Ditching Hourly

Java Developer Alice B. (name withheld by request) joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about what to do when the skills you’ve built over many years become less valuable to clients.The pros and cons of platform specializationThe difference between horizontal and platform specializationWhat to focus on when your technical skills are no longer in demandHow to spot a truly expensive problemWhy freely sharing your expertise is the right thing to doThe three “good, better, best” ways to generate new businessWhy being specific about who your ideal clients are can dramatically increase your referralsWhy thinking about something harder or longer often doesn’t workThe importance of having conversationsHow to learn to what your ideal buyers really wantHow cold outreach, warm referrals, and organic inbound work togetherThe difference between “hunting” and “gardening” sales modelsHow to know when to double down or cut bait with a given target marketHow to ask for testimonials from active clients before a project is finishedWhy your odds of success are probably better if you focus on a type of buyer instead of a particular skillRelated LinksBuilding The Perfect TestimonialThe Pricing Seminar ----Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like:Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time?Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space?Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal?Book a one-on-one coaching call with me and get answers to these questions and others in the time it takes to get ready for work in the morning.Best of all, you're covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don't feel like it was worth it, just say the word, and I'll refund your purchase in full.To book your one-on-one coaching call, go to: https://jonathanstark.com/callI hope to see you there!

Business appraiser Charlie Stanton joined me on Ditching Hourly to brainstorm how to differentiate what is typically considered a commodity service. Talking PointsPricing risk mitigation instead of cost cutting or value creationDifferentiating in a commoditized marketCreating productized services for a specific marketPartnering with adjacent business that serve the same marketConnecting with the target market way before they need youCharlie's Links The listeners can find out more about Charlie at www.StantonValue.com or contact him directly at charlie@stantonvalue.com  ----Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like:Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time?Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space?Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal?Book a one-on-one coaching call with me and get answers to these questions and others in the time it takes to get ready for work in the morning.Best of all, you're covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don't feel like it was worth it, just say the word, and I'll refund your purchase in full.To book your one-on-one coaching call, go to: https://jonathanstark.com/callI hope to see you there!

Outdoor brand identity designer Devin Renaud joined me on Ditching Hourly to brainstorm how to get more leads. Devin's Links: https://fourestdesign.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/renauddesignco/https://www.instagram.com/fourestdesign/ ----Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like:Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time?Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space?Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal?Book a one-on-one coaching call with me and get answers to these questions and others in the time it takes to get ready for work in the morning.Best of all, you're covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don't feel like it was worth it, just say the word, and I'll refund your purchase in full.To book your one-on-one coaching call, go to: https://jonathanstark.com/callI hope to see you there!

Paul Boag, UX consultant, digital transformation expert, and OG podcaster, joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about how helping people for free is good for business.Talking PointsThe value of jumping on a new platform.How podcasting creates trust.How to create a good podcast.Hunting versus gardening.Expertise by association.Video-first workflow.The benefit of publishing your mistakes instead of editing them out.Why you don’t need to be outgoing to have a podcast.The benefits of daily publishing.The trust difference between writing and speaking.The simplicity of being a helpful human being.Why you should share absolutely everything you know.How tactics change over time.Why you need to adapt for the reality you’re in.What to copy from your heros (spoiler: copy the strategy, not the tactics).Why niching down is a great way to become dominant in a sector.Why it’s critically important to find out where your ideal buyers talk to each other.How to work your way into a niche market.Show your expertise, don’t tell your expertise.Niching around an audience instead of a deliverable.Connect with Paul:Paul's website Paul's newsletterPaul on Twitter ----Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like:Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time?Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space?Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal?Book a one-on-one coaching call with me and get answers to these questions and others in the time it takes to get ready for work in the morning.Best of all, you're covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don't feel like it was worth it, just say the word, and I'll refund your purchase in full.To book your one-on-one coaching call, go to: https://jonathanstark.com/callI hope to see you there!

Sam Shepler, founder of Testimonial Hero, joined me on Ditching Hourly for a wide ranging discussion about the moving parts of productized services. Links We MentionedSam's TwitterTestimonial HeroHaute StockRange by David Epstein ----Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like:Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time?Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space?Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal?Book a one-on-one coaching call with me and get answers to these questions and others in the time it takes to get ready for work in the morning.Best of all, you're covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don't feel like it was worth it, just say the word, and I'll refund your purchase in full.To book your one-on-one coaching call, go to: https://jonathanstark.com/callI hope to see you there!

Speaker, author, and entrepreneur Ryan Berman joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about using courage as a competitive advantage.Things We MentionedRyan’s WebsiteReturn On CourageThis Book Will Make You Dangerous by Tripp LanierIcarus Deception by Seth GodinJonah Berger ----Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like:Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time?Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space?Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal?Book a one-on-one coaching call with me and get answers to these questions and others in the time it takes to get ready for work in the morning.Best of all, you're covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don't feel like it was worth it, just say the word, and I'll refund your purchase in full.To book your one-on-one coaching call, go to: https://jonathanstark.com/callI hope to see you there!

Software engineer, author, and educator Swizec Teller joined me to talk about consulting vs employment in Silicon Valley.Swizec's links:https://swizec.com/https://twitter.com/swizechttps://seniormindset.com/ ----Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like:Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time?Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space?Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal?Book a one-on-one coaching call with me and get answers to these questions and others in the time it takes to get ready for work in the morning.Best of all, you're covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don't feel like it was worth it, just say the word, and I'll refund your purchase in full.To book your one-on-one coaching call, go to: https://jonathanstark.com/callI hope to see you there!

My good friend Philip Morgan interviewed me on The Self-Made Expert Podcast about what's been going on behind the scenes in my business for the past couple years. We chatted about a bunch of things I don't usually get asked about, including: My transition from surfing a once-in-a-generation tech wave to a very different kind of advisory businessMy inventory of nasty emails received from my mailing listHow I run inexpensive experimentsLinks:My previous appearance on Philip's podcastPhilip's main website ----Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like:Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time?Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space?Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal?Book a one-on-one coaching call with me and get answers to these questions and others in the time it takes to get ready for work in the morning.Best of all, you're covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don't feel like it was worth it, just say the word, and I'll refund your purchase in full.To book your one-on-one coaching call, go to: https://jonathanstark.com/callI hope to see you there!

The wonderful Blair Enns of Win Without Pitching returned to Ditching Hourly to discuss the pros and cons of productized services. Blair is generally against them and I am generally for them. Since we tend to agree on most things business-related, I wanted to have him back on the show to get to the bottom of our disconnect on this particular point. During the course of our hour-long chat, we uncovered lots of nuance and eventually understood both sides of the argument for or against. TL;DR:Whether or not offering productized services is a good move for your business depends on several factors, including: Whether you're a soloist or a big firmHow good you are at salesYour business goalsBlair's links:https://www.winwithoutpitching.com/https://twitter.com/blairenns ----Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like:Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time?Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space?Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal?Book a one-on-one coaching call with me and get answers to these questions and others in the time it takes to get ready for work in the morning.Best of all, you're covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don't feel like it was worth it, just say the word, and I'll refund your purchase in full.To book your one-on-one coaching call, go to: https://jonathanstark.com/callI hope to see you there!

Transistor.fm co-founder Justin Jackson joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about leveling up your "business game" by learning to spot bigger waves. Justin's links: https://transistor.fm/https://megamaker.co/https://devmarketing.xyz/https://justinjackson.ca/https://twitter.com/mijustin ----Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like:Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time?Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space?Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal?Book a one-on-one coaching call with me and get answers to these questions and others in the time it takes to get ready for work in the morning.Best of all, you're covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don't feel like it was worth it, just say the word, and I'll refund your purchase in full.To book your one-on-one coaching call, go to: https://jonathanstark.com/callI hope to see you there!