Issue #44 - August 14th, 2015 - Freelancing Digest

One thing I love about running my own business is that I can make changes rapidly and experiment with new ideas anytime.

This issue is one experiment. Let me know what you think.

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Motivation is a tricky concept. It sounds great "to be motivated by this" or "to drum up motivation for a project". But the more I learn about, the more I want to call BS on the entire concept of motivation. In Motivation < Action Paul Jarvis writes how motivation is easy to lose and once you lose it, you’ve giving yourself an excuse to slack off. I agree with him. I don’t rely on motivation anymore (or at least try not to). If I want to do something or achieve some result, I focus on the action I need to take in order to reach it. If I’m slacking I don’t blame motivation, it’s my fault because I’m not taking action. Life gets better when you’re the one in control (your actions) vs when something else is in control (that nebulous motivation).

Pricing services is probably in the top three questions I get from freelancers and consultants. The questions vary but they basically center around

"I want to charge more because… well MORE MONEY but not so much to scare off the client. What do I do?"

One technique I used a lot and I’ve seen other consultants use with great results is presenting multiple prices to your client. Naomi Dunford’s What Is Price Anchoring? (And Should You Do It?) goes into this complex topic in a nice, simple way. When you offer multiple prices to a client, they can pick the range that works best for them. If you have time-based rates: make the different levels have different time commitments (10 hours, 20 hours, 40 hours). This worked wonders for my close rate when I did it.

The Freelancer’s Guide to Long-Term Contracts (theadmin.org) SPONSOR

Long-term contracts have been the one technique that really made my freelance business a success. So successful in fact that I’m able to work one week each month, taking the rest of the month off, and still make enough to live off of. This training teaches you how.

Quick Links

Free until Monday – The Creative Professional’s Guide to Better Proposals (amazon.com)

Does it make sense to sell unrelated services to clients? (doubleyourfreelancing.com)

Should I outsource my content marketing or sales? (doubleyourfreelancing.com)

Simple freelance business bookkeeping tips to help you not get killed at tax time (guerrillafreelancing.com)

Freelancers’ Show Investing In Your Business with Equipment, Software, and Other Services (devchat.tv)

Cards & ePayments: The Future of Small Business (freshbooks.com)

Measure the Right Things (curtismchale.ca)

How To Be a Diva Freelance Copywriter (copyhackers.com)

Liston Witherill: The Role of Copywriting in Positioning (consultingpipelinepodcast.com)

On Collaboration and Learning Lessons as a Freelancer (creativeclass.io)

How to Create a Winning Consulting Offer (consultingsuccess.com)