I don’t believe that your business is fully developed (in its current guise). Finding the answer to that question should be your number one priority for two reasons:

1. It will make your business far more attractive to your ideal client
2. It will make working so much more enjoyable

If you understand why it is you do what you do, your passion for doing that thing will be tangible in your work. For instance, I don’t write just write for Bidsketch so I can pay my bills. I write for Bidsketch because I have a passion for helping other freelancers like me. If just one reader tells me that I’ve helped them in some way through writing this post, I will feel rewarded in a way that no amount of money can emulate.

So what are your working for?

5. Embrace Constraints

Constraints are advantages in disguise.

People often bemoan constraints as killers of growth. “I can’t achieve x because of y” is an easy enough complaint to make, rather than facing the reality: constraints don’t prevent growth, a lack of innovation does.

The problem with a lack of constraints is that there is nothing to guide you. If the world is truly your oyster then where on earth do you start? On the other hand, if you are constrained by a lack of options then at least you know in which areas you need to concentrate.

From a freelancer’s perspective, consider a business model in which you offer a straightforward writing service compared to a full content marketing solution. One can naturally lead into another as a freelancing business develops but you wouldn’t want to try a full solution from the beginning unless you had past experience. In reality, the “constraints” of working only as a writer forces you to become an excellent writer, which will benefit your business no end now and in the future.

As it is said in Rework, “See how far you can get with what you have.”

6. Start at the Epicenter

The stuff you have to do is where you should begin.

Prioritizing is a bitch. It can seem that you spend as much time figuring out what to do as you do actually doing it. If you relate to that situation then always remember to start at the epicenter. Start with the single most important thing that drives your freelancing business.

Rework uses the analogy of a hot dog stall: worry about the hot dog; not the condiments, the cart, the name or the decoration. Without the hot dog itself, you don’t have a business.

To translate this into freelancing terms, consider the work of a graphic designer. What one thing can’t you live without in business terms? Your clients. If you have no clients then you have no business. So work on attracting new clients and retaining old ones. That is your epicenter. That is the work that is most important to you. It always gets first dibs on your attention.

7. Ignore the Details Early On

Nail the basics first and worry about the specifics later.

I am one for procrastination. I’d often rather think and talk about what I’m going to do then actually take action.

I’m sure we’re all guilty of this misdemeanour. Acting in such a way can be borne out of any number of motivations, but one of the greatest is fear. It’s easy to plan and get excited about offering a new service or redesigning your portfolio website, but actually releasing it to the world is something else altogether. We get caught up in the minutiae and sweat the small stuff.

But in reality, a lot of this worry is for nought and only serves as a brake on your business’ growth. Many of the minor details you sweat over are going to make very little difference to the end result. By actually making a start and putting your rough plan into action, you’re likely to find that what you thought were the critical details are actually replaced by the truly important matters. Perhaps the scope of your service needs to be adjusted, or the way in which your portfolio site needs to showcase your work should be presented in an entirely different way .

So don’t spend too long worrying about what may or may not be good for your business. Take action, observe the outcome, then decide how to proceed accordingly.

8. Reasons to Quit

It’s easy to put your head down and just work on what you think needs to be done. It’s a lot harder to pull your head up and ask why.

No one likes giving up. It can be relieving to do so but it’s rarely a good feeling. After all, we live in a culture that directly associates giving up with failure. If you stop trying to do something, you have failed in your endeavor.

That may be the case, but I’d rather fail than carry on regardless. Surely applying yourself to something that will eventually fail is far more of a failure than recognizing the futility of your efforts and calling it a day ahead of time?

If you ever feel like you are going down the wrong path or that the work you are doing is not necessarily in your business’ best interests, take a moment to ask yourself the following questions:

• What is the motivation behind what you are doing?
• Who benefits from what you are doing?
• What problem are you solving?
• Is what you are doing useful?
• Are you adding value?
• Is there an easier way?
• What could you be doing instead?
• Is it worth the time/cost/stress?

These are extraordinarily powerful questions that can be applied to everything from your bookkeeping system to the clients that you choose to work with. Ask them regularly and answer them honestly — I would go so far as to suggest that you print them out and place them somewhere prominent in your working environment.

9. Say No By Default

You rarely regret saying no. But you often wind up regretting saying yes.

I don’t know about you, but one of the biggest problems I have as a freelancer is saying no to prospective clients.

