Treat Your Business Like Math Class and Show Your Work
Treat Your Business Like Math Class and Show Your Work
Professional Development
Jan 30, 2023
One of my favorite features on Facebook is when they show you what you posted last year or 2 years ago on a particular date. I had a moment this weekend that showed me where I was at this time a few years ago. I had recently moved to the city I’m in now. As I reflected on how far I’ve come and what some of the lessons were that I’ve gained along the way, something interesting stood out. I was finally at a financially-stable place in this city like I had already been in a previous city. In essence, I had finally clawed my way back to square one and beyond.
As a freelancer, I love the fact that I can do this type of work anywhere with virtually the same infrastructure. All I need is a laptop, access to the internet, and my camera equipment. The biggest challenge to my business over the years though, was how to get clients in a new city where no one knew, liked, or trusted me.
For years I had been doing quality work, but couldn’t figure out for the life of me why I was constantly starting over. I’ve lived in 3 different cities and had to “free work” my way to customers every time. My business development process usually looked something like this:
It wasn’t like I hadn’t done great work for businesses in the past. I just didn’t have the confidence to approach prospective clients with a price tag. I’m naturally not a salesperson, so my dream scenario is for clients to come to me. But it’s very hard to build an inbound business.
So I’m in a situation where I don’t want to hard sell, and my only means of getting new clients is to be discoverable online. Well, now I encounter another issue. When people did find me and schedule a call, I still undercharged them, and didn’t feel comfortable selling new services.
BUT, after some deep reflection, I found a solution that turned my business around and continues to do so. I became intentional about acquiring testimonials and building case studies.
See, the reason why I’m uncomfortable selling, and always undercharged myself, was because I didn’t know or track the impact I’ve had in the past. I knew that I did great work, but didn’t have a way to quantify it. All I had was “take my word for it” success.
In my opinion, all new entrepreneurs should be focused on is validation. I know you trust your products and services, but can anyone else speak to it?
This is a challenging state to be in because you force yourself to remain unproven. Whether you move to a new geographic location, or change industries, those transferrable skills don’t just disappear. However, it’s very hard to prove expertise when you’re the only one that can speak for your results.
I had to reset my whole mindset, and step into my business owner shoes full force. If I’m as good as I say I am, then I shouldn’t be the only one who says it. So I reached out to some of my favorite clients and simply asked for a testimonial. I requested text and video reviews.
After reading what some of them had to say about me, it really put into perspective why my services matter. I’ve helped them secure funding. I’ve helped them attract lucrative partnerships from large entities. I’ve helped them keep building their business when they were on the brink of giving up.
Hearing those things matter. And ever since I took my testimonial gathering seriously, I’ve had the confidence to close new retainer business.
So my advice for new business owners or freelancers is to reach into your CRM, old phone book, or social media DMs and ask for testimonials. Some clients will ignore it, but some will gladly speak to your influence on them. And not only will these words help you to articulate the impact that you have to prospective clients, but they will remind you why you exist in the first place.
More to READ
Treat Your Business Like Math Class and Show Your Work
Treat Your Business Like Math Class and Show Your Work
Professional Development
Jan 30, 2023
One of my favorite features on Facebook is when they show you what you posted last year or 2 years ago on a particular date. I had a moment this weekend that showed me where I was at this time a few years ago. I had recently moved to the city I’m in now. As I reflected on how far I’ve come and what some of the lessons were that I’ve gained along the way, something interesting stood out. I was finally at a financially-stable place in this city like I had already been in a previous city. In essence, I had finally clawed my way back to square one and beyond.
As a freelancer, I love the fact that I can do this type of work anywhere with virtually the same infrastructure. All I need is a laptop, access to the internet, and my camera equipment. The biggest challenge to my business over the years though, was how to get clients in a new city where no one knew, liked, or trusted me.
For years I had been doing quality work, but couldn’t figure out for the life of me why I was constantly starting over. I’ve lived in 3 different cities and had to “free work” my way to customers every time. My business development process usually looked something like this:
It wasn’t like I hadn’t done great work for businesses in the past. I just didn’t have the confidence to approach prospective clients with a price tag. I’m naturally not a salesperson, so my dream scenario is for clients to come to me. But it’s very hard to build an inbound business.
So I’m in a situation where I don’t want to hard sell, and my only means of getting new clients is to be discoverable online. Well, now I encounter another issue. When people did find me and schedule a call, I still undercharged them, and didn’t feel comfortable selling new services.
