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GETTING STARTED
InvestigateClick to read 
Getting Started
Know who you are and what you sell
Notes: First of all, you need to really know your added value (What unique skills do you offer the market), your skills, your strengths and your weaknesses (to be improved): make a SWOT of yourself.
Then, decide on what market you want to play: what are you going to sell, products or services and in what way you would present your offer. Make it attractive: packages of offer, blog posts, advertising in social networks, etc
Notes: You want to create a product that has enough demand and characteristics that can make it competitive.
InvestigateClick to read
Getting Started
Know who you are and what you sell
Notes: First of all, you need to really know your added value (What unique skills do you offer the market), your skills, your strengths and your weaknesses (to be improved): make a SWOT of yourself.
Then, decide on what market you want to play: what are you going to sell, products or services and in what way you would present your offer. Make it attractive: packages of offer, blog posts, advertising in social networks, etc
Notes: You want to create a product that has enough demand and characteristics that can make it competitive.
Put on a priceClick to read
"The price tag you put on yourself decides your worth. Underestimating yourself will cost you dearly”
(Apoorve Dubey)
“The more you focus on the value of your product or service the less important the price becomes”
(Brian Tracy)
Notes: What is your value?
- What’s your experience and educational level?
- How do you move within the sector?
- How many projects can you manage at the same time?
- What unique skills do you put on the table?
The value of a product does not have to fit with how the user perceives it. We must achieve that the price is less than what is received in exchange.
What is the market price?
Notes: Check with mentors and friends about your prices (some platforms to check are Glassdoor, Freelancing female, LinkedIn, etc.).
-Do not charge per hour but per project
-Increase prices on a regular basis
-Study negotiation strategies
Put on a priceClick to read
"The price tag you put on yourself decides your worth. Underestimating yourself will cost you dearly”
(Apoorve Dubey)
“The more you focus on the value of your product or service the less important the price becomes”
(Brian Tracy)
Notes: What is your value?
- What’s your experience and educational level?
- How do you move within the sector?
- How many projects can you manage at the same time?
- What unique skills do you put on the table?
The value of a product does not have to fit with how the user perceives it. We must achieve that the price is less than what is received in exchange.
What is the market price?
Notes: Check with mentors and friends about your prices (some platforms to check are Glassdoor, Freelancing female, LinkedIn, etc.).
-Do not charge per hour but per project
-Increase prices on a regular basis
-Study negotiation strategies
Give yourself some runwayClick to read
The more cash you have in the bank, the lower your risk will be and the higher your chances of success.
Notes: Many promising companies fail because they don’t have the resources to last long enough to get things going. How long can you last without any clients or income? The more cash you have in the bank, the lower your risk will be and the higher your chances of success. It is recommended to start with 6 to 12 months of operating expenses on hand.
Give yourself some runwayClick to read
The more cash you have in the bank, the lower your risk will be and the higher your chances of success.
Notes: Many promising companies fail because they don’t have the resources to last long enough to get things going. How long can you last without any clients or income? The more cash you have in the bank, the lower your risk will be and the higher your chances of success. It is recommended to start with 6 to 12 months of operating expenses on hand.
CommunicateClick to read
Contact everyone you know
Notes:
- Make a list of all your contacts, including family, friends, previous coworkers, acquaintances, etc.
- Talk to them about your business: Bomber emails to all your contacts.
- Send an email, call or send a message to those you recall can be useful informing about your product, what does it solve, who is it for, and ask if they know anyone that it may be useful for; as a result, you may end with a couple of referrals and it will aid to spread the word. This will help you as well to practice your selling skills and anticipate questions potential clients will ask you.
- Participate in ‘Meetups’ – Look for related groups in the social networks
- Coworking spaces: It is a great way to meet people and broaden your contacts, as well as a good space to work. Some of them offer free day passes, or even free week trials.
- Make yourself available when the opportunity arises. When approaching people, try to be assertive, but not aggressive.
