301: How To Set Yourself Apart From The Other 500,000,000 Freelancers In The World | Part 2

Summary

In this podcast episode, the host Brian Hood emphasizes the importance of differentiation for freelancers offering creative services. He argues that while passion is the starting point, it's crucial to identify and communicate what sets one apart from competitors. Hood outlines five 'Brute Force' differentiators: being better than competitors, having superior gear or facilities, being more efficient, having a larger network, and maintaining longevity in the industry. He advises against using price as a differentiator and stresses the need for freelancers to stand out through unique, tangible factors that add value for clients.

Takeaways

• 🎯 Passion is the starting point for freelancing, but to succeed professionally, one must go beyond and consider additional important factors.
• 💡 The cornerstone question for freelancers is 'Why should someone hire you instead of others offering similar creative services?' It's crucial to have a compelling answer.
• 🚫 Lowering prices should not be a freelancer's strategy for differentiation; it's not a sustainable or effective way to attract clients.
• 🌟 Differentiators should be apparent to potential clients before they hire you, not revealed only after the working relationship has begun.
• 📌 Focus on one differentiator at a time to effectively stand out from the competition and not overwhelm yourself with too many strategies.
• 🔨 Brute force differentiators include being better than competitors, having superior gear or facilities, being more efficient, having a larger network, and maintaining longevity in the industry.
• 💼 Building a larger network through word of mouth, referrals, and community engagement can significantly impact a freelancer's success.
• ⏱️ Being faster and more efficient in your work process can lead to competitive pricing and a strong differentiator in a crowded market.
• 📈 Having a long-term presence and staying top of mind with potential clients can lead to more opportunities and hires over time.
• 🛠️ Utilizing tools like CRM systems can help in staying organized and consistent with follow-ups, leading to increased client acquisition.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the Six Figure Creative Podcast?

The main focus of the Six Figure Creative Podcast is to help freelancers offering creative services to make more money without compromising their values or passion.

What is the significance of the custom neon sign mentioned in the podcast?

The custom neon sign signifies the importance of going beyond just passion in the freelancing profession. It serves as a reminder that success in freelancing requires more than just being passionate about one's work.

What is the 'Cornerstone question' that freelancers should be able to answer?

The 'Cornerstone question' is 'Why should someone hire you instead of all the other options they have?' It challenges freelancers to identify and communicate their unique value proposition to potential clients.

Why is it important for freelancers to have a good answer to the 'Cornerstone question'?

Having a good answer to the 'Cornerstone question' is crucial because it helps freelancers stand out from their competition. Without a clear differentiator, freelancers risk being overlooked in favor of others who can better articulate their unique value.

What are the three differentiation rules mentioned in the podcast?

The three differentiation rules are: 1) Lowering price will never be your differentiator, 2) Differentiators need to be apparent before they hire you, and 3) Choose one at a time to focus on.

Why should freelancers avoid using price as a differentiator?

Using price as a differentiator is discouraged because it can lead to a race to the bottom, where freelancers underbid each other, reducing their income and potentially devaluing their services.

What is the 'E8 framework' mentioned in the context of efficiency?

The 'E8 framework' stands for Eliminate, Automate, Delegate, and Mitigate. It is a strategy to improve efficiency by reducing or eliminating unnecessary tasks, automating processes, delegating tasks to others, and mitigating the impact of time-consuming activities.

How can freelancers expand their network and increase their surface area?

Freelancers can expand their network and increase their surface area by attending community events, social gatherings, and entrepreneurial meetups. They can also build a referral network with professionals offering different services to the same client base.

What is the significance of staying top of mind for a long time in the context of freelancing?

Staying top of mind for a long time ensures that freelancers remain in the consideration set of potential clients. Over time, they may become the only option that clients remember, increasing the likelihood of being hired once the need arises.

How can freelancers implement an effective follow-up process?

Freelancers can implement an effective follow-up process by using a CRM system to set reminders and structure their outreach. They should maintain consistent, non-intrusive communication with potential clients, providing value and checking in on their needs over an extended period.

