Ask Rezzz

Ask Rezzz

By Jason ResnickBusinessMarketingCareers
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Ask Rezzz episodes

  • What payment structure should I do?

    Congrats on landing the gig — I’m assuming that you don’t have a signed contract in place yet though. Because the terms of payment should definitely be included in your contract.

    If you haven’t set the expectations during the sales process of how you are to be paid, then you could potentially be on a bumpy road. Not saying that they aren’t expecting to pay you, but they may have different expectations than you do.

    There’s different structures that businesses have in their minds, 50/50, 100% at the end, 30/30/30, NET 30-90, and so on.

    So I would encourage you on your next sales call, to iron out those details so that when it does come time to pay, the terms are set in your contract, and that everyone is on the same page.

    For this particular instance though, you’ll want to definitely get half up front. 

    The reason being is that you want your client to be engaged and invested in the project as much as you are.

    If they haven’t paid you, then there’s no skin in the game from their end.

    If you are paid 100% up front, then there’s no skin in the game for you to deliver quickly (other than you being a stand up person, right?)

    Depending on the size of the project though, 50% may be extremely high, and so you’ll want to flatten that out a bit more, maybe 30/30/30.

    If the project is a lengthy, on-going type of project, maybe come up with a weekly or monthly rate.

    These all lower the risk level for you and your client, but put enough of an investment into the project that you are both engaged and motivated to stick to the priority of the project.

    5 min
  • Are you comfortable?

    If you aren't uncomfortable while learning a new skill or pushing the envelope of your business, then are you really moving forward?

    Are you going to reach your goals?

    Public speaking is something that I am mortified of doing. 

    "But you've got 2 podcasts and have spoken at conferences and meetups?"

    Yup, but it still terrifies me. But I know that by putting myself in that position, I will grow.

    With the amazing feedback, I get from folks like yourself, what I talk about helps them and so why not do it. Hearing how others are reaching their goals in building their businesses in the way they want fuels my fire. If I can play a tiny part in helping them overcome some question, hurdle, struggle that's just a bonus.

    Anytime I've ever put myself in an uncomfortable position like that, I've come out on the other end in a much better place.

    I would encourage you to think about when the last time you felt a bit uncomfortable.

    5 min
  • What do I do first thing Monday morning?
    Being a freelancer for 15 years, I've learned a few tricks.
    Knowing how to start the week off on the right foot, starts with planning Monday morning before Monday!
    This is critical for me since I feel like if I don’t do my weekly review on Sundays, I’m lost. I feel behind on the week because my review is usually about an hour of time.
    In this episode I walk you through my 10 steps to performing a weekly review so that you know your week starts off on the right foot.
    6 min
  • What happens if you can’t define a scope of work on a call?
    Firstly, there’s no moving forward with a proposal if you can’t nail down a scope of work right?
    Often times if you are in one of these conversations, you can tell within 10-15 mins of it that you are in one. It’s usually filled with meandering paths to loosely based goals.
    The best thing about these conversations is that they do lead to paid discoveries. These are lower risk, high reward engagements for you and your lead.
    How you ask and present this is the best way to get these types of freelance engagements.
    6 min
  • Have advice for soliciting podcasters to be a guest?
    When you are freelancing you want to get out there on podcasts, guest blog, and anything else that puts you in front of potential clients and people who will buy from you.
    getonpodcasts.com - Kai’s lessons help quite a bit and landed me on a few.
    For soliciting, the key is first finding podcasts where you can add value to that audience and then pitch that host with that value add, first and foremost.

    I dive into 5 tips in this episode to keep you on track so that you can get yourself the most out of you podcast tour.
    6 min
  • What is the best way to get income fast?
    I’m going to start by saying that this question seems to have a sense of urgency and a result of lack of planning.
    That’s not a knock by any means, I’ve been there :). So I definitely am qualified to answer this question.
    You may be surprised at some of what I say in this episode, but as a freelancer, there are times when a reality check needs to happen and brutal honesty is needed.
    I outline 3 things you can do so that you can get income fast.
    6 min
  • Why do things that don't scale?
    In the service based industry, if you delight and make an impression on your leads, clients, and past clients, that will continue to ripple through them and the people they know.
    Look, as a freelancer you have the best opportunity to make an impact on someone else, whether that’s them personally or professionally. Why not do it?
    That is the stuff that doesn’t scale.
    5 min
  • How to work from home effectively?
    As a freelancer, it's such a luxury to be working from home. However it is so easy to be distracted when you work from home.
    As a was having a conversation with another father at my nephew's little league game over the weekend, we traded our best 4 tips to work from home effectively.
    The 4 tips are:
    1. Discipline
    2. Making sure family respects the work place
    3. Get out
    4. Support
    Regardless if you are a developer, designer, marketer, writer, in sales, etc, these 4 tips will help you work from home more effectively.
    6 min
  • How to get the messaging right to attract customers?
    There’s no easy and quick answer to getting the messaging right. You need to learn what it is and apply that learning over time to really get it right.
    The best things that have worked for me are:
    1. Conversations
    2. Testimonials

    3. Support
    Get yourself away from the generic headers and think about what your clients are saying and use them. That’s where you’ll find the right messaging to attract the best kinds of clients.
    6 min
  • Do you schedule in time for exploring or reading articles online?
    This is a great question, because as a freelancer, you should be mindful of where your time goes.
    I don’t schedule the time in specifically, however I do read a ton.
    I tend to read articles more at night or early morning after waking up. This often times is the best time for me because it’s quiet, I don’t have to think about anything else and it allows me to wind down or up, depending on the day.
    I do read tons of articles, and I do have a process around them, I just don’t schedule the reading time in. I just do it when I feel like it and pick off the articles from the list.
    In this episode you'll hear how I process an article to read so that I don't go fumbling around down rabbit holes and more importantly take action on the article.
    5 min

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