- Try not to get home working all the time… get out and share… Face to face meetings are very important and more effective than online meetings or emails.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0RSc9mtZp4
If you don’t exist online, you don’t exist
Notes: Useful platforms for freelancers:
⮚Hipatias
⮚People per Hour
⮚Upwork
⮚Codable
⮚Coaching Club (for coaches)
⮚Shapeways (for architects)
⮚Cocontest (for craft professionals)
* There are similar platforms for almost every kind of profession.
CommunicateClick to read
Contact everyone you know
Notes:
- Make a list of all your contacts, including family, friends, previous coworkers, acquaintances, etc.
- Talk to them about your business: Bomber emails to all your contacts.
- Send an email, call or send a message to those you recall can be useful informing about your product, what does it solve, who is it for, and ask if they know anyone that it may be useful for; as a result, you may end with a couple of referrals and it will aid to spread the word. This will help you as well to practice your selling skills and anticipate questions potential clients will ask you.
- Participate in ‘Meetups’ – Look for related groups in the social networks
- Coworking spaces: It is a great way to meet people and broaden your contacts, as well as a good space to work. Some of them offer free day passes, or even free week trials.
- Make yourself available when the opportunity arises. When approaching people, try to be assertive, but not aggressive.
- Try not to get home working all the time… get out and share… Face to face meetings are very important and more effective than online meetings or emails.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0RSc9mtZp4
If you don’t exist online, you don’t exist
Notes: Useful platforms for freelancers:
⮚Hipatias
⮚People per Hour
⮚Upwork
⮚Codable
⮚Coaching Club (for coaches)
⮚Shapeways (for architects)
⮚Cocontest (for craft professionals)
* There are similar platforms for almost every kind of profession.
Be active onlineClick to read
Notes:
- Create a strong presence in social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram offer great opportunities to connect with communities that may be attracted to your product. They will provide you with more contacts and traffic to the business.
- However, it is true that they consume a considerable amount of time and require constant effort. Hence, it is fundamental to identify the profile of the potential clients to address them directly.
- It is advisable to use special promotions or free product trials in order to attract easily consumer interest. This can lead to clients recommending the product to other people and help spreading the word.
Be active onlineClick to read
Notes:
- Create a strong presence in social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram offer great opportunities to connect with communities that may be attracted to your product. They will provide you with more contacts and traffic to the business.
- However, it is true that they consume a considerable amount of time and require constant effort. Hence, it is fundamental to identify the profile of the potential clients to address them directly.
- It is advisable to use special promotions or free product trials in order to attract easily consumer interest. This can lead to clients recommending the product to other people and help spreading the word.
BASICS OF CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
Types of clientsClick to read
Notes:
The “Once and bye”: you provide a product or service. To a client and the relation is finished.
The “Retainer”: Start a Project, Think about a service that you can offer and the value that will contribute in the medium/long term (e.g. create a website to your client (maintenance) and offer him/her also another product as sales campaign, newsletter, consulting calls, etc.).
The “Exponential”: Introduce you to Other people of the sector
That of passive income �� You create a product once and it will generate incomes itself in the time (eg. Writing a book or a guide and sell it online)
Types of clientsClick to read
Notes:
The “Once and bye”: you provide a product or service. To a client and the relation is finished.
The “Retainer”: Start a Project, Think about a service that you can offer and the value that will contribute in the medium/long term (e.g. create a website to your client (maintenance) and offer him/her also another product as sales campaign, newsletter, consulting calls, etc.).
The “Exponential”: Introduce you to Other people of the sector
That of passive income �� You create a product once and it will generate incomes itself in the time (eg. Writing a book or a guide and sell it online)
How do I know what the client wants?Click to read
JUST TALK TO THE CLIENT
Notes: Just talk to the client:
- Find out what causes them more friction at their daily professional tasks; Know what’s his daily work
- Ask directly to the client
- Learn what personal and professional goals are
How do I know what the client wants?Click to read
JUST TALK TO THE CLIENT
Notes: Just talk to the client:
- Find out what causes them more friction at their daily professional tasks; Know what’s his daily work
- Ask directly to the client
- Learn what personal and professional goals are
Win customer loyaltyClick to read
Notes:
- Consumer trust is earned through the goods quality. That is why it is important to make a great offer with good client service.
