Tag: Client Acquisition Series

The Secret Ingredient To Higher Paying Gigs | The Client Acquisition Series

Post author By James Cross
Post date November 29, 2022
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If you've been stuck at 4 or 5 figures per year as a freelancer, there's likely one ingredient that is holding you back from growth.

Without this ingredient, it is 100% impossible to get clients, grow your income, and get past the 6 figure mark (if that's your goal).

In this week's episode of the 6 Figure Creative Podcast, my buddy Mark Eckert and I map out the path you can take to overcoming all of the hurdles between you and this incredibly important missing ingredient.

In this episode you’ll discover:

How to move from four/five figures to six figures+
Why you aren't full time yet
How to revamp your entire public-facing identity as a freelancer
The difference between advertising vs. content marketing and why this matters for freelancers
Why you should be producing more than consuming
How sticking to a schedule or routine can tie all of this together

Tags Client Acquisition Series

Podcast

How To Build Your Own Client Acquisition Machine (And Make 2023 Your Best Year Ever)

Post author By James Cross
Post date November 8, 2022
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If you've ever felt like your freelance life has been a neverending feast-or-famine roller coaster, chances are you're missing one (or more) pieces of a full client acquisition machine.

You've likely “dabbled” with bits and pieces here and there, but you've never fully built each of the individual parts and refined them to the point where everything is working as a well-oiled machine bringing you high-quality clients every single month.

In this week's episode of the 6 Figure Creative Podcast, I break down each of the major parts of your Client Acquisition Machine, as well as what specific numbers you should be aiming for as a benchmark.

If you've ever wanted more stability and predictability in your business, and you want a clear roadmap for how to make 2023 your best year ever, this episode is for you.

In this episode you’ll discover:

How to solve a consistency issue in your business
Why dabbling is slowly destroying your income stream
The foundation of your Client Acquisition Machine
Creating a transformational outcome for your clients
Building your Marketing Mothership
Your responsibility to sell to those who need your service
The parallels between software and freelancing
Nurturing your leads for a long-term relationship
Fine-tuning your Client Acquisition Machine

Tags Client Acquisition Series

Podcast

The 4 Major Missing Pieces Of Your Marketing Plan | The Client Acquisition Series

Post author By James Cross
Post date October 11, 2022
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Here are a few of the biggest lies when it comes to marketing your freelance business.

“If I'm good enough, people will find me and hire me”
“The only marketing I need is word-of-mouth”
“If I market myself, I'll come across as desperate”
“This sort of stuff doesn't work for freelancers”

If any of that sounds like you, my guess would be you likely have very little predictability in your income.

You might go from having more gigs than you can handle, followed by extreme famine periods where your calendar dries up (along with your bank account).

If you want steady, predictable income for your business every single month, there are 4 key things you need in place.

If you're even missing one of these four pieces, you're making your path to predictability extremely difficult (or impossible).

In this episode you’ll discover:

Marketing plans for freelancers
When email lists are vital, vs. when they're optional
“Proposing” via text message
The “3% rule” and the “80/19/1 rule”
How your niche affects your marketing needs
Swiping or dating: lead generation and lead nurture
How to create a business you rarely *(if ever) have to market

Tags Client Acquisition Series

Podcast

How To Generate 1000 Inquiries Per Year As A Logo Designer | With James Martin

Post author By James Cross
Post date June 14, 2022
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Ever felt like your industry is just too saturated to stand out? Like you're just a tiny drop in a massive ocean? You're not alone.

Nearly every freelancer has a moment (or ten) where they doubt themselves and their ability to stand out in a crowded “red ocean”.

That's why I was so excited to talk to James Martin from Made By James.

James is a designer who's had immense success in the crowded niche of logo design.

He's found a way to not just stand out, but thrive in an incredibly competitive niche. James is averaging around 1,000 inquiries from potential clients every single year, and this has allowed him to cherry-pick the best gigs and reject the “bill paying work” that many freelancers are forced to say yes to.

Whether you're a designer or not, this episode will contain a lot of fantastic advice from someone who's built an incredible, long-lasting career as a freelancer.

In this episode you’ll discover:

How James Martin has thrived for nearly 2 decades as a creative
Why niching down too early is worse than not niching at all
How to stand out in a saturated market
Passion vs. systems and habit
Why it's dangerous to rely on social media
Giving your clients the most value they can afford
Why it's time to raise your prices right now
Relationships in business
The difference between survival and thriving

Tags Client Acquisition Series

Podcast

Our Favorite 3 Methods For Creating Awareness | The Client Acquisition Series

Post author By James Cross
Post date June 7, 2022
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“I need more clients”.

