listen to my latest podcast episode:
Managing Your Web Design Business Finances with Rocky Lalvani EP 88
byShannon Mattern
WDA Live Strategy Call 1-24-2023

This Week's Questions

Chat

00:01:22 Kaila – HeyKaila Media: Gosh I missed all of your faces a lot!
00:01:28 Kim Brock: Hi WDA fam! Win: Started a YNAB fund for branding
00:01:49 Leigh: Hey Kaila!
00:02:08 Kaila – HeyKaila Media: Hi Leigh!!
00:02:10 Janet Hoover: Hi Kaila! We missed ya!
00:02:14 Glennette Goodbread: I need to start doing Profit First again.
00:02:29 Cynthia Norman: I had a strategy call today and they are asking for a quote. This would be one of my first direct clients since I joined WDA. Everything for me has been mostly subcontractor work.
00:02:54 Mariela Cabezas | Web Designer – soulbusinessdesign.com: I completely revamped my Patrick last week, updated the website with the new packages, created a shareable matrix using Google Sheets, and actually shared it with a client during a consultation on Tuesday.
00:02:55 Janet Hoover: Held boundaries, followed up, planted seeds, made $$, got new inquiries, not stressing over things I would “normally” stress out over lol
00:02:59 Brittney: Finally ready to enforce my service fee for my client delaying the project (per our contract). Just gotta finalize what I’m gonna say and hit send.
00:03:48 Kate Newnham: 8-9am PST?
00:03:50 Kate Newnham: lol
00:03:54 Glennette Goodbread: Yay everyone!
00:04:04 Erica Nash: 11 est
00:04:08 Erica Nash: So yes? lol
00:04:10 Mariela Cabezas | Web Designer – soulbusinessdesign.com: Then I’m actually starting to reach out to old connections about my new ideal client and my new packages. I was so bad with following up with coffee chats (I’ve had so many since 2020!), so I’m learning how to gradually reconnect, not asking them for anything in the first email, and then later in a second or third email telling them my “do you know anyone” script 🙂
00:04:14 Janet Hoover: Yay, Brittney!!
00:04:34 Kaila – HeyKaila Media: My weekly wins (or sort of more like Jan wins since I’ve been away) – took a week off sans laptop, got back into time-blocking, did two consultations – for the first time, paused one part way through to ask the client if she wanted me to continue the call since I didn’t have any offerings at the budget she had in mind. I said my pricing on the call, and confidently talked through my value and how it could help her meet her goals. She chose to continue and ended the call with a ‘Please send me your packages! I’ll find the money. You’re hired. I know I need you!’
00:04:49 Janet Hoover: Yay!!!! Good stuff!!
00:04:50 Karen: Nice, Cynthia!
00:05:12 Glennette Goodbread: That's awesome Kaila!
00:05:18 Kate Newnham: Great job everyone!!
00:05:22 Kate Newnham: On fiyah!
00:05:33 Caitlin Harrison: Small win but I forced myself to send two outreach emails yesterday before heading back into my own rebrand
00:06:16 Kaila – HeyKaila Media: Wow, you have all been busy! Congrats all!!
00:06:46 Janet Hoover: 🔥
00:06:53 Mariela Cabezas | Web Designer – soulbusinessdesign.com: So happy for everyone!
00:06:59 Brittney: I put it in the FB group about an hour ago 🙂 Still nervous but I know I need to do it!
00:07:25 Kate Newnham: I found a great design VA that I can afford! So excited.
00:08:35 Mariela Cabezas | Web Designer – soulbusinessdesign.com: Kaila, that is amazing!
00:08:47 Becky Swan: Amazing Kaila!
00:09:02 Lauren N.: Wowwww!!!! Nailed it Kaila!!!
00:09:24 Janet Hoover: So awesome!!
00:10:24 Kaila – HeyKaila Media: Thanks friends!! 😄
00:10:49 Angela Winter (she/her): Wins were personal in having ahas and finding additional support
00:17:57 Kate Newnham: Would adding a video recording to the email help?
00:18:06 Kate Newnham: If she’s neuro-divergent?
00:19:28 Kate Newnham: My best friend has horrible ADHD… I have to remind her nonstop
00:21:19 Glennette Goodbread: Maybe create an asana project with the tasks listed out and due dates spread out. She may be overwhelmed.
00:21:19 Diana Richards: I was just typing to give her as few options as possible. I can’t speak for all ADHD brains, but I get stuck in figuring out which thing I want when there are many options
00:23:28 Glennette Goodbread: Just had an idea for a new service. Web Designer Coworking. Need to get stuff to your designer? Set aside two hours and get it done.

