Author: James Cross

Over the last couple of years, my team and I completed over 1,600 sales calls.

 

That kind of volume exposes what actually works in sales – and what doesn’t.

 

The brutal truth is that many freelancers think they’re decent at sales… But they’re actually just bad at lead generation.

 

You’re only talking to the hottest of hot referral leads – the easy layups. The real challenge? Turning strangers into clients.

 

That’s why I put together 7 sales laws to help you close more deals, land more clients, and stop relying on luck.

Most freelancers are making things hard than they need be by just “winging it” – stumbling through their business like they’re lost in the woods with no GPS.

 

But here’s the thing: nearly every problem you have with your business has already been solved.

 

The smartest minds in the world have figured out how to create predictable revenue, retain clients longer, and escape the feast-or-famine cycle. And they’re doing it in one of the most lucrative industries out there: SaaS (Software as a Service).

 

This episode breaks down exactly how to apply these SaaS strategies to your freelance business.

Just steal what works instead of fumbling around in the dark.

“Growth at all costs” can be dangerous. It's a CRAZY thing to try to grow only to sacrifice everything else in your life.

 

Here's my 2024 in bullet points:

→ 2X’d the business (third year in a row)

→ Took my mom to Europe for a month (her first trip abroad)

→ Shut down operations for 2 weeks straight (paid the team to do nothing)

→ Zero 9pm work marathons (I never work past 5pm and never work weekends)

→ My wife still loves (and likes) me (because I prioritize her over the business)

 

But let’s be clear—I didn’t just coast. This isn’t some “sit on a beach and brag about my life” kind of business.

I worked hard when I worked. And I actually enjoyed my life when I didn’t.

 

This week I’m sharing the four biggest lessons that made this possible—so you can grow your business without working yourself into the ground.

Most freelancers make one of two big mistakes when it comes to paid ads:

If either one of those sounds familiar, this episode is for you. I break down 6 simple ways to know if ads are right for you right now.

 

No more guessing. No more wasted money. No more leaving cash on the table.

 

Listen now to see if ads are the secret weapon your business needs, or if there are better options for getting clients.

$3 a day.

 

That’s all it took for one of my clients to add $140,000 to their income last year.

 

Sound crazy? It's not.

 

This strategy is simple, low-risk, and requires no complicated funnels or tech setup. And the best part? You can set it and forget it.

 

In this week’s episode, I’m breaking down step-by-step how to turn tiny ad spends into new clients using a straightforward strategy.

 

Stop overthinking. Stop making excuses. Start seeing results.

 

Let’s make this the year your calendar is finally booked solid.

Today we're continuing with our “Back to Basics” journey by focusing on something that's often overlooked by freelancers – promotion.

 

Promotion is super important to keep the clients coming in, but a lot of freelancers think they just need to be good at what they do.

 

They admire those who seem to have endless work, thinking it all comes from word-of-mouth alone. But, in the early days of freelancing, just relying on referrals can be risky, leading to the scary “feast or famine” cycle.

 

This situation can force freelancers to scramble, taking any job they can just to pay the bills. These “bill-paying” clients might not always be a good match, and we might not even want to work with them, but bills gotta be paid, right?

 

I've been there, and I can tell you it's a quick way to burn out and start resenting your clients.

 

In our chat today, we're going to help you avoid getting stuck with just bill-paying clients by sharing six ways to promote your freelance work effectively. If you're having trouble finding enough clients, it's probably because people just don't know you're there.

 

That's where knowing how to effectively promote yourself comes in. By trying out one or two of the methods we're going to talk about today, you can bring stability to your work. More clients mean less stress, which lets you cherry-pick the projects you really love.

 

In this episode you’ll discover:

You are AMAZING at what you do as a creative. You create stunning designs, produce incredible music, or breathe life into visual media like photos or videos. Paid ads aren’t for you, right?

 

The truth is, paid ads can work for anyone, including freelancers.  

 

This has been proven time and time again, in industry after industry… Paid ads are one of the quickest ways to multiply your income and bring in more clients.

 

The beauty of paid ads is that you have complete control over them.

 

It’s not like referrals, where you’re sitting around waiting for someone else to send you clients.

 

It’s not like cold outreach, where you feel like you’re spamming people.

 

It’s not like social media, where you’re relying on the algorithm gods to put your content in front of people.

 

By using paid ads, you can take matters into your own hands and steer your business in the direction you want.

 

If you’ve tried paid ads before and they “didn’t work,” don’t give up just yet. 

 

In this episode, I debunk 6 paid ads myths that are holding you back from using this powerful lead-generation tool.

 

In this episode you’ll discover:

Love it or hate it, email marketing is the closest thing there has ever been to a “magic pill” for anyone looking for stability in their month-to-month income.

 

The sucky thing is…most of us “fall victim” to email marketing ALL THE TIME. You get tons of tons of emails from people offering their products and services, but you never make use of this powerful tool yourself.

 

Most freelancers I see are making one (or more) of these mistakes:

 

If you want a time-tested, surefire way to stay top-of-mind, build trust, and actually reach the audience you've built, email marketing is where it's at.

 

If you're having success on social media right now, I'm begging you to take this time to build an email list so you're safe/secure in the long run.

 

Social media has historically always become a “pay to play” world for business owners, and Tiktok is already making that shift. Don't make the mistake of thinking that party is going to last much longer.

 

If you're open to the idea of building, growing, and using an email list to grow your reach, and you like the idea of building trust in a one-to-many setting, this week's episode of the 6 Figure Creative Podcast is for you.

Freelancers lose out on so much.

In this week's podcast episode, I’m diving into the single most overlooked skill that can unlock more clients, more money, and more freedom in your business.

 

It’s simple, it’s uncomfortable, and it works.

 

Stop waiting for good things to happen.

 

Go ask for them.

Was this year amazing for you?

 

…Or were you caught in a freelancing feast-or-famine sh*tshow where you felt like you were slamming your head into a wall over and over and over and over?

 

If this wasn’t your best year ever as a freelancer, I need you to ask yourself one question:

 

That “wait-and-see” approach is why most freelancers stay stuck in feast-or-famine mode. One month, you’re making bank. The next? Crickets.

 

It doesn’t have to be this way.

 

I recorded a new episode breaking down the exact system you need to: