The 10 commandments for freelancers

Watch this brilliant episode by WP Elevation legends Simon Kelly and Troy Dean, from the series ‘The 10 Commandments of Freelancing’, where Troy and Simon explore the idea that saying no to things can present even bigger and better opportunities.

Commandment #2 Thou shalt learn to say NO

First up here is the full Silence is Golden Episode that is totally worth watching in full. If you don’t have 27 mins now scroll down to the short version.

 

Some of the gems:

00:42 When you say yes to someone else’s agenda you’re actually saying no to a lot of things on your own agenda so when an opportunity comes your way you want to make sure that that opportunity actually aligns with your bigger goals.

 

Jim Rohn famously said: “If you don’t design your own life plan you will fall into someone else’s.” and guess what they have planned for you – not much!

 

01:46

If you’re not living intentionally and doing the things that are on your agenda it’s like being bounced around like a pinball in a pinball machine just responding to everyone else kind of whacking you about …

 

04:01

I say no to everything except what is in my schedule for the day. (Troy)

 

05:12

Just because you know how to help someone and they have no money doesn’t mean you’re obliged to actually help them

 

05:43

Stop being helpful and start being impactful!

 

Some of the things that you can do to help you say no: having a bigger yes, right like you have the right kind of project to work on or the right kind of client

 

07:43

You can’t be everything to everyone and it’s easy to say NO when there is a bigger YES.

You getting absolute clarity about your perfect client is essential and a lot of that comes down to your vision and your Why.

 

10:32

Your business exists because you want to have an impact in the world, right …

 

… life is short, and there is no dress rehearsal so don’t waste your time between when you’re born and when you die …….  you can spend that time wisely and have an impact on the world.

 

What impact do you want to have?

“I imagine a world where ….” (fill in the blanks)

11:35

Get clarity around your vision 

Get clarity about who you want to help, your perfect client

 

Answer 3 questions:

 

  • Why: that’s your vision
  • Who: that’s your ideal client
  • What: that’s your sweet spot, what do you actually, do for your clients in order to bring your vision to life;

  • The other What is the mission that you’re on over the next 12 months – what mission are you on over the next 12 months in order to bring your vision to life?

22:00

What does freedom mean to you? Simon: Freedom to me means the ability to manage the time and the activities that I do with my life exactly how I want. yeah!

22:13

Dan Kennedy has got a great saying:  “Work with people you like on projects you enjoy for the fees you deserve because life is too short to do otherwise!

 Bill Murray also says: Life is short so do shit  that makes you happy!

6 Ways Your Website Can Build Trust

Do you feel like your website is not really working for you? Are visitors abandoning quickly? Are you not getting the leads and conversions you want?

 

 

6 Ways Your Website Can Build Trust

 

  1. Homepage Design

We judge a book by its cover. We judge a business by its website. If the homepage is badly designed there is little chance that the visitor will stay and look any further into the offer. They assume that if your website is crap, you are crap. One click and you disappear – forever (as it is very unlikely they will ever come back). 8 seconds to make an impact. Positive or negative.

Your homepage is your book cover, your storefront. If your storefront looks inviting and promising the customer will walk into your store, browse and possibly sign up to your offers or come back again and eventually buy.

This is about design- your fonts, your colours – but also your messages, and how fast your website loads.
First impressions are paramount.

But don’t stop the good design at the homepage. I have seen many websites that had a great homepage, but when diving in deeper it looked like they had run out of steam or passion or interest … and so did I, as a consequence, as a visitor. Keep it consistent, appealing and compelling throughout your entire website.

Take Action: Imagine you are your ideal client. Start with your homepage and see how it makes you feel. Is it inspiring, does it make you want to do something? What does it make you want to do next?

 

  1. Transparency

This is your ‘About Us’ page. It’s your personal story. What makes you you, what got you into this business, why are you passionate about what you do, why do you offer what you offer … Why would someone want to work with you? Here your customer will find out if they resonate with you. Maybe a bit like a first date: will there be a second one?

Take Action: Check your About page. Does it clearly state your mission? Does it inspire trust? Does it speak to your ideal customer?

 

  1. Clarity

Be crystal clear on your offering. Make it easy for the visitor to find what they are looking for and lead them down the path where they can sign up to/buy your service.  Don’t just have lots of text on your website, push the client through your website to where they can find a solution to their problem. Create a pathway to success

Take Action: Check your offer: How clear is it? Do you tell your visitor how you work? Is it clear what benefits they will get through working with you/buying your products? Does your website lead them to the solution of their problem?

 

  1. Reviews

A review strategy needs to be part of your sales process.

Take Action: Get your business on Google My Business (good for local SEO!!).  Ask every client you have served to leave a review on your Google Business page. Drive traffic to it.

 

  1. Relevancy

Check your content. Is it still relevant to what you are doing/offering now?

Take Action: Go through each of your pages and update.

 

  1. Relaunch

Reboot and relaunch: get people’s eyes back onto your content. You can have the most amazing services and offers but if no one sees them no one can buy them.

Take Action: Once your website is all updated, get your content back out there. Drive traffic to it. Share on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram (take a photo of your website and tell people about it, invite them to visit)

Need some help? If your website doesn’t tick all these boxes and you want to see what you can do, book a free Website Stimulator Session with me now.

 

Book A Website Stimulator Session

Have you left your website sitting there for a while and need a revitalisation?

Let’s have a look at what we can do.  

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