The Freelancers' Show

Panel: Kai Davis Jonathan Stark In this episode of the Freelancer’s Show, Kai and Jonathan answer questions from their loyal listeners in this month's December Mailbag. Topics covered are on identifying sites your target market is hanging out on most, organizing the new information you learned to implement, what can you do you bring values to people who might be further ahead than you, and many more tactics and strategies to help your freelance career. In particular, we dive pretty deep on: 

• How do you identify places online where ...?
• Conferences
• Identifying the target market and where they hang out online
• Stonewall? Pick a different audience.
• Organizing and processing new information?
• Tactics, Strategy and Focus
• Index the information and don’t obsess over the information
• Track your time learning and implementing
• Fear of failure
• How to bring value to those who might be further along then you?
• Asking questions and closing the loop
• Recognizing the opportunity
• Feedback
• And much more!

Picks: Kai

• No Picks

Jonathan

• Nonviolent Communication

Panel: Reuven Lerner Kai Davis Jonathan Stark In this episode of the Freelancer’s Show, Reuven, Kai, and Jonathan talk about organizing your business. The panels discuss important points to stay organize and systemize in your business. Important topics covered are getting to inbox zero, scheduling, building good habits, clearing your to-do lists, keeping notes, organizing your thoughts. Lastly, the freelances talk about tips and technologies they use to keep on top of their tasks. This is a great episode for those who need the implement good practices to run a smoother business. In particular, we dive pretty deep on: 

• Why should I organize my business?
• Finding important information
• Losing important data
• Email organization
• Inbox zero - picking time to clean up
• Building habits overtime
• When you check email - Achieving to save time
• Creating to-do lists within email
• Task lists without inbox
• Due dates on tasks
• Remember the Milk app
• Blocking out time for to-dos
• Priority to-do lists
• Notes
• Brain Storms
• Evernote 
• Keeping a physical notebook
• Using task managers like Trello 
• Keyboard Short Cuts - aText
• And much more!

Picks: Reuven

• Blog

Kai

• Merlin Mann on Inbox 0
• SaneBox 
• The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying Up
• Kai's every day carry notebook
• Kai's every day carry pen
• Naomi (of Itty Biz) wrote this great article on staying productize on low energy days)
• Text Expander

Jonathan

• Getting Things Done by David Allen
• Productive
• Jonathan's recommended notebook
• aText

Panel: Reuven Lerner Kai Davis In this episode of the Freelancer’s Show, Reuven and Kai talk about planning for 2018. Reuven mentions that you should always plan your year if you are in a freelancing business. Ask yourself, how do you want to grow your business?How will you implement the changes to scale your financial growth? The end year is an important punctuation and new beginning for your freelancing business. The Freelancer’s Show is here to help guide you through questions they ask themselves in their own businesses. This is a great episode for freelancers who are looking to grow their business in the next year, and the possible things they can do to have a positive impact on their freelancing career. In particular, we dive pretty deep on: 

• What are my goals or system to put in place to reach the goals?
• Concerning health
• Saying no to certain opportunities
• Training to advance your career
• Training internationally
• Exploring new line of business
• Killing it off - if it does not work
• What do I want to accomplish in 5 years
• What is the one 1 year, 1 month, and day view?
• Moving toward achieving your business goal
• Automating your business to grow faster
• Group coaching
• Working from home - what does that mean overall?
• Specializing and Focus
• Budgeting time
• “Don’t run a business on the assumption that you are going to work 12 hours a day”
• When to have personal time or relax time
• Personal plans and goals
• Building systems into your daily schedule
• What is your biggest ROI?
• And much more!

Picks: Reuven

• Falafel

Kai

• The One Thing
• 12-week year
• Deep Work

 

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Panel: Phillip Morgan Reuven Lerner In this episode of the Freelancer’s Show, Reuven and Phillip discuss designing a product ladder. The panel discusses the importance of offering a suite of products with a defined path from low tier to a high tier value.  Furthermore,  services and or a blend of products and services is also apart of the tier offerings. Phillip and Reuven talk about specific strategies for how product ladders are implemented. Perhaps a freemium product that entices one into the bigger valued product. This is a great episode for freelancers to understand how to formulate a product line for your freelancing business. In particular, we dive pretty deep on: 

• Offering lower and higher tier products
• A blend of service and products
• The Brain Audit
• Comparison of Apple products and purchases to top tier products
• Buying into Apple products with  iTunes on Windows
• Functions of a product ladder
• What is your product ladder?
• Advance, Intermediate, and Basic Users
• Increasing expertise
• Basic level product to companion level products
• How do you learn best? Question to ask your audience.
• What would a 5 grader understand?
• Ask which level of expertise your audience needs to help them up the ladder
• Allen Weiss books and webinars
•  
• And much more!

