Lesson 1: Your Mindset Matters
Before you judge the title, let me clarify what we’ll talk about today …
This is not woo-woo , “think and it will come true” or other fallacies of positive thinking.
But the truth is the truth: the way you think about yourself, about others and about the world
affects your reality.
For example, if you think that “you are not enough” to win a project of $ US2,000, guess what …
you will never demand that amount, and therefore, you will not achieve it..
It is important that you understand from this moment that all skills are developed. And you learn
from mistakes.
You need what self-help circles call the Growth Mindset .
Image result for mindset translation
There will be challenges, you will make mistakes, it is inevitable. Decide today to learn from
every challenge, every mistake, and every piece of advice (like the ones you’ll get from me
these days).
Many are not clear on what they want to offer and never start …
Others, on the contrary, begin to offer everything …
Many are inexperienced and succeed …
Others have a degree in what they want to offer but never start …
At the end of the day, it all depends on you. You have to trust yourself and stay positive even if
things are not going in the right direction.
Now, the million dollar question: how do you develop that confidence and positivity?
First, realize these 3 realities. I know they can help you.
You only lose if you stop trying. It’s easy to get demotivated if you want to knock down a tree
with 5 hits, go for # 25 and still nothing. But as long as you sharpen your ax and keep hitting,
eventually the tree will fall.
You have all the information in the world. And you have it in your hands. As long as you know
how to discern between what works and what doesn’t … and look for the relevant information for
you, learning something new is easier than ever.
Nobody is perfect. Not me. Not you. Not the best freelancer of all time. Nobody. The difference
between those who succeed is that they keep taking action, learn the lessons, and move on.
You can’t imagine the mistakes I’ve made …
Give yourself permission to fail and keep taking action. When you expect it, it is easier to accept
it.
Another concept that you have to assimilate — and the faster the better — is the following:
You are a business now.
Yup , that’s right. If you want to have a chance of success and get paid premium, you must
understand it from now on. You are a business. And you need an entrepreneurial mindset.
Now … you will ask yourself: “what does it mean for it to be a business?”
Easy.
Look at it like this.
As an employee you are the piece of a great puzzle, you are a cog in a mechanism.
author was in charge of customer service. muhal is in charge of looking for clients. Mehmil to
sell. And you to deliver.
Now you are the head in ALL departments. You are responsible for finding, convincing, and
serving your own customers.
You are the complete puzzle.
It is a totally different way of operating.
Do you see the importance of this lesson?
When you are an employee, your boss would tell you exactly what to do, how to do it, and
when. All day. Every day.
As a freelancer you are not supposed to be that way.
Sure, you have to take into account the needs of your clients, but it is a mutual collaboration . It
is not an employee-client relationship, the client is not more than you and you are not more than
him.
They are on the same level.
Another important point is to know that all the businesses that have reached the highest
positions in the world have been guided by clear objectives.
Set your goal and date it. An undated goal is nothing more than a simple dream.
Maybe you have enough making 1500 dollars / month as an extra income, or maybe you want
to make 3,000 or 5,000 per month.
The moment you have a clear objective, you will push to achieve it every day.
I personally like to set goals for myself in small increments.
If you’ve never made $ 1, start there.
As absurd as it sounds, write “I’m going to make $ 1 this month”
And then $ 10, and then $ 100, and then $ 500, and so on.
With this goal in mind and a deadline, it will be much easier to get out there and make it happen.
I believe in you.
I believe that you can create a profitable freelance business and break with the conventional
paradigm of employment.
But remember: you must also trust yourself.
Okay , I think I already finished my motivational speech ???????? . Let’s get to the truly actionable.
If you don’t know exactly what niche to stay in (or what freelance service to offer), you will know
tomorrow.
You will like this lesson.
See you tomorrow,
- Part 2
Lesson 2: How to Discover Valuable Skills People Will Pay You Premium for – and How to
Find Your Perfect Specialization
If there is something that surprises me in the freelance world, it is the variety of things you can
do. The truth is that there is room for everyone and you can start to see results although …
You have a full time job and a family. You can start building your business in as little as 2 hours
a day – this until you see results and then you start to grow from there.
