8 Ways To Increase Your Buck For The Bang
Last week, I introduced you to the concept of "Buck For The Bang" and invited you to download the nifty B4B Worksheet I created so you could discover your very own buck for the bang. Now, I'm back with 8 ways to increase your buck for the bang so you'll have more time to spend with your family and more money coming in.
1. Love The One You're With
Instead of investing a ton of time and money chasing new clients, put all your current and previous clients on an email list and send them exclusive monthly newsletters with deals, specials, launches and promos.Sell a physical product? Great! You'll have two awesome lists - one for consumers and one for wholesalers.Create this list easily by using my favorite email marketing service, MailChimp, which integrates with Paypal, e-Junkie, etsy, eBay, Eventbrite and more - once your customer purchases goods or services from you, MailChimp will automatically add them to your list.Previous clients & buyers know you and trust you - and are likely to buy from you again. If you don't have a "buyers" list, you're leaving a big chunk of change on the table.
2. Raise Your Rates
Did you set your rates 10 years ago? Maybe it's time to raise 'em.Don't make it more difficult than it has to be - simply increase the price per hour or slightly decrease the time per hour.Give current clients a "grace period" and you'll be just fine. Learn more about raising your rates without losing your clients over at FreelanceSwitch.
3. Create An FAQ section
Find yourself answering the same customer service questions over and over again? Make life easier on yourself (and your customers) and save a ton of "workable time" by creating an FAQ section on your site.Remember, a confused mind always says no - be sure your customer fully understands your products and services or they'll bail before buying.
4. Set Daily Dollar Goals
Back when I was working for Estee Lauder, we had daily sales goals - and though it was stressful sometimes, it actually made it easier to sell.Start each day with 1 or 2 clearly defined income-generating goals. If you're having trouble prioritizing, follow Tim Ferriss's advice and ask yourself, "If I only got this done today, would I be satisfied?". And don't waste time scrambling in the morning setting your goals - do it a week ahead or at least the night before.
5. Keep Office Hours
Schedule office hours and post them on your website and email signature. During your working hours, let the phone go to voice mail, close your email client and get the hell off Twitter.If email and social media are parts of your business, that's fine. But don't fool yourself - you don't need to answer emails the second they roll into your inbox or spend half your life on Twitter to be effective. Schedule email and social media time for one hour, once daily and stick to it.
6. Track Your Time
Steve Miller was right. Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin' into the future.Don't let your day get away from you farting around on Facebook. Keep yourself on task with an online time tracker like Rescue Time, Toggl or e.ggtimer.
7. Keep Yourself Honest
Once you've determined your workable hours and set a schedule, set your computer to turn on and shut off according to your schedule. You won't be tempted to check email compulsively, you'll stay on track, and save energy & money!On a Mac, follow these simple steps:System Preferences > Energy Saver > ScheduleOn a PC, choose one of these how-to posts:eHow: Automatically Shut Off ComputerLifehacker: Automatically Shut Down Computer At A Certain Time
8. Just Say No To Notifications
You're a mom and you've probably read "If You Give A Pig A Pancake". Well, you know what happens when you get an email from Twitter telling you that you have a new follower? You become the main character in "If You Send A Mom Entrepreneur A New Follower Notification".First, you open the email. Then, you'll want to click on this new follower's Twitter profile. You know, just to "see" who they are. Then, you'll read through their tweets and probably want to delve further. So you'll click on some of their links. Then, you'll read 2 of their blog posts and all 4 pages of their bio.And before you know it...an hour is GONE.Turn off all Twitter and Facebook email notifications and save yourself a ton of workable time.On Twitter, follow these steps:Settings > Notices > New Follower Emails > Uncheck the "Email when someone starts following me" boxOn Facebook, follow these steps:Account > Account Settings > Notifications > Uncheck almost everything! On my Facebook Notifications page, the only things I have checked are:Sends me a messageAdds me as a friendPosts on my wallComments on a story on my wallThat's IT!Please don't worry about missing anything - you can check all your new Twitter followers and Facebook "stuff" when you log into Twitter and Facebook during your scheduled "Social Media" time.
More Money, More Time...
What are you going to do to increase your buck for the bang?