Links

• The Brain Audit 

Picks: Reuven

• Survey Monkey

Phillip

• Book - Get Naked

Panel: Reuven Lerner Jonathan Stark Kai Davis In this episode of the Freelancer’s Show, Reuven, Jonathan, and Kai discuss “Why” conversations. Jonathan outlines that, “Why” calls are the preliminary conversations of a sale call. To understand the underlying purpose of why the client wants to engage in a project with you. This is a great episode to understand how to pivot a project to increase the value of your time using a fixed rated. Also to ensure the prospect is a good fit for skills and rates. In particular, we dive pretty deep on:

• Why do sales call? To find out what the client needs
• “Preparing to reject their self-diagnosis”
• Engage in a conversation to increase the value of the project
• The customer is usually vague and they leave out the specifics fo the project
• Throwing objections at then customers to bring all considerations to surface
• Understanding why now?
• Urgency is the key to the project?
• Why hire someone like me?
• Confidence to get paid what you want
• Hourly rates? Market rate? Fixed pricing.
• Is hourly billing bad for the project?
• Newbies are quick to jump.
• Delivering ROI.
• Back Seat Driving to nowhere
• Predict Churn
• Constantly reminding them of the goal and be the guardian of the project
• What is the benefit of the project?
• Make it clear you don’t work for an hourly rate
• Productize service, value-based pricing, etc.
• Making assumptions?
• Who does this not work for?  - Those who are still learning their craft.
• And much more!

Picks: Reuven

• Fifty Inventions That Shaped The Modern Economy 

Jonathan

• “Learn Your Lines” https://expensiveproblem.com/pricing
• Pro Leg Stretcher

Panel: Reuven Lerner Phillip Morgan Kai Davis In this episode of the Freelancer’s Show, Reuven, Phillip, and Kai discuss pricing and positioning as a freelancer. The discussion covers positioning your business to charge premium rates,  charging more verses looking like a discount service, and getting more clients when rates are higher.  The Freelancer also discuss what signal prices send to the customer?  Does this matter in reference to value, and is the price justified? Also, how to position your price internationally, concerning culture and prices.  This is a great episode understand your position for your fees on products, sales, or services. In particular, we dive pretty deep on:

• What do you position yourself to charge premium pricing for your services?
• How not look like discount services
• Looking at the market price of your service
• Pricing to low for your service - why you should avoid it
• Price is the lever we fall to -  Is this the advantage?
• Becoming price locked with your client.
• What signal prices sends to the customer?
• Specialized service
• Positioning internationally
• Urgent decisions on prices
• Creating scarcity
• How sticky or memorable is your pricing?
• Strategy and increasing prices
• Charging different rates for services
• Pricing play
• The opportunities of charging more
• Raising rates by 10- 25 percent after success and wins
• Raise rates after 3 months
• And much more!

Picks: Reuven

• Naked Money
• New Bills 

Philip

• NutriBullet Blender 

Kai

• Article on Steak 

Panel: Jonathan Stark Phillip Morgan In this episode of the Freelancer’s Show, Johnathan and Phillip discuss aging as a freelancer. The topics cover the meager beginnings of a freelancer’s life to the advance contractor's success.  Phillip and Johnathan talk about things concerning personal energy levels in a brick and mortar job vs. freelancing, insurances, repetition of the job, staying interested in your job, and networking, and the highs and low expectation of contracting throughout a freelancing career. In particular, we dive pretty deep on:

• Aging as you work for yourself
• Energy
• Multiple forms of insurance
• Stability in your career
• Growing in your career
• Living out of a car or small spaces
• Expectation of freelancing
• Boredom on the job
• Finding yourself doing the same thing as your younger peers
• Making a difference in the world
• Having to learn new platforms to keep your career exciting
• Laborious feelings about specialization
• Doing vertical moves, or lateral moves
• Motivation and expertise to advise
• And much more!