Outlines

00:00

🎤 Introduction and the Importance of Differentiation

The podcast begins with host Brian Hood welcoming listeners, particularly freelancers offering creative services who aim to increase their income without compromising their integrity. He emphasizes the significance of differentiating oneself in a crowded market, posing the 'Cornerstone question': Why should someone hire you over others? Brian highlights that having a clear, compelling answer to this question is crucial for attracting clients and standing out from the competition.

05:00

📝 Differentiation Rules and Categories

Brian outlines three 'differentiation rules' for the episode: lowering price is not a valid differentiator, differentiators must be apparent before hiring, and focusing on one differentiator at a time. He introduces four categories of differentiators: Brute Force, Credibility & Trust, Specialization, and Goldilocks Pricing. Each category is briefly explained, setting the stage for a deeper dive into each in the series.

10:02

💪 Brute Force Differentiators: Effort and Investment

The first category of differentiators discussed is Brute Force, which involves significant effort, energy, and sometimes money. Brian explains that being the best in one's field or having superior gear and facilities can be differentiators, but they come with challenges such as high costs and increased competition. He also touches on the importance of efficiency and network building, emphasizing that these factors can significantly impact a freelancer's success.

15:02

🚀 Enhancing Efficiency and Client Delivery

Brian delves into the third Brute Force differentiator: being faster and more efficient. He discusses the importance of managing client expectations and pricing strategies, suggesting the E8 framework (eliminate, automate, delegate, and mitigate) to improve efficiency. By enhancing these aspects, freelancers can offer competitive pricing without sacrificing their income, thus differentiating themselves in the market.

20:03

🌐 Network and Longevity as Differentiators

The final Brute Force differentiator is having a larger network, which can lead to more referrals and clients. Brian also discusses the power of longevity, sharing his personal experience of following up with potential clients over 18 months, which ultimately led to success. He emphasizes the importance of staying top of mind and maintaining long-term relationships with clients to ensure a steady stream of work.

Keywords

💡Freelancer

A freelancer is an individual who is self-employed and not necessarily affiliated with any specific company, offering creative services on a project or contract basis. In the context of the video, freelancers are the target audience, and the discussion revolves around strategies for them to differentiate themselves in the market and succeed financially without compromising their integrity.

💡Differentiation

Differentiation refers to the process of distinguishing oneself or one's services from others in a way that is appealing to potential clients. It is a key concept in the video, where the host discusses the importance of freelancers having a clear and compelling reason for clients to choose them over others.

💡Passion

Passion is a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for something. In the video, it is highlighted as the starting point for many freelancers who transition from being hobbyists to professionals by monetizing their passion and turning it into a business.

💡Epiphany

An epiphany is a sudden, profound realization or insight. In the video, the host shares a personal anecdote of having an epiphany during a walk, leading to the creation of a custom neon sign with the phrase 'It takes more than passion', symbolizing the realization that success in freelancing requires more than just passion.

💡Client Experience

Client experience refers to the overall impression and satisfaction a client has when interacting with a service provider. In the context of the video, the host challenges freelancers to provide a superior client experience as a differentiator, but also cautions that this is often discovered after the client has already hired the freelancer.

💡Portfolio

A portfolio is a collection of a freelancer's work that showcases their skills, accomplishments, and expertise. In the video, the host discusses the importance of having a strong portfolio as a means of demonstrating one's capabilities to potential clients, but also notes that a portfolio alone may not be enough to set a freelancer apart from the competition.

💡Pricing

Pricing refers to the process of determining the cost at which a freelancer's services are offered to clients. The video emphasizes that lowering prices should not be a freelancer's strategy for differentiation, as it can lead to a race to the bottom and devaluation of their work.

💡Referral Network

A referral network consists of individuals or businesses that recommend or send clients to a service provider. In the video, the host highlights the importance of having a large referral network as a powerful differentiator, as it can lead to more opportunities and clients through word-of-mouth and strategic partnerships.

💡Efficiency

Efficiency refers to the ability to produce the maximum output from the minimum input, or to achieve a goal with the least waste of time, effort, or resources. In the video, the host encourages freelancers to be more efficient in their work processes as a means of differentiating themselves, which can lead to competitive pricing and faster delivery times.

