Troy Dean

Long before computers or the Internet became a part of my daily life I had a passion for connecting with audiences. At the age of 6 I wanted to be a singer and a rock star. As a teenager I wanted to be an actor. The through line in all of these dreams was engaging with large audiences; I wanted to connect with as many people as possible.

In the late 1990s I got my taste of the Internet; I had a 7.7k dial-up modem that took ages to load a page. And the first thing I looked up was a Melrose Place episode guide! I knew we were a season or two behind in Australia and I wanted to know what was happening in the latest episodes so I could tease my friends when we watched the shows.

But the next thing I did with the Internet was to promote my voiceover work. Before getting online and sending emails, I’d have to run all over town trying to connect with people and give them my demo work so they could hire me. Once I discovered email however, I could do the same thing from home, and I saved myself tons of time in the process.

In 2008 I built my first web site for a local record company. As I continued to get web design work from other clients I decided to build my own content management system; I wanted to make it as easy as possible to update the site so my clients could do it or could hire someone to do it. I spent 6 weeks teaching myself how to build a CMS tool and put together something that worked fairly well.

But when I asked a friend how I could upload more than one photo at a time he repeatedly told me to use WordPress. I resisted for awhile because I wanted to conquer the Internet and build my own thing, but eventually I started using it…and the rest is history!

WP Elevation came about later on as a result of building an agency and parting ways my then-business partner. The split was amicable, we just weren’t a good business match so we parted ways and I set about building up Video User Manuals. By listening to my audience and providing solutions to their problems WP Elevation was launched. Today we are a business accelerator program that helps WordPress consultants build the business they need to support the lifestyle they want.

My day to day work at WP Elevation has changed in the last six months and today I spend time producing audio and visual content like podcast episodes, training videos, and webinars. I also devote much of my time to customer support; I’m on Skype talking with customers and helping them, I also hang out in the forums and answer questions there as well as on email.

On today’s show Jason also digs into what I do in my free time, what keeps me awake at night and the one thing I’d fix in the business today if I could wave a magic wand and fix anything. It’s all here on this week’s edition of the WP Elevation Podcast. Thank you for listening!

Elevation Round

Q: What’s the #1 thing any freelancer needs to know?
A: You don’t get paid for what you do, you get paid based on the value you provide and who you do it for. What you do doesn’t determine what you get paid, who you do it for determines how much you get paid.

Q: What’s the best thing you’ve done to find new customers?
A: Podcast.

Q: How do you stop competing on price?
A: Have a different conversation, don’t start competing on price.

Q: Any tips for writing better proposals?
A: Use the language in your proposal that your customer uses in your first meeting with them.

Q: What’s your favorite CRM tool?
A: We use Infusionsoft and it’s really powerful. Active Campaign is really good too, as is Contactually.

Q: What’s the best way to keep a client and project on track?
A: Manage their expectations from the start. Tactically: email or call your client more often then you think you’re supposed to.

Q: Any ideas for getting referrals from existing clients?
A: Be awesome! Do really good work and introduce people in your network to other people.

Q: What’s the #1 thing you can do to differentiate yourself?
A: Be yourself, work out what your sweet spot is, what you’re really good at and what you’re passionate about. Also have an opinion and don’t be afraid to express that opinion.

Q: What’s the best way to get over the fear of having difficult conversations with clients?
A: The more comfortable you are with awkward silences, the better quality relationships you will have with other people. The best way to get over that is just through practice. Practice those conversations before you have them.