BUT, after some deep reflection, I found a solution that turned my business around and continues to do so. I became intentional about acquiring testimonials and building case studies.
See, the reason why I’m uncomfortable selling, and always undercharged myself, was because I didn’t know or track the impact I’ve had in the past. I knew that I did great work, but didn’t have a way to quantify it. All I had was “take my word for it” success.
In my opinion, all new entrepreneurs should be focused on is validation. I know you trust your products and services, but can anyone else speak to it?
This is a challenging state to be in because you force yourself to remain unproven. Whether you move to a new geographic location, or change industries, those transferrable skills don’t just disappear. However, it’s very hard to prove expertise when you’re the only one that can speak for your results.
I had to reset my whole mindset, and step into my business owner shoes full force. If I’m as good as I say I am, then I shouldn’t be the only one who says it. So I reached out to some of my favorite clients and simply asked for a testimonial. I requested text and video reviews.
After reading what some of them had to say about me, it really put into perspective why my services matter. I’ve helped them secure funding. I’ve helped them attract lucrative partnerships from large entities. I’ve helped them keep building their business when they were on the brink of giving up.
Hearing those things matter. And ever since I took my testimonial gathering seriously, I’ve had the confidence to close new retainer business.
So my advice for new business owners or freelancers is to reach into your CRM, old phone book, or social media DMs and ask for testimonials. Some clients will ignore it, but some will gladly speak to your influence on them. And not only will these words help you to articulate the impact that you have to prospective clients, but they will remind you why you exist in the first place.
More to READ
Treat Your Business Like Math Class and Show Your Work
Treat Your Business Like Math Class and Show Your Work
Professional Development
Jan 30, 2023
One of my favorite features on Facebook is when they show you what you posted last year or 2 years ago on a particular date. I had a moment this weekend that showed me where I was at this time a few years ago. I had recently moved to the city I’m in now. As I reflected on how far I’ve come and what some of the lessons were that I’ve gained along the way, something interesting stood out. I was finally at a financially-stable place in this city like I had already been in a previous city. In essence, I had finally clawed my way back to square one and beyond.
As a freelancer, I love the fact that I can do this type of work anywhere with virtually the same infrastructure. All I need is a laptop, access to the internet, and my camera equipment. The biggest challenge to my business over the years though, was how to get clients in a new city where no one knew, liked, or trusted me.
For years I had been doing quality work, but couldn’t figure out for the life of me why I was constantly starting over. I’ve lived in 3 different cities and had to “free work” my way to customers every time. My business development process usually looked something like this:
It wasn’t like I hadn’t done great work for businesses in the past. I just didn’t have the confidence to approach prospective clients with a price tag. I’m naturally not a salesperson, so my dream scenario is for clients to come to me. But it’s very hard to build an inbound business.
So I’m in a situation where I don’t want to hard sell, and my only means of getting new clients is to be discoverable online. Well, now I encounter another issue. When people did find me and schedule a call, I still undercharged them, and didn’t feel comfortable selling new services.
BUT, after some deep reflection, I found a solution that turned my business around and continues to do so. I became intentional about acquiring testimonials and building case studies.
See, the reason why I’m uncomfortable selling, and always undercharged myself, was because I didn’t know or track the impact I’ve had in the past. I knew that I did great work, but didn’t have a way to quantify it. All I had was “take my word for it” success.
In my opinion, all new entrepreneurs should be focused on is validation. I know you trust your products and services, but can anyone else speak to it?
This is a challenging state to be in because you force yourself to remain unproven. Whether you move to a new geographic location, or change industries, those transferrable skills don’t just disappear. However, it’s very hard to prove expertise when you’re the only one that can speak for your results.
I had to reset my whole mindset, and step into my business owner shoes full force. If I’m as good as I say I am, then I shouldn’t be the only one who says it. So I reached out to some of my favorite clients and simply asked for a testimonial. I requested text and video reviews.
After reading what some of them had to say about me, it really put into perspective why my services matter. I’ve helped them secure funding. I’ve helped them attract lucrative partnerships from large entities. I’ve helped them keep building their business when they were on the brink of giving up.
Hearing those things matter. And ever since I took my testimonial gathering seriously, I’ve had the confidence to close new retainer business.
So my advice for new business owners or freelancers is to reach into your CRM, old phone book, or social media DMs and ask for testimonials. Some clients will ignore it, but some will gladly speak to your influence on them. And not only will these words help you to articulate the impact that you have to prospective clients, but they will remind you why you exist in the first place.