💡Longevity

Longevity in the context of the video refers to the ability of a freelancer to remain relevant and top-of-mind with potential clients over an extended period. It suggests that by consistently following up and maintaining contact, a freelancer can become the go-to choice when a client is ready to hire.

Highlights

The podcast is aimed at freelancers offering creative services who want to make more money without compromising their integrity.

The host emphasizes that passion is the starting point for freelancing, but it's not enough to sustain a business.

Freelancers need to identify their unique differentiators to stand out from the competition.

The 'Cornerstone question' is critical for freelancers to answer: 'Why should someone hire you instead of all the other options?'

Differentiators should be apparent before a client hires you, not discovered after the fact.

Lowering your price is not a sustainable differentiator and is discouraged.

Freelancers should focus on one differentiator at a time to avoid spreading efforts too thin.

Brute Force differentiators involve significant effort, energy, and sometimes money to achieve.

Being the best at your craft is a common but challenging differentiator to achieve.

Investing in better or more expensive gear and facilities can set you apart in gear-centric industries.

Efficiency in delivery can be a powerful differentiator, especially in competitive markets.

Having a larger network can lead to more referrals and clients through word of mouth.

Longevity in the industry can give you an advantage by staying top of mind for clients over time.

The host shares personal strategies for staying top of mind, such as consistent follow-ups over 18 months.

Differentiation is less important without awareness; clients must first know you exist.

The podcast offers coaching services to help freelancers build a sustainable client acquisition system.

