The Introverted Freelancer's Guide to Finding Clients

HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
The Introvert’s Guide to Finding Clients
Austin WordPress Meetup

Austin WordPress Meetup
Monday, March 14, 2016
Presenters:
Sandi Batik
Follow her at:
@sandi_batik
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hsandrachevalierbatik
http://HandsOnWP.com
Nick Batik
Follow him at:
@nick_batik
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholasbatik
http://PleiadesServices.com

The Wordpress Ecosystem Offers an Amazing
Diversity of Freelance Opportunities for:
• WordPress back-end developers
• WordPress front-end developers —
UX /UI
• Plugin developers
• Theme designers
• Graphic designers
• Content creators, curators, managers
• Information architects
• Inbound marketers
• SEO managers
• Social medial managers
• Photographers
• Illustrators
• Site security specialists
• Site maintenance heroes

Becoming a Full-Time
Freelancer
• The choice to become a full-time freelancer in the
WordPress Community needs to start with some
serious soul searching
• Freelancing sounds friendlier and a bit more
approachable than entrepreneurship —its not
• Building a successful (read profitable) freelance
practice is the hardest jobs you will ever have
• Done right, being a successful freelancer can be the
best professional experience you have ever had

Where To Start Doing It
Right
As you are your Freelance Business —
It makes sense to start with YOU!

Introvert or Not, in the Final Analysis Your
Freelance WordPress Practice
IS ALL ABOUT YOU!
You can't communicate to a client, either within
your site's content, or in person, what you have not
yet clearly defended in your own mind

Warning: For an introvert the
following steps will be
uncomfortable, but necessary

What is your Personal
"Super Power"
• The things that come to you easily, you may
tend to under value
• But in reality that innate skill or passion is your
personal superpower
• It is the differentiator that makes a client want
YOU instead of another Freelancer

What is Your Personal
"Super Power"
• The business management name for your
personal "Super Power" is your "Value
Proposition"
• It describes your target client, the problem you
solve, and why you’re uniquely a better choice
than other freelancers.

"Super Power"
• Your value proposition is your
personal positioning statement that explains:
• what benefits you provide
• for who
• and how you do it uniquely well.

"Super Power"
• You are the core of your Freelance Practice's
value proposition.
• What problems do you understand uniquely well?
• What unique solution can you deliver?
• What kind of personal super power can you bring
to solve a client's problem?

"Super Power"
• Your personal talents and abilities make you a
thought leader in your part of the WordPress
Ecosystem.
• Being an introvert does not mean lacking
confidence in our skill set
• It’s just hard for us to talk about ourselves

How to Define The Value Proposition
For Your Freelance Business
Build your professional value proposition by
answering the following questions
1. Why would a client choose you?
2. Who am I best suited to help?
3. Why would clients choose me over another
Freelancer in my field?

How To Define The Value
Proposition For Your Freelance
Business
4. What business problem or issue am I uniquely qualified to
solve?
5. How do I proceed? (Your action steps to solve a problem)
6. Which area should I focus on, based on my current skill
set?
7. What results can I deliver?
8. For what improvement?

How To Define The Value
Proposition For Your Freelance
Business
• Develop a simple, concise sentence that states
your unique value proposition as it relates to your
current skills.
• Review it once or twice a year to keep it current
as your skill set and client base evolves.

What Is Your
Compelling Vision
• Invest the time it takes to define your compelling
vision
• You are a self-identified Introvert who has
chosen to pursue a WordPress freelancer's life
• What is the compelling vision that is driving you
to build a full-time business?
• What is your personal “why”?

Your Compelling Vision
Should ...
• Make you willing to live on the edge of income
insecurity during your startup
• Help your friends and family understand your
commitment to building your business

Your Compelling Vision
Should ...
• Inspire you take action even when you are tired
• Give you the focus and energy to you pull an
occasional all-nighter
• Drive you out of your comfort zone to build your
‘Tribe of Supporters’
• Help you clearly articulate your life goals and
objectives

Questions You Need To Address
About Your Compelling Vision
• How will your WordPress Freelance Business help you
achieve the goals and dreams in your Compelling Vision?
• How much are you willing to sacrifice to achieve those
goals and dreams?
• How does your significant other feel about your
compelling vision as it relates to your freelance business?
• Is that personal partner "All-In" to support your dreams
and help you reach those goals?

Before You Answer…There Is
Somethings We Need To Examine
Closely
• Really knowing and understanding your personal strengths
and weakness is crucial to your success as a freelancer
• You need to set your goals based on your current skill set,
your experience, and your compelling passion
• Online tools to assess your personality, passions,
strengths, skills and expertise
• Personality kiersey.com
• Skills, Expertise & Experiences StrengthsFinder.com &
stanout.TMBC.com

What Specialized Services
Are You Best Suited to
Offer?
• What do you do best?
• What do you love to do?
• What experience and training do you have?
• What type of client fits your unique set of skills?

