Yeah… so IDK dude.
I’ve been doing this freelancing thing for a while now but it’s not really workin’
out.
The bills are piling up.
I’m having trouble finding consistent work.
And the gigs I do find barely pay me enough to cover rent and groceries.
I think I’ll just quit, move back in with my parents for a bit, and start looking for
a “real job.”
Hold on dude…
Have you tried the OCC Sales Process tho?
The what?
The OCC Sales Process.
They say that freelancers who use the OCC manage to consistently close high-ticket clients
like clockwork.
It’s actually crazy easy to use once you understand the 3 steps.
Here, let me show you…
What’s happening y’all?
It’s Jay from AppSumo back at it with another knowledge bomb.
Today, we’re gonna get into the OCC Sales Process and how you can use it to close more
clients for your freelance biz in 2022.
But before we jump in, make sure to smash that subscribe button and hit the notification
bell so you stay up to date on all our latest tips.
Alright, let’s get to it.
So, as a freelancer, your whole sales process is gonna come down to just 3 simple steps.
All you gotta do is: outreach to qualified leads, get on a call with them to pitch your
services, and close the sale.
Easy, right?
Well, it is when you know what you’re doing.
And if you stick around until the end of this video, you’ll know exactly what you need
to do to make bank with the OCC.
So let’s jump into step #1: Outreach to qualified leads…
Now, there are a million and one ways to do outreach for your freelance biz, but most
people really only focus on 5 of ‘em.
You’ve got Upwork, Organic Social Media, Cold Calling, LinkedIn Direct Outreach, and
Cold Email.
Each of them has its pros and cons.
Upwork’s great because there’re a ton of available gigs and the platform is super
popular with solopreneurs, agencies, and even big companies like Microsoft who’re looking
to hire.
But…
there are a lot of downsides to Upwork, too.
For one, it costs you money every time you apply to a gig – so you really have to be
ready to spend money to make money.
And even then, it’s hard to find high-paying clients on Upwork.
I mean, just take a look at some of the posts I saw when I was poking around earlier…
“I need a professional content writer.”
Required experience level?
Expert.
Pay?
$5.
“Build responsive website.”
Required experience level?
Expert.
Pay?
$25.
“Legal consultant.”
Required experience level?
Expert.
Pay?
$20.
And let’s say you get really lucky and find a gig you wanna take – Upwork’s fee’s
gonna pick 20% of that right back out of your pocket.
So Upwork… definitely not passing the vibe check.
Two out of five tacos.
What about organic outreach on social media?
Like posting “value-based content” in relevant Facebook groups and hoping you get
a bite?
Upside?
If you’re a really great writer, and you find a group that’s hyper-relevant to your
niche, *and* you have the time to send lots of DMs, then this could actually work.
But… producing content is a major time-suck… not to mention people instantly recognize
what you’re trying to do – so they get defensive… and then the group owners catch
on, which means you risk catching the ban hammer.
But hey, it might work for some…
I just don’t think it’s worth the effort, so… three out of five tacos.
Next, we’ve got cold calling.
For the uninitiated, cold calling is when you open up a phone book, a Google Maps listing,
or an excel spreadsheet full of phone numbers and you call up businesses just…out of the
blue.
Typically, it goes something like this…
Hi!
Can I speak to the owner of this fine establishment?
Hi!
My name’s Jay and I’m calling because I work with businesses like yours to…
No thank you.
Hi… you wouldn’t be interested in…
No, I wouldn’t.
So cold calling?
Definitely not the move.
Zero out of five tacos.
LinkedIn, though?
This is where things start to pick up.
Cause LinkedIn is a platform that was designed to connect you with other professionals.
It’s got a B2B focus, which means people are usually open to building new relationships
that can help their business.
And according to some stats I was reading recently, 80% of users believe that professional
networking is vital for success.
So people on there are a lot more open to connecting with you.
And because LinkedIn has tons of info on all of its users, it’s so easy to find targeted
prospects.
“But, Jay, there’s gotta be a catch, right?”
Ah, yes.
LinkedIn does have one con.
You need a premium account with Sales Navigator to really kick your results into overdrive.
It’s possible to succeed without Sales Nav – but it’s a lot harder.
So keep that in mind.
Overall, though, LinkedIn is probably the best platform you’ll find for lead gen – so
I give it five out of five tacos.
Another great strategy for outreach is cold email.
Cold emailing is like cold calling, except not at all.
Historically, cold email has generated incredible results for freelancers in every industry
from copywriting to design to web dev, VA, and consulting.