Transcripts

hello and welcome to the six figure

creative podcast I am your host Brian

Hood if this is your first time

listening to the show first of all so

glad to have you here welcome I'm two

hand waving if you're watching on

YouTube I don't know why this podcast is

for you if you are a freelancer you

offer creative services and you want to

make more money from those creative

skills without selling your soul if that

sounds like you you're in the right spot

from my returning listeners this is a

continuation of the series we started

last week now you don't really have to

go back and listen to that episode if

you're new or you missed last week this

episode will Standalone value all in

itself but I want to kind of back up a

little bit and set the stage for what

we're going to talk about today because

this is something that every single

person listening to the show should

absolutely be thinking about it should

be top of mind for you right now this

should be a burning pain for you right

now and I'm going to back up and say the

sign behind me says it takes more than

passion pointing at it back behind me

it's this custom little neon sign I made

I spent like $1,000 Dollar on it I think

maybe 6 or 800 maybe a thousand I don't

remember I spent a lot of money on it

because I had like one of those Epiphany

moments where I was just on a walk and I

was thinking through people that listen

to this show I'm thinking through what

is like the universal message that I

want to send to anyone that listen to

this show and that phrase just came into

my mind because so many of us came into

this profession freelancing by accident

we were passionate about something and

we started realizing we can monetize it

in some way and then we started getting

a few clients and then it became maybe

more than just a hobby it became an

actual side gig or side hustle and then

it became maybe even a full-time thing

for some people and then became a

legitimate business and maybe you have

Freelancers to work under you becoming

more of an agency the path can go so

many different directions but it all

starts with passion we are passionate

about something but it doesn't end there

so the second we decide to become a

professional freelancer AKA we're

accepting money for our services now we

have so many other things that we need

to think about and one of those very

important things probably one of the

most important things that you should be

thinking about right now a thing that

should be top of Mind burning pain for

you right now if you don't have an

answer for this is answering this

question we call it the Cornerstone

question you've heard me talk about this

on the show if you're a longtime

listener to this podcast but it's having

a great answer for the Cornerstone

question of why should someone hire you

instead of all the other options that

they have it doesn't matter what you do

if you were offering creative Services

freelance services for money then most

of the time 99.99% of the time there are

other options out there besides you so

if you're a music producer there are

other music producers if you're a

graphic designer there are other graphic

designers if you're a videographer there

are other videographers if you're a

copyri there's other copywriters if

you're an illustrator there's other

illustrators if you're a photographer

there's other photographers out there so

why should they hire you instead of all

the other people that are out there I'll

pause and let you think about that for

just like 5

Seconds now do you have a good answer

for that CH are if you're like most

people that I've ever talked to about

this they do not have a great answer for

this you'll have some surface level

things I have the great customer

experience or we have a great portfolio

or our quality is better than everyone

else and those might be true but if you

can't point to specific things specific

differentiators very tangible things

many of them very measurable things if

you can't point to those immediately and

say that's what separates me then I

guarantee your clients or actually the

people that are not your clients your

leads your potential clients prospects

all those other people out there you

want to hire you they don't have an

answer for that either for why they

should hire you over all their other

options and so you lose the gig they go

with someone else for various reasons

pricing whatever your leads those people

you want to hire you they will always

know less about you than you do so if

you do not know this about yourself what

your differentiators are guaranteed that

they don't know them either and even if

you do know them doesn't mean that they

know them either because you may not be

communicating those differentiators to

them so this episode we'll talk through

a bunch of differentiators help you find

an answer for that Cor own question a

way to actually be different and then

maybe not this episode but maybe a

future episode we'll talk about how we

actually communicate that to our clients

so that they do know because it's one

thing for you to know complet different

thing for them to know but it starts

with you knowing first what those

differentiators are so that you can have

a true reason for them to hire you over

their other options and that's what we

all want starts with passion we got

really passionate about this but we have

to have a reason for them to hire us

above and beyond just the shoulder

shrugging uh you know we have best

customer experience so for this episode

I got a few rules I don't have a name

for this I could probably come up with a

name but our differentiation rules we

got three of them to follow right now

for this episode rule number one is

lowering price will never be your

differentiator I want no one listening

to this podcast no one watching this on

YouTube I want none of you to use price

as a differentiator we're not coming

down on a price to get a client we're

not advertising discounts coupon codes

any of that crap to get clients that is

a poor person's game to get in clients

we don't want that we don't do that

we're not talking about that we're not

teaching that I don't advocate for that

you won't do that either because you

listen to show and you're smarter than

the other people rule number two

differentiators need to be apparent

before they hire you so you saying you

have a better client experience you're