You think you don’t have any profitable skills. I started at zero. Being an engineer by profession,
the most I could do on the internet was some 3D drawings on the computer. I will teach you
exactly how to overcome that barrier and never look back.
You think you are not an “expert” in anything. Because the truth is, you shouldn’t
be. Remember: your clients only care that you can deliver the work. If you are willing to put in
your effort, I think you will be surprised how far you can go with your freelance business.
You don’t need to be an expert
The first thing we think of when we start as a freelancer is: “Why would someone pay me? I am
not an expert in anything.”
Valid the question. But do you want to know the truth? You are not seeing the whole picture.
There are thousands and thousands of jobs that anyone can do with little or no experience at
all.
In fact, the same clients admit it and classify many of these jobs as ” Entry Level ” …
In my particular case, I started looking for individual pages where I could write without having to
have contact with clients (a mistake, but at least I started).
The first freelance job I did was a 150 word article for $ US1.02 … not very exciting. I know. But
I have gone from that to charging up to $ US200 +.
I’m going to show you exactly what it took me to do this. But in the meantime, keep in mind that
many of your clients are not looking for experts. They want someone who cares and who can
deliver a job well done.
If you can demonstrate and communicate that you can do it, they will not hesitate to hire you.
Skills are not innate
I received an email saying , “I wish I had your skills and abilities, but sadly I don’t.”
And that’s where I realized that people believe they must have an innate talent to be successful
as a freelancer. They have not realized that today everything can be learned with a little desire
and Google. (I keep saying … your mindset matters.)
But back to today’s topic … your freelance service.
How I went from selling projects from $ 10 to $ 2,500
This was me a while ago formatting books by chilatas :
My first ‘ gig ‘ on Fiverr … and luckily my last
And today I hardly take projects for less than 2,500.
What change in that process? The truth is that many things.
Yes, I have a better idea of how to promote my services …
Yes, I have a few more months of experience …
Yes, I am a little more confident in my abilities …
But above all those things the main reason is that …
I specialized. I chose a niche.
This is the best decision you can make for your freelance career.
Look at it like this:
If you need facial surgery, would you go to a general practitioner or a specialist in facial
surgeries?
I think the answer is obvious.
But guess that…
Even if the “generalist” has more expertise and is more trained and has years and years of
experience … even if he was a specialist in facial surgeries in the past and now calls himself a
generalist, you probably prefer the latter simply because how it is promoted.
It sounds even strange, but it is the truth. Your potential customers think that way too.
And if this little anecdote does not convince you, let me tell you something that is a fact:
Specialists make more money. Point.
On top of that, it will be easier for you to learn and study if you are specialized.
When I decided that I was only going to write emails for software companies, guess what … at
that very moment I signed up for literally hundreds of newsletters from those kinds of companies
to receive their emails. It was the only thing I studied … it was the only thing I needed to study.
In addition, you position yourself much faster. What do you think can happen faster, become
one of the best known writers or become one of the best known email writers for software
companies?
These are just some of the advantages that you will have if you specialize.
NOTE: And this does not only apply to writers. I describe the full process here, but let’s briefly
see how you can choose a profitable niche:
1- Flood yourself with ideas
In what have I had experience? It is a mistake to think that because you do not have
experience as a freelancer , you cannot take advantage of your previous experiences. I recently
spoke with a girl who said she had worked in data entry for an e- commerce , this made her a
perfect candidate to be a virtual assistant for that type of company.
What interests you? What do you read or observe in your free time? We all have something that
interests us by nature. If you are interested in technology, for example, you can take
technology companies as your niche.
What are you willing to learn? If the previous two questions don’t bring anything to mind, just
take the first thing that catches your eye. The goal is to get started. Then you can change the
niche (or even the profession, if you want).
2 – Does your niche value your work?
Before you start promoting your services, you want to be sure if someone is going to pay you,
right?
The quickest way to find out this is to simply go to Upwork.com (as it is the largest platform
for freelancers and is a good representation of the market) and search for freelancers who are
in the niche you select.
How many freelancers appear in the results? Do you have jobs currently assigned? How much
do customers pay you? How much money have they made on the platform?
Note that I am NOT telling you to offer your services there — we’ve gotten there yet. But this will
give you a good idea of whether it is worth choosing the profession you have in mind and
specifically serving the niche or specialization you selected.