I can’t help myself — regardless of how much work I have on, if a tasty new lead gets in touch with an interesting offer, I’ll invariably say yes. I am wired to say yes by default, and I need to turn this around for the sake of my sanity and the growth of my business. That may seem counterintuitive, but accepting new clients mindlessly does not necessarily lead to long term growth.

In Rework the authors talk about making sure that “the product [that you are developing] stays right for you.” For freelancers, the issue is far more intrinsic — we are talking about making sure that your business stays right for you. We’re talking about making informed and rational decisions about who you choose to work with and why. Saying “yes” to a new client does not necessarily mean that your business is growing because true business growth is in my opinion represented by it developing into something that resembles your vision. More money in the short term does not necessarily equal growth.

So get into the habit of saying no by default. Starting with no and challenging yourself as to why you’re saying no makes you think far more clearly about the effect of each business decision that you make. On the other hand, saying yes to everything can quickly lead to a business that in no way resembles your vision.

10. Don’t Write It Down

The requests that really matter are the ones you’ll hear over and over.

Do you ever wonder where your business is going? Do you ever wonder what you can possibly do to drive growth? For most of us, the answer is lying right under our noses.

On the assumption that you have an existing client base, it is your clients that influence your growth more than any other factor. Consider this — unless you are going to completely pivot on your existing business model, any growth is going to be driven by client retention and development. Therefore, the future of your business lies in your ability to meet your clients’ developing needs.

Don’t make a major change to your business based upon some abstract notion, or something you read, or something you hear. Don’t change the way you work because one client requests it. Instead, gain a better understanding of the general trends of wants and desires that emerge from your clients. Don’t force this issue — just ask yourself what it is that your clients want the most and how you can help them in achieving it.

So many businesses try to manufacture growth by creating something that was never asked for. While that certainly can result in great success, the biggest wins are often screaming out for your attention, if only you would listen. So ask yourself — what do your clients want that you do not already offer them, and how can you cater to those desires?

Scratching the Surface

There you have it folks — ten lessons for freelancers that I took from Rework. If you enjoyed these then I strongly urge you to grab a copy of the book and get stuck into the rest of the chapters. While not everything relates directly to the world of freelancing, you will be amazed at how much of it resonates with your way of thinking.

We live in a brave new online world in which our limits are so often self-imposed — by thinking more innovatively and always looking to challenge ourselves, I believe that we are all capable of building highly successful businesses out of literally nothing.

I welcome any comments and questions that you may have below!

When it comes to raising your rates, you’d be surprised at how much a few simple words may be costing you.

If you’re selling services online, you must understand that words rule the web, whether you like it or not.

And since you need to be able to convey to a multitude of potential clients why you are worth your price, it pays to to know a little about copywriting—the art of writing words that sell.

If you’re a design guy/gal and your eyes are starting to glaze over, fear not: great copy mostly hinges on your ability to understand what your customers want. No matter what service you provide, that’s information you can always use more of.

To get you started, here are a few of my favorite copywriting strategies to enhance the persuasiveness of your freelance site and sales pages…

1.) Relentlessly Focus on Value

One of the biggest mistakes that freelancers make when assembling their copy is that they use themselves (or other freelancers) as the main audience.

In other words, they construct messages that showcase their technical skill, rather than speaking to what ‘pain’ the customer currently has.

This results in misaligned motivations where the freelancer and the potential client aren’t speaking the same language.

One of my favorite metaphors that perfectly describes this scenario comes from Brennan Dunn’s Double Your Freelancing Rate:

Consider this: You want to buy a new shiny red sports car. You’re in your 40s, your hair is thinning, and you want to look awesome in a new sports car.

So you pull up to the car dealership in your beat-up Toyota Camry and flag down someone in sales.

She walks you around the lot, and then begins to reel off her sales pitch: “Our factories are LEED certified, our workers are given more time off than legally required, we use an innovative manufacturing process that none of the other major car companies use, and best of all, this car is lighter than most due to an absence of heavy metals.”

There’s a conflict of interest. You want to impress girls twenty years your junior; she wants to tell you about the features of the car and the manufacturing processes that her company employs.

(I’m a huge fan of the whole book, I recommend you pick it up)

It’s okay to speak to your technical prowess and extensive knowledge in your field… after you’ve made your case for how you can solve the client’s problem.

Thus, your homepage should contain copy that clearly explains how you can create a branding solution that will help them stand out from the crowd, and further down the line you can highlight your lengthy experience with multiple graphics programs.

Instead of describing the process, focus on the outcome.

You’re not ‘building them a restaurant website’, you’re ‘tailoring their site to drive more reservations and word-of-mouth referrals.’

