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Why I'm calling it quits on this channel
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For the past 6 months, I’ve been going full-send on these platforms to find clients: As lead generation became explosive, I’ve realized I need to start using the 80/20 principle in my business. Specifically asking: Which 20% of channels are generating the most clients? The clear winners have been cold email, UpWork, and Dream 100. But as I dove into the numbers, something strange punched me in the eyeballs. I’ve been booking 5–6 calls a week on Upwork and closing 2–3 clients a month from the platform. But the clients who have been taking up the most of my time and paying me the least? Yup, you guessed it: Ye olde UpWork. At first, I believed UpWork was an absolute cesspool until I took my friend Glenn Speakman’s UpWork Unleashed Workshop, which I’ve promoted in the past. To my surprise, UpWork was a fantastic source of lead generation. I dialed in Glenn’s system, became top-rated, and had a reliable source of deal flow. It took me 30 minutes each morning to pitch gigs I was qualified for, and momentum built fast… Until that momentum turned into an anchor. Because UpWork is a red ocean. Every sales call I booked meant I was competing against dozens of other people for the gig. Most of the time, the prospect was trying to get me to work for $500, which is freaking ridiculous. But hey, these people have options. On top of that, every client wants you to integrate into their business. Join the Slack channel. Join meetings. Follow their SOPs.Sure, in the beginning, this is great for a hustler. But it becomes such a time suck for so little pay. Even worse is the show up rate. People will book a call with you, make sure the call is on their time, and never show up or reply. Annoying, rude, and just a royal pain in the arse if ya ask me. That’s why I’m cutting the UpWork umbilical cord. Don't get wrong. I do believe UpWork is one of the best places to get you from $0 to $10k, and $10k to $20k. Heck some folks are making the big bucks on UpWork all by itself. But after putting on my thinking cap, the UpWork juice ain't worth the squeeze for me. I'm going after blue oceans, wide open waters with little competition. This requires more thinking, strategy, and upfront work. But to take my business to the next level it is necessary. Finding the little cracks of the internet that are untouched. Like giving free workshops to people with big audiences, more dream 100 outreach for perfect clients, and even cold calling. Hope that helps. Catch ya soon, Parker |
The Story
Grab attention, monetize, and persuade with Storytelling Every Thursday you'll get one story and writing tactics in 5 minutes. This is the FREE newsletter that 50,000 follower accounts read.
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