The intersection between what interests you and what the market demands is the ideal point to
have an exciting freelance business for you and profitable for your pocket.
Come prepared for tomorrow. We are going to talk about the fastest and most direct way
to get clients. (Hint: they are NOT freelance platforms)
Lesson 3: 3 Techniques To Find Customers Fast (Even If You’ve Never Had One)
Do you remember the first lesson — where did we talk about your mindset?
Do you remember I told you that successful freelancers are those who do not think like
employees and who actively promote their services to find new clients?
Well, today we are going to talk about some of the methods of finding those
clients. (Specifically, what I recommend for those who want to have clients who don’t fight over
price all the time.)
Method 1: A Website With What You Offer (+ A Professional Email)
I am NOT talking about a simple portfolio and that’s it. Or a profile on a freelance platform. I’m
talking about a page that sells your services 24/7 (we’ll see what to write on it tomorrow).
Many freelancers when they are starting do not invest any weight in their image … but the
reasons for having your own website are MANY.
Personally, I don’t know of anyone who charges premium rates and doesn’t have a website.
In fact, a HubStaff report on freelancing trends found that freelancers with a website earn 65%
more than those without.
They say that, “While the average hourly rate for freelancers without a website is 20.57, the
average for freelancers with a website is 33.90.”
And if earning more money is not enough for you, here are other reasons that will make you
understand the importance of this.
Reason # 1: Perception
The simple fact that you have a website and other freelancers do not, will differentiate you and
make you stand out from the competition. This is why I believe mine.
Your page should say specifically what you do and who you do it for (your niche). This is what
will allow you to attract high-value clients without having previous experience.
And many will say, “I’m new to this … I’m going to get my clients and then I’ll make my
page.” But when you are new you need to look good, so that you are not perceived as a
complete newbie … you understand ?
It’s like a boy saying, “I’m going to get a girlfriend and then I’m going to start something to
looking handsome and dressing up.” It is working backwards.
As humble as the famous “do not judge a book with its cover” sounds, your client is short on
time and has to judge based on what he sees.
The more professionalism and credibility you can show, the more chances you will have of
being hired.
Reason # 2: One Page Complements All Other Methods
Really, a website as such is not going to get you customers. BUT it is a foundation for the other
methods we will mention. For instance:
A website will allow you to have a professional email (you@yourwebsite.com) instead of the
email you made years ago (chalakavieja@hotmail.com).
A common email like this is more likely to fall for Spam. Professional email usually goes straight
to the primary inbox (you’ll understand this better in a moment).
You have complete control of what you do with a web page. You can put what you want and
remove what you want.
You can even use other strategies (which I recommend in the long term) such as ranking on
Google, for example, and attracting customers while you sleep.
I could give more reasons but let’s leave room for the other methods. The point is, it has a ton of
features and benefits for both the short term and the long term.
By the way, the name of your website can be related to what you do or simply your first and last
name (your first name, last name.com).
This is because many clients Google your name before hiring you in case you didn’t know.
You do n’t have to have a super glam design to get started either. A page saying what you do,
what you can contribute to your clients (tomorrow’s lesson) and a contact form at the end is
enough.
Method 2: A Method That Makes Me Thousands of Dollars
This is a method that is not talked about very often … it seems that not many freelancers know
about it. However, it works excellently well.
This is how, with almost no experience, I won my first project of $ 1,250 for writing a series of 10
emails for a company called Coolix .
I’m talking about the old and common mail: send emails directly to potential clients presenting
your services.
Let’s see what it consists of:
You are looking for the type of business that may need your services.
You find the owner’s email (for this you can use tools like FindThatLead or Hunter.io or, in the
worst case, use the contact page.)
He writes him an email introducing you and you try to start a conversation.
This appears to be intrusive. The truth is a bit intimidating. But it works because it works.
As for the first step, this is much more effective if you look for the business and make sure that
it has the problem that you can solve with your service.
For example, if you were a web designer, you would look for companies without a web page (or
with web pages that look like they were made in 1995).
Look at this example that arrived on my tray:
See how this person introduces himself and specifies that my blog is full of grammatical errors (I
know … I know) and that she is a copyeditor who can help me.