more likable people like you more you

just really gel well with your clients

that's all things they find out after

they hire you in most cases not all

cases but in most cases so the

differentiators I'm talking about in

this episode and the differentiators you

really need to focus your time effort

and energy on are those that are

apparent before they ever exchange their

money to you if they don't find out till

after they handed you the money that's

not what we're going to work on today

that's not what you're going to focus on

when it comes to answering your

Cornerstone question rule number three

is just choose one at a time to focus on

I'm going to cover a lot of different

shads in this episode I got four

different categories to cover and so

this might be a bit of an info dump and

maybe I even have to split this in

multiple episodes or maybe we have to do

some follow-up episodes on this because

this is a series by the way but the rule

is choose one and focus on it for now we

can stack them over time but not all of

these are created equal some of these

will take days to implement some of

these will take years to implement some

of them will keep you booked solid for

life and some will only give you a

slight Edge so it's up to you to decide

depending on your Niche depend on what

you gravitate towards I don't even use

all these by the way all these

differenti I'm talking about I don't use

them currently I had never have and some

of these but it doesn't mean they're any

less valuable just because I don't use

them doesn't mean they are not a valid

valuable differentiator I do have a lot

of these and I have used a lot of these

but everyone gravitates naturally to

certain areas and you really only need a

couple real differentiators to stand out

from your competition or your

competitors and even if you are the type

of person that says there are no

competitors there are only collaborators

sure that sounds good like on a bumper

sticker or something but realistically

if you don't get hired someone else does

and if someone else gets hired you won't

so you do have competitors doesn't mean

you can't be friends with them doesn't

mean you can't exchange leads or refer

clients to each other occasionally but

you still have competitors again not to

be rude with each other but just saying

truly you do have competition at a

certain point we have to be different

from the people around us if we want to

get the clients so let's talk about the

four categories I'm going to dive into

these and we'll get as far as we can in

this episode I'll probably get through

all of them but we'll see the first

grouping of differentiators is Brute

Force differentiators is just pure

effort and energy and sometimes money to

differentiate hard but possible the

second category is credibility trust

that whole kind of umbrella of

differentiators the third is

specialization talk more about that

that's a huge one that's one of my

favorites the fourth is goldilock

pricing and things around pricing again

lower rates are not the differentiator

but pricing does come into this

especially if you're working with broke

clients which is what my background is

in music production working with broke

clients that worked at Taco Bell so

let's start at category number one Brute

Force differentiators and I'll start

with the hardest here the most common

the one that you probably answered if

you had an answer to the Cornerstone

question at the beginning of the episode

where I paused for a few seconds to let

you answer to yourself what your

differentiator is it is just be better

than the competition be better than the

other people portfolio quality your

skills as a freelancer your talent as a

designer music producer whatever you do

you're just the best or at least the

best in your immediate area or in your

circle of competitors this is the most

common differentiator people try to

strive towards and it is by far the most

difficult to achieve someone will always

be better than you and many times those

people who are naturally more talented

to you and naturally better than you who

work less hard to get further ahead of

you in the creative space as far as the

talent side of things those people are

also rarely the most sophisticated

business owner so what you'll find is a

lot of times those people will do things

that make it really hard for you to

compete they won't charge what they

should charge and so you see that this

person who's better than you charges

lower rates and so now you're knocking

down your rates even though you

shouldn't or they won't have boundaries

with their clients so they let the

clients walk all over them so you feel

like you should do the same if that

person's better than me and they do that

I need to now do that or what's even

worse H this is the whole point of this

podcast the sixf figure creative exists

for this reason the worst thing is when

you look to those people who were better

than you and you use them as a model for

how you should run your business and

that model is utterly and completely

flawed other than being the best at

their talent nothing else about them

should be emulated so the whole point of

this podcast is throw Talent away as a

differentiator for now assume that you

are good enough with your current

creative skills and let's work on all

those other skills we call it the full

stack freelancer we have a whole series

on this if you want to check out that

series it's episode 235 and 236 the

first episode of that series is called

why you don't need to be a better

creative in 2023 full stack freelancer

part one so while this is a huge

differentiator if you can truly achieve

it be the best this is not the one we're

going to focus on doesn't mean you don't

improve your skill set doesn't mean you

don't get better at your skill set but

it does mean that there's likely a

laundry list of other things that you

need need to focus your time effort

energy and attention on that will get

you much better returns because the

better you get that law of diminishing

returns creeps up I work harder to get

1% better that 1% better takes me 10

times longer next time to achieve so the

next 1% better takes 10 times longer I

get 1% better and now all your time is

spent just getting that 1% bump that

your clients cannot perceive listen to

that series if this sounds like

something that you struggle with but

that's brute force method number one for

