If you're like most freelancers and consultants, you run your sales process much like a typical scoping project. You try to figure out what the client wants you to do and you then nail down what the scope will be. But that's a problem. The clients aren't actually hiring you because of what you can do. They're hiring you because of where you can take them. If you go back to the earlier post, "How to sell advisory services", you'll recall that the first part of my advisory value proposition is tra...
Aug 20, 2020•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Michelle asked a great question that I think applies to most people in this group. She asked: “Do I need to know the ins and outs of PPC advertising or can i get away with knowing when and how to figure out if it's the best marketing strategy for my client? I'm a big hands on learner person. I love learning all I can. Thoughts?” My answer? No. You shouldn't (and can't) learn everything about everything. Like she suggested, you do need to know when it's the right strategy for your client. General...
Aug 14, 2020•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast The secret sauce to advising your clients is to act as if they were your own family. Here's how I approach my work and how you can do the same, even if you're just getting started in a strategy role. Yours, —k
Aug 13, 2020•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast I had a good question from Taylor, who does content marketing and copywriting. He asks : When I was in the PR world, I understood exactly the relationship between myself, the ad agencies, the media buyers, etc. And even though there was some (aka a ton) of overlap and grey area, I understood how to approach it as far as which aspects should really be handled by me even though the others technically had the capabilities to do it. And I understood how to craft a strategy that encompassed all of us...
Aug 12, 2020•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast In response to my last post on how to sell advisory retainers , Michelle asked: How do you price the extra implementation work? I get into trouble [because I] end up doing a lot of the work and in the long run the advising and strategy are where I make my most money. I think it's harder with Brand than simply Marketing alone. I usually do a brand and marketing audit and then build in workshops for brand dev and move into the cmo role from there. It usually leaves me feeling confused about which ...
Aug 11, 2020•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Here's a response to a question from a new member of the group about how to research and choose a niche. She's got a Fractional CMO positioning and not getting enough traction. Chances are, I told her, it's because it doesn't speak to a specific enough market vertical. So, she's asked a few questions about how to find, research, and select a niche (and some stuff about SEO work she's currently doing, which is relevant). Yours, —k
Aug 07, 2020•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ever since I started specializing in a market vertical (coworking) I've been able to really start systemizing and productizing my work. It's had a massive impact, both for me and my clients. Not only does it allow me to be more efficient, I also get to work with more clients and produce a consistent result for them time after time. Everything from how I package, sell, onboard, and run my client engagements is systemized using a combination of email templates, documents, a Basecamp project, and m...
Aug 06, 2020•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Want to leave your job and get started in freelancing or consulting? Well, I've got some advice for you. Yours, —k
Aug 05, 2020•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast I've never hard to rely on outreach to get clients. But I do spend a lot of time creating content, so that could be why. Although, sometimes it can be necessary—especially when you're just getting started. But you don't want to rely on it. Here are some thoughts on how to use outreach to get new clients (if that's what you need to do). Cheers! —k
Aug 04, 2020•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Thinking of selling one to many offers? Subscriptions, memberships, and group coaching are great ways to generate income on your path towards more leverage. But if you don't plan the business model right, you could end up with a model that isn't aligned with your members/clients. In this episode, I chat about some of the distinct elements of each and how to price them so they make sense for everyone. Here's some rough notes I used for the episode: 1. Subscription (content, media company model) N...
Aug 03, 2020•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sukiyabashi Jiro is a 10-seat restaurant located underground next to the entrance of a train station. And yet, this is one of the most prestigious restaurants in the world. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend watching Jiro Dreams of Sushi, a documentary about sushi chef, Jiro Ono, and his Michelin three-star restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro. Listen to this post to see how it inspired me to use scarcity to create a more premium positioning during my sales process. And for more inspiration,...
Aug 01, 2020•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast What if you could buy an air conditioner/furnace from someone who only made money on the service, not the actual unit. As it stands, HVAC providers sell the furnace AND installation. And that puts you, the buyer, at odds with their interest. They want to sell you the most expensive unit. What if, instead, they carried a wide range of options and didn't limit themselves to a few available options. In this case, they could actually advise you on what the right unit is for you. No up-sells, no push...
Jul 31, 2020•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Most people start off selling implementation work before being able to sell advice. If that's you, I recommend one of these two options if you wish to transition into selling advice. 1. Offer it as a tier of service in your proposals 2. Offer a fractional CMO/managed marketing service The second one will severely limit you in terms of how many clients you can take on, but at least you can begin to: get paid a full rate for your skills (without marking up others' work) stop doing the work yoursel...
Jul 29, 2020•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is a follow up episode from two days ago. I want you to listen to this and empathize with your clients' inner world when faced with the decisions you help them make. To summarize, I'm finally ready to buy a new AC machine. It's been an interesting experience navigating a world I have no knowledge or experience about. Luckily, I have a friend who is an HVAC expert. He's been my trusted advisor. And if it weren't for him, I definitely would have ended up making the wrong decision (or complete...
Jul 29, 2020•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast Clients will come to you and prescribe a solution to their problem. But that doesn't mean you need to listen to them. In fact, you need to do your own investigation first. You need to diagnose their situation, find out what future state they're looking for, why it matters, what the financial impact will be, and only THEN do you decide how to get there and what it should cost. Not only does this help keep everyone focused on what matters (the end result) it helps you overcome price objections and...
Jul 28, 2020•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast My air conditioner broke in the middle of a heatwave. Someone came to look at it and told me it needs to be replaced. They also recommended I replace my furnace at the same time. How do I know if what they're saying is true? I trust them, but my guard is up. Now, imagine I had to make decisions like this every single day. Complicated choices with financial impact on things I have no expertise in. I'd want someone on my team I could trust. Someone with no financial incentives in the implementatio...
Jul 27, 2020•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast There's a funny phenomenon I noticed when it comes to any kind of success in marketing. You can apply it to almost anything you do and get greater success. The phenomenon is this: go two levels deep. Give this a listen and hit the like button or reply with your thoughts! Yours, —k
Jul 27, 2020•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast The problem with not knowing who you're trying to target with your marketing is that you end up not getting anyone interested enough to reach out. To succeed as a marketer, you need to have a target and then put the right things in the right places at the right time. Listen to this strategy and tell me what you think. Yours, —k
Jul 26, 2020•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Want to sell advice for a living? Well, there are at least two ways you can do it. But only one of them will get you real success. Listen in to the differences between a fiduciary standard and suitability standard of advice, and why the fiduciary standard is the only one to aim for. If you want to learn more, here's a link to an article explaining the differences applied to the financial advisor industry. Yours, —k...
Jul 23, 2020•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast After listening to yesterday's audio recording, I realized the sound quality of my AirPods was not great. So, I wanted to fix that going forward. I'm on the road right now helping my dad recover from hip surgery, so I don't have my usual sound setup. But I do have a Samson Go Mic with me, which I bought for under $100 on Amazon. I keep it in my small tech bag which houses my backup wires, batteries etc. for just such occasions. I also used Garage Band, which comes installed on most Macs. I used ...
Jul 21, 2020•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you want to sell advice instead of done-for-your implementation, there’s one main thing you need to account for: implementation. You don't have to do the implementation. But if you want the best results, you'll want to facilitate it. Listen in and let me know your thoughts. Yours, –k
Jul 20, 2020•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
