Rules of the game (key lesson points)

YOU HAVE ONE CHANCE TO IMPRESS

• Everything needs to be properly aligned

• There’s no room for mistakes

• No room for doubt

• It will take hard work

MAKE THEM FEEL SPECIAL

• Treat each valuable client personally and with care

• Go the extra mile to treat them as if they were the only one

• Give them special treatment

• Communicate appropriately

GO FURTHER

• Be flexible (delivery, pricing, terms, partnerships)

• Be proactive

• Think outside the box

• Communicate at any time

• Sacrifice to go further

• You can do anything if the price is right

INVEST IN LONG TERM RELATIONSHIPS

• Create partnerships with clients

• Always provide value

• Be proactive

• Don’t be greedy

LOVE WHAT YOU DO

• Attract the right clients

• Be excited and contaminate your clients with that excitement

• Have fun and stand out

• Relate to your clients and keep them close

• Show passion

• Get to know what your clients want

My experience with high-value clients (key lesson points)

• I have found them in places where there’s no competition

• I always tell people what I do and why I’m passionate about it

• I take risks, when it works I find long-lasting relationships

• I value my clients

• I always provide value; I’m an investment not an expense

• I give an incredibly personalized service

• I commit and solve some problems even when I don’t know the right answer

• I do the work no matter what it takes

• I give my clients more than what they asked for

• I value my services and I’m not afraid to charge for them

• I raise my prices

• I can compromise and make deals in order to get the job done

• I always take care of my reputation wherever I go

Positioning yourself (key lesson points)

• You need to be prepared to make big changes to your service

• You have to take risks

• It’s going to take more effort and it’s going to be a longer run, but the benefits will be incredible

• Keep in mind that all high-value clients need suppliers of some sort

• You don’t always need a big team

• Create your brand

• Perfect your process and align it to the client's needs

• Have a portfolio and presentation always ready

• Become an investment not an expense

• Network and tell everyone what you do

How to stand out from the competition (key lesson points)

PREPARATION

• You need to be willing to invest time

• Confidence is key and assurance that the project is completed (you solve problems)

• Find your niche and exploit it

• Build an ideal client persona

• Invest time in your brand, it should match your ask

• Focus on improving your service

• Be proud of what you do

• Make sure your website is complete and professional

• Build a great portfolio and always have it with you

• Base it on quality, not quantity

• Have different portfolios or case studies based on the type of client

• Set your prices right

  
  

FINDING CLIENTS

• Find businesses that need your help and recognize great opportunities.

• You solve problems for clients

• Create a list of potential clients

• Get to know how these businesses operate and how they outsource

• Map a strategy to approach the clients

• Recognize great opportunities

• Be always ready to pitch

• Find great partners

• Look for Facebook groups with business owners and influential people

• Stay in one place for a long time

• Create a reputation around yourself

• Go to places where there’s less competition

  
  

TALKING TO CLIENTS

• Don’t compete on price, compete on value

• Be proactive and up-sell yourself

• Be honest and realistic about what you can do

• Focus on the clients and give them confidence that you’re right for the job

• Let your personality shine and be empathetic

• Connect with clients who value your work through referrals and vetted platforms

• Position yourself to demonstrate your value

• Ask questions

• What is their time worth?

• What is the value they want you to bring to the table?

• What is their ultimate goal?

  
  

DELIVERING WORK

• Call or email as soon as clients reach out

• ALWAYS deliver value

• Tailor solutions

Determine your value (key lesson points)

MEASURING YOUR CLIENT

• Talk about your value in your client’s language

• Measure your potential clients

  • Geography

  • Size of the company

  • Industry

MEASURE YOUR VALUE

• Experience

• Expertise

• Competition

• Measure what value you bring to the table

  • Set realistic goals

• Identify your target annual income

• Calculate your hourly rate as a good reference point

  • Your hourly rate should be your minimum cost

• How much do you want to make a year?