If you treat your services like a commodity, that’s how you can expect to be treated in return.

If you focus on value, your rates become based on the problems you can solve, rather than the ‘package’ the client is getting.

2.) Never Use Copy to Compare Expense

Do you think Versace cares what ‘The Gap’ is charging for their T-Shirts?

Then why should you waste your precious real-estate justifying your prices by comparing yourself to this or that alternative?

A fatal mistake that many freelancers fall victim to when setting their rates is making comparisons with their competition… yet I constantly see it happening.

You may wonder why I reguarly harp on positioning yourself for premium prices, and there’s a simple reason: while The Gap may outperform Versace in the long run via mass production, you are one person (or a small team).

To maximize your returns, you have to focus on providing a premium service, as you can’t ‘mass produce’ your way to success if it’s just you doing the work.

In order to achieve these premium prices, you have to take on a premium state of mind, and that means looking at what other luxury brands do, such as:

1. Never drawing price comparisons with others.
2. Focusing on going the extra mile instead of competing over bottom dollar rates.
3. Understanding what premium clients want and what they don’t care about.

I’m always picking on “freelance writers” who use that term when trying to land clients who actually want ‘content marketing’ services, because they are removing themselves from the race before they even begin.

Instead of focusing on how reasonable their freelance rates are (comparative pricing), they should be positioning themselves as a content creator that knows how to produce content that gets results (value-based pricing).

3.) Write with Your Client’s Voice

This one takes some thought, but it’s well worth the effort.

When writing copy for prospective clients, using very specific, highly personal words can result in people tripping over themselves to hire you.

In a nutshell is can be described as the “That’s exactly what I mean!” effect, or taking the words right out of a prospect’s mouth. When you use the same words that they do, you are subtly proving that you ‘get‘ the client’s problem.

A far more eloquent description of this process can be found in The History Boys on what makes the best type of reading:

The best moments in reading are when you come across something—a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things—that you’d thought special, particular to you. And here it is, set down by someone else, a person you’ve never met. And it’s as if a hand has come out and taken yours.

Grandiose, yet very pertinent to how you write your copy.

Let’s look at marketing services—I remember being really impressed by a consultant who’s sales page boldly asked: “Do you ever feel like your product is invisible? That if people would just give it a chance… they’d wonder how they got along without it.”

You can harp all day long about ‘increasing traffic and conversions,’ but deep down that’s not what people are really saying to themselves if they need marketing help. They feel like nobody is paying attention even when they’ve poured their heart and soul into their product!

This strategy requires paying close attention to current customers and sincere practice putting yourself in your client’s shoes, but it’s really the #1 rule to good copywriting: active, detailed listening.

So don’t just jump to the first buzzwords that come to mind, sit and and think about how your client’s express their problems in their heads (not out loud), as that is the language that will truly resonate with them.

4.) Offering Multiple Services? Tailor Your Copy

Knowing your clients is so important I had to mention it twice!

This time though, I’m specifically referring to those freelancers who offer a couple of different services. If that’s the case, you need to tailor your copy to each of these ideal customers.

A few weeks ago I outlined a simple customer profile template that you can use to create an easy-to-use ‘dossier’ on your typical clients, so you can really understand their biggest problems and what they need from you.

Creating a persona like this helps you answer the following:

1. Why is my client looking for a service like mine?
2. What elements of the deal are most important? (Speed of delivery, ROI, creativity, etc.)
3. Where does this client frequent?

Great things to know, but they become even more important if you have multiple services (let’s say you offer web design and graphic design).

What’s a necessity for one client is a non-concern for the other, so you should create specific landing pages, copy, and client testimonials for each. This is the only time you should ‘split’ your appeal, because it’s impossible to sell different premium services with the same persuasive copy.

I’ve known multiple freelancers that have a ‘Choose Your Need’ style homepage that places people on a landing page specifically built for their problem, such as the “Pick Your Poison” option on Shatterboxx’s homepage.

5.) Using the “So That…” Technique

To keep digging in to tactical advice now that we’ve covered the high-level stuff, one simple copywriting technique you can use is called the ‘So That…’ technique, and it focuses on answering why you do what you do.

Remember that when selling solutions, you can’t just “sell web design” to clients, it has to be outcome-oriented.

So instead of stating ‘I sell web design’ (in so many words), add “so that…” after the end and give your most specific, compelling reason.

