How To Get and Use Customer Feedback
Posted November 17, 2008 in Business, How-To 11 Rockin' Comments »
Customer Feedback – it’s that vital information from your clients that tells you how well you are doing at the tasks you perform for them.
There are many ways to use feedback to grow your business. You can use it to:
- Discover what you are doing well.
- Generate new ideas based on your client’s comments.
- Learn new directions that your business could expand into.
- Identify situations where you need to be more careful.
- Determine areas where your skills need improvement.
35+ Social Media Tools That Make Life Easier
Posted November 14, 2008 in Productivity, Tools/Resources 97 Rockin' Comments »
Millions of people use social media on a regular basis, and many more are joining the ranks every single day.
With the number of people involved, and the enormous amount of time we all spend using social media, it’s only natural to try to save some time and make life easier on yourself.
We’ve compiled this list for just that purpose — over 35 tools that can help you do more with social media in less time.
Social Aggregators
EventBox is a mac-only program that integrates the top 5-6 social networks into a single program. From the looks of the site, it’s pretty too.
50% Off IttyBiz Online Business School — Earn More With Multiple Income Streams
Posted November 13, 2008 in News 2 Rockin' Comments »
A few months ago we let you guys in early when Theme Forest was launching, and today we have another great deal for you.
Yesterday, Naomi Dunford and her company IttyBiz launched a product called Online Business School, which is basically a six module course on how to earn more money by using several streams of income.
Naomi has unique experience with this — not only through making $176,000 herself last year — but also by coaching many other freelancers to the same success. And she’s written for FreelanceFolder, which is definitely a good sign :-)
Why is this interesting for freelancers? You already know how much freelance work can vary, so I’m sure you’ll agree that adding couple of extra dollars of steady income can’t hurt. Naomi’s course teaches you how to do exactly that — and she’s promised to hold your hand the entire way. Plus there is the the usual 100% money-back guarantee if you aren’t happy.
So What’s the Deal?
The deal is this — there are 2000 copies of Online Business School that are selling for 50% off. Most of that batch went to Naomi’s close friends, but there are still enough copies left that if you go quickly a good number of FreelanceFolder readers can get the discount. I wouldn’t wait too long, though.
In summary:
- Naomi made $176,000 last year and she’s promised to teach you how.
- You can use that knowledge to nicely pad your freelancing income.
- If necessary she’ll walk you through the entire process, by hand.
- This isn’t just another crappy online product, these are rock solid business tactics
- The course is 100% guaranteed. If you’re not happy, you get your money back
And if you get there quickly you’ll get the whole thing for 50% off
The Fast, Good and Cheap Pricing Method
Posted November 12, 2008 in Business 61 Rockin' Comments »
Have you ever heard of the Fast, Good, Cheap pricing method?
The idea is that clients should only be able to choose 2 of these 3 words, and you have to keep this in mind when pricing your next job. If you don’t, your work / income / career could be suffering.
Fast, Good or Cheap — Choose Two
If you allow your clients to have fast, good, cheap work designed by yourself then most likely you are working your butt off for very little return which is why you must allow them to choose a combination of two only — either good & fast, good & cheap, fast & cheap.
Below are some explanations of why and when to use each type of pricing method along with their advantages and disadvantages.
5 Brand-Building Actions Every Freelancer Should Take Now
Posted November 11, 2008 in How-To, Marketing 22 Rockin' Comments »
When it comes to creating a steady stream of clients, your brand isn’t just something that helps — it’s a make-or-break part of the deal.
If you don’t deliver a brand that’s powerful and memorable the very first time a potential client comes across your website or blog, you’re taking the risk of being passed over for someone else who is.
Check out this list of branding essentials to make sure you’re not giving up any business that you don’t have to.
Open Thread: Is Your Freelance Business Incorporated?
Posted November 10, 2008 in Business, Open Thread 13 Rockin' Comments »
A few of us have been having a discussion in the forums about the value of freelancers being official and creating a corporate entity like an LLC or S-Corp.
On the positive side, having a corporation limits your liability for anything the business does, and gives you some (but not complete) protection from lawsuits.
Incorporating is also thought to make the IRS less likely to audit your business tax deductions, and depending on where you incorporate it might save you some money on taxes too. For international readers, this will of course vary by country :-)
The negative side of incorporation is that you will have additional paperwork every year, and it does cost money up front. Depending on how and where you file your taxes, it may also be more expensive on a yearly basis. The big question is: do these negatives outweigh the benefits?
So, are you incorporated?
If you aren’t, how come?
If you are, what type, and what have you found?
7 Tips for Making Email More Effective
Posted November 7, 2008 in How-To, Productivity 25 Rockin' Comments »
E-mail. If you’re a web-worker then this is probably your primary means of communication with your clients. Even if you aren’t a web-worker you probably use email very frequently.
Getting e-mail communication right is important — no absolutely vital — to the success of your business.
In fact, for today’s business owner, an e-mail contact can be as an important as a face-to-face contact. That’s why smart entrepreneurs strive to become email ninjas that make the best possible impression on their clients.
In this post we’ll offer a few few pointers on how to improve your e-mail communication skills to make the best possible impression.
Here are seven tips for creating more effective e-mails that you can use right away:
[Click Here to Read More...]
10 SEO Techniques All Top Web Sites Should Use
Posted November 5, 2008 in Tools/Resources, Web Design 218 Rockin' Comments »
We recently discussed the 15 Key Elements All Top Web Sites Should Have. This post focused on elements relating to design, content and development. This time, we’ll move onto the important issue of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
SEO is such a hot topic these days. How do you get your web site within the first page or two of the search engines? How do you increase your Google page rank?
There are companies who dedicate themselves full time to doing SEO at a pretty penny. Something a lot of people can’t necessarily afford to pay for or spend the time on.
However, there are some simple things you can do when building your site that will help increase your chances of having good results. In no particular order, below are 10 of these items…
Interview With Designer Extraordinaire — Liam McKay of Function
Posted November 4, 2008 in Interviews, Web Design 13 Rockin' Comments »
Hey everyone! Today we have an interview with Liam McKay of Function – Web Design and Development. I’ve had the pleasure of connecting with Liam on multiple occasions both via his design blog and also via Twitter and I’m very happy Liam accepted the invitation for this interview! Hope you like it!
Jon: Hi Liam! First I’d like to thank you for taking the time for this interview. Can you tell us a little about yourself, what you do and where you’re from?
[Click Here to Read More...]
Try searching "Getting Clients" or "Productivity"
FreelanceCommunity
Free Resource: Massive Web UI and Button Set
This is a free photoshop set provided by MediaLoot with hundreds of free buttons, boxes, and other useful web elements.5 Fresh and Useful jQuery Plugins Were Born in November 2009
In November 2009, 5 jQuery plugins were born that are new and useful for web designers. Read this post to learn more.How Well Do You Understand CSS Positioning?
The css position property seems easy to grasp, but it works a little differently than it appears on the surface.
Free Report
Sign up for our product discount list to get a free copy of Why Some Freelancers Thrive and Others Barely Survive. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Popular Articles
- SEO Techniques All Top Websites Should Use
- When a Client Can't Afford You: Why It's Still Better to Bid High
- How To Stop Scrambling For Clients And Get A Steady Stream Of Paying Gigs
- A Simple Way To Stop Clients From Rejecting Your Proposals
- 3 Reasons Your Rates Are Still Low (And How To Start Raising Them)