LOL
00:26:33 Kate Newnham: Omg Glennette – I had that idea years ago where I’m in a storefront and people come in and we do their site together in a day. Just like they do with Taxes!!
00:31:02 Kaila – HeyKaila Media: I feel like someone had a good metaphor for this once – like McDonalds doesn’t charge you less if you don’t want pickles or something. They don’t force you to have the pickles, but they don’t change their offering price.
00:34:17 Kate Newnham: I love that Kaila
00:34:21 Kate Newnham: I love pickles tho
00:34:25 Kaila – HeyKaila Media: :p me too
00:34:29 Caitlin Harrison: I hate pickles
00:34:34 Caitlin Harrison: but don’t expect the cost to change haha
00:34:39 Kaila – HeyKaila Media: lol
00:34:46 Kate Newnham: lol
00:37:13 Kate Newnham: You can probably make even more $$ when you do the matrix
00:37:21 Janet Hoover: truth
00:37:22 Leigh: I only think in 3 options now. You put the pickles, I put the pickles, we find some gourmet pickles
00:37:28 Kaila – HeyKaila Media: I also find the more you use it, the more you make it work for you
00:37:43 Kaila – HeyKaila Media: Yess Leigh haha
00:37:49 Kate Newnham: Leigh lol
00:38:05 Erica Nash: Gourmet pickles 😂
00:38:46 Leigh: They gotta exist, right?
00:38:48 Caitlin Harrison: so true Leigh
00:39:03 Cynthia Norman: I would do an Add-on for SEO and so they pick their level for web design and different level for SEO
00:39:36 Caitlin Harrison: I am working on building a matrix for all the combos (web + brand, brand only, web only) so they can be easily grab-able on calls
00:39:41 Caitlin Harrison: but not changing the pricing much
00:41:22 Kaila – HeyKaila Media: I have a ‘base’ package for website dev and a ‘base’ package for maintenance plans. I still customize them a bit for each client by adding and removing rows. I also include a trial of my maintenance package within my website dev packages – maybe that could be similar for an ongoing seo package. The set up is in the dev packages but the ongoing is a separate maintenance/seo/care plan with a trial as part of main matrix.
00:41:54 Lauren N.: That’s how I have it, I have seo in each level of my Patrick at different tiers. Just like you, a course at the low level, setup and basic title tags/ meta descriptions at mid tier, then a more involved research phase at the top tier. Then there are levels of ongoing seo.
00:41:56 Caitlin Harrison: can we genius chat all of our maintenance packages?
00:42:03 Lauren N.: Reacted to “can we genius chat a…” with ❤️
00:42:04 Caitlin Harrison: software, reports, communication, etc
00:42:15 Erica Nash: I was just thinking that a matrix genius chat needed to happen
00:42:32 Kate Newnham: I still view it as a plane – first class, biz class, coach
00:42:45 Kate Newnham: Patrick 4ever
00:42:46 Janet Hoover: Yeah, that makes sense to me, Kate
00:42:50 Erica Nash: I shall know think about it as pickles
00:42:58 Caitlin Harrison: but we dont use that metaphor TO the clients right?
00:43:16 Kate Newnham: You could!
00:44:00 Caitlin Harrison: it feels so easy to visualize, like you are getting an amazing website at all levels, where do you want to sit haha
00:45:07 Kaila – HeyKaila Media: Ok, feeling like a #zoomnewb – how do you react to a chat message?
00:45:28 Caitlin Harrison: some people have the new features, I still don’t see them on my end
00:45:43 Kate Newnham: Yes on your podcast next week!!
00:45:52 Kim Brock: YES, I did a podcast interview and I couldn’t even listen to it
00:45:52 Kaila – HeyKaila Media: Oooh, it’s new? Ok, I’ll have to see if I’m on the most up to date version. Thanks!
00:46:16 Kate Newnham: You could hit “quote”, then add the emoji
00:46:28 Kaila – HeyKaila Media: You could hit “quote”, then add the emoji
😘
00:53:12 Mariela Cabezas | Web Designer – soulbusinessdesign.com: I would LOVE to have retainer clients…
00:55:06 Kim Brock: Just remember they can edit! you can totally say “pause, can I reword that?”
00:56:03 Glennette Goodbread: Think of how many people are LESS successful than you. As long as you're open and honest, that's what counts.
00:56:50 Kate Newnham: I find that if I go out with the intention of being helpful instead of making it about me, I’m always happier and it turns out better
00:58:05 Kaila – HeyKaila Media: Hehe make your own table!!
00:59:33 Kate Newnham: Success = not giving up!
01:00:05 Kaila – HeyKaila Media: So powerful
01:00:36 Kim Brock: 😂
01:00:51 Kim Brock: Love the pancake analogy
01:01:47 Kaila – HeyKaila Media: I was just going to say ‘how many people are going to hear that you don’t have clients and think – woah…ME TOO! I’m not alone!’
01:02:02 Kaila – HeyKaila Media: *don’t have a client right now
01:02:02 Kate Newnham: AND “Ooh she has an opening! I’m calling her now”
01:02:13 Janet Hoover: And those are the people who you remember and relate to
01:02:17 Erica Nash: Transparency and vulnerability is so attractive to people who are craving authenticity!
01:03:21 Janet Hoover: Good stuff!
01:03:39 Diana Richards: Bye all!