Do you think I’m going to be upset if the case happens that I’m needing someone like
that? Better for me. I don’t have to go out looking for talent. She is doing me a favor.
In 2 days we will talk more in detail about what to say to customers so that they will respond to
you. But for now I want you to think about this option … honestly, in the ways I know it is the one
that can work the fastest.
I still use it today, and every time I need a client it is a matter of sending a couple of emails and I
am 100% sure that I will secure a couple of meetings.
Method 3: Social Networks (and Communities)
Freelancing is a service business. And service businesses are based on people and
relationships.
Business owners and professionals use social media more than you might imagine — primarily
LinkedIn and Facebook. Both platforms have groups and communities where you can find the
type of customer you are looking for and connect with them.
Mind you, I’m not saying start promoting yourself to these people. In the networks (as its name
says) in a more social environment and you must do things indirectly.
Instead of introducing yourself as a professional in what you do, you will simply connect with
these people, and they may end up seeing your social profile or website.
Also, you can write to them and ask them about their business and what they do. Be interested
in them and wait for them to ask you what you do …
When asked about yourself, that’s where you can blatantly throw away what you do and for
whom.
It is a much more indirect method. And I consider it a medium and long-term strategy. That’s
why I put it last. But I think it is worth mentioning.
And there it is.
Sure, you can also use traditional and “go out” methods to find clients.
Or paid methods like advertising.
But to get clients without investing a lot of time or money, and all from the comfort of your home,
these are the best methods
All these methods have something in common: they will make some customers want to know
more about you and visit your social profile or page.
This [how you present your services] can be the difference between being showered by clients
and not being contacted by anyone at all.
Tomorrow we will see exactly how you present your offer. (And in 2 days we will see what
to say to your clients by having that direct contact we are talking about today.)
See you there! - “The Intruder”
PS: You realized that freelance platforms are not here , right?
There are many people who think differently when it comes to freelance platforms.
Many adore them. Others detest them. I recommended them for a while and now I abhor them
with all my heart. (Especially after finding out that a lot of people get jobs using the methods we
talked about above and then delegate the work to these platforms.)
The truth is that there are a couple of good clients there, but Dioos how hard it is to win a
project. It is a waste and a waste of time.
Besides that ultimately such work does not give you the experience you need to pair work with
clients quality …
On the contrary, it is like a vicious circle that the more you work with cheap clients, the more
cheap clients arrive at your door.
And that’s if you are lucky enough to get a job there … because most of them try for months and
come to nothing.
But anyway, we continue tomorrow. I’ll wait for you
Lesson 4: Use the TPC Formula to Present Your Services (And Captivate Your
Customers Instantly)
Congratulations!
You have arrived here. Let’s quickly recap what we’ve seen and what you’ve understood (or so I
hope) thus far:
You are a business now. And the faster you understand it, the better it will go.
You don’t have to be an expert to get started. There are tons of skills you can monetize from
editing a video to reciting an ad.
The key to starting premium charging early on is to specialize. If you have time in this world and
you haven’t, do it right now.
There are many ways to get clients, but the ones I recommend for those who are just starting
out are (1) create a website (and a professional email), (2) send cold emails to businesses that
need your services or (3) social networks.
Now we come to one of the most important parts: how to present your services.
This can be the way you describe yourself in the LinkedIn summary , or on your own
website. The structure that I will explain to you is simple and relevant for any of these.
I am a person who likes the simple.
I think that the simpler things are, the more chances there are that you will do them and you will
not be left in analysis paralysis.
That is why we will use what I call the TPC formula to explain your services and be ready to
contact clients in a couple of hours.
The formula is as follows:
Title: the heading that makes the first impression and clarifies what it is that you do.
Problem: how does your service help your customer? ¿
Contact: the call to action for the client to hire you.
We are going to distill each one so that you come out of this mail ready and provided (I don’t
know if it makes sense … but they rhyme ???? ).
I don’t want you to obsess over every word on your profile (or page) just yet. As long as you
have these 3 items, you have enough to start contacting customers. The goal is for you to start
making money and enjoying it as soon as possible.
