Weekly discussion by freelancers and professionals about running a business, finding clients, marketing, and lifestyle related to being a freelancer.

Episode 234: 221 FS Generating Short-Term Cash without Taking Crappy Projects or Bottom-Feeding on Upwork

September 29, 2016 50:11 48.52 MB Downloads: 0

1:00: Topic introduction: Making fast cash

2:45: Reach out to past clients

  • Might be a small project
  • Might lead to referrals

5:55: Ask for referrals

  • Give them the tools to know who to refer you to
  • Be specific about what your ideal client looks like
  • Use LinkedIn for second degree connection introductions

10:00 Use mental associations when making requests

  • Make specific requests; don’t think in broad terms
  • “Think like a fisherman, not like a fish.”
  • Use inbound and outbound approaches.
  • More Cheese and Less Whiskers

17:30: Cold outreach

  • Might feel awkward, but it works
  • Start close to home
  • Pick an industry where you’ve had previously success
  • Make sure you follow up
  • Cold outreach episode with Kai

23:40: Be creative

  • Kurt Elster blog post on handwritten notes
  • Birthday cakes

26:10: Use social media

  • Reach out to your email list, blog, YouTube subscribers
  • Use Twitter for searches
  • Use Hacker News

30:20: Offer a discount to current clients for prepayment

36:30: Create a microservice

Picks:

Million Dollar Referrals by Alan Weiss (Philip)

Duct Tape Marketing blog (Philip) cheese/whiskers

ReplyApp.io (Philip)

Blair Enn’s Prospecting Email (Philip)

The Hourly Trap (Jonathan)

Freelance Remote Conference (Charles)

Slack Hangouts (Charles)