It lets you connect directly with decision-makers.
And if you do it right, you could land high-paying, long-term contracts.
The only downside to cold email is that you need to either spend the time or the money
to get a list of qualified prospects.
So overall, really really really solid way to generate leads for your biz, but it does
have one big downside.
For that reason, I’ll give cold emailing four tacos out of five.
Now at this point, you’re like: “Alright Jay.
I get it.
I gotta choose between LinkedIn and cold emailing.”
But hold up…
Por que no los dos?
See, if you had to do everything manually, I would totally tell you to focus on one or
the other.
But we recently launched a deal on AppSumo for a software called Waalaxy that’s gonna
revolutionize the way you do your outreach.
Check this out…
Waalaxy’s an automation software that combines LinkedIn and cold emailing to put you in touch
with people who want to pay you big bucks for your freelance skills.
The way it works is super simple.
All you gotta do is connect your LinkedIn profile.
Then, import a list of qualified prospects from LinkedIn – and Waalaxy’ll also grab
their emails so you don’t have to worry about digging around for them on your own.
From there, you can create outreach sequences that combine LinkedIn messaging with cold
emailing so you’re pretty much guaranteed to get noticed.
[1:35 - 1:55] Plus, Waalaxy has some of the most advanced features out of any automated
outreach software.
You’ve got ultra-personalization, so all of your messages sound like they were written
individually – even though they’re automated.
You’ve got workflows that trigger different actions in your sequences based on how your
prospects interact with you.
And you’ve got a limit of up to 100 new connections a day – which is crazy because
LinkedIn recently changed the rules, so now every other software can only do 100 connections
*a week.* You’ll literally be prospecting *SEVEN TIMES* as effectively as other freelancers
who use similar software.
[CUE: Hands to temples – mind blown + make explosion sound with mouth]
To check out Waalaxy, just click the link in the description below.
Now, step 2: getting on a call to pitch your services.
If you’re doing everything right from step 1, you’ve automated your LinkedIn and email
outreach and now you’re getting positive replies from qualified prospects.
Which means it’s time to get on the phone and…
Pitch…
Your…
Services!
[AIRHORN.wav]
Now, it’s almost impossible to close high-ticket freelance contracts without having a phone
call first.
Because a client’ll only wire 5-figures into your bank account if they’re able to
connect with you, build rapport, and make sure that you’re the right person to help
them grow their business.
And there’s a really easy way for you to do that.
It’s a three-part sales method that positions you as an expert so your prospect feels totally
safe buying from you.
Check it…
First, tell me what you want.
Second, I’ll tell you why that’s wrong.
Third, here’s what we should do instead.
Let’s break this down a little bit…
So, when you get on the call, you’re gonna start with small talk.
Just keep it super casual with stuff like “How’s your week going?”
Easy, right?
They’ll answer, then ask you how yours is going.
You’ll tell a little story about how you and your friends had to save the world from
a super-skilled assassin-slash-high-performance-driver – who just so happens to be your buddy Dom’s
forsaken brother.
And you’ll transition by saying something like: “Okay, awesome.
I know we’re only scheduled for 30 minutes, so let’s hop into the super-serious business
stuff.”
If you keep it light-hearted and playful, they’ll laugh and you’ll have some really
solid rapport by this point.
Next up, you’re gonna launch into “Tell me what you want.”
So let me explain the psychology a little bit before I tell you what to do here.
A bad salesperson goes into a conversation with a prospect and they just go off and try
to sell sell sell.
Now, that’s no good ‘cause you can’t sell properly if you don’t know what the
prospect actually wants, right?
So before you ever say anything about your services *at all,* you want to dig for pains,
desires, and objections.
And you can do that with one simple question.
“So, you mentioned you’re looking for a designer or a copywriter or a consultant
or whatever.
Can you tell me a little bit more about the project you have in mind?”
And boom.
Just like that, they’ll start talking.
You’ll listen to them.
Ask them more questions.
And make sure to take notes.
After maybe 10 or 15 minutes, you’ll know enough about the project to move into the
next phase of the conversation: “I’ll tell you why that’s wrong.”
Now, that probably sounds really abrasive, right?
Popular sales theory would have you believe that you shouldn’t ever disagree with your
prospect.
But if you do it the right way, it can actually be super powerful.
So, you’re not actually gonna say the words: “You’re wrong, and here’s why.”
You’ve gotta finesse it a little bit.