Title: How to Get Your Customers’ Attention Immediately
I’m tired of seeing the same and the same over and over again. A simple ” Graphic Designer “
or “Video Editor” followed by a simple “Hi, I’m Author” or “I have a thousand years of
experience.”
Trust me, your customers are also tired of seeing the same thing. You have competition and
you must do what you can to differentiate yourself.
Can you imagine that Samsung in an ad simply says “A mobile phone” … Can you imagine that
that is the great headline? HOW BORING.
What we want here is to surprise the client with something that invites him to continue reading
and to know more about you.
Here are 3 easy ways to make your headline 25 times more eye-catching:
1 – Say exactly what you do (remember that you will do better as a specialist)
Continuing with the previous example, notice how, if I were a client, I cannot differentiate
between who and who cannot be useful to me for the project I have in mind.
If one of the designers says, “Logo Designer for Startups” or the video editor says, “Video
Editor for YouTubers ” things change.
It can be intimidating to narrow down your target audience, but trust me , you’ll have a better
chance of standing out.
2 – Mention the client’s objective
Nobody wants a drill. People want a hole.
And if we go a step further, what they really want is to hang a nice painting in their living room …
And if we go further still, what they probably want is for their house to look good to surprise their
visitors.
Likewise, your clients do not want a logo, or an article, or a video … they do everything for a
purpose that goes beyond your deliverable.
Generally this purpose is simple: more money.
But sometimes the goal can be more customers, recognition, or saving time. Think to see what
direct benefit your service has on your client and include it in your header.
3 – Choose words that have a fist effect (or put an essential adjective)
Each profession requires an essential characteristic. For example, to this day I still remember
a proofreader with the title: “Perfectionist proofreader “
It is obvious that to be a proofreader it is necessary to detect every tiny error in a text. That
same day I observed at least 50 concealers and that is the only one I remember.
It may seem insignificant, but a single word can take you far.
If you can’t come up with a word with that effect, something as simple as “Professional” or
“Expert” can help. It is the difference between “Virtual Assistant” or “Professional Personal
Assistant.” You see the difference?
3 simple but very useful techniques. Don’t try to use these 3 techniques at the same time. With
one that you use it can be enough . If you can use 2 (or 3) better.
Problem + Solution: time to expand on how you can help
After you have your title or heading, you should continue with the body of the text.
Many think that what follows after a title is to talk about who you are and how brilliant you are or
the centuries of experience you have or the incredible things you have done …
Avoid that.
You must focus at least 90% of your content on your customer and the value you offer to their
business.
Follow these 3 simple rules when expanding on your profile or website about your services:
Don’t just talk about yourself. Yes, customers want to know about you. But they are much more
interested in how you can help them. If you talk about yourself that is related to what you can
help.
Sell, don’t just show. Selling is about solving a problem and offering a solution. Emphasize the
problem in your first sentence and present yourself as the best solution. Just having a series of
samples of your work without any context (as many designers do) does not sell. You must show
how you solved a problem as a professional.
Season it. By last but not least importate , you have to put some energy. This is not a résumé ,
let your personality shine. Your clients want to hire people, not robots. If you are funny and want
to make a joke, do it. If you want to write how in a conversation, do it. Even emojis that you want
to use ???????????????? . They will do you more good than harm.
See how Sol from BrandMap applies these principles perfectly well.
The customer’s problem and goal first.
Second the solution.
And everything is written in a very conversational tone (as if you were speaking to one person).
Contact: you need an answer
If you’ve already excited the customer a bit with what you have to offer, you should end up loud
and clear with a call to action.
This can be accompanied by a small form on your website. Or you can simply say, “Email me at
name@gmail.com if you think I can help you.”
The point is to tell the customer the next step to take to continue the conversation.
Uuuufff … enough for today. You have homework to do, friend.
Remember that it doesn’t have to be anything glamorous. Sometimes a title and 2-3 paragraphs
is enough.
(Check out the example above … it does a good job and it’s literally 7 sentences.)
You can change or expand it later.
Follow these simple guidelines and you’ll be better than most freelancers with vague titles,
descriptions based on them, and 0 calls to action.
Congratulations on that.
The last step to get customers is coming: contact them. I’ll show you a frame of reference that
works for any type of direct contact you make with a client …
Be it in an email or any other message.
