Ditching Hourly

Tom DeMarco - a former software litigation consultant - explains what all late software projects have in common. Guest Bio Tom DeMarco is a Principal of The Atlantic Systems Guild, a technology think tank with offices in the United States, Great Britain and Germany. He is the author of ten books on organizational dynamics and the role of technology, plus five novels. His most recent work —just pub...

You know you can't literally buy an hour from someone... so why do you think you can sell an hour to someone? Here's the tweet that inspired this episode: Matt's Tweet Thanks to Matt Olpinski for asking! —J ---- Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like: Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time? Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space? Pro...

If you hate selling, you're probably doing it wrong. Guest Liston Witherill joins me to change your mind forever about what it means to sell as a consultant. Talking Points Where did the negative feelings about marketing and sales come from? How can you sell without selling? What you can do to relax in the sales process Why persuasion has no place in the sales process The importance of listening i...

Thinking of monetizing your expertise by creating an online software training course? Don't make these three classic blunders. Lessons Learned Building My First Online Software Course with guest Chris Buecheler Today I'm joined by guest Chris Buecheler to talk about a few of the hard lessons he learned creating his first online software course, Five Minute React . Chris' Bio Christopher Buecheler...

Guest Adam Aronson joins me to discuss the feasibility of value pricing for firms. Adam's Bio Adam is the founder and principle of FileMaker development firm FullCity Consulting. Since 2000, FullCity has serviced clients like ESPN, the NY Rangers, and the WWE. Earlier in his career, he managed FileMaker database systems for advertising and television production at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia a...

What if a client doesn't understand what they're getting themselves into? Talking points: The sales meeting is not over until you're reasonably confident that you can help improve the client's condition. Don't quote work that you believe will most likely hurt the client (even if they insist that they know what their doing). If you are skeptical of the client's vision, tell the client so and ask th...

Guest David C. Baker joins me to talk about expertise, positioning, the pros and cons of vertical vs horizontal focus, addressing client concerns about conflicts of interest, the risk of hitching your cart to a third party, and tons more. David's Bio David grew up with a tribe of Mayan Indians in a remote village in the highlands of Guatemala. He’s an author, speaker, and advisor to entrepreneuria...

Guest Nick Disabato (aka nickd) talks about measuring the economic value of design. Links Nick's personal site Nick's consultancy Nick's new book Nick's A/B testing course ---- Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like: Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time? Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space? Productizing your services so you neve...

Does the idea of doubling your prices make you physically ill? Janet Kafadar shares a very personal, inspirational, and funny story about how pricing herself too low wrecked her health... and yet raising her prices literally made her puke. Definitely check this one out. Links Janet's site Janet's YouTube ---- Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like: Value pricing your...

Jane Portman joins me to talk about her new book, Your Productized Consulting Guide. Links Jane's book - Your Productized Consulting Guide Jane's SaaS - UserList.io Jane's home site 20% Off Ditching Hourly listeners can use coupon code DH20 for 20% any package of Jane's book . Thanks Jane! ---- Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like: Value pricing your work instead o...

Blair Enns delivers an impromptu master class on the strategies and tactics of value pricing creative work. Blair's Bio Blair Enns is a 25-year veteran of the business side of the creative professions. In 2002, he launched Win Without Pitching, which has worked with thousands of creative professionals in numerous countries through direct engagements, seminars, workshops & webcasts. Blair is th...

Corey Quinn is a consultant who helps companies fix their horrifying AWS bills. In this episode, Corey explains how he monetized his technical expertise by selling sponsorships for his weekly mailing list. Links Last Week in AWS Quinn Advisory Group Corey's Twitter Corey's sponsorship page ---- Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like: Value pricing your work instead o...

Former software consultant Brian Dunning talks about transitioning from hourly billing for dev work to donation supported content production. Description My guest today is Brian Dunning. Brian is an old friend who I met back when we were both building FileMaker solutions for clients who we billed on an hourly basis. Over the years, Brian has transitioned away from trading time for money to the mos...

Shopify guru and former Wordpress developer Kurt Elster explains how he monetized his technical expertise by selling sponsorships for his podcast. Links Kurt's press page Kurt's Twitter Kurt's sponsorship page ---- Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like: Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time? Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space?...

How to recognize and handle the anxieties of running your own business with guest Dr. Sherry Walling Guest Bio Dr. Sherry Walling is a licensed clinical psychologist who helps high-performing professionals meet their potential to enjoy personal well-being, life satisfaction, and a sense of meaning. She has a PhD in clinical psychology and two master’s degrees. In addition, she completed research f...

Money is worthless if you can't exchange it for something you want. ---- Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like: Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time? Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space? Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal? Book a one-on-...

Push past your clients self-diagnosis to unlock more valuable outcomes. ---- Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like: Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time? Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space? Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal? Book a one...

A real world example of the subjective value of money. ---- Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like: Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time? Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space? Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal? Book a one-on-one coaching...

Jason Swett shares lessons he’s learned in the process of ditching hourly. Guest Bio Jason Swett is a web developer from Sand Lake, Michigan, who has been freelancing since 2011. Jason has historically billed by the hour but in the last couple years he has figured out how to start transitioning into value-based pricing." Links Million Dollar Consulting by Alan Weiss Better Training Exercises by Re...

How to answer the world's most common cocktail party question ---- Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like: Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time? Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space? Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal? Book a one-on-one co...

Bait your hook with worms, not poptarts. ---- Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like: Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time? Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space? Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal? Book a one-on-one coaching call with me a...

Clients are paying for outcomes, not outputs. ---- Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like: Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time? Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space? Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal? Book a one-on-one coaching call with...

What to say when the client reveals that they have an absurdly low budget. ---- Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like: Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time? Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space? Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal? Book a...

Why clients don't always choose the cheapest option. ---- Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like: Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time? Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space? Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal? Book a one-on-one coaching ca...

Joel Miller shares his first experiences using value pricing for project work Guest Bio Joel is co-owner and project manager at The Sky Floor, a web design and marketing company in the Chicago area. I asked Joel to come on Ditching Hourly to share with you his first experiences using value pricing for project work. Enjoy. Quotes "Hourly billing is a quagmire." —Joel Miller "My advice to someone co...