In other words, “I sell web design so that…”

1. …my medical clients have user-friendly sites for their patients.
2. …my eCommerce clients see increased sales of their most profitable items.
3. …my startup clients can generate qualified email leads on their blog.

It’s scary to get specific, but as Billy Cosby would say…

I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.”

—Bill Cosby

You needn’t worry about lost opportunities (which are far fewer than you probably think) when the ideal opportunities you are chasing are solid.

I don’t worry about missing ‘freelance writing’ gigs since I only work for software startups, and Versace doesn’t worry about lost sales to The Gap.

You shouldn’t worry either.

6.) The 2-Step Checklist for Important Copy

Writing a headline or a piece of body copy on your freelance site that you know a lot of people will read?

There’s a 2-step checklist that you can use to make sure it’s up to snuff.

1. The “What’s in it for me?” test
2. The “Up ’til 2am” test

Let’s break these down…

When evaluating the What’s in it for me test, you (unsurprisingly) need to spell out what’s ‘in it’ for your client.

Seems easy enough, right?

All semi-decent pieces of copy are going to have this one checked off, but here’s where things get interesting…

The next step is to decide if the information would keep a client up until 2am.

I’m shamelessly stealing this from Jon Morrow, and to further elaborate on this point, I want to list some examples.

Potential eCommerce clients who want a website facelift are concerned with the site looking good, but it doesn’t ‘keep them up until 2am.’

Conversely, losing customers because their site is too confusing or difficult to navigate is a concern that keeps them up at night, and probably has caused a few gray hairs as well.

Answering these 2 questions seems stupidly obvious in hindsight, but most people only get to step 1 (and some don’t even make it there!).

Remember that this applies to everywhere that you are trying to be persuasive: instead of, “Look at our reviews to see what our clients think of us,” try, “We’ve been doing this a long time, and clients just like you have given us some pretty flattering praise.”

One is a command, the other puts you at ease, and it’s easy to see which one best addresses the concern of trust that a client may have before hiring you.

Your Turn

I’d love to hear some of your best advice on assembling persuasive copy for your freelance site!

Leave your thoughts by adding a comment below.

A few weeks backed when I tackled our Freelance Marketing 101 post, one of the most common questions I received was about content—specifically, what sort of content to create.

I had mentioned that freelancers often make the mistake of creating content for other freelancers instead of their true audience; the people who want to pay for their time!

Since it can be somewhat confusing to tell the difference between the two (the content often overlaps), I thought I’d make things a bit easier by listing some of my favorite templates for creating killer content that attracts clients.

I’ll include relevant examples to help you along the way… now let’s cut the malarkey and get in to it!

Freelance Blog Post Templates that Work

1.) Interview with an influencer: Back in my early days, one post that landed me a bunch of great clients looking for content marketing work was my interview with Brian Gardner of StudioPress. In the interview we discussed what role content marketing played in helping Brian sell the Genesis Framework and a ton of WordPress themes.

Everybody knows the whole interviewing game—you interview someone with an audience in hopes that they’ll send people your way. The thing is, most people mess up by firing off random interviews that add nothing of value and that don’t relate to the ideal audience they’d like to have. This interview with Brian works because it’s focused on a service I provide (content strategy) and it showcased how well content worked for him in growing his business; it produced all the validation I needed to convince several clients to sign up.

2.) A beginner’s round-up: Although ’round-ups’ can be akin to our freelance tools roundup here on Bidsketch, what I really mean is creating an amazing starting point for beginner’s on a singular topic. When you think about it, targeting beginners (the right way) is great because you’re getting people who will likely need help, and that is where your paid services can come in.

There is a right and wrong way to do this however, as you don’t want to target beginner’s who are just looking for freebies. Although Steve Kamb no longer seems to take on fitness clients, the ‘Beginner’s Guide to the Paleo Diet‘ is a perfect example of what I’m talking about here. It’s an article that every beginner looking for paleo information needs to bookmark, and as a result, it even sits on the 1st page of Google for terms like ‘paleo diet.’ (With 17k+ shares!)

3.) Detailed case studies: Everyone loves to read about a success story, and people just can’t resist the inside scoop—from a blog standpoint, this makes case studies amazing pieces of content, since they combine both. They also offer an ability to write about something that is highly related to your skills and that can’t be duplicated by competitors. It’s like combining an incredibly convincing client testimonial and a highly useful article!

You’ll see people who charge premium prices for their products (like Ramit Sethi) doing tons of case studies, but you should try to focus on a few here and there that really show prospective customers how you’ll be able to “WOW” them with your services. If you’re totally new to freelancing, you can do a few free projects to build you base, but remember to cut that out as soon as possible.

