Ditching Hourly

What would you say if someone asked you to work for free in exchange for referrals? ----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!

How to craft an XY Positioning Statement. Click here to read the companion article ----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!

Scientific research into the negative psychological effects of trading time for money. Guest bio: Alice Lee-Yoon is a prospective phd student researching the link between time, money, and employee happiness. Her papers have been published in leading journals such as Current Opinion in Psychology and Academy of Management Journal, and her works have also been covered in Harvard Business Review, Psychology Today, and New York magazine. Related links: The Psychological Trap of Freelancing Making Seconds Count: When valuing time promotes subjective well-being People Who Choose Time Over Money Are Happier Time is Money When You’re Paid by the Hour How I Realized That Hourly Billing Is Nuts Hourly Billing Is Nuts: Essays On The Insanity Of Trading Time For Money ----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!

Jason Resnick (aka @rezzz) shares how he went from burnt out jack-of-all-trades to in-demand specialist. Related Links Jason's Twitter Jason's website Transcript Jonathan Stark Hello and welcome to Ditching Hourly, I'm Jonathan Stark. Today I'm joined by guest Jason Resnick. Jason, welcome to the show. Jason Resnick Thanks for having me Jonathan. Jonathan Stark Can you tell folks who haven't heard of you before who you are and what you do? Jason Resnick Sure, as I said my name's Jason Resnick, Rezzz online as most people know who I am there. Yeah, I'm a web developer, I've been since the late 90's so showing my age a little bit. And yeah, and I've worked the full gamut from Fortune 50 companies to small agencies, largee agencies, consulting firms. And then I struck out on my own doing my own thing twice, the second time is in 2010 and I've been doing that full time every since. Jonathan Stark Excellent. So, the main reason, the impetus of this phone call is that ... I don't want to air too much dirty laundry but I was considering a platform migration from Drip to Convert Kit. So, anyone lisetening to this show I'm sure knows I sent out daily emails from a very heavy user of email automation, email marketing software, and it's one of my daily tools. So, small things really matter to me because it really adds up over time if there's small things that are annoying or not the way I'd like 'em or whatever the case may be. Jonathan Stark So, I was kind of, to be honest I was kind of ranting about this in a slack room that we're both in and as many times as we've talked in the past you were not pigeon holed in my mind as an email marketing platform guru the way that you are now. So, it was like we started talking and I was like, "Wow, Jason's got amazing answers to these questions. What's going on here?" So, tell me a little bit about ... And then, I came to realize oh this is your deal. So, could you tell people a little bit about your, I don't know I'll use the wrong word but sort of convert kit trusted partner or whatever it is and I think you're also a Drip one and that whole. Jason Resnick Yes. Jonathan Stark Talk a little bit about how that piece of it happened, the sort of partner thing. Jason Resnick Yeah. So, like I said I am a web developer. I focused ever since I started on my own I focused with e-commerce companies whether they were selling digital, physical products, membership websites, subscriptions, even non profits, basically anybody that was taking some sort of a transaction online. And as that grew and I really started to work, sort of fall into a specialty there where I was helping them decrease the time from the first interaction to their first purchase as well as creating repeat buyers and rating fans out of the customers. That was around I guess 2013, 2014 ish, I really started to look into email marketing. Because that was kind of, I mean obviously at that point in time it was out there, it was doing it, but it wasn't doing it at the level that it is now. But I was a web developer so when Drip came along I was taking a look at their API and to be able to do some of the things that Drip was able to do through the API meaning leveraging that subscriber data on the website making the experience on the website a little bit more personal based around whether you opened up the last email or not and these kind of things. And I mean you can do down the rabbit hole of personalization there but that was the genesis of where I am today because what I was doing with my clients as far as the development end of it people wanted more of the other stuff. They wanted the on site personalization. They wanted the beahavioral marketing that I was implementing more so than the custom development work that I was doing. 'Cause at the time and I still do this to this day is I sort of put that final 20% into their website. So, out of the box they install orld wcommerce or whatever. They get 80% of the way there, they see that it's working and getting traction and now they want to put the rest of their business into it whether that's inventory control or anything like that. So, I ... Jonathan Stark Can you sort of drill into that a little bit more? I want to make sure it's clear. So, when you say, "Put 80% into it", and you mentioned WooCommerce. I'm not a 100% sure I'm following so. Jason Resnick Sure. Yeah. So, I focus in on WooCommerce based customers and a lot of times the companies would install world commerce and find out that it was working for them just out of the box. They would be able to sell products, they would be able to do these things but then other areas of the business whether it was a brick and mortar business like I had one customer that was an ice cream shop that only could deliver to local areas because otherwise it would melt or whatever it is right? Jonathan Stark Yeah. Jason Resnick So, things like that right? Jonathan Stark So, that's what you meant when you said put the rest of the business into it? Jason Resnick Right. Jonathan Stark Okay I've gotcha. Jason Resnick So, but then I noticed a trend towards the behavioral marketing stuff, the email marketing, and automation, and things. And I decided that I could essentially do a lot of that stuff with Java Script code. I didn't need to be in the WooCommerce space, or Magento space, or any of that kind of stuff. So, I just gave it a shot and I basically said, "Okay I'll give this six months. I'm going to essentially slice that part of the business out and offer that as a service." And at that time it was just Drip and I wound up getting a couple of Shopify customers, a couple of Magento customers, and it worked out well. It was nice and easy for me to be able to implement that stuff over and over again. It was a platform that was working well. Jason Resnick Support was great too in the growing API there and all that other stuff. So, I was like, "Okay this is great". When they offered the consulting, I think they called it a certified consultant program or something like that, they knew who I was. 'Cause just in and around the community around Twitter and things like that I would jump into these conversations where Drip was mentioned and not to totally get into the weeds over there but I would just basically set up Zapya recipe to look for those mentions and then ping me in my own private Slack. So, I kind of jumped ahead of drip a lot of times in the conversations and I was just offer suggestions, or answers, or things like that because I was well versed in the platform. So ... Jonathan Stark Now is that ... Sorry to interrupt. Is that where these clients came from because they saw you and you put them ... Jason Resnick A lot of times. Jonathan Stark Okay. Jason Resnick Yeah. Yeah, a lot of times. Jonathan Stark So, basically you being helpful online in public brought you to the attention of Drip but also a bunch of clients who were evidently wrestling with these problems and then you just basically act like third party support in a way. Jason Resnick Exactly, exactly right. Jonathan Stark Awesome. Jason Resnick And they said, "Well we're opening up this consultancy platform, or certification program, or whatever you want to call it", which was really just a [inaudible] had to use Drip in the best way that they wanted you to use it. And so, I dove in. I was in the first co hort of those. I don't really think they have two of them. I'm not really sure h...

The benefits of offering a productized service. In this episode of Ditching Hourly I'm joined by guest Ben Manley. Ben is the founder of Knapsack, a web design firm that offers an laser focused productized service that allows his team to deliver beautiful websites to their clients in one day. Ben shares his background and explains in detail how he went from a generalist design freelancer who would do anything from Photoshop comps to theater sets, to running a highly specialized web design firm that generates incredible word-of-mouth referrals. As a past client of Ben's, I can tell you from experience that his process is stellar and delivers a huge amount of value in a very short time. Talking Points Transitioning from hourly billing to project based prices The benefits of specializing The importance of having a healthy margin Designing with the client over your shoulder How to ask for good design feedback Capitalizing on a platform specialization Preventing scope creep on fixed price services Related Links Knapsack The site Ben build for Jonathan (password is 'mobile') StoryBrand Breaking the Time Barrier by Mike McDerment and Donald Cowper ----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 valuation expert John Warrillow explains the benefits of making your business more valuable as an acquisition target, even if you have no intention of selling it.Talking PointsThe two most common reasons business owners consider selling their businessWhy it makes sense to build your business to sell even if you don't want to sellThe difference between growing value and growing revenueWhy productizing makes it easier to charge upfront for servicesQuotable Quotes"I see a lot of freelancers 'start a company', but they really just created a job."—JW"There's a difference between 'specialization' and 'productization'."—JW"Focus on a very small niche and become dominant in that space."—JW"People say 'Revenue is vanity, profit is sanity,' but neither is the value of your company."—JW"If you're just a hodgepodge of a bunch of undifferentiated services, an acquirer could easily go after your revenue without buying you."—JW"The very same things that make your business valuable and sellable, are also the things that will make your business fun to run forever."—JW"Can the business succeed without you?"—JW"Employees thrive on repetition."—JW"Every service offering you add grows the complexity of your business exponentially."—JW"Take a half-day and think about the one thing you do better than anybody else."—JW"Billing after services are rendered creates a 90-day negative cashflow cycle."—JWRelated LinksBuilt to Sell (the book)Built to Sell (the podcast)Value BuildereMyth RevisitedJohn's BioJohn Warrilow is an entrepreneur, podcast host, and best-selling author with over 20 years of research experience into the small and medium business market. He has started and exited four companies, including a quantitative market research business that was acquired by the Corporate Executive Board in 2008. His best-selling book, Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You, was rewarded by both Fortune and Inc. Magazine as one of the best business books of 2011. He is also founder and host of the successful podcast, Built to Sell Radio.Recently, John has founded The Value Builder System, which helps business owners and advisors assess the value of their company. With over 35,000 business owners and advisors having taken the Value Builder Questionnaire, this system has helped reassess and raise the company’s value by up to 71%. ----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!

Veteran recruiter Norman Lieberman shares hard won war stories from 37 years of cold calling. Talking Points You have to take control of the conversation in the first 20 seconds The importance of finding out the client's problem before you even think about selling anything to them Why talking about your company, product, or process is worse than useless Why to lead with a question and then shut up What you can learn from a cold-calling master, even if you'll never do them yourself How to bring prospects back to what they want accomplished if they start talking about price too early in the conversation How to pull a relationship together out of thin air How to anchor your high price against the much higher cost of doing nothing How to respond to a client who asks if you guarantee your work How to make buyer's eye glaze over (and what to do instead) Links Norman's site Norman's email Learn Your Lines Jill Konrath on TBOA The Secret of Selling Anything The Red Balloon ----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!

You know you want your customers, employees, and communities to be engaged, but what exactly does ‘engagement’ mean? Scott Gould, author of The Shape of Engagement joins me to talk about how independent software developers can sow the seeds engagement. Talking Points Why engagement matters What engagement is The three levels of engagement The three processes that make up the cycle of engagement Real-world examples of how typical marketing activities fit in the cycle of engagement Simple steps software professionals can take to understand why their work matters to their clients Guest Bio Scott Gould is an author and popular speaker who champions the cause of real engagement in a world where so much is only skin-deep. As a management advisor he has helped some of the world’s biggest brands and oldest organisations get their customers, employees and communities highly engaged around their mission. Related Links Scott’s website Scott’s book "The Shape of Engagement" Trainer Weekly by Reuven Lerner How to Fascinate by Sally Hogshead TED Talk by Joe Pine Social Proof Derek Sivers Kai Davis ----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!

Freshbooks CEO Mike McDerment joins me to discuss his book Breaking the Time Barrier. Talking Points The importance to talking to your clients Looking for ways to help your audience How to push yourself out of your comfort zone Why hourly billing is a bad idea Quotable Quotes “In one year, I worked 19 days and brought in $200,000.”—MM “I think the constant paranoia of not knowing something is healthy.”—MM “Your peers are great for support but you should look for an advisor who is a reach for you.”—MM “If you think your clients are the enemy, you’re so far off ”—MM “Sitting around and saying ‘It’s hard!’ is not going to get you anywhere. Figure it out.”—MM “Hourly billing pits you against your clients.”—MM “When your billing by the hour, everyone is staring at their shoes instead of where they want to go.”—JS “You have to choose your clients.”—MM “It’s a flag for me if my client going to tell me how I charge for my work.”—MM “Let’s stop talking about hours. What is it you want when I’m done?”—MM “I want to know that I can be successful when I'm done.”—MM Related Links Breaking The Time Barrier Freshbooks Bureau of Digital Give it five minutes Mike’s Bio Mike McDerment is co-founder and CEO of FreshBooks, the world’s #1 accounting software in the cloud for self-employed professionals and their employees. Prior to FreshBooks, Mike ran his own design firm where he accidentally saved over an invoice and realized an unmet need in the market. In 2003, he started FreshBooks from his parents’ basement in Toronto. Since then, over 10 million people have used FreshBooks to save time billing, look professional, and collect billions of dollars. Mike and his team dedicate themselves to executing extraordinary experiences everyday for customers who want to focus on what they love, not their paperwork. Mike has also authored “Breaking The Time Barrier,” a guide to using value-based pricing to unlock your true earning potential which has been downloaded more than 250,000 times. ----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!

Guest Maggie Patterson describes how she more than doubled her income by ditching hourly billing. Talking Points How hourly billing decreases your income The value of creating clearly defined service packages The benefits of systematizing your service delivery The magic of naming process steps How taking control of the client engagement increases your fees The importance of saying no to clients who are a bad fit How productized services make the sales process easier Quotable Quotes "If you're saying yes to everyone, that's a bad thing."—MP "If your close rate is off, you're either talking to the wrong person or your proposals are off."—MP "We're always going to make more money with a flat rate. Always."—MP Maggie's Bio Maggie Patterson is a communications strategist, business growth consultant, and the principal consultant at Scoop Studios. With two decades of experience, Maggie has spent her entire career in client services and has been a successful entrepreneur for over 10 years. Today, she works with online and small business owners to help them implement smart strategies for business growth and to maximize the impact of their digital marketing. She’s the host of the Small Business Boss podcast, has been on stage at events such as New Media Expo, Podcast Movement, and the Conquer Summit, and her work has been featured in leading publications such as Entrepreneur.com, Fast Company and Virgin.com. Related Links Scoop Studios Website
 Small Business Boss Website
 Instagram
 Scoop Studios Business Facebook Page
 Small Business Boss Facebook Page
 ----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!