Thread by @AriannaAten

Anxious about what to do with your first freelance #100Devs lead?😱😱

I went through this recently and am happy to share more on the big steps and exact things I said that worked for me…

1. Start with what you know.
- What do they sell/do?
- Do they have a current site?
- Any idea of what they are looking for from you?

2. Research those things.
- Google some possible competition.
- Google “web design/dev/marketing for XYZ industry.”
- Write lots of notes to bring! You will feel more prepared even if you don’t use them.

3. Now that you have some talking points…
- Believe in your ability to solve their problems with your network and Google/dev skills.
- Remember we are rooting for you! 🙌
- You’ve spent 100s of hours studying to get to this point. You can do this! Or you can find good help!🤓

4. When you meet, let them TALK.
- “So tell me everything about your business”…Listen to their story. Write down notes of problems you see.
- “So how can I help you the most?” Listen to their problems and bring up some of what you researched as possible helps.
Be an expert.

5. Ask “What’s your timeline?” If they give you a real close date, “Woah, you really have a tight deadline, are you flexible with that? I will keep that in mind in my proposal because I currently have other projects (you do, it’s called homework, networking and code wars😉).”

6. Be confident in your skills. I had a client ask if I could handle a new aspect I’ve never done before - I hesitated for a sec before smiling and replying “I can do XYZ,” because I knew I had a great network to help me and I wasn’t afraid to Google and watch YouTube.

7. Get a ballpark budget before you leave.
Just ask.
And then be quiet. 😉 Then tell them you will work up what you can do at that budget in your proposal. Be enthusiastic about getting their problems solved for them. “I’m looking forward to taking this off your plate soon.”

8. Go home & calculate 2x (or 3x) the time you think you need! Plan what you want to do at that price and exclude what you need to.
Write out all your services and include “Audit Reports” also. Those are Chrome Lighthouse reports we learned about.

9. Write a killer proposal. Create up 2 or 3 proposals choices with bare bones & the real deal.

HelloBonsai.com helped me do this easily. Fastest email proposal ever! I love their professional look and feel. Here’s a sample of mine: 👇👇

bit.ly/3KQmA91

They even gave me a 30% off 3 months affiliate link for you!

hellobonsai.com/invite?fp_ref=…

Promo: helloarianna30

I hope my ideas helps you some. 😌

Know you are not alone being anxious! I was super nervous. We can do it. 💪💪

See you on the other side of your freelance firsts!