Freelance Jumpstart Podcast

I've seen this Fiverr commercial popup on my YouTube hundreds of times, however, I noticed a fatal flaw with the commercial and if you learn from this flaw it can be the key to standing out and making more money as a creative.

In this episode of traffic talk, someone asked a question of what to do when a client they were speaking with on the regular suddenly "disappeared". Should they move on or wait on the client?

With all that is going on during this global panic we have been restricted to our homes but what can we do with the time we have and how will it impact our businesses? 

Two main questions from the video:

• 4:50 = What have you been neglecting in your business?
• 6:10 = What will you do when the panic is over?

I woke up in the morning, and with sleep still in my eyes stumbled to my desktop computer to check any messages that would call for my attention. I saw a new post in the Futur Pro Group, which knocked the sleep out of my eyes and immediately spurred me to look for a flight to Los Angeles. 

Chris Do, the founder of The Futur, posted an update mentioning that he would host an in-person meet up for networking, teaching, and an opportunity to use their studios to create content. 

For those unaware, The Futur is a content and education platform that leverages video and distance-based learning models and connects a global community of creative thinkers and entrepreneurs. This is how design education will be taught in the future.

The weekend was full of value and the opportunity to meet design leaders from all over the globe. Rather than talk about how good it was, I wanted to sum up the top 5 takeaways from the weekend, which you can apply to your business today.

1) Learn To Introduce Yourself

One of the first things we did when entering the meetup weekend was to introduce ourselves. It seemed simple enough, but there was a certain way in which we were supposed to go about introducing ourselves. 

Stand up in front of a room of creatives professionals and say the following:

• Say your name
• Describe a problem businesses have
• Describe how you solve that problem
• Describe what you use to solve that problem

The key is each of these items must be covered in about 10 seconds.

I said the following:

My name is Nathan Allotey, and you know how businesses describe their product in a way that doesn’t connect with their target audience? I help brands position their product around their unique value using design and digital marketing strategy.

If you can get down your “elevator pitch” as a part of introducing yourself, it can lead the conversation toward securing new clients faster.

2) Build Relationships

I have a confession. I thought going to the Futur meant that I would be able to rub shoulders with the leaders of the Futur and make a good impression on them. The real key is not the fact you get to meet up with Chris Do and the team (even though they are cool). The real value is found in conversations with creative professionals you meet from all over the globe. 

The weekend is about learning but also building relationships, and that is a skill that is needed when working with clients. Not every client interaction will lead to a sale, and as a creative professional, you need to master the art of getting to know someone and play the long game. Some leads will take multiple interactions before officially becoming your client.

3) Collaborate With Others

For the longest time in my business, I was a “one-man army.” I learned how to do everything from copywriting to website design and even brand strategy; however, this creates a considerable dilemma. I am limited by my time, and if I genuinely want to get clients who have larger budgets, then I will have to collaborate with others to do so. 

Going to the meet up allowed me to meet other creative professionals, but there is a hidden bonus here. The Futur has a certain standard of creative professional they are teaching. Most people are not only good at what they do, but they have the business acumen to tie their work to a result. I can’t tell you the benefit of working with someone that already knows brand strategy, and I don’t have to attempt to teach it to them; this alone is a great value. 

My dilemma of looking for other creatives to land larger budget projects may be solved. 

4) Try Something New

During one of our after-hour sessions, someone asked a question, “Should I pay $2,500 to join an elite business group of female CEOs?” The group is full of their target audience, but they were not sure if paying this amount would ensure they get clients. Chris Do posed a simple question, is what you’re doing working? The simplicity of the question made the room go silent, but it was a question that caused everyone to think. Sure, $2,500 may be quite a bit of money, but if it yields at least one client, then return on investment could be tenfold. 

If you are trying something in your business and you’ve been doing the same thing over with mediocre results, it may be time to switch things up and try something new. Going to the Futur Pro Group meetup in LA was something new for me, and it inspired me to take more risks (calculated risks) in my own business going forward. 

5) Learn To Listen

During another one of our after-hours Q&A sessions, one of the pro group members had a question. Many people around the room were anxious to answer this question, but Chris Do stressed that the more important thing was to ask the right questions and listen to the person rather than jump to give a solution. 

Diagnosis is more important than presenting a solution. Chris even shared that he has won clients over by being the agency that took the time to listen the most. Clients can feel when someone cares about them or whether you are simply after their money.

These are my 5 takeaways, of course, there are many more things I could share from the weekend, but I’m a firm believer in putting what you know into practice before trying to learn something else. These 5 items are not unique to my experience, and if you’re able to put them into practice, I’m sure some good will come out of it.

In this episode of traffic talk we look to answer a question about how to answer clients when they say your quote is too high.

For more context here is the original question:

Recently send out a quote to a prospective client and they said my quote was on the high side? How do I approach this nicely without giving too much discount?

Freelancers out there, how do you price your services? I’m a digital marketer.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• https://nathanallotey.com/resources/10-must-ask-questions-guide/
• https://nathanallotey.com/tv/064-productized-consulting-with-jane-portman/
• https://nathanallotey.com/resources/the-price-is-wrong-lecture/

As we enter the holiday season and many people get into goal setting mode, I want to draw your attention to the fact that it is okay to take a moment, reflect not he year and be thankful for what you have thus far. Don’t get so caught up in what YOU WANT that you forget what YOU HAVE.

Gratitude and thankfulness make you value your interactions with others and make you overall more appreciative.

This video is a remake or update to similar video that I created 4 years ago: https://youtu.be/DCidoxluWKU

(It sounds so crazy to say 4 years ago. Wow the fact that I have been creating content for 4 years is amazing.)

Happy Holidays!

 

A rookie freelancer has landed their first client and they are debating on whether or not they should let their client know they are the first client they ever had.

For context:

Should I Let them know they're my first client?

An opportunity to freelance recently fell in my lap and I'm not sure what to discuss with my first client. I've read the sidebar when it comes to pricing and scope (still working on it), but I don't want to ask for too much $$$ and underperform and vice versa. I also have to make a contract and invoice for the client and I don't want to back myself into a corner I can't get out of.

When you dealt with your first client, did you let them know upfront that they were your first client and there may be hiccups along the way? Or did you make sure as many issues as possible were wrinkled out before looking for clients?

If you're looking to positioning yourself as an expert there are two core elements that serve as necessities to positioning: pricing and perception. Both must be used in order for any brand to be positioned for high-value clients.

A videographer agreed to create a video for a client. After viewing the first draft the client wanted to completely start over even though the client signed off on the storyboard. Rather than start from scratch the freelancer refunded the client and wants to know how to prevent this in the future.

Question

Giving a client a refund, did I do something wrong?

Context:

I charged a client $1500 for a full day of shooting (4k) and editing, in addition to 3-4 hours of marketing work. He gave me a 50% deposit ($750) before I started any work. When I sent him the rough cut, he wasn't happy and was expecting something else. Something more "grand" as he put it for the amount of money he's spending.

He even went on to send me another video (which was a completely diff style) he made for only $200, which I thought was a bad move, but whatever. How can I clear up this kind of misunderstand next time? I gave him a storyboard, he's seen some of my work, I explained to him what it would be like, but then I have to deal with this.

Recently the chicken sandwich challenge was a craze that hit social media and the battle between Chick-Fil-A and Popeyes raged on. Looking at this example we see a strong example of marketing versus branding.