4.) A ‘Making Of…’ post: A bit different from a case study with a particular client, these posts will break down how you created an individual project, regardless of who was paying you. That means that you can include solo projects, individual pieces of a project (‘How I made this plugin’, ‘How I wrote this e-Book’) and other specific instances that may not apply to client work.

I like Rafal Tomal’s example in the Making Of Typspiration, a typography project he completed in his spare time. Sure, these sorts of posts will also attract other freelancers, but they serve as a detailed look at your skill and ability to see a project from start to finish. There’s a lot of unspoken persuasion in these types of posts, where clients will see how smoothly you tackled the behind the scenes efforts and how much time and effort you pour into the work you produce.

5.) The “Keyword How-to” post: You’ve likely recognized that “How-to” posts are effective, but if you want to maximize returns on your efforts, you should be targeting a keyword that can bring in potential clients. Back when I did a post called How to Speed Up WordPress in 15 Easy Steps, I made sure to include the phrase ‘speed up WordPress’ instead of something like ‘make WordPress faster,’ because the former was a far better search term than the latter.

It now ranks #1 for that term and even appears for a few others… all because I took the 5 minutes of extra effort to find a decent keyword! It’s not rocket science either—head over to the free Google Keyword Tool after you’ve completed a post and search for a vague term that matches your topic, I think I chose something like ‘WordPress speed’ when I initially wrote that post.

6.) This vs. That: I’ve discussed before how research from Wharton Business School has shown that when it comes to creating controversial content, the way to go is to avoid highly controversial issues (politics, religion, tragedies) and instead focus on heated debates within your own industry. A perfect way to do this is to simply put Something vs. Something Else into a heated match on your own blog.

I tend to point to this image as a hilarious example:

You’ll notice that toilet paper orientation, despite being a seemingly trivial topic, actually stirs up a ton of debate. What topics within your industry can you address that will stir up some buzz?

(They don’t have to be as silly as this argument, they should just avoid any true controversy that could hurt people’s feelings, like political arguments)

The point here is that this controversy will result in people falling over themselves to leave feedback, and the conversation (when this strategy is executed correctly) can echo far and wide out into the web, getting you featured on relevant sites that will bring in more clients.

7.) Discuss a hot industry topic: Social media buttons (and their aggressive use) have been a hot topic among designers and UX people as of late. No surprise then that when a post entitled ‘Sweep the Sleaze‘ was published, it was really popular (ironically, it’s a bit hard to tell  because there are no social media buttons!)

It addressed a topic that had arisen only recently, that was on everyone’s mind, but that nobody had addressed so eloquently… at least until it was published. As with the ‘This vs. That’ style above, these sorts of posts work for freelancers because they show you think deeply about your work. They separate you as a thought leader who isn’t afraid to tackle topics that a lot of people think about, but that few are addressing.

8.) A large FAQ: While FAQs are often looked at as support content only, they can also make for great blog posts if you do them correctly. I’m going to cite this example from freelance writer Carol Tice as an excellent one to imitate: she rounded up the most common questions she received from her readers (in this case, they are freelance writers) and addressed them all in one epic article.

I happen to read just about every exposé on color theory and ‘flat’ design out there, because I’m interested in those topics. Your potential clients will be on the lookout for answers like these too, and if you can give it to them, your services for more extensive work will start looking pretty enticing.

9.) A HUB page: This is the perfect  solution for getting your best content front and center after you’ve published a few blog posts. These pages include a general overview of a topic you know a lot about (let’s say designing for eCommerce stores) and a listing of your best articles on the subject.

Take this example from Copyblogger on ‘content marketing’:

You don’t need the fancy design, just create an overview of your topic and use your previous articles as the ‘meat’ of the page which gives people plenty of things to read. This also allows you to highlight your best content and it gives people a singular place to start; perfect for showcasing skill and providing value to potential clients.

10.) The (Famous Person/Brand) Guide to ____: In nearly every industry I’ve ever worked in, these posts always seem to do well! The connection with the famous person (or brand) attracts attention and can pull in people who have an ‘affinity’ for that subject, but who may not have heard of you yet.

A fantastic example here is Jon Morrow’s post on Stephen King’s Guide to Being a Frighteningly Good Writer, the inclusion of Stephen King catches your eye wherever you first encountered it (possibly a crowded Twitter stream), but it’s Jon who delivers on the advice.

