3 builders who never spoke to each other

Go back to people who have already paid you

The warmest list you own is the one that has already sent you money. Return to the customer you refunded once the complaint is fixed, phone the accounts whose cards failed, book a handoff meeting to find the next goal, and pitch the retainer out of a relationship rather than cold.

The method

1. 01

   Go back to a customer you refunded once you have fixed what they complained about, and ask to charge them again.

2. 02

   Phone the customers whose cards have failed: they still want the product and just need a nudge to update the details

3. 03

   Book a handoff meeting a few weeks before the project ends and use it to ask what the client's next business goal is, which both helps them and surfaces the next thing you could sell.

4. 04

   Pitch a retainer or a packaged consulting offer out of an existing relationship rather than trying to sell one cold, because the handoff meeting and check-ins reveal the ongoing need first.

5. 05

   Once you know the funnel, offer the adjacent work as well, such as running the automation campaigns or bringing in a copywriter you subcontract.

What it returned

• 400

  LessAccounting had 400 businesses with invalid billing worth $12,000 a month; hiring someone to call them back recovered 180 customers, about $5,400 a month

• A user refunded in June asked him to charge their card again after the improvements landed.

• Dunn's handoff questions cover how they will change and market the site, their backup and update plan, and what they want it doing in one and five years.

• Dunn frames this as the answer to the common question of how to convert a one-off project into a monthly retainer: insure the work or make it more efficient.

Sources

• July 2021: Retrospective & Income ReportBhanu Teja · bhanuteja.dev · What happened in July · undated
• Why Most Freelancers Set Their Clients Up For Failure (And How To Fix This) - Double Your FreelancingBrennan Dunn · doubleyourfreelancing.com · How To Make Sure Your Clients Thrive · 2014-08-28
• How To Socratically Question New Project Leads - Double Your FreelancingBrennan Dunn · doubleyourfreelancing.com · How To Socratically Question New Project Leads · 2017-01-01
• How to generate more revenue from your web application todayNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · Contact customers with invalid billing information · 2012-11-12
• How I Made $19,000 on the App Store While Learning to CodeNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · 2011-11-15