How to Sell Advice

209. Going from employee to consultant with Reza Saeedi


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I recently interviewed Reza Saeedi—a marketing strategist and former Director of Marketing at On Deck—about his transition from employee to marketing advisor to employee again with advising as a side venture. 


In this episode, we chatted about things like:

  • How Reza got into marketing and eventually, as a mentor/advisor to entrepreneurs 
  • How he was able to get one fractional CMO and two advisory clients quickly after leaving his job at On Deck
  • The role of casual networking and how it led to unexpected opportunities down the line
  • The difference between being specific and niching down in business based on your strengths and interests
  • The role of risk-reversing guarantees and discussing prices against value during sales conversations 
  • Why turning away poor-fit clients helped with his overall confidence and contributed to his early success
  • How to internally handle the fact we can’t guarantee successful outcomes 
  • The value of factoring in word of mouth and referrals into your marketing plan
  • The intersection and overlap between teaching and advisory work 
  • How Reza plans to do part-time advising in a low-labour, sustainable way 
  • How Reza stays productize and organized in his work
  • The importance of exercise, habits, and mental health optimization

Plus many fun tangents along the way!

Whether you currently have a job and are thinking about advising full or part-time, or you’re already independent but looking to get into advisory work, this episode will have a ton of insights to offer you.

Key links and mentioned resources:

  • Reza on LinkedIn
  • Reza's personal site
  • Reza on X.com
  • Passage.com
  • Episode 200: Kevan Lee on part-time advisory work, mentorship, equity compensation, and more
  • The Win Without Pitching Manifesto (Book)
  • Meditations by Marcus Aurelius 
  • 4,000 Weeks by Robert Bosman
  • Readwise App


...more
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How to Sell AdviceBy Kevin C. Whelan