The Jim Galiano Show: Help for Freelancers & Solopreneurs

https://www.jimgaliano.com

What would a “less moving parts” approach do for your business, both now and in the future?

What if you simplified everything?

I’m talking about marketing and sales.

I’m talking about content creation.

I’m talking about your tools, systems and strategies.

What if all those things started giving more than they were taking?

I’m talking about these things in the context of time, energy and stress.

If that sounds good to you, you'll really like today's podcast.

https://www.jimgaliano.com

Marketing and Self Promotion are tough topics for many people. There are some obvious reasons why. For example, we’re taught from an early age to blend in, not stand out. As a result, we feel more comfortable blending in with the crowd.

This is just one of the many reasons why marketing and promotion goes totally against the grain for most people. Yes, there's a time to be quiet and listen - but there's also a time to stand up and be heard.

In today's podcast, I want to talk about content along with the context it needs to be delivered in to bring above average value to your clients, customers or audience.

https://www.jimgaliano.com

True story – my first job out of college made me want to throw in the towel. I wasn’t trained well. I worked at a snail’s pace and made a lot of mistakes. My boss wasn’t happy, I wasn’t happy, and it wasn’t long before I was fearful of losing my job. A few years later, even my best efforts weren’t getting me very far. Everything was difficult. I found myself unhappy, unfulfilled and stuck.

Maybe you can relate? Getting stuck (and staying that way) makes for the long frustrating journey. If the only change you’re seeing is the calendar dates, it’s time to get unstuck.

I’m talking about starting today. In this podcast, I’d like to share three principles I’ve learned from personal experience. That and a few other thoughts in today's podcast.

Have you hit a plateau in your business? Remember, nothing stays the same for very long. Do you need a new sales process? Or does your very first sales process need to be put into place?

Maybe you need to tweak your big picture approach? Remember, if you find yourself not being able to go all in, there’s a reason why. To really succeed, you need to be at full-strength. If your heart’s not totally in it, you’re not at full strength.

Are you willing to ask the hard questions and get a healthier dose of reality? If this strikes a chord, there may be something you need to hear in today’s podcast.

https://www.jimgaliano.com

The right strategy takes your weaknesses into consideration.

Most people’s egos won’t allow them to do this in a practical sense. They often put a strategy in place that requires them to overcome a weakness or weak area before their plans can work.

They tell themselves, THIS TIME it will be different. I’ve done this myself.

When it isn’t, you’re right back where you started or worse. If you hate selling and you’ve watched 101 videos on how to sell effectively, but you still can’t bring yourself to pick up the phone and call someone, maybe you need a different strategy?

Challenging yourself and personal growth are great. But... if your progress has bogged-down and you seem to be moving forward at a snail’s pace, today’s podcast episode might help you see things in a different light?

https://www.JimGaliano.com. Local clients have been the foundation of my business since first getting started 20+ years ago. I learned from my father (who learned from his father before him) that your business is only as strong as your connection to your clients and customers. In today’s podcast, I want to share with you how you can create a NEW content channel – just for your clients.

By staying connected to your existing clients, you’ll be able to provide them with ongoing value – layer upon layer, week after week or month after month.

With a “client content plan” in place, you’ll never be out of sight, out of mind again. Absence may make the heart grow fonder when it comes to matters of the heart, but it will do just the opposite when it comes to business.

If the only content you send like clockwork is an invoice, that needs to change.

Don’t give competitors the chance to woo your clients away with promises of the grass being greener in their field. Start your local client podcast, video show, or newsletter now and start solidifying your position as soon as possible!

A few years ago, I saw the “warning signs” in my own industry. Times were changing, and once again, I needed to change with them. In hindsight, the trends become even more apparent. You can graph it like a stairway that evens out before the next drop. I don’t have to convince you how stressful that can be.

With each drop, more companies exit the marketplace. Some big, some small. In short, you adapt or you’re gone. In today’s podcast, I’m going to be sharing more insights into what I now believe is the perfect “adaptation business model” for the one or two-person business owner. Even those who’ve been around a while can benefit from this approach.

So, if you’re ready for something better, listen closely and give yourself the next several days to process the information shared in today’s podcast episode.

You have a skill you’ve built a business around. You’re experiencing some level of success. You’re connected to or partially connected to a group of people, a market, or a niche of some kind.

You’re moving forward, but you’re really starting to feel the pressure. You’re feeling the pressure to be creative. You’re feeling the pressure to impress. You’re feeling the pressure to sell. You’re feeling the pressure to grow an email list, a following and possibly a dozen other things.

The truth is, you can only take so much pressure or stress before misery sets in. You can only do so much before you feel completely overwhelmed.

Thankfully, there’s another way and you have other options. I’ll be sharing these along with a few other thoughts in today’s podcast.

“A vision without strategy remains an illusion” – Lee Bolman

“The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do” – Michael Porter

There was a time when “let’s just wait and see how things work out” was my go-to strategy. When nothing much seemed to work out, I knew it was time for a change.

Here we are today, almost halfway through February of 2019. For many of you reading this, it’s time for a change. It’s time for a new strategy because nothing significant will probably happen without one. Deep down inside, I think you know it.

The time for pushing things off until “tomorrow” has passed. Tomorrow has finally become today. If I’m talking to YOU, I encourage you to join me for today’s podcast.

Recently, while talking with a prospective client, they asked, “Why should we pay x-number of dollars per month for someone to tick a few boxes and click update?” It was a direct question, not meant to offend. After I shared the complete picture of running and maintaining a website (including the marketing aspect), their understanding shifted. Five years ago, questions like this were never asked.

As technology advances and becomes easier for the average person to use, the value of the “Geek, Nerd or Techie” is affected. “Can’t do without” starts to morph into “can do without – much of the time.” Still, as a service provider, your skill set goes far beyond how to make stuff work right, look good and do what others need to have done.

As a business owner yourself, you’ve experienced the ins and outs of navigating the online world of websites, social media, SEO, email, and so on. Between your friends and yourself, you probably have a small treasure trove of information your clients would find valuable.

Maybe you’re more of an artist or designer than a Geek? This situation is pretty much the same. Is the answer to completely reinvent yourself? Thankfully, no. Business still need what you have, but they’re also in need of some real advice and guidance in 2019. They need it from people who are out there, in the trenches every day, just like you and I are.

Think about it. In a foreign land, the right guide can be worth their weight in gold. If you’re willing to couple your personal experience with your technical expertise you can become that guide!

Some thoughts on this topic and more in today’s podcast.