No, this isn’t about doing work for free. That is a dopey business model. (I speak from experience here.) And it’s not about doing work on spec. Which is mostly an exercise in jackoffery. Run away from that. I’m talking about giving away advice, expertise, game plans, ideas — even that BIG idea that can [...]
Slightly devious client handling
First, let me go on record: I actually like most of my clients. It is always more profitable to treat your clients with utmost respect, to be on their side, to sweat out the best way to deliver what they want (even when it’s not what they say they want.) But if you have been [...]
Scariest pricing: Who liked it, who hated it.
Boy, this post apparently touched a sensitive nerve: The scariest pricing idea ever. That works. The notion (even the possibility) of allowing clients to decide how much to pay got a lot of people commenting, retweeting, forwarding and linking. Very intriguing. Some 100 or so readers offered perceptive comments here (thank you for chiming in). [...]
The scariest pricing idea ever. That works.
[This is adapted from "Talking Money," coming soon from The Freelancery.] Here’s a pricing technique that sounds, at first, like the dumbest newbie move of all time. Call it ‘fill-in-the-blank’ invoicing. Or ‘pay what you want’ pricing. The notion is, you do the work first, then let the client decide how much to pay for [...]
No portfolio yet? Try this trick
What if you haven’t amassed a huge body of work to show clients? Or what if your portfolio is 82% skunk work that you’d rather keep under the bed? No problem. Dazzle them with makeovers. Redesigns. Rewrites. It’s actually a more interesting way to convey your skills, your voice, your sensibilities. Befores and afters Find [...]