- In the offline field, this responsibility relies on the individuals who run the business, while in the online field, its equivalent is the webpage. Which must be taken care of, be good-looking to the consumer and present facilities to acquire the products along with accessing them and pay for them. The business must involve consumers through the purchasing process.
- Optimizing the website also includes facilitating verifiable, relevant and reliable information; adding displays of the product and ease consumer contact.
- Give new customers a deal!
Win customer loyaltyClick to read
Notes:
- Consumer trust is earned through the goods quality. That is why it is important to make a great offer with good client service.
- In the offline field, this responsibility relies on the individuals who run the business, while in the online field, its equivalent is the webpage. Which must be taken care of, be good-looking to the consumer and present facilities to acquire the products along with accessing them and pay for them. The business must involve consumers through the purchasing process.
- Optimizing the website also includes facilitating verifiable, relevant and reliable information; adding displays of the product and ease consumer contact.
- Give new customers a deal!
Customer service essentialsClick to read
Notes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GH1TXfQSwUQ
Handling difficult customers
- Developing a custom-formula to handle difficult calls
- How to prevent call escalation and in increase first call resolution
- Keeping cool and letting go of stress before the next interaction
- Learn to be an “ambassador” between the company and the customer
Positive communication
- How to use empathy and positive words and phrases to soften negative information and increase cooperation
- Effective methods to engage with the caller while still keeping control and managing call times
- Active listening skills
- Creating professional, concise and effective email messages
Telephone etiquette best practices
- A short, consistent greeting to create a positive first impression
- Current best practices for placing callers on hold, transferring calls and closing the call with courtesy and professionalism
- Tactful questioning techniques to gather information
Personal responsibility/Ownership mentality
- Service mindset – How attitude directly impacts the service provided
- Shift focus to solving the problem instead of placing blade
- Maintaining a positive voice tone even when having a bad day
- Seeing a customer service position as meaningful and how it contributes to the company’s success
(By bonfire training)
Customer service essentialsClick to read
Notes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GH1TXfQSwUQ
Handling difficult customers
- Developing a custom-formula to handle difficult calls
- How to prevent call escalation and in increase first call resolution
- Keeping cool and letting go of stress before the next interaction
- Learn to be an “ambassador” between the company and the customer
Positive communication
- How to use empathy and positive words and phrases to soften negative information and increase cooperation
- Effective methods to engage with the caller while still keeping control and managing call times
- Active listening skills
- Creating professional, concise and effective email messages
Telephone etiquette best practices
- A short, consistent greeting to create a positive first impression
- Current best practices for placing callers on hold, transferring calls and closing the call with courtesy and professionalism
- Tactful questioning techniques to gather information
Personal responsibility/Ownership mentality
- Service mindset – How attitude directly impacts the service provided
- Shift focus to solving the problem instead of placing blade
- Maintaining a positive voice tone even when having a bad day
- Seeing a customer service position as meaningful and how it contributes to the company’s success
(By bonfire training)
FURTHERING DISSEMINATION
Your personal brandClick to read
HOW TO GET YOUR FIRST CLIENT
Unit 3 – Further dissemination - Your personal brand
Notes: Your personal brand website is your home on the web, the hub of the content you create and a destination for every member of the network you’re building to power your career. Even if you are active in different online platforms, the content you post on social media networks belongs to those networks. You need to own your personal brand and purposefully direct it.
Recommended platform to create your blog: Medium
Your personal brandClick to read
HOW TO GET YOUR FIRST CLIENT
Unit 3 – Further dissemination - Your personal brand
Notes: Your personal brand website is your home on the web, the hub of the content you create and a destination for every member of the network you’re building to power your career. Even if you are active in different online platforms, the content you post on social media networks belongs to those networks. You need to own your personal brand and purposefully direct it.
Recommended platform to create your blog: Medium
Speak up and writeClick to read
Notes:
- Many organizations while doing an event like to bring in speakers that can share something innovative or new with their members.
- This presents a great opportunity to share your experience.