  • Take into account additional costs (health, taxes, benefits)

    • Costs of business

    • Costs of living (costs less if you travel)

  • How long do you want to work? (Working hours per year)

    • Deduct holidays, sick leave, bank holidays

    • Billable time (75%)

• Measure yourself and have guidelines for every type of project you work on

Real-life bidding examples (key lesson points)

COST PLUS PRICING

Pros

• It’s simple

• It covers costs

Cons

• Not based on the value of the project

  
  

COMPETITOR PRICING

Pros

• It’s simple

• It covers costs

Cons

• Not based on the value of the project

• Customers can go somewhere else

  
  

VALUE-BASED PRICING

Pros

• It has immense profit potential

• You look for the best possible outcome

• Great for your portfolio and growth

Cons

• Harder to estimate

• Takes longer to bid

• Harder to convince clients

How to pitch to a high-value client (key lesson points)

PREPARATION

• Establish yourself as someone that’s priced on value

• Do Some Digging

• Take the time to understand what success means to the client

• Identify customers with a real need for additional services

• Pitch to the right person/company

• Establish credibility

• Show the benefits

  • No hidden costs

  • Shows commitment

  • Less administration

  • Builds trusting relationships (the client isn’t penalized for mistakes

  • Conversations are focused on value, not time

• Personalize and speak to their needs

• Sell your strengths

  • Always say you’re an investment

• Don’t beg

• Don’t negotiate your rate in the first meeting

Anatomy of a great pitch (key lesson points)

MAKE IT SHORT AND SWEET

• Tell Engaging Stories

• Problem

• Solution

• Practical Plan

• Talk about benefits

• Convey a Single (Focused) Message

• Follow available guidelines (tone, structure, etc.)

• Craft unique selling points and titles

• Use a visually appealing structured layout

• Be concise

  
  

FOCUS ON THE CLIENT

• Know the client, or type of client, to whom you’re pitching

• Find a relevant and interesting angle that you can relate to

• Do your research

  
  

CREATE AN AMAZING COVER SLIDE

ADD A VALUE PROPOSITION

• Anticipate and answer questions

• Establish a need

  
  

CRAFT A POWERFUL STORY

• Use images if you can

  
  

SELL ENTICING SOLUTIONS

• Add value (State your competitive advantage)

• Introduce your team (if you have one)

  
  

INCLUDE PROOFS

• Select and include relevant samples (Show, don’t tell)

  
  

ADD A CLEAR CALL-TO-ACTION

ADD CLEAR PRICE POINTS

• Create a bid

• Allow room for mistakes

• Don’t relate it to an hourly rate

• How much would you have to pay someone else to do the job

  
  

CREATE AN ENGAGING QUESTION

FOCUS ON GRAMMAR AND SPELLING

• Proofread!

• Don’t just copy (be smart)

Make the most out of every client (key lesson points)

BEFORE YOU START

• Provide a transparent pricing breakdown

• Bill 50% upfront

• Make it easy to get payed

• Insist on a contract

• Set and track measurable goals

  
  

WHILST WORKING

• Start providing value as soon as possible with quick wins (executing isn’t enough)

• Don’t wait for permission to do more

• If you don’t ask, the answer will always be no

• Time upsells with milestones

• Pitch ideas -- not just upgrades

• Listen Between The Lines

• Become indispensable

  
  

KEEPING LONG TERM RELATIONSHIPS

• Easier to keep an old client than to make a new one

  • Engage them

• Communication is key

• Email

  • Email 1: What you plan on getting done this week

  • Email 2: What you actually got done this week

• Maintain Professionalism At All Times

• Zero Lateness

• Be Flexible With Rates

• Never allow for misunderstanding of deadlines

• Don’t change the goalposts

• Never allow projects to grow without being open and honest about what’s happening

Avoid pitfalls (key lesson points)

GENERAL POINTERS

• Understand variable workloads and income

• Maintain mentor-ship and learn all the time

• Take care of administrative responsibilities

  • Taxes

  • Expenses

• Always price yourself right

  
  

WHEN TRAVELLING

• Take care of your mental/physical health

• Overcome cultural differences and inflexibility

• Stay connected and avoid isolation

• Avoid road fatigue

• Stay focused and disciplined and define clear goals

• Avoid working 24/7

  
  

STARTING A JOB

• Create a simple contract

  • Name client

  • Date

  • Deliverables (dates)

  • Terms and conditions

  • Copyright

  • Payment

  • Termination

• Manage client expectations

• Uncover what clients truly care about

• Layout clear plans of action

• Layout clear results and delivery of items

• Build relationships

• Agree with the client how and when you will communicate

  
  

HANDLING CLIENTS

• Get paid first - 50% deposit

• Get paid 25% - 3/4 through job

• Paid on delivery - 25% or at 30 days

• Talk about problems upfront

• Use a traffic light system

• Streamline administration work

• Build trust through communication

• Always be clear

• Structure your ‘to do’ list

• Schedule to-dos online for the client to see

• Identify key accounts

• Qualify interruptions and assign a specific time to talk

• Lower paying clients to pay less and are harder to deal with

• Maintain business and friendship apart

• Never settle for mediocre/cheap/bad clients

• If you can’t deliver, let the client know and exit without ruining your reputation

How to get paid properly (key lesson points)

PAYMENT

• Figure out how much you can keep

• Some jobs might bring more money, but less profit

• Define what kind of price you’ll have

  • Hourly

  • Project-based

  • Productized services

  • Tier based

  • Salary

  • Cost-plus pricing

  • Competitor pricing

  • Value-based pricing

• Recognize That People Are Buying Time

• Always charge (People VALUE What They Pay For)

  • Charging $1 is better than giving it away for free.