That's the #1 problem our community has in every single poll we run.

The issue with getting clients is that no matter how good you are at what you do, you will never be able to get enough clients if no one knows you exist.

That's why we wanted to dedicate an entire episode to discussing our favorite 3 methods for building awareness and growing your business.

Creatives have to learn this stuff if they ever want to get out of the “feast or famine” lifestyle.

In this episode you’ll discover:

How to make an offer so good people feel stupid saying no
How to harness three of the six different lead sources
The thousand true fans model
How you can advertise for free
Why an email list is crucial to more and more freelancers
The importance of cleaning your mailing list

Tags Client Acquisition Series

Podcast

How To Attract Your Dream Clients | The Client Acquisition Series

Post author By James Cross
Post date May 31, 2022
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Here are the two rules for attracting your dream clients.

Rule #1: Be attractive.

Rule #2: Don't be unattractive.

That's literally it.

The hard part comes when you actually look at what is “attractive” to your dream clients.

I'd bet you have a long list of alllll the things you want to see in their dream clients/projects, but very few people take the time to look at themselves and ask the most important question…

“Am I the type of person that would attract this sort of dream client/project?”

In many cases, that answer is, unfortunately, no. You're not anywhere close to being attractive to your dream clients.

In other cases, you might be attractive to them, but you're doing little to nothing when it comes to communicating all the attractive things you have to offer them.

In this continuation of our Client Acquisition Series, we dive into what it takes to attract your dream clients.

In this episode you’ll discover:

Why Guitar Center is the worst place to buy gear (unless they sponsor us)
How Mark closed a half-million-dollar deal
Why different clients need different approaches
Setting expectations in advance
High ticket vs. low ticket sales
How to become attractive to your dream clients
How to stay top of mind without being cringy
Why red ocean businesses struggle

Tags Client Acquisition Series

Podcast

The 7 Key Topics To Cover With Every Client BEFORE The Sale | The Client Acquisition Series

Post author By James Cross
Post date May 17, 2022
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Have you ever had one of those awkward situations with a crush where you were TOTALLY into them, but you weren’t sure if they were into you?

Yeah… That sucks. Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do to help you there since we give business advice instead of dating advice.

What we CAN help you with is the client equivalent of that situation. Here’s what I mean…

You’re talking to a dream client. You’re way into working with them, but you’re just not sure if they’re into you.

There are actually 7 key points to cover with every potential client, and if each point is a “positive”, then they’re giving you their permission to pitch/sell them (i.e. take the relationship to the next level).

This framework was shared with us by someone earning multiple millions per year, and it works perfectly in the freelance world.

In this episode you’ll discover:

How to help your clients better by determining their needs
When closing a deal comes down to good timing
What to do if a client isn't sure they want to hire you
Why being open and honest with clients is the only way to run a healthy business
How to discuss your workflow and delivery with clients before closing a deal
Why it's vital that clients trust you implicitly

Tags Client Acquisition Series

Podcast

How To Get A Complete Stranger To Hire You | Client Acquisition For Freelancers

Post author By James Cross
Post date May 10, 2022
No Comments on How To Get A Complete Stranger To Hire You | Client Acquisition For Freelancers

Client acquisition is a nerdy marketing term that basically boils down to one thing: getting clients.

While the idea is simple, our freelance community seems to be deathly allergic to client acquisition.

I get it… None of us got into this game because we wanted to become marketers. We do this because we love spending all day every day doing what we love by being creative.

Unfortunately, that's not how it works. Unless you simply want this to be your hobby, client acquisition is a skill and a process you have to learn, develop, and grow.

The alternative is to keep doing what you're likely doing now… sit around and hope a client finds you.

If your current “strategy” is “hope marketing”, this episode gives you the big picture view of how you can get complete strangers to hire you instead of waiting around for a miracle.

In this episode you’ll discover:

Why people will never hire you if they don't know you
How to build trust with potential customers
When it's time to be yourself
How dating and business are closely related
Why Mark is was more of a ladies' man than Brian
How adding value in the long term sets you up for success
Why our “comfort zone” is holding us back
Why we need to be ourselves and not be afraid of alienating some people
How appealing to everyone is a bad thing for our businesses

Tags Client Acquisition Series