differentiation is just be the best or

at least be better than your competitors

Force differentiator number two is have

better or more expensive gear facilities

this is one of my favorites coming from

the music production background where

the big thing to do would be get a

massive loan or get investors this is

like the old school recording studio

days on Music Row in Nashville and some

of the other studios around here you get

millions of dollars together through

some way and you buy a bunch of gear

have a big expensive buildout and you

have an overhead and bills to match but

that is a true differentiator have

bigger better facilities have the best

similar to the skill side of things but

it's way more Brute Force so it's just

money just put money towards it have the

best gear have the best room facilities

again this is very common in the

recording studio world it's also pretty

common in the video videography World

photography can kind of be like that but

this is more in like gear Centric niches

so this isn't everyone I don't know of a

designer that I'm looking at their gear

list thinking oh that Designer is the

one because of their gear because of

their Cool vibe in their office that

stuff's cool to have obviously but it's

not what I'm talking about here so this

is really for my gear lust people out

there this is a way to differentiate the

problem again every single time you

spend a dime or a dollar or a $100,000

on gear it increases your overhead

meaning you have loans that you have to

pay now now you have to make more to

keep the same and that was the reality

when I was coming up as a upstart home

studio where I had less than $20,000

worth of gear and I was competing

against people with multi-million dollar

Studios and I was beating them out and

the reason being is when I had lower

overhead I could charge a much lower

rate I wasn't pricing based on low rates

it was just realistically I charged a

rate that was fair and highly profitable

for me but because they had such high

overhead and bills associated with their

Studios they had to charge way more if

they charge what I charged they would

make no money on the flip side you might

say what if I buy everything with cash I

bootstrap it I don't get loans I don't

get investors I don't have to charge as

much because I am reinvesting into my

own business that's the same problem

whenever you are bootstrapping you that

means you are taking your profit and

just reinvesting it back in the business

which me you take home less money and if

you're like most people you have bills

to pay you have mouths to feed you have

life to live and so now you are

depriving yourself of that in order to

reinvest into a business and beyond that

there's also opportunity cost so all

that money you're reinvesting in your

business could be earning money

elsewhere so if you have $100,000

invested in your business or a million

dollar invested in your business what

could that get out in the Market 7 to

10% returns when you factor that in to

what you could be earning passively it

doesn't add up not for many people now

there may be some examples out there

that make sense but I would prefer this

not to be your differentiator as better

gears and facility there's a threshold

in every industry and every Niche where

this amount of quality is the

expectation and every 1% beyond that

just like your skill set every 1% beyond

that is perceived by less and less

people as an improvement so you need to

look at your client's expectations what

is the expectation of quality what is

the expectation of the end result not

how we got there the end result and buy

gear and facilities and have your build

out for things according to that Ro

Force differentiator number three is to

simply be faster faster or more

efficient put these one in the same and

this is one where we're starting to get

into the realm of what I call reality

this one is highly valuable for those of

you who are in very competitive bloody

red niches where there's tons of

competitors that are out there or a

niches where people are just very money

conscious AKA broke and I was working

with a client on this exact issue when

we looked at his packaging and we did

the math on like how long it takes to

fulfill on this we kind of reverse

Engineers based on what he wants to earn

we take the client value completely out

of the equation for this specific

exercise we're just saying what do you

want to deliver to the client what do

you want to earn how many hours does it

take to fulfill and what does that mean

you have to charge in order to get there

wonderful exercise the problem is when

that number is way above the value of

what you're giving your client meaning

it's way out of their budget or it's way

outside of what other people are

charging unrealistic and once I dove

into it with the client we realized a

couple things the first is he was

offering things that he shouldn't be

offering and that was driving up the

price thing number two two is he was

taking longer than other people were

taking which was driving up the price

and when you're offering things that you

shouldn't be offering and you are taking

longer than you should be taking you are

passing that inefficiency off to your

client and the client then does not want

to pay that because other people are

doing it for cheaper this is where

pricing differentiation makes sense and

it's not that we're lowering our rates

in order to stand out we're not just oh

I'll charge less and take the hit

personally no this is a very calculated

approach we are looking at how how can

we become more efficient in our delivery

so that we are more competitive in our

pricing I'll talk about gold Delux

pricing in a later section but this is a

really important point we call it the

easy8 we have a whole episode on this

back on episode 216 how to spend less

time doing the stuff you hate the easy8

framework this isn't just doing stuff

you hate less it's just being more

efficient overall the E8 is a few

different things it is eliminate

automate delegate mitigate it's those

four things and so when we looked at his

entire delivery every single line item

that he did with this client what he was

trying to offer people and we put it

through that framework we found things

that we could eliminate from the entire

thing which drove down costs without

hurting his hourly pay we found things