Try incorporating a known name into your post so interested readers will give your little site a chance.

Your Turn!

What did you think about these blog post templates for drawing in clients?

Here’s a another question: If you run a blog to attract freelance clients, which posts have performed the best? Why do you think that’s the case?

Thanks for reading, I’ll see you down in the comments!

Any freelancer who has been in the game for more than five minutes has endured a client dispute.

It comes with the territory — even if you do great work and behave impeccably you’re bound to come across someone at some point who’s seemingly eager for a fight.

The ramifications of client disputes are rarely positive. At best you are left with a bad taste in your mouth and a few sleepless nights; at worst you lose the client and take a hit to your reputation. Even if your business is extremely stable and you feel very satisfied with your work, a client dispute may be waiting just around the corner to spoil your week.

However, there is a way to resolve client disputes in an amicable fashion. In fact, it is often possible to use a client dispute to improve your working relationship with a client. In this post I want to outline the six step process you should take whenever you have to deal with an unhappy client.

Before Disputes Arise: Read the Signs and Intervene

The unofficial first step of dispute resolution is actually proactive rather than reactive.

If you feel that your client may be unhappy with the standard of your work or the way in which you conduct yourself, you shouldn’t wait for them to voice their concerns. Instead, approach them with a simple question:

Are you happy with my work?

I wouldn’t phrase it that specifically — the exact question will vary depending upon your relationship with your client and what you are doing for them. However, the underlying message should be undeniably implicit: you want them to be satisfied.

If you ask this question to a client who is happy they will be impressed with your eagerness to please. If you ask this question to a client who is unhappy then the fact that you brought the subject up before it came to “breaking point” will serve to help you in following the rest of the process.

Step 1: Take a Deep Breath

Many of us are fortunate these days in that most communication with clients is carried out by email. Not only is it a quick and convenient form of communication, it allows us the time to carefully consider the way in which we address the matter at hand.

This is especially important when dealing with a client dispute. Because let’s face it — if a client calls you up on the phone and starts yelling, you may end up regretting what you say in the heat of the moment. But if a client sends you a somewhat heated email, you can take advantage of your ability to take a deep breath and walk away.

You should only respond to such emails when you are feeling relatively level-headed. After all, the last thing you want to do is get embroiled in a war of words with the very person who pays your bills.

I have a simple rule of thumb when it comes to client disputes: never reply to an email within an hour of receiving it. Give yourself at least an hour to absorb the contents and process any immediate emotions that might otherwise be directed at the client in a rash response.

This principle still applies to an extent if you are caught on the phone with a client. Afford yourself at least a second or two to take a deep breath and allow a level of rationalism to establish itself.

Step 2: Assess the Client’s Issue(s)

Generally speaking, it is human nature to react to a situation based upon your perspective. This is logical under most circumstances, but not all. It is good practice to at least consider alternative perspectives in any given situation and this is certainly the case when it comes to client disputes.

With that in mind let me tell you perhaps the most important thing to realize when it comes to client disputes: your perspective isn’t important. The outcome is important — whether that be resolving the issue or firing the client. Therefore, the most important thing is to control the outcome. You do not do this by viewing the situation solely from your own perspective.

So take a moment to assess the client’s issue(s) from their perspective. Why are they unhappy? Is it your fault or theirs? If it is their fault, why do they think it is your fault? Try to approach this situation from an objective standpoint — pride will do you no good. You will invariably find that there is a logic behind their reasoning; even if it is tenuous. When you understand that logic you are far better equipped to resolve the dispute.

Step 3: Apologize (if You Are in the Wrong)

An apology can be an extraordinarily powerful thing — something that many people don’t understand in this era of aversion to admitting fault. If you are at fault you should take the opportunity to apologize while it still seems reasonable to do so. You may find that it disarms potentially antagonistic clients. It certainly shouldn’t make them any more upset if you are quick to follow your apology up with a proposal for resolution.

An apology serves as the foundation of resolution — in order to fix the problem you must first acknowledge its cause. It’s not something you should dwell on or make a big deal out of — it simply serves as a sign of your respect for the client and your willingness to address and resolve the matter at hand.

Of course, if you are not in the wrong you shouldn’t apologize. Let’s not forget that an apology is an admission of fault and as such should be utilized carefully. Nor should you claim to be “sorry that [your client] feels that way” or any other similar statement — that only comes across as condescending and can have the opposite of the desired effect.

If there is no apology to be made then you should move straight onto the next step.