A Smart Start For Your
Freelance Business
• The best way to start is part-time and build your WordPress
Freelance business on the side with the safety and security of
your day job.
• Before You Quit Your Full Time J.O.B — Get your finances in
order
• Know to the exact dollar — your REAL monthly expenses
• Ruthlessly cut unnecessary expenses
• Honestly assess and strengthen your emotional support system
• Honestly assess and sharpen your skill set

A Smart Start For Your
Freelance Business
• Identify the ideal clients that match and need
your current skill set
• Research your ideal client base — where does
this type of client hang out online and IRL?
• Work to build and enhance your skills everyday

So What Happens If You Didn't Leave
Your Job, But Your Job Left You?
• Do all of the above only FASTER!
• Think like a Gazelle!
• Run like your life depends on it - because it
does

How Introverted Freelancers
Can Land Their First Client
• Start by building the very best site you can — for your self
• Apply the Dave Ramsey' Debt Snowball' to building your freelance
business — start small and steadily build up to big jobs
• Look around for your first clients
• Make a list of who you know and who needs a web site or a design
• Non-proﬁts
• Beginning Bloggers
• Small business you love and want to support

How Introverted Freelancers
Can Land Their First Client
• Start somewhere — Anywhere —but get that first freelance client
• Build on that first client job — It’s you first small snowball
• Use it to get a happy customer testimonial, an example for your
portfolio — which will you get addition and better work
• With each small job, build on your client snowball to learn more, get
better and be paid more
• When you are starting out — take whatever you can get
• Design and promote your own pet projects
• Put those projects in your portfolio

Building A Professional
Portfolio From Scratch
• Your portfolio sells your services
• The quality of your work determines:
• How much you get paid
• The type of clients that are attracted to your
freelance business
• Repeat business and client referrals

Best Way To Build Your
Marketing Funnel
• The goal of your content marketing strategy is to
create a demand your work
• The more demand — the higher your fees
• The most successful content marketing funnels
focus on your identified niche clients

Best Way To Build Your
Marketing Funnel
• Identify and reach out to those target customers
that best fit your experience and skill set
• Invest the time to build a powerful online
presence — your site will consistently bring you
opportunities to help new clients
• Build your website content strategy completely
around attracting those folks that have problems
you are uniquely positioned to solve

Building Your
Personal Brand
All in-demand freelancers in the WordPress space
have three things in common:
• A powerful, unique personal brand
• A reputation for great work
• A powerful online presence that guarantees a
steady flow of new business

Building Your
Personal Brand
How do successful freelancers attract clients
online?
• A website that sets them apart from other
freelancers in their space — that very specifically
states what they do and how
• An impressive portfolio
• Testimonials from happy clients

Use Your Portfolio To
Reinforce Your Personal
Positioning
Your portfolio is your opportunity to boost your
personal brand by:
• Practicing your niche skill
• Building your own ideas
• Exhibiting your technical chops

Use Your Portfolio To
Reinforce Your Personal
Positioning
Your portfolio is your opportunity to boost your
personal brand by:
• Representing your very best work
• Defining your “place” in a crowed marketplace
An effective Portfolio helps clients self-select,
saving you from getting proposal requests for work
you are not interested in, or cannot do

Provide Easy-to-Find Contact
Information On All Your Site's
Pages
This may include your:
• Contact Address
• Phone Number
• LinkedIn URL
• Twitter Handle
• Any other social media that your clients use

Testimonials
Testimonials can give your reputation as a freelancer a major
boost
• After completing a project, get a testimonial from your client
• If given permission by client include the client’s name and
company
• Prospective clients want to know more about your
experience
• Ask for and include testimonials received from your
volunteer and charity projects in your portfolio

The Introverted Freelancer's Favorite Tool
The Content Marketing Sales Funnel
• Build your content funnel to attract your target-
market clients
• Blogging is an important tool to help you establish
a unique presence online
• Blog about your area of expertise and show off
your best work samples
• Write solid ‘Cornerstone’ content pages and link to
them internally

The Introverted Freelancer's Favorite Tool
The Content Marketing Sales Funnel
• When you write, reveal your personality, have an
opinion - you have unique mixture of quirks, and
interests. Let your clients know you!
• Make sure you have a picture of yourself as part
of your blog bio or on your about page
• Use social media to promote your blogs
• Twitter and LinkedIn are great in our market

Developing A Winning
Content Strategy
We have talked about this before,
check my handsonwp.com blogs from previous WPATX classes

Here Is A Fast Content
Development Process Review
Structure your content development plan
• Install a content calendar plugin and use it
• Create an editorial plan (what you will write about
and why)
• Start with headlines that solve your target client’s
problems

Finding Inspiration About Problems
That Are Plaguing Your Target
Clients
• Google Alerts (by topic): Set a key term for each
of your important and secondary topics
• Google Analytics (keyword traffic section): This
has proven to be an invaluable tool for inspiration
• Twitter (with Hootsuite help): Within Hootsuite
search for a specific key term and then save the
search to a separate feed

Use Your Process To Write
Your Content
Go solve a vexing problem in 300-500
words with a great headline.