that we can automate to reduce the

amount of time for delivery which means

we could lower the rates and pass those

savings on to his clients without

hurting his rates we found things that

we could delegate to somebody for much

lower fee than he's charging clients

meaning he can either pass that on to

his clients or he can profit the

difference between what he's paying the

contractor and what he's charging the

client either one as long as he has

margin he can do one of the other but in

this case because he was still above

what the market would say is valid for

his offer and his Niche we could again

pass those savings off to the client to

become more competitive and then we

found things that we could mitigate that

just means lessen the impact of spend

less time doing something and there were

a few areas where we just found that he

was taking way too much time doing

certain tasks or doing certain things

where something as simple as a tomato

timer or pomodora technique where you

have a certain set amount of time to do

tasks sped him up drastically I forget

the name of the law but the law is

something like however much time you

give something you will fill that whole

amount of time so if you have a day to

do a thing you will take that entire day

to do it if you make yourself do it in

an hour if you give yourself one hour to

do it you will find a way to get it done

in an hour there are obviously limits to

that but when you just have when you

just give yourself as much time to do

something without any real structure or

limitations in place you would take way

longer than you would if you just put

some real limitations on that so that is

an example of just being faster being

more efficient using the E8 framework E8

is Ates if you didn't get that automate

delegate mitigate eliminate but using

that to be able to drive down price a

bit to be more competitive without

hurting your pay and beyond that using

this exact same framework can help with

a lot of things it can help with

speeding up responses to clients it can

help with getting through revisions

faster it can help with the overall

delivery process being faster all these

things are differentiators but the

biggest differentiator is on delivery

because that's going to affect pricing

and rates that you have to charge and

every single thing that you do above and

beyond what is the norm for your

industry is an additional dollar or 50

or 100 or a th000 that you have to

charge on your package or your pricing

that the clients may or may not be

willing to pay do not make your clients

pay for your inefficiency that's the

bottom line here best differentiator

number three in brute force

differentiators is be faster be more

efficient Brute Force differentiator

number four is have a bigger Network

this is a real differentiator when you

think about how most Freelancers get

clients it is Word of Mouth referrals

and repeat clients and how do we get

Word of Mouth referrals first having a

big Client List because your clients

will refer others to you but the other

side of things which is the Brute Force

side is just having a bigger Network

some of the most successful Freelancers

I know are just naturally outgoing

people they've developed a wide Network

a big Network so they hang out with more

friends they do more social events they

are seen by others and they see others

they attend like community events I know

a lot of Freelancers especially in the

B2B space where they're going out to

like events happening in the

entrepreneurial space makes sense as a

freelancer who's a business owner trying

to work with other business owners go

hang out of those community events or

three build a full referral Network a

referral network if you need a refresher

is the people that are serving the same

client that offer different Services

than you for example in my space in the

music production space I might be a

mixing engineer but I'm not mastering

music so I might have a mastering

engineer as part of my referral Circle

we'll refer clients back and forth to

each other we might have a videographer

who does music videos for people in my

Niche which my background is in heavy

metal production so we'd find

videographers who match that visual

style that heavy metal bands or

Deathcore bands would want so that would

be part of the referral Circle an

entertainment lawyer a booking agent

band manager all these people serve the

same types of clients especially if you

are hyper niched but this is what we

call increasing your surface area the

bigger our surface area the more bats we

have as a freelancer the more a name is

thrown around out there from different

people the mistake many Freelancers make

is we stay in our hole our very close

Circle our family and then we spend time

in a cave doing creative tasks we don't

grow our Network we don't expand our

surface area our reach as a freelancer

so it makes sense when the feast seasons

are very short and the famine seasons

are very long so that's Brute Force

differentiator number four is actually

building out a larger Network it takes

time it takes energy it's hard to do it

is Brute Force but it is a true

differentiator because in many cases

someone looking for referral or someone

who gets a referral you might be the

only person they're talking to or

looking at so just by the sheer fact

that you were referred that is a

differentiator because there's no

competition and brute force method

number five my final brute force method

here is longevity another way of saying

that is just staying top of mind for

longer this is one of my favorites for

my entire career one of my favorites I

have followed up with potential clients

for for somewhere around 18 months I

followed up for 18 months consistently

with somebody it wasn't like I'm just

emailing them endlessly for 18 months

straight begging them to work with me

it's just like a very structured with

reminders in place using a CRM reaching

out catching up seeing what's new seeing

if they have any updates sending a

reminder reach out a month or two and

repeat for 18 months until I got the gig

and the way this is a differentiator is

that although they may have had four or

five or 10 options for people they're

going to hire at the very beginning

beginning of that process I can

guarantee you I was the only person left

talking to them after 18 months no one

else is still following up no one else

