Workshops aren’t just a great way to plan, design or create together with clients. The true benefits of workshopping together are emotional. Client workshops help establish the bonds required for successful collaboration over time. If you want to keep your clients, then workshop with them.… Read more
Many clients think it’s important that the freelancers and agencies they work with are proactive. That can be a tall order. Staying at the forefront of your client’s thinking can be demanding at times. Google Alerts, a free keyword monitoring tool, can help you stay ahead.… Read more
Do you know how your most important clients make money? What they need to grow? What could kill their business? Knowing the answers to those questions (and 3 more that I reveal in this article) could turn you into a trusted advisor – someone your clients will fight to keep.… Read more
You shouldn’t just qualify your prospective buyers’ ability to buy, but their cultural fit too. It will help you avoid much pain and frustration down the road. Consider these 15 questions when reviewing a prospective buyer for cultural fit.… Read more
LinkedIn isn’t Instagram – it doesn’t reward flamboyancy. Instead, it encourages its users to build relationships and helping each other. I talked to Frida Smedberg, a marketing advisor, about concrete ways for freelancers to generate engagement and find clients on LinkedIn.… Read more
Many are eager to switch to value-based pricing but have no idea where to begin. This is a 3-step guide on how to gradually implement value-based pricing in your agency or freelance business.… Read more
Your proposal matters and weighs heavy in your client’s eyes when you’re bidding for work. I talked to Harji Singh, owner of New York-based agency Azai Studios about their process of creating tantalizingly beautiful agency proposals that wow buyers and win work.
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The second part in our series on the unexpected upside of downtime. Having less to do can create space for the significant ideas that shy away when we’re just too busy. Here are some techniques for bringing out those ideas and giving them the attention they deserve.… Read more
Downtime happens to everyone. Here are some ideas on how you can make smart use of these handy, but often unwelcome, hours.… Read more
As an agency or freelancer, your website is your digital storefront. It’s where you show off the goods. Here are 7 things to keep in mind for when you design, or redesign your agency’s website.… Read more
Value-based pricing is one of my favorite topics and I get lots of questions about it. I decided to compile all of them into this enormous FAQ.… Read more
Requests for proposal are a pain. Many agencies and freelancers are rightfully tired of jumping through hoops just to do great work. But the real problem with RFPs is that they’re often dishonest and set up from the start for a specific company to win. Here’s how you can tell if an RFP is worth pursuing and what to do should you decide to go after one.… Read more
You have it. The buyer wants it. The meeting is over. You part ways. What happens now? Many deals cannot be signed immediately and require buy-in and approval from others on the buyer’s end before closing. Here are some ways to make that happen.… Read more
Successful salespeople generally listen way more than they talk. They have a way to make prospects feel listened to and heard. They create an environment in which the buyer feels that the seller is collaborating with them to achieve a mutual goal. Their superpower? Sales conversations!… Read more
Not everyone can or needs to buy your product or service. By qualifying your leads, you determine whether you can and want to sell to someone. Qualifying lets you save time and effort by focusing on those most likely to buy.… Read more
A majority of people resent selling as well as the feeling that they’re being sold something. It doesn’t have to be like that. In this three-part series, I will reveal a method for selling that builds trust, focuses on the buyer’s needs and enables you to establish a value-based price.… Read more
In your dealings with clients, one thing is constant: you. Who you are as a person and your interpersonal skills shape interactions and outcomes. This is what I’ve learned about the importance of humility, confidence, and empathy in the world of freelancing, agencies and consulting.… Read more
The year 2019 is here. The turn of the year also marks the first anniversary of this blog. Join us on a trip down memory lane and see what insights and ideas MMXVIII brought.… Read more
In our first post in this series, we looked at how you can get the user insights you need for a successful blog. In the second part, we discussed how to find the right topics for your blog. Welcome to the final part in which we’ll put it all together in a blogging plan you can stick to.… Read more
In our first post in this series, we looked at why agency blogs so often fail. We explained why understanding your audience is critically important in order to write posts that get read. In this second part, we show you how to find the right topics for your blog.… Read more
Many agency blogs are started in the hopes of generating leads. In reality, few do. Here’s how you can turn your agency blog into a real lead-generating marketing asset in 3 simple steps.… Read more
Agencies with high pricing power can raise their prices without their clients raising their eyebrows. Pricing power also depends on the circumstances. Knowing this, “grunt work” can be sold as highly critical “nuclear event” work for which price is not an issue.
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![Consultant to agencies, Karl Sakas [credit: Karl Sakas]](https://blog.bondsai.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/karl-sakas.jpeg)
I recently ran into an idea so simple and powerful that I had to interview the man behind it, consultant to agencies Karl Sakas.… Read more
Keeping the pipeline of work full is a challenge for freelancers and small agencies, especially when on a tight marketing budget. Luckily, many have networks of people who will gladly refer, or even buy from them at little cost making selling easier.… Read more
Lack of predictable income is the #1 worry among freelancers. Life as a freelancer or independent consultant has its perks. But being independent comes at the price of not getting a regular paycheck. Here are five ways to create worry-free predictable income.… Read more