• Figure out how much value are you giving the client

• Set your policies

  • What payment mode will you use – cash, checks or credit cards?

  • How much should the client pay as a down payment?

  • Will you begin the work without any payments?

  • How many days you will wait before the client pays?

  • Are you going to impose penalties for late payments?

  • When will the client receive the final work – before or after making payments?

• Keep a record of invoices

  • Parts of an invoice

  • A professional header

  • The client’s contact information

  • Invoice details

    • Number your invoices

• Include your contact details

• Include payment details

  
  

TAXES

• The difference between residency & citizenship

• Types of Tax Regulations

• Double Taxation Treaties

• You are NOT Your Company

  • Paying a salary

  • Paying dividends

• The problem with current tax regulations and digital nomads

• Why digital nomad tax is so complicated

• Pay tax in your “home” country

• The benefits of using a company

• Basing your company elsewhere

Growing and finding new opportunities (key lesson points)

• Keep up with trends

• Don’t be afraid of change

• Always make your business better

• Always ask for reviews from your clients

• Track everything you do

• Look outside the box

• Always look for opportunities

• Be ready

• Keep excellent relationships with your clients

Get the most out of this course.

We have designed this course so that you can apply each of the lessons really quickly. This way you can systematically improve your freelance business without having to do a lot of work. We recommend doing one thing at a time, at your own pace, so you do not get overwhelmed and get the best results.

Feel free to skip things that are not important for your business.

The idea is to get the most impact with as little work as possible.

We have divided each lesson into 4 parts: Title, Content, Actionable Advice and an Example.

In the Assets folder you will find a checklist that makes the knowledge easy to apply and help you keep track of what you've completed.

Selfish vs. Selfless

To be selfish is to put one’s own interests and needs above those of others, while to be selfless is to put the needs and interests of others above one’s own.

In the context of creative freelancers, selflessness might mean considering the needs and desires of their clients and the end users of their work, and striving to create work that serves a higher purpose or has a positive impact on others. Being selfish, on the other hand, means that creative freelancers focus solely on their own success and financial gain without considering the needs and desires of their clients or the impact of their work on others.

The choice between selfishness and selflessness is a personal one, but in general, a selfless creative freelancer can lead to more fulfilling and meaningful work, as well as stronger relationships with clients and end users.

Actionable Advice

Find purpose and passion in your work: Try to find meaning in your work beyond financial gain. Look for opportunities to create work that serves a higher purpose or has a positive impact on others.

Example

I’m passionate about environmental sustainability, education and health.

Emotional Intelligence

It’s easy to blame clients for everything that happens in our business. These human interactions can be intense, irrational and superficial.

It’s important as a freelancer to develop emotional intelligence to understand clients and create quality relationships that not only drive our business, but more importantly, ourselves.

Actionable Advice

Identify your strengths in these areas:

Self-awareness: understanding one’s own feelings, strengths and limitations

Self-regulation: controlling one’s emotions and impulses

Motivation: using emotions to guide actions and achieve goals

Empathy: understanding and sharing the feelings of others

Social skills: maintaining relationships and building networks

Example

Rate yourself in each area:

Self-awareness: 4

Self-regulation: 7

Motivation: 5

Empathy: 8

Social skills: 8

Bad Client vs. Good Client

Try the following experiment:

Deliver exactly the same amount and quality of work to a bad client and to a good client. You will find that you can charge the good client much more for the same work whilst maintaining a smooth relationship and delivering value.

Only work for good clients that value what you do.

Actionable Advice

Find out exactly what your ideal client wants to achieve. This information will help you understand what is valuable and worth spending money on. It will also help you understand which customers are worth pursuing where value is the currency.

Example (restaurant web designer)

Clients want to rent out their premises and have big parties. This makes them a lot of money and they can cook in large quantities. Create a website that helps them collect leads and sell that service based on what you can enable the business to do.