- In addition, writing a blog or publications can be convenient to share ideas, topics and expanding your skills and business experiences.
- Accentuate the positive: When you speak to potential customers, they might have all sorts of questions without great answers: "How many other customers do you have? How long have you been in business?“. Try to answer them by accentuating the positive: "How many other customers do I have? That number isn’t as important as the fact that of those who have tried my product or service, 95 percent would recommend it to their friends“.
Communicate your achievements
Share your portfolio:
Notes: Useful platforms to better manage your business:
⮚Slack
⮚99designs
⮚Codeacademy
⮚HubSpot
⮚FocusLab
⮚FreeAgent
⮚Clear Slide
⮚mHelpDesk
Speak up and writeClick to read
Notes:
- Many organizations while doing an event like to bring in speakers that can share something innovative or new with their members.
- This presents a great opportunity to share your experience.
- In addition, writing a blog or publications can be convenient to share ideas, topics and expanding your skills and business experiences.
- Accentuate the positive: When you speak to potential customers, they might have all sorts of questions without great answers: "How many other customers do you have? How long have you been in business?“. Try to answer them by accentuating the positive: "How many other customers do I have? That number isn’t as important as the fact that of those who have tried my product or service, 95 percent would recommend it to their friends“.
Communicate your achievements
Share your portfolio:
Notes: Useful platforms to better manage your business:
⮚Slack
⮚99designs
⮚Codeacademy
⮚HubSpot
⮚FocusLab
⮚FreeAgent
⮚Clear Slide
⮚mHelpDesk
Market your customer successClick to read
Testimonials: quote, video, audio, case study, social media, customer interviews, peer review, press review, guest blog posts.
In order to grow your business, you need to be a part of your clients, achieving business milestones
Notes: Earn recommendations, positive reviews:
- Testimonials are a fundamental part; every successful customer should be a marketing asset.
- Some examples of tools in which testimonials can be used Quote, video, audio, case study, social media, customer interviews, peer review, press review, guest blog posts…
- The point is, in order to grow your business, you need to be a part of your clients, achieving business milestones.
Measure your results
 Every action that you take must be evaluated in order to measure its effectivity, compare your prospects to the actual results and improve taking concrete adjustments. In the end, it is a learning process and cycle through which the more you try, the more you understand your business and the market.
Partake the business community and yours
Notes:
•By going to business events you can identify those who have an impact in the entrepreneurial scene of your location → by offering to help, you can have a return. As it may help with the diffusion of the business. In addition, it is recommended to offer help in groups of Facebook or similar online platforms.
•This is the so-called networking offline. Some useful sites to search events are Meetup.com or Eventbrite.
•People generally tend to do business with those they like and trust; business relationships can be born in a meeting as well as in volunteer organizations or cultural events.
•This reflects a flexibility considering spaces to promote your business → focus to be a good member of the communities you want to be involved beyond the business sphere, or are already involved in, and opportunities will come spontaneously to you without needing to be forced.
•Work for free: If you have no experience, no clients, and no way of getting clients – reach out to someone you know that needs help and offer to do something for them for free in exchange for a testimonial.
Market your customer successClick to read
Testimonials: quote, video, audio, case study, social media, customer interviews, peer review, press review, guest blog posts.
In order to grow your business, you need to be a part of your clients, achieving business milestones
Notes: Earn recommendations, positive reviews:
- Testimonials are a fundamental part; every successful customer should be a marketing asset.
- Some examples of tools in which testimonials can be used Quote, video, audio, case study, social media, customer interviews, peer review, press review, guest blog posts…
- The point is, in order to grow your business, you need to be a part of your clients, achieving business milestones.
Measure your results
Every action that you take must be evaluated in order to measure its effectivity, compare your prospects to the actual results and improve taking concrete adjustments. In the end, it is a learning process and cycle through which the more you try, the more you understand your business and the market.
Partake the business community and yours
Notes:
•By going to business events you can identify those who have an impact in the entrepreneurial scene of your location → by offering to help, you can have a return. As it may help with the diffusion of the business. In addition, it is recommended to offer help in groups of Facebook or similar online platforms.