This is where most fail. Are you ready?
See you tomorrow,
Lesson 5: How to convince your client and what to say to get them to respond
We come to the most important part of your way to get your first client: the message or email
that you will send.
It is super important that your email shine and call the attention so that they finally hire you
(which is the goal).
Pay attention, because it took me time to decipher this part. Not only because of the messages I
had to send to get clients, but because one of my first jobs as a virtual assistant was
sending cold emails in an agency to get clients to my client.
This helped me quickly understand what makes people respond to a message or not.
And as always, we are going to keep things simple, focusing on 3 principles that are not so
obvious and that will make a difference when the client responds or not.
Reality # 1: The Emotional vs. The Rational
As much as it seems that the trophy is taken by the most experienced or the longest resume, it
is not like that. Not at all.
It’s easy to think that if you have more years of experience, you have an advantage. Or that if
you have a degree, you have an advantage.
And I am not saying that this is not an advantage. But telling your client, “I have an X degree” or
“A Y certification ” doesn’t make a big difference.
And what makes the difference then?
A personal connection makes a difference. Look at this example of how I wrote to the CEO and
owner of a famous startup in Spain:
Notice how I enter the conversation congratulating the client and expressing the fact that friends
have recommended their solution to me.
And baaaam ! 2 hours later…
From strangers to interested. From interested to meeting and $$$
However, I bet you that without that first sentence I would not have answered.
People like to be told that what they are doing is right.
Don’t underestimate the importance of a personal connection.
Find a way to sincerely (keyword: sincerely … don’t make anything up) congratulate, flatter, or
praise your client and their business.
It will work, as long as it sounds natural and not forced.
Reality # 2: Trust Vs. Experience
If he asks you, what is more important in your client’s mind, 45 years of experience or that he
trusts you?
Anyone can make up a number and write it in a message . Think about it. The client has no way
of confirming these things. You can’t tell the difference between someone with 6 months of
experience and someone with 6 years.
¿ What happens if instead of saying “I’m good at _” share valuable information?
Or if instead of saying “I have X time doing this” you tell the client the most common mistakes
made by professionals in your branch?
Or if you ask some specific information that you know you will need for the project, letting the
client know that you know what you are talking about?
…
Do you see how none of these things require experience as such?
A valuable piece of information may be a new technology that you read about.
Common mistakes made by professionals in your field can be found with a Google search.
Each one of these subtle bits of information makes the client see you as an expert on the
subject, trust you, and proceed to contact you.
Another important aspect for the client to trust you that you speak with confidence (and even
mention it if necessary) …
The simple fact that TRUST in yourself gives you confidence to your client as well.
Reality # 3: Friendly Vs. Skillful
When I say the word “customer” it gives a feeling of monetary interest or as if the only thing that
matters is the transaction.
When it comes to convincing a client, most freelancers go into despair mode or ’90s salesman
mode and trust me, your client smells miles away.
Many want to close the contract at all costs and this is precisely what keeps them without
customers. The only goal of a first contact is a response. And you must simply communicate
from human to human.
An easy way to lend yourself as a friendly and collaborative person is to understand what your
customer wants and mention it in your message. If you need to find out about their business
beforehand, snoop on their full LinkedIn, and dig into their website, do so.
These tips may seem unusual, and the truth is that they are. But we are working with people …
and admit it … we are weird.
Take these tips into account, put them into practice and I assure you that you will begin to see
results.
Remember to also close every message with a call to action — it could be a question about
your project or a question about the client’s availability.
And that’s all for now.
These are the lessons of months figuring out what to do to get up to 35% + responses from
clients (and that’s literally contacting strangers who didn’t know me at all!)
Thanks for reading everything,
PD: So far the lessons. * ????
At this point, many prefer to simply unsubscribe by clicking below. (If this is your case, go
ahead. I promise not to cry for a long time or hold resentments ???? )
OR
They decide to stay in this newsletter . Occasionally he sent part of my journey. And also
invitations to my freelance premium program (which I will tell you more about later).
It’s up to you.
In the same way, I hope that these lessons have been of benefit to you to give you clarity and
lead you much better on this path to being freelance that can be dark and complicated for many.
