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Secret Revenue for Desperate Freelancers
I get these questions all the time…
“How do I start getting jobs with ___(fill in the blank with a popular tool)____ when I don’t have the software myself?”
“How do I get those first critical testimonials?”
“How do I generate income when I’m not up to speed yet with all the skills I need?”
Glad you asked.
This blog post will explain, step by step, how to create a revenue stream from which you can start earning.
This system solves all three of your main issues:
- getting clients
- learning tools
- getting testimonials
Create a Revenue Stream
Right from the start, let’s get this out of the way – it will take money to earn money. You may be desperate for cash, and the thought of spending money terrifies you, but you need something to build a revenue stream.
Spending on a revenue stream is smart spending not dumb spending.
What is the difference?
Dumb spending involves paying for an extremely expensive website at the outset, branding, office props and business cards. Spending money on high end CRM management tools like Ontraport and Infusionsoft when you don’t need them yet, huge business conferences and courses that are a distraction from what you really want to do (why go to a conference on web design when your passion is for writing?).
Smart spending involves investing in tools from which you will immediately start reaping revenue, tools needed to set up your system, skills training, a basic website and a basic sales funnel, mentor and community.
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Here is a proven system that works…
Step 1
Pick a program/software/tool that has an affiliate offer system in place.
For example…
- ConvertKit
- ClickFunnels
- Hosting Services like Hostmonster, GoDaddy, etc.
- Genesis Themes
- Acuity
Don’t choose one that doesn’t pay out in cash but will only reduce the amount you pay on your account. Systems such as 17hats or MailChimp do just that. You can visit shareasale.com to find affiliates as well. You can become a Genesis theme affiliate or you can go to hosting companies and become an affiliate for them.
BONUS POINTS if you can pick a software that will pay you monthly as long as that person is a member, eg. ConvertKit or ClickFunnels.
A guide in choosing your affiliate is to select a program that you want to learn the software as well. In some instances, you need to already have the program to be an affiliate but not always. ClickFunnels doesn’t require that you have an account to become an affiliate. ClickFunnels will pay you 40% of every person that you bring on for the lifetime of their license. Let’s do some math: If they get the basic for $97 per month that is almost $40 for you per month. If they get the bigger package, which is $297, you get $118 per month for one person.
Step 2
After you’ve selected the program you want to be an affiliate for, go to Facebook groups and see what people are saying about this program or tool. What questions do they have, what are they saying about its competitor. For this strategy to work at its maximum potential be sure to catch potential clients before they buy to the program you are offering.
Here is an example of what to do and what to look for: Let’s say you want to be an affiliate for Genesis theme…check out posts where people are asking questions about getting a new site design.
If you want to help people migrate onto ClickFunnels, find people wanting to build sales funnels but have no idea what steps to take. The Aim is to get an idea of what sort of questions are being asked about that program or tool.
Step 3
Write the most amazing blog post of your life about the program and then link to it. That post, though, is not the main way you will get people to sign up. That post is mainly for when you are in groups and people are asking questions about the program that you are an affiliate for. At that point you share your blog posts and get referrals. Make sure your site has clear affiliate links and ways to get in touch with you.
Here is where you will find the golden nugget:
Step 4
As soon as you learn something new, like installing WordPress on a hosting account offer it for free. Why? You will get a lot of clients fast!
Tip: Don’t offer to do something that’s too hard or takes too much time. Remember…the affiliate commission you’re getting has to pay you for your time.
So what do you do? Enter a group, offer to do something that takes you no more than 20/30 minutes max. Offer things like: setting them up with a hosting account, installing WordPress on their server and getting them a custom email address for free. After doing that a few times, you will be paid by your affiliate, not the client.
Step 5
Now that you’ve got their email and a testimonial, you’re going to be able to up-sell them on further services down the road. At the tail-end of that offer you can say ‘Hey…so while we’re here…do you need assistance with _______?’ and offer other affiliate programs and skillsets you have. You can ask them to refer you to anyone else they may know that can use your ‘free’ service. Be clear that you offer it for free because you are an affiliate and you are getting a kick back.
This system is a surefire way to lure people into your network who would not normally give you the time of day because you’re new. It allows you to showcase your skills, customer service, timeliness and get testimonials. It’s also an up-selling opportunity, provided you have something available to up-sell. If they don’t bite, you can still email them and follow-up at a later date. This technique also lets you get into programs that you don’t yet have yet and get on-the-job-training.
What if you are already making money as a freelancer, already have revenue coming in and you want to scale this?
The options are limitless. Here’s an option: Create a free offer and run an ad to the free offer (smart spending). If they accept the free offer, you can up-sell. An example with ClickFunnels would be you creating a free training on why every business needs a sales funnel. At the end of that training, offer a template you created (the free offer)…if they sign up using your affiliate link. When they do, you get you affiliate pay and can up-sell to them.
So let’s get to work!