Cause what you’ve gotta remember is that your prospect is coming to you for help.
So they might only have a very vague idea of what they want, and they probably don’t
know the best way to execute it.
So it’s your job as a professional to guide them to the right answer.
The best way to do that is to say something like this: “Okay, great!
Now, in my experience, when it comes to achieving this goal, you absolutely can do it the way
you’re thinking.
But if you do it that way, you risk running into these big obstacles.
Does that make sense?”
And because you’re the pro, you’re going to be able to create a really solid argument
as to why their plan isn’t the best use of their time, their money, or their energy.
They won’t have any choice but to agree with you, and that’s when you can lead them
into “Here’s what we should do instead.”
That would typically go: “Fantastic.
So what I’m thinking is that we should do this really awesome thing.
And if we can do that, then we shouldn’t have any problem fulfilling your desires and/or
overcoming your pain points.
What do you think?”
And just like that, you built rapport, established yourself as the expert, and got them to agree
to your plan.
Easy-peasy.
So just to sum it up one more time… you get on the phone, build a little rapport – then
you start with “tell me what you want,” go into “I’ll tell you why that’s wrong,”
and end on “here’s what we should do instead.”
If you can be friendly, helpful, and professional, you’ve basically got it in the bag.
But there’s one important caveat I need to mention…
If you’re working from a noisy home, or a busy coffee shop, or one of those shared
office spaces, you’ve got way too many distractions around you while you’re trying to make this
sale.
And even the smallest distraction risks throwing everything you’ve worked for out the window.
Like, imagine you’re in the middle of your pitch and your dog starts barking or an ambulance
goes by or people next to you are chatting – and suddenly your prospect can’t hear
what you’re saying so you lose ‘em.
That’s why, whenever I talk to freelancers about sales calls, I always recommend they
check out IRIS Clarity.
IRIS Clarity’s an app you can download on PC or Mac that uses AI to suppress all the
background noise that could potentially distract your prospects from your pitch.
The way it works is really simple.
Once you’ve got it installed, you just need to boot up your favorite video calling software
– whether that’s Zoom, Google Meet, or Skype – and select “IRIS” as your default
mic.
Then, the app gets to work and you can rest assured that your voice is coming through
crystal clear without any background noise.
So the chances of you making the sale shoot up exponentially.
Sounds great, right?
You can click the link below to get more info.
Alright, so you got the lead gen going, you’re getting on calls with qualified prospects,
and they’re actually saying “Yes!”
What’s next?
Well, all you gotta do is close the deal!
But that’s easier said than done.
How many times in your life has a prospect agreed to your offer, then backed out before
signing a contract?
Way too many, right?
Well, if you ask around, a lot of people’ll tell you that’s just the way it is.
I disagree…
Truth is, people back out because you make it hard for them to give you money…
I’m serious!
Cause when you send over a boring PDF stuffed with jargon, they’re gonna be thinking…
“Man, I really don’t wanna read this… and I shouldn’t sign something I haven’t
read… so…”
That’s why you have no choice.
You have to improve the way you send your proposals.
Otherwise, all the work you’ve put in up ‘till now was worthless.
You could open up Canva and design your proposals yourself – which isn’t a great use of
your time… or you could drop a rack on a designer to build out your proposals for you
– which isn’t a great use of your money…
or you could hop into Proposa.
Proposa’s a conversion-focused proposal creation platform that’s designed to help
you close more sales.
It’s got an intuitive interface with all the elements you’ll ever need to look max
profesh.
So when you send out proposals to potential clients, they’ll be like…
“Just got your proposal.
Very impressive.
When can we get started?”
Plus, with real-time notifications, you’ll get alerts whenever someone opens up your
doc, so you’ll know when and how to follow up.
To get all the deets and see if Proposa’s right for you, just click that link in the
description.
So to recap, here’s the best sales strategy for freelancers who want to close more high-ticket
clients in 2022:
One: Focus on LinkedIn and email outreach so you can target highly qualified prospects.
Two: Build rapport, flex your expertise, and make the sale.
Three: Lock it in with a conversion-focused proposal.
Sure, you can do all that on your own if you want to…
But if you value your time, check out the software bundle we’ve prepped for you by
clicking the link below.
When you do, you’ll find all the info about Waalaxy, IRIS Clarity, and Proposa – so
you can decide for yourself if they look like the kinds of tools that’ll help you make
money this year.
But this deal won’t last much longer, so you’ve gotta get on it as ASAP as possible.
Click the link below now.