Step 4: Seek Resolution

You would be forgiven for assuming that dispute resolution means settling the matter to the client’s satisfaction, but that is not the case. After all, you do not have control over the client’s expected outcome; it may be utterly unrealistic.

The true resolution of a dispute for our purposes is to bring it to a conclusion that best benefits your business. That might require an acknowledgement of fault and an apology, an adjustment to the existing agreement, the increase in your scope of work, or a parting of ways. Whatever it may be, you must choose the appropriate outcome and work towards it.

This again comes down to perspective — resolution is less about how you would instinctively respond to your client and far more about how you think you should respond to your client to achieve the desired outcome. That is the difference between pandering to your emotions and acting with the best interests of your business at heart.

Step 5: Stick to the Salient Matter(s) at Hand

It is all too easy during the course of a dispute to get sidetracked by largely irrelevant matters. All too often, email correspondence can devolve into petty point scoring without any real mention on either side of the truly salient matter(s) at hand.

You must not allow yourself to establish such an inefficient and damaging pattern of behavior (even if your client does). Your emails should be concise and relevant to the issue that needs to be resolved and any attempt on the client’s part to focus on minutiae should be acknowledged at best but never followed up on.

Before you send an email, always ask yourself the following questions: Am I dealing with the salient matter(s) at hand and am I moving closer to a positive resolution? The answer to both questions must be yes before you hit Send.

Step 6: Conclude and Move On

Any dispute must be dealt with and resolved in full before you can continue to sustain a healthy relationship with a client. If you choose to take the easy route and brush glaring issues under the carpet, it will only serve to undermine the work that you do. Similarly, if a client is unhappy and you are aware of the fact but choose not to address it, you are likely to find that working with client becomes more and more difficult.

For those reasons it is important that disputes are always raised and concluded to the satisfaction of both parties. You cannot afford loose ends — they only serve to weaken your business.

An Example of Positive Dispute Resolution

In order to give you an idea of how I see the above process playing out, consider the following hypothetical situation.

A client reacts to your work with admonishment and demands various amendments that run entirely contrary to the agreed scope of works. This client is normally well behaved and pays handsomely for your services, and as such is not someone you would like to lose. However, it is clear that he is unhappy with your work.

At that point the temptation would be to respond immediately, explaining to the client that their amendment requests are not valid. You’re no doubt irritated that the client has ignored the scope of works and wasted your time when it would seem that their requirements do not match the scope of works you agreed. However, step one of the dispute resolution process requires you to take the time to process your emotions before proceeding.

Once you have taken some time, the next step is to figure out why the client is unhappy. As you immediately suspected, it would seem that the client’s requirements do not match the scope of works. They are clearly either ignorant of the scope or have realized that their requirements do not match but hope that you will address their requests anyway. Apologizing certainly isn’t on the cards as you have done nothing wrong.

So the next step is to seek resolution. In an ideal world the resolution would be for the client to either acknowledge the existing scope of works and adjust his requirements to work within its boundaries, or pay you extra to redo the job with a fresh scope of works. You can seek to achieve that resolution by emailing the client with a measured response that refers to the scope of works and states that the proposed amendments do not fit with what was agreed at the outset.

At this point you have made all the right moves towards your desired resolution, but what if the client doesn’t agree? What if the client insists that you carry out the work to his new scope? At that point you have a business decision to make: do you take the hit and do the work at no extra cost or do you stand your ground? That is a commercial decision, not an emotional one. If it is in your business’ best interests to complete the client’s job to their satisfaction then do so, but if you can afford to ditch misbehaving clients then go right ahead.

Conclusion

The entire process outlined above centers upon one key principle: the objective assessment of how your actions can best benefit your business. You must remove emotion from the process and work with your business’ best interests at heart. Of course, your happiness in the work that you do forms a part of the business’ best interests, so if you have had enough of a client and can live without them, you may choose to fire them.

The fact is that handling disputes in a professional manner and seeking to understand why a client is unhappy can help to improve a relationship. Disputes can be the basis from which a much-improved working relationship between freelancer and client emerges. Rather than dreading disputes, see them as an opportunity to improve the way in which you do business.

Just make sure that every step you take in resolving a dispute is calculated and as free from emotion as possible. You are likely to regret any rash actions that you take in the heat of the moment — why not save yourself the regret and follow the process?

After telling you why you should fire your clients, you may be wondering how to get more out of the red carpet ones you’ve hung on to.

That’s a smart question, I’m glad you asked it.