•This is the so-called networking offline. Some useful sites to search events are Meetup.com or Eventbrite.
•People generally tend to do business with those they like and trust; business relationships can be born in a meeting as well as in volunteer organizations or cultural events.
•This reflects a flexibility considering spaces to promote your business → focus to be a good member of the communities you want to be involved beyond the business sphere, or are already involved in, and opportunities will come spontaneously to you without needing to be forced.
•Work for free: If you have no experience, no clients, and no way of getting clients – reach out to someone you know that needs help and offer to do something for them for free in exchange for a testimonial.
Cooperate with competitorsClick to read
Notes:
- Contacting relevant companies of the field can lead to cooperation, but not only that. Often, companies have more projects than they could carry, which can lead to them asking you to take their surplus business.
- With collaboration you can learn about their business which may help you as well in terms of business management and creative ideas for new projects.
- Likewise, it can give you credibility on the market to work with a remarkable brand and expand consumer trust
- Help A Reporter Out (HARO) is a free service that connect sources with journalists.
- You will get messages informing about what kind of sources journalists are looking for.
- If you see something you can contribute on, you might get yourself featured in a publication, or contact directly journalists and offer yourself as a source, providing ideas for articles they could write with your assistance.
Cooperate with competitorsClick to read
Notes:
- Contacting relevant companies of the field can lead to cooperation, but not only that. Often, companies have more projects than they could carry, which can lead to them asking you to take their surplus business.
- With collaboration you can learn about their business which may help you as well in terms of business management and creative ideas for new projects.
- Likewise, it can give you credibility on the market to work with a remarkable brand and expand consumer trust
- Help A Reporter Out (HARO) is a free service that connect sources with journalists.
- You will get messages informing about what kind of sources journalists are looking for.
- If you see something you can contribute on, you might get yourself featured in a publication, or contact directly journalists and offer yourself as a source, providing ideas for articles they could write with your assistance.
TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF
How to take care of yourselfClick to read
Take care of yourself
"FREELANCERS CHANGE FREEDOM FOR SECURITY”
Notes
- While the number of freelancers is growing, concerns related to health security, job security, and mental health are also increasing.
- It's not uncommon for self-employed individuals to fall into bouts of anxiety and/or depression when their work is at a standstill. As self-employed individuals, it's easy to forget the usefulness of a support network and how much self-employment builds upon isolation.
- The lack of a company structure often prevents freelancers from fully understanding their legal employee rights, leaving them with little or no recourse against underpaying employers. Without a social or contractual safety net, freelancers have no real protection against unfair and illegal treatment.
(By https://cmr.berkeley.edu/blog/2016/4/freelancers/)
How to take care of yourselfClick to read
Take care of yourself
"FREELANCERS CHANGE FREEDOM FOR SECURITY”
Notes
- While the number of freelancers is growing, concerns related to health security, job security, and mental health are also increasing.
- It's not uncommon for self-employed individuals to fall into bouts of anxiety and/or depression when their work is at a standstill. As self-employed individuals, it's easy to forget the usefulness of a support network and how much self-employment builds upon isolation.
- The lack of a company structure often prevents freelancers from fully understanding their legal employee rights, leaving them with little or no recourse against underpaying employers. Without a social or contractual safety net, freelancers have no real protection against unfair and illegal treatment.
(By https://cmr.berkeley.edu/blog/2016/4/freelancers/)
Good habits to take care of yourselfClick to read
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Make sure you’re eating right
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Get enough sleep
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Learn to deal with stress in a healthy way
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Schedule some time for yourself
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Require a contract with your clients
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Spend time with the people you care about most (try to fix your daily working hours)
Good habits to take care of yourselfClick to read
-
Make sure you’re eating right
-
Get enough sleep
-
Learn to deal with stress in a healthy way
-
Schedule some time for yourself
-
Require a contract with your clients
-
Spend time with the people you care about most (try to fix your daily working hours)
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Demo
Play Audio 
Solopreneur Accept the challenge 
Worksheet 1: I have an idea 