Stick To The Publication Schedule
in Your Editorial Calendar
Deadlines are deadlines — even of your own making

Keep A High Standard
Proof your work and use your pre-post checklist
to get the most ‘Google Love’ for your effort

Track Your Successes and
Your Failures
Follow your analytics like a hungry
hawk looking to snag lunch
Seriously, those clients are your lunch, also
your mortgage and car payment - focus folks

Content Development
Process Conclusion
Creating good relevant content is never easy
But with an actionable plan it gets easier to
attract your ideal client into your sales funnel

Getting Site Visitors to Enter
Your Sales Funnel
The difference between a subscription and a registration

Develop ‘Content Goodies’ To Encourage
Clients to Register or Subscribe To Your
Site’s Special Offers
• The content you offer has to specifically address the
issues of your targeted client
• eMail newsletters
• eBooks
• Video tutorials
• Free webinars and seminars
• Discounts and special offers for ‘Your Tribe’

Building Your Tribe
Be an Online Contributor
• Take part in online discussions related to your
area of expertise
• Interact online by answering questions on forums
and sites like StackOverflow, Genesis forums,
WordPress Slack channels etc.

Contribute To Open
Source Projects
• While many potential clients don’t have a
WordPress development background, others may,
so might prefer freelancers with cool-code
experience.
• Working on an open source project establishes
your credibility
• Contributing to open source projects, can be part
of your Value Proposition, and can give you an
advantage over other freelancers.

Here are a few open source contribution pointers
• Start with newer projects that have fewer lines of code and
less complexity than more mature projects
• Once you’ve selected a project, look through the project’s
issues list, then pick a small bug and try to fix it.
• Create a personal project or utility and open source it on
GitHub. If it appeals to other developers, they’ll request
new features or updates. As your project gains recognition
- so do you
• Be sure to mention your open source achievements in your
portfolio and your LinkedIn Bio

Attend Meet-ups
• Contribute to the WPATX meet-up as a volunteer,
answer questions at WPATX Office Hours or on the
WP Forum
• Attend technical meet-ups outside the 'WordPress
Bubble'
• Interact with people — Let them know who you are
and what you do
• Meet-ups give you a chance to share your knowledge
as well as learn new things from fellow attendees.

Use Social Media
• Social Media connections can have a drastic
impact on the growth of your Freelance business
• The better connected you are, the more likely
you are to get projects.

How Can An Introverted
Freelancer Get Better Connected?
• Most of us are more comfortable connecting on-
line than IRL
• Our Tech-Tribe and likely client base is most likely
using one or more of the big Four:
• Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and Facebook
• Scouting your social media is probably a way that
buyers might quickly and easily check out a
perspective contractor

• Most business use LinkedIn as a way to connect
and vet fellow professionals
• We in the WordPress Bubble tend to use Twitter:
Follow me at @sand_batik
• Google+ is also popular with WordHeads for
publishing technical posts
• There are numerous private FaceBook pages for
WordPress Special interest like WProsper and
PressNomics

Why All Introverted Freelancers Need
To Spend More Time Learning LinkedIn
• LinkedIn is overwhelmingly the dominant source
to evaluative prospective business associates
• LinkedIn’s professional focus and the range of
relevant information, makes it important to your
Freelance strategy

On LinkedIn, you can:
• Check out a client’s LinkedIn page
• Peruse the profiles and updates of possible team
members
• Explore their contributions to relevant LinkedIn
Groups
• Reach out to folks you need to know

LinkedIn a particularly important place for Introverted
Freelancers to make their expertise visible
Don't think about LinkedIn as a 'marketing
channel' — it is a business environment, very
much like an ongoing, online professional
conference

Look For Partnering And
Joint Venue Opportunities
Find members of the community that might need your skills for a
client project
Offer to ‘White Label’ your services to them

Look for Opportunities to Sell Retainer-
Based Services For Ongoing Projects
Site security and maintenance are always good options

Use Video Tutorials As Part
Of Your Content Strategy
Clients love video blogs and tutorials
Google will share extra love on your site

Make Your Proposals
Professional And Your Invoicing
Prompt
Review my February Deep Dive Discussion Tools and Processes
for Freelancers Notes and Slides

Constantly Look For Opportunities
To Get Better At What You Do
• Read
• Take classes
• Exercise your chops at hackathons

For the introverted Freelancer,
your website – particularly your
portfolio is you biggest
“selling point”

Places To Find New
Clients…
Even For Introverts
Sometimes Your Freelance career starts with a
J.O.B to build your portfolio

Freelance Resources
• For a free copy of the freelance resources of
jobsites and places to find freelance projects
go to https://handsonwp.com/join-library/

GET CONNECTED
wpaustin.com
http://www.meetup.com/austinwordpress/

The Introverted Freelancer's Guide to Finding Clients

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