is shown even remote interest I was the

only one that is a true differentiat it

takes time it takes systems it takes

process you got to have a CRM you got

have reminders all these things you got

to know what to say you got know how to

say it you got to have the right

attitude the right tonality you got to

not come across as needy but the longer

you can stay top of mind the more

clients you will get guaranteed 100%

there are a few hundred% in life but

that is one of them the longer you can

stay top of mind the more longevity you

have as a free freelancer and I guess

longevity goes more than just top of

mind when you think about it because

Freelancers who have been around a long

time naturally have a larger client pool

they naturally have more repeat clients

more referrals from their client poll so

longevity goes both ways but in this

instance I'm really just talking about

when it comes to Brute Force staying top

of mind for a long time now if you want

more on this if this is something you're

interested in it's one of the ones

you're going to focus on right now the

follow-up side of things go check out

287 it's called the follow-up process

that helped me double my freelance

business came out back in December 19th

it's not too long ago end of last year

in that episode I talk about how half of

my income came from follow-ups where if

I didn't follow up I just lost half my

income literally I essentially double my

income by following up and then the

other interesting stat from that episode

is about 20% of my income came from

followup for a grader so if I stopped at

follow-up number three I was missing out

on 20% of my income so that's a

difference between $100,000 a year and

$120,000 a year I will keep following up

for that extra 20 grand this is one of

those like it feels like a lot of work

but it's not you just need a CRM most

crms are like 100 bucks a month or less

some are as low as 25 30 bucks a month

at least the good ones are when you do

the math there depending on what your

income level is if you're already

earning 50 60 70 $80,000 a year and you

say I'm going to spend an extra 500 600

bucks a year on a CRM because that's

what's going to help you stay top of

Mind Set reminders and do manual

follow-ups you're not automating

follow-up like this one to one reach out

it might take you an hour a month of

extra time so 12 hours a year and 600

bucks a year to make an extra 20 $30,000

a year that's a pretty good trade-off to

me or for some of you who are doing no

followup to make an extra 50 $60,000 a

year with 12 hours a year and about 600

bucks a year that's a good trade-off so

those are the five brute force

differentiators from this list just to

kind of recap those it's be better than

the competition your portfolio quality

possible but hard but chances are

someone will always be better than you

number two is have better or more

expensive gear facilities this is for my

my recording studio people out there

this is for my just my gear hoarders

gear Hoarders videographers that are out

there some camera people like

photographers this is very expensive to

do and can lead to opportunity cost of

being able to invest that in better

asset classes or opportunity cost where

you have now accumulated a bunch of debt

and now you have a higher overhead and

feas or famine gets real tough when you

have a lot of overhead the third

differentiator brute force

differentiator was just be faster and

more efficient than your competitors

this one's a little easier a little more

manageable all these are difficult by

the way root force is through sheer will

and determination number four is just to

have a bigger Network so you have more

at bats more opportunities more surface

area as a freelancer and number five is

staying top of mind for longer longevity

be the only person still talking to

somebody after 18 months when they first

initially reached out I think I'm going

to wrap this episode up there we're

getting kind of lengthy here and I've

just got so much more to cover we've got

three more categories to talk through

I'll try to knock out all of them next

week's episode but we'll see how far we

get but this is a big topic and I want

to make sure we do this Justice I don't

want to Breeze through stuff I want to

be able to sit and talk about it because

it's my show and I get to do whatever I

want if you hate me let me know now one

thing before you go if if you are

working in a vacuum you're that person

that's sing in a dark cave AKA vacuum

the vacuum of space and trying to make

decisions like this and determine what

is the one thing I should be working on

what is my differentiator we're more

than happy to help you with all this

stuff but here's the thing

differentiation really only matters when

you have opportunities usually after

you've gained someone's awareness they

have heard of you they know you exist

and now they're going to look at what

are the differentiators for this person

for this specific freelancer and what I

found time and time again is most

Freelancers number one struggle is

awareness that they even exist

so if they don't even know you exist you

can be the best on Earth you can have

all the differentiation categories

ticked off and you have a wonderful

answer to your Cornerstone question of

why should someone hire you instead of

everyone else but if no one knows you

exist doesn't matter so if you want our

help differentiating any you want our

help building awareness and building

what we call a client acquisition

machine or a real actual sustainable

client acquisition system for your

business consider working with us we

will put together a full road map or a

full marketing plan for you we will

literally pitch it to you and only if

you approve it we will work together

one-on-one to coach you through

implementing every single element in

that road map if you reject it we part

ways you got no skin in the game but I

encourage you to at least see what we

would do with you go to sixf figure

creative.com coaching fill out the short

application there if it's a good fit

we'll chat and the whole goal of this is

to build a sustainable client

acquisition system for your business and

then all along the way spot those

opportunities for differentiation and

Implement those again the link is

6figure creative.com coaching if you

want to apply for that I'll see you all

next week where we'll continue our

differentiation series