Picks: Johnathan

• https://www.crowdcast.io/e/altitude/register
• howtobuildyourfirstproductizedservice.com

Philip

• Crossing the Chasm 

Panel: Reuven Phillip M. In this episode of the Freelancer’s Show speaks with Louis Grenier about Freelance Marketing 101. Louis is a first time guest on the Freelancer’s Show. Louis is the host of the podcast call Everyone Hates Marketers, where he teaches tech and tech marketers to sell more, without shady or “in your face marketing” tactics.  Louis is also the content strategist at the company HotJar Louis and the panel talk about what bad marketing is about, and how you can avoid the pitfalls of bad marketing. Louis cover topics on good marketing vs. bad marketing tactics, understanding your audience, actively researching your audience, and much more. In particular, we dive pretty deep on:

• Understanding the people you are reaching out too
• Treated like numbers
• Psychological Numbing
• Would sleazy marketing work in the long-term
• Good products vs. Bad products
• Researching your audiences and launching
• The long patience way
• Empathy
• Face to Face conferences
• Networking and hassling
• Focus on your bullseye
• Start with the customer, then the type of business you are in
• Be where your customers are - medium.com
• Ask people what they’ve done in the past
• First 3 things to do in freelancing - Don’t quit your job until you have your first paying client, have the skills to do the job, be courageous

Links:

• Everyone Hates Marketers Podcast
• HotJar.com
• [email protected]
• medium.com
• Traction 
• Get Clients Now

Picks: Reuven

• The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone

Louis

• Everyone Hates Marketers

Philip

• Specializing Without Failure

Panel: Jonathan S. Kai Davis Phillip M. In this episode of the Freelancer’s Show the panel does a Q&A show about positioning. The Freelancers answer questions from students and readers for the discussion topic of the episode. The discussion goes focus positioning, marketing yourself, marketing your business, confidence, value proposition, the difference between specialization and positioning, and many more aspects of positioning. In particular, we dive pretty deep on:

• Laser Focus positioning statement and marketing yourself
• Being clear about who you serve
• Reaching goal with the help of employees
• 50% of the business is marketing
• Spreading yourself thin across the company
• Hom page problem
• Credit union
• Waffling and leaving behind confidence
• Confidence is the key element
• Target markets
• Working outside of your focus - will is dilute your credibility
• Specifically focusing your energy
• The difference between positioning and specialization
• Specialization  - Target Market
• Positioning - Pricing, Premium options
• Specialize on a vertical - easier and safer
• and much more.

Links:

• CopyHackers.com

Picks: Jonathan

• Nespresso
• howtobuildyourfirstproductizedservice.com
•  

Kai

• Autoresponder Madness
• carrd.co

Panel: Jonathan S. Kai Davis Phillip M. Special Guest: Jason Scott Montoya In this episode of the Freelancer’s Show welcomes freelancer and author Jason Scott Montoya. The Freelancers dive into a discussion about Jason’s book, “Path of the Freelancer”. Jason defines and outlines freelancing for those on the path or getting started. Jason talks about the 4 stages of freelancing: survivor, dreamer, visionary, and achiever stage. Furthermore, Jason provides what he calls the 8 achievements and a formula of intentionality to streamline your path, workload, to grow your business. Jason helps you to ask yourself the right questions, to gain your full potential, as a freelancer. Listen closely as Jason and the panel outline some frequently asked questions as a freelancer. In particular, we dive pretty deep on:

• A freelancer is someone who works for multiple clients and multiple streams of income.
• A consultant and a freelancer
• Four stages of freelancing
• Stages of maturity
• Managing money
• 8 achievements
• Formula of intentionality
• Arriving a success
• Why am I Freelancing?
• Carrer pivot
• Values, purpose, vision, and mission
• Building a wall of intentionality
• Mission and strategy
• Billing
• You need community to build a virtual sales team
• Gaining clients and building a funnel
• Step by step process, defining your annual income
• Communication and compensation
• Blogging
• and much more.

Links:

• Path of the Freelancer
• Jason Scott Montoya

Picks: Jonathan

• Productive App 
• How To Build Your First Productized Service

Kai

• http://Sweep.cards
• Post It Notes

Phillip

• Celestial Seasons Herbal Tea
• Quitting Soda pop

Jason

• American Made