3 builders who never spoke to each other

Cost every lead source in hours you could have billed

Price the time a lead-generation step consumes at your own rate, then divide project value by total hours including acquisition to get what you really earn. Split the business into lead generation, selling and delivery so the first one gets a budget instead of being assumed free.

The method

1. 01

   Price the hours a lead-gen step consumes at what you could otherwise have billed, then compare acquisition routes on that opportunity cost before deciding which to keep.

2. 02

   Measure the real cost of winning one client, in hours and in cash, then divide the project value by the total time including that lead generation to get your true effective rate.

3. 03

   Track the conversion rate and the hours you spend at each stage of your own sales funnel, so the cost of winning a client is a measured number rather than a guess.

4. 04

   Work out whether time or money is your tighter constraint before choosing what to delegate, since the answer decides which acquisition tasks you should buy your way out of.

5. 05

   Budget for client acquisition as a real line item instead of assuming leads will arrive for nothing, because every lead source costs either money or hours.

What it returned

• 2.5

  Brad reliably spends about 2.5 hours on Upwork to land a client worth $200 a month that takes 4 hours a month to deliver, an effective rate near $30.70 an hour in month one.

• Worked example: paying for Upwork Connects to lift reply rates can be cheaper than the unbilled time spent chasing replies without them.

• Austin lists what has worked for him recently: publishing posts, free events, paid retreats, buying people lunch, and gifts for clients who refer.

Sources

• Episode 141: 2 Big Marketing Mistakes Freelancers Make - Expecting Free Clients & Not Knowing Your Numbers - Double Your FreelancingZach Swinehart · doubleyourfreelancing.com · AI-Generated Summary: · 2024-06-19
• The Safest Way To Raise Your Rates - Double Your FreelancingZach Swinehart · doubleyourfreelancing.com · What this superpower looks like in the real world · 2023-07-17
• The Ultimate Guide to Building Client Relationships - Double Your FreelancingAustin Church · doubleyourfreelancing.com · Tips for Attracting Better Clients · 2016-09-12
• Software Development Services: Attracting New Clients, AI Apps, No-Code Tools - Trends.vcDru Riley · trends.vc · 🔑 Key Lessons · 2023-09-27