Hi everyone – In this post you’ll find some information about some upcoming changes to Credo Pro. Over the last few months I have been digging deep into the Credo business metrics and also working with a business coach to figure out how I grow up as an entrepreneur and how to make Credo work better for all of you, which is my number one priority and what keeps me awake at night.
I’m involved in a few different groups of consultants and agency owners online, including Credo. One question I see a bunch is agency owners or consultants asking others how often they speak with their clients. This is a very important question, but I also want to turn it around a bit and say that it’s the wrong question. If you’re asking this question, you’re really just looking for the bare minimum that you can do. In reality, if you just…
Yo Credo pros! It’s been a bit since I’ve published a video for you. I got a Mac back in November and fired up iMovie today for the first time in probably 10 years, and wow. It’s really moved forward! That coupled with my new home office setup (and my new cactus) I’m back in the game, so expect more of these coming up.
Hey there! Happy Thursday! I hope the new year is off to a great start for you. Personally, my wife and I just moved to Denver Colorado and are in the middle of getting our lives and house here set up. I wish I was writing this from my office, but my office is full of our stuff that we haven’t put away yet! A short idea for you today to get you started in the new year if you’re…
Hey Credo pro – You’re on Credo because you want to build your business and get more clients. One of the toughest parts of any sales program is getting responses from leads, and Credo is no exception. When you are responding to an Open Lead on Credo, you’re one of multiple (up to 4) responses, so you still need to set yourself apart from others.
Ahh the freelance life. Work wherever and whenever you want to, make more money and work fewer hours, retire young. At least that’s the dream, right? Unfortunately, it’s not always reality. One of the toughest realities to run into (and if you have not yet, you will) is when a client does not pay you for the work you have done for them. So what can you do? That’s what this week’s video is all about! The tips: Stop working…
Sometimes when doing work for clients, they ask you to do work that is outside of the scope of your project. What do you do? In this week’s video, I go deeper into some of the strategies I have devised to keep scope creep like this from happening. These include: Making sure that you have a contract signed that outlines the scope of work (and the contract template has been approved by a lawyer). No contract, no work. Explain to…
Happy Thursday! This video is a bit later in the day than usual (I bet many of you are seeing it on Friday) for a number of reasons, not least because I was busy trying to be wise, not smart. Watch the video and that will make sense. During a conversation with a Credo pro yesterday, I heard a story about leaving their job to go full time freelance and subsequently losing 3 of their 4 clients in the same…
Today I received an email that said this: “Trying to sift through the rift raft. Any personal referrals?” This person was looking for help and when I sent him to the /inquire/ page on Credo, he came back with that answer. So I dug a bit deeper and learned that he’s been burned before and didn’t trust that page. So I reworked it, adding my face and a trust signal at the bottom, also letting him know that his information would be…
Running a business is hard. I’ve been working really hard lately, doing things like: the real estate guide a lot of outreach and guest posts podcasts new feature development I also haven’t had a real vacation in almost a year. I’ve had a few three days weekends (ish, because I still answer emails) and I try to take an afternoon a week off, but I’ve not had more than 3 consecutive days off in almost a year, even around the…
When you are working with your clients, do they view you as an outsourced vendor and “solution” to their problems, or do they view you as part of their team? Over the years I’ve seen both sides of the equation. Each has their own special advantages and challenges, so which one is right for you and your agency? It depends on your goals. In this week’s view, I talk about how I advise people to go about it. You’ll learn:…
As a consultant myself and former agency marketer, I have had clients want to take their digital marketing inhouse after working with me for a while. This used to frustrate me because I thought that it meant that I would lose them as a client. What I’ve found, however, is that this doesn’t have to be the case. You can turn this situation into a win for your business. In this week’s view, I talk about how I advise people…
When you’re pitching new business, do you really understand who holds the budget purse strings and ultimately decides if your project starts, continues, and ultimately is successful? One thing I really learned working inhouse was the importance of knowing who the Highest Paid Person In The Room (the HiPPO) is and what they care about. I faced dynamics of founders and execs both wanting only their way (bad) and working well with others (good). If you’re talking with a marketing…
As a freelancer, consultant, or agency owner how do you know that your client is happy with the results they are getting? One area that many agencies and freelance pros need to improve upon is asking their clients for feedback so that the client can be better served and get a better return on their investment with you, which in turn grows your business faster. In this week’s view, I talk about the feedback loops that I have built (and…
When you get in a new lead and have your first sales call with them, do you have a process and set of questions you always make sure to ask? You should. And I’d like to make a suggestion for a question to add to your arsenal of information you need: What resources do you have allocated to implement our recommendations?
In your work with clients, do you ever try to upsell them to more work after the initial engagement? Selling ongoing work is hard as an agency and even harder as a consultant since businesses often want to “try out” a provider before they are willing to commit. How many times have you heard this: “Let’s do an initial engagement and if that goes well then we’ll see about freeing up budget for more work” Don’t you hate hearing that?…
I’ve worked inside of and with quite a number of agencies. One of the common gripes I hear from consultants is: “Our freaking sales team sold this project and it’s not what the client needs.” Don’t you hate it when that happens? You may have sold a project and gotten that revenue, but I can almost guarantee you that this client will not stick around after the initial engagement simply because they aren’t getting the right project for them. To…
As an agency owner, consultant, or freelancer you’ve likely worked with account managers at some point in your career. Maybe you even started as one. I’ll be honest – I often think account managers are unnecessary in agencies and think that having them does more harm than good for client relationships 99% of the time.
If you’re an agency owner or consultant, you probably have challenges with client retention. Retaining clients is the holy grail of consulting, but it’s hard. You’re consistently driving results for them, working super hard on their strategies, even over-delivering on work at the expense of your company’s profitability. And then they fire you with two weeks notice even though you have 30 days in the contract. Sucks, right?
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