I suggest you take a leaf out of Amazon’s business book and `steal’ some of their most powerful methods to upsell and cross sell your clients.

Honestly, if they were going to enter the juicing industry, I think they would dominate it.

Why? They are the masters at squeezing more out of every single transaction made.

So let’s get to work and break down three methods you can adopt in your own efforts, to get more out of your customers and clients.

1. Employ the Upsell

You’re working with a client, and they’ve come with you for one outcome only. That may be to design their website, write their business plan, improve their sales page copy or do their taxes.

That does not mean you’re limited to only doing this work. While I’d recommend focusing on the task at hand, there’s real benefit to suggesting complementary services that may help them even more.

If you’re designing someone’s website, what’s from stopping you from asking if they also need their social media profiles updated at the same time? Nothing, that’s what.

This is even more important if your new, or existing client, doesn’t know that you even offer that. You can bundle it into the existing contract as an add-on, or simply restate your `package’ price to them.

If you pose this to them well, they’ll see this is as a great investment, not an additional expense they hadn’t budgeted for.

If they say no, you’ve not lost anything in the process, and you know that’s just another avenue for you to revisit once your project is completed.

Quite often, once they’ve seen the quality of the work or service you’ve provided, and are hopefully delighted, they will naturally be more open to revisiting your suggestion.

2. Use the Cross-Sell

This is such a powerful method to try for yourself. You’ve seen it in action on Amazon, and other clever ecommerce sites. They’ve spent years tracking your purchasing decisions and turning that into delectable offers you can’t refuse.

While you don’t have that depth of data to hand, you can make some decent assumptions on what your clients may like, that you can deliver on.

For example let’s say your client came to you to have their business plan written. It’s probably fair to assume that they are applying for a loan or pitching investors now, or in the near future.

So be proactive and tell them about your investor pitch design services. It may be exactly what they’re looking for, but didn’t see on your website’s list of services.

Or you’ve taken on a new personal training client who wants to get in shape for their wedding in six weeks. While you may be focusing on their exercise plan to get them into shape, did you tell them about your complete nutrition planning service.

The one that will get them the results they want, even faster?

What if you don’t offer that service or product, do you need to limit yourself to what you know you can do? 

Of course not. This is where you work on your strategic alliances with trusted partners and friends.  If you offer editing services but don’t rate yourself as a copywriter, who can you team up with to offer the `complete’ package to your clients?

Talk to to them about cross-selling each other to clients. If they agree, then you get to increase your offerings to your clients and making it a seamless process to solve their problems in one hit.

Which leads me to the third tactic that Amazon uses so well.

3. The Gift of Giving

You want to thank someone or send them a birthday present, but you don’t know what to buy them. What do you do? You buy them an Amazon gift card – either a physical one or a digital one.

Your friend gets a lovely surprise, and they get to spend their gift on exactly what they wanted. They also get warm fuzzy feelings every time they think of you.

How about applying this to your clients? 

There are two ways this works well in my opinion.

1. Send them a gift card after you’ve worked with them, as a thank you. This could be an Amazon gift card, but wouldn’t it be better if it was a credit to be applied to future work with you? What better way to ensure they come back to you for repeat business, then giving them an enticing reason to do so. Top Tip: Make it time bound, so they have to take you up on this 5-20% credit or discount within a month. This creates a sense of urgency. You can also suggest what they can use it on, which acts as a way of promoting what products or services you offer, that they may not have even known about.
2. Tell them about your referral program after you’ve worked with them. Suggest that, if they have friends they’d be willing to recommend to you, you’d be more than happy to pay them a `finders fee’ or referral commission. This is by no means pushy. If they’ve enjoyed working with you and you did a great job, they will probably be tooting your horn already. It sweetens the deal if they’re going to get a little something in return for their efforts.

This doesn’t have to be complex either. You can simply tell them that if they refer someone, and that person mentions your name, they will get, for example 10% of the contract amount (on completion). Happiness all around!

When it comes to maximizing your client relationships, it always pays to look at how you can emulate the best.

There is no doubt that Amazon have perfected their algorithm for profiting from almost every visitor to their website.

So next time you’re speaking to your client think about the `if you like this then can I recommend you try’ before you seal the deal.

Remember when they’re reaching your checkout (on the phone or email or through your website) don’t forget the `Are you sure you don’t want to add this to your cart too’ strategy.

There a lot of lessons to apply to your own client interactions that you can learn from Amazon. I look forward to hearing how you apply these three for a start.

Let me know what you think will work for your current set up in the comments.