Nov '22 (edited) in General discussion
My Freelance Productivity System
It's taken me years to figure out which ones are the best tech tools to use, how to connect them, and why to use them - here are some of the most important parts of freelance productivity system, and WHEN in your freelance journey you should start using them:
(note: these are pieces of OUR ACTUAL TECH STACK. Some links are affiliate links that help support the community - others I've included just because they're awesome and THEY'LL HELP YOU MAKE MONEY even if we make $0 promoting them!)
WHEN YOU WIN PROJECT #1: Email
Yourname@gmail.com is fine to start, but the moment you win your first job, you're a business - so you better be getting your own domain and setting up email.
1A. Domain
For getting your domain & configuring it, I suggest Cloudflare. There are tons of places to get a domain online, but Cloudflare offers wholesale pricing without a markup. It's cheap, and it's awesome.
Cloudflare doesn't add markups because they want you to use their other premium services as you grow - you won't need those yet.
This gets you your "yourbusiness.com" where you can build your website eventually - next you get your "yourname@email.com" email address.
1B. Gmail
Gmail is super-easy to use, the most "connected" for making your work streamlined, and it's SECURE... but the MOST important thing about Gmail in my opinion is that it is EASY TO SET UP. I've tried setting up email on other services, and it is a DISASTER. For professional email (and the rest of the Google Workspace stack, including GOOGLE CALENDAR + GOOGLE DRIVE) it's $6/month in USA.
Showing that you're a PROFESSIONAL to clients for $6 / month - and having cloud storage and having your fully-integrated calendar included? WORTH IT.
WHEN YOU WIN PROJECT #2: Calendar Booking
This story has happened to basically everyone: "I sent in a proposal, and the potential client responded overnight asking when we could do a meeting. But when I sent them messages in the morning, I didn't hear back. I sent a few follow-ups over the next two days to organize a meeting, but still no response. I sent a last follow-up the next week, and they told me they already went with someone else. 馃槶
Know why? It's probably because you didn't give them a link to book a call with you.
There's a mental shift that happens here, called the "Found My Keys Theorem"
You know why your keys are always in the last place you look for them?
Because you STOP LOOKING once you found them!
When a client finds a good option for a freelancer, they "found their keys" when they book a meeting with them. Once the time is set, in most cases there's a "soft lock" on the job and they'll only go back and book more meetings if it turns out that the freelancer they booked with is NOT A FIT for their job.
Solution that stops them from finding their keys somewhere else: GET CALENDAR BOOKING SOFTWARE
My two favorites - I actually use BOTH of them:
(Beginner/Intermediate) Calendly - you want Professional. Using SMS notifications has helped me make client no-shows almost non-existent.
(Advanced/PRO) ScheduleOnce - It is more expensive than Calendly, but ScheduleOnce is for superstars, the flexibility is unparalleled and the SMS + email notification scheduling is ridiculous. The biggest win for ScheduleOnce is how you can configure it as you grow, to support larger teams. Consider upgrading to ScheduleOnce after Project #25.
WHEN YOU WIN PROJECT #3: Client Relationship Management (CRM)
One of the most underrated, and INCREDIBLY VALUABLE pieces of advice that I got:
"Start building your customer email list from Day 1"
As I did more and more projects, it became incredibly valuable - I could always go back over my list of former clients (Upwork or not) and reach out for an update, to see how they're doing, and see what they're up to these days.
This strategy of regularly checking in with people has brought our business 100s of thousands worth of work. And I wouldn't have been able to do it without a CRM system to keep track of things.
I've tried them all. The big three are HubSpot, ActiveCampaign and Keap (InfusionSoft).
HubSpot - pretty good
Keap - When it was called InfusionSoft, its nickname was ConfusionSoft for a good reason.
ActiveCampaign - awesome. What I use and recommend. You will also want to start getting comfortable using Zapier (free for basic) to connect the various parts of your stack.
If you're JUST STARTING, you should definitely track customers in excel, but be quick to move over to a CRM because I promise you, it will make you SO much money when you do.
WHEN YOU WIN PROJECT #5: Zoom Pro
Don't you dare suggest using Google Meet.
Yes, I'm aware Google Meet comes free with the Gmail you bought. But here are my issues with Meet:
-Unreliable call quality
-You WILL have settings issues with peripherals not working / audio switching
-You can't use hotkeys unless the browser window is open, so forget doing work live during a customer screenshare because you won't be able to mute/unmute without reopening the browser
FORGET GOOGLE MEET!
Zoom Pro is the only way. Everyone with a pulse has now used Zoom at some point in their lives by now.
WHEN YOU COMPLETE PROJECT #10: Video Screenshares
There's the easy way, and the hard way.
The hard way: record a video with desktop software, upload it, wait for the upload, generate a link, then share. <----DON'T DO THAT
The easy way: Use Loom. Record live screenshares, and instantly get a link to share. When you link it in Gmail using Chrome + Loom browser extension, you get an automatically-generated GIF preview (it's AWESOME) When you get really good at this you can nearly stop writing emails - Loom is much faster and provides a lot more relevance, context and specificity. Translation: It'll make your projects move faster, which means more money.
Yes, I know you get some Loom features with Upwork, they're not good enough for what you need as a full-time freelancer growing a business.
You want Loom PRO. It's worth it. Here's the link
Important - download BOTH of these:
WHEN YOU COMPLETE PROJECT #20: Project Management
I've used Monday, I've used Asana, I've used Trello, I've used Pipedrive. None of it was flexible enough to do what I needed.
You want to get Airtable. Beyond just managing projects, this will take your workflow efficiency possibilities to a whole new level.
When you get to Project #20, you also want to upgrade your Zoom for extra cloud storage and change settings so that every meeting automatically records. Trust me, you'll use it ALL THE TIME
Anything else you'd add?
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My Freelance Productivity System
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A place for Upwork freelancers to